101 ways to get the girl ; ashton irwin

nine

i feel like such a terrible person because i kept saying i was going to update soon but i ended up updating almost a year later i am so, so sorry. thank you for reading this story and being so incredibly patient i love you all so much. (btw i AM finishing this story so no worries) ((i just don't know how often i'll update probably over summer))

also if you like kpop i made an exo account novacaines and it would be really cool if you followed that one! i'm currently writing a oneshot for that account :)

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"YOU GUYS ARE INVITED TO a party," Calum announced once he arrived in his usual seat next to Magnolia and Michael.

So far, two weeks had passed since the guys started eating lunch with Ellie and Magnolia and quite frankly, nothing really seemed to change. At first Ellie freaked out because she was afraid that people would look at them and give them weird and threatening stares, but no one seemed to care. People just minded their own business, eating lunch with their own friends, talking about something other than gossip. Thank goodness.

Maybe Magnolia was right in saying that Ellie watched too many high school movies and read too many teen fictions. High school was so much different than fictional characters made it out to be.

"A party?" Magnolia was the first to answer. She spoke in a cool and collective tone that made Ellie slightly envious. "Lemme guess, its Allison's isn't it?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Calum with a raised brow.

"I heard her talking about it in Calculus." Magnolia shrugged it off as if it was nothing as she began to pick the sticker off her apple.

"Well, she asked me to ask if you and Ellie wanted to come."

Magnolia's respond was not a second late. "I don't know about Elle, but I'm in." Although her words made it seem as if Ellie has a choice, her knowing stare bored into Ellie, saying you better go, or else I'll hunt you down.

Ellie managed to nod, a silent promise to her friends.

"Great! Ash will pick you guys up at seven tonight," Calum told them, happily picking a fry from his tray.

"Ash is going to do what?" Someone said from behind. Ellie immediately shuffled her homework away into her backpack to clear space.

"Taking me and Elle to Allison's party," Magnolia replied before she stuffs her mouth with food. "You know where Elle lives, don't you?"

Ashton plopped down into the vacant seat besides Ellie and flashed them his wide grin. "Of course I do. And yeah, I'll do it."

Ellie rubbed her leg as the rest of them started talking about something else Ellie couldn't be bothered to focus in on. For the past week or so, Ellie had started to get along with Ashton. Sure, they still participated in their daily bickering and nagging, but it was friendly. Yeah, they were friends now. It was what friends were supposed to do.

Nowadays, Ellie even found herself in the passenger side of Ashton's car since Magnolia still spent hours after school in the photography room. The two have a common interest: music. So, they would chatter away until Ashton pulled up into the concrete driveway of Ellie's house, and then it was the same cycle the next day.

Of course, the cycle also included Ellie clandestinely fawning over Luke, watching him as he talked, laughed, smiled – did any sort of action that made Ellie's heart thump even faster than before.

There was no exception today. Once Luke sat down, Ellie's head immediately snapped up as if she had been waiting for him her whole life.

"Hi, Luke," she said with a bright grin.