Cool Kids » Z.M. AU [discontinued]

22. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm [not] Yours

Tension. The tension ran high, filled the room up like a thick cloud of black smoke that just wouldn't go away no matter how much you tried to swat your way out of it. It was awkward and no one knew what to do but sit there and stare at each other like each of us spoke a different language that no one could understand so we were unable to communicate properly. Except, everyone in this room spoke English and nothing but that—save for a few Spanish words I remembered from having to take the class in high school—and that was it. We were all just sat in a huge bubble filled with uneasiness and awkward feelings and a whole lot of tension. So strong it felt like a dead weight hanging off of my shoulders.

I hated uncomfortable situations with a burning passion. I hated not knowing what to do or what to say, hated fearing that I'd end up saying the wrong things, and this—this, what was happening right now—wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Zayn and I had to be pulled into a situation that didn't belong to us in the first place simply because our best friends couldn't get along anymore. It was bullshit; complete and utter bullshit.

"This is ridiculous," I groaned loud enough for everyone to hear, rolling my eyes so hard that I actually felt like they'd fall out if I didn't stop. I could've sworn there was never a time Charli was as difficult as she was being today. And I mean, she was very opinionated at times, had a strong personally and wasn't one to give up (or give in) so easily, but this was beyond anything I'd ever known her to be. And I couldn't believe Louis—just a normal boy from another country—was having this much of an effect on her. I truly didn't understand it. I just couldn't get it to settle in my head. What was so great about Louis (not that he wasn't great because he was—he was an amazing person) that had Charli feeling like she couldn't hold her ground? That she couldn't just let go an move on?

"What I think is ridiculous is how I'm being forced, against my will if I may add, to stay here when I clearly don't want to." Louis huffed, full of annoyance, full of bitterness. This was so like Louis, though, to act this way. He had a big head at times, and I'd heard from Zayn a lot how he wasn't one to be the bigger person at times like this. How he was the kind of person who always had to have the last word no matter if he was right or wrong.

And maybe I could kind of see it now. Maybe they truly wouldn't work out together—they clashed too much, it'd never be right. Or maybe it would. Who knew? No one could tell with them behaving this way. I felt like I was stuck in a room full of five year olds fighting over the last toy.

"The faster you two talk things through, the faster you can leave."

"I don't think this is working," Zayn mumbled, shaking his head. Unfortunately, I was feeling the same way.

"Can I please go?" Charli turned to me with pleading eyes. I could tell that she genuinely was not ion the mood at all. What a failure my plan had been.

My gaze shifted towards Zayn for a moment, silently asking him what my next move should be. But he was no help, just shrugged letting me know that he either didn't know or he didn't care. So much for backup.

"You guys are so useless," I grunted stubbornly. "Every single one of you."

Zayn's face scrunched up then, eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Even me?" He asked. And yeah, he wasn't special. Well, not in this situation at least. Anywhere else, yeah he very much was.

"For now," I nodded, "yes."

Louis started mumbling underneath his breath after that, but I couldn't really make out what he was saying. 'Stupid' and 'pointless' were a few of the words I caught, but that was it.

"What's stupid is you," Charli spoke up, folding her arms. Apparently she had some kind of super hearing because I couldn't hear a word Louis had said and I was sitting right next to him. "You're. Stupid."