Disconnected

Chapter Six

Daniella

I walk downstairs after finishing unpacking all of my bags and admiring my new room.

I walk into the kitchen and smile at the three joyous boys huddled around the stove.

"Oh! Pleasure of you to join us! We are making dinner. We didn't know what you liked so we got one of everything basically. What do you want?" Luke asks, pointing to the food and recipes laid out on the counters.

"We don't really cook much around here. We usually just sit around all day when we aren't recording or on tour or at an interview and eat pizza." The three boys laugh.

I laugh along with them and browse the large display of a variety of foods on the counter.

"Sounds like you guys don't get very much free time." I say as I grab a box of macaroni and cheese from the bare cabinets. "This will work."

"Oh good. I know how to make that!" Calum smiles and grabs it from me. "We do have quite a bit of time off between tours and things. We are sorta taking a break from touring and making music for now. We have a lot of free time on our hands these days." He explains their schedules to me, almost disappointed that this is their new life.

I sit down at the table and make eye contact with Michael. My heart beats faster as his eyes stare beyond mine.

I brush my hair behind my ears and stare down at my plate.

"You ever thought of dying your hair?" He asks, winking. "It would make you a lot more appealing."

I groan and try to find a way out of this situation. Is he going to be like this all of the time or is he just being extra rude because I'm new here?

"Do you guys want some help over there?" I ask, standing and turning my back to Michael.

"Depends. Are you a good cook?" Ashton asks, tiring around to reveal the splotches of butter on his face.

I laugh. "I burn cereal."

My joke earns laughs from everyone in the room except Michael, who seems lost in examining every inch of my body.

I walk over to their pot and laugh. "You guys are done. You just need to add the cheese."

I sit back down and wait to be served the delicious meal by the professional chefs in the kitchen.

The boys sit down, filling in the seats around Michael and me. Ashton piles the macaroni on everyone's plates and we all dig in.

No one speaks. There isn't really much time for talking between scarfing the food down our throats and stuffing our faces.

I look up at Michael, making eye contact with him yet again. I look away and then back. How long has he been staring at me?

"Hey, blondie." He speaks for the first time while eating dinner. Well, he hasn't actually touched any of the food on his plate.

I look up, as does Luke. I laugh under my breath. He isn't the only blonde in the house now.

"Not you." He points to Luke, forcing his gaze back down to his plate. "Her." He points the same finger at me. Everyone looks up slightly, wondering what his purpose is for speaking all of the sudden. I take a sip of my water and wait for the torment that is to come. "When we go out together and you prance around me in your tight dresses and lacy red underwear, what am I supposed to call you?" He asks, smirking.

He just told the whole table what my underwear looks like. How completely embarrassing.

I swallow what is in my mouth, trying not to spit anything out.

"Daniella is fine." I wipe my mouth with a napkin.

"Hm." He crosses his arms over his chest. "So princess does not work for you in public?"

I shake my head.

"Why not?" He asks, cocking his head to the side. "Too superficial for you?"

I shake my head again. "No its-"

"I just figured you would like it. Everything else about you is superficial so I thought-"

I stand up and slam my hands on the table in anger.

"I don't have to deal with this. If you want to talk assumptions about me, how about I tell you exactly how this morning went down. Yeah?" I push my seat in and stand behind it at the table. He smirks, waiting to hear the story. "I got a call from your agent this morning. Hundreds actually. He was begging me to help him. He is paying me more than you could even imagine! Just do deal with, what he called, and I quote, 'a self richeous, vindictive, living monster who only cares about himself'."

I watch as the look on his fades from power to wonder. I am in his head now. "So feel free to call me whatever you want but don't expect I am ever going to take your rotten behavior like everyone else around you does. I am here to help. Not just you but everyone in your life."

I take a deep breath.

"So please, call me princess or superficial and go through my clothes again. Go for it. But just remember to am being paid to be here and help you. I am not here to make things worse."

I look around at the petrified faces around me.

"Um, excuse me." I walk away from the table and up the stairs.

"Daniella." Ashton calls after me.

"I'm tired. I think I am going to go to sleep now. That flight took a lot out of me. It was nice meeting you all. Good night." I lean over the railing to explain myself. I do not want to go back down there. Ever again.

"Well, I guess my agent is getting fired then." Michael laughs at himself.

I shake my head and walks back down the stairs.

"That is what you got from that?! You think your agent sucks? That entire time I was speaking did you actually listen to my words or could you not get past my body?"

He scans my body obviously. "It is a nice body."

"Wow. Look who is superficial now." I scoff. "Why do you act like this?! It is disgusting. You are lucky you have such good friends. I would have killed you in your sleep if I had to deal with this as long as they have."