Stand Up » 1D

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zaylin Matthews

I woke up slowly, exhaustion dragging at my eyelids. Ugh, I was so tired.... I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow.

"Oh, gross!" someone shouted and somehow I ended up on the floor. I yelped when I made impact, and I glared up at who pushed me. Louis was staring down at me, and for some reason his face was a little red.

"What the hell?!" I demanded.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "But your face was in something it shouldn't have been...."

In my head I made a list of possibilities, and my face turned beet red. "Yeah...." Louis mumbled. "I'll make sure Harry doesn't find out about that," he added lightly and I scowled at him. I wasn't sure if me and Harry were even on speaking terms anymore.

I stood up and began to brush my hair. "What time is it?" I asked groggily. Louis checked the time. "Almost eleven," he reported. I sighed. "Seriously?" I moaned, knuckling my eyes. "It feels like one."

"In the afternoon?"

"In the morning, moron."

My insult didn't mean much. I grabbed a bunch of clothes before heading into the bathroom to change.

I shoved my pajamas in my suitcase. I glanced at Louis curiously. "Why aren't you dressed?" I asked.

"It's a weekend," he pointed out. I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen.

"Hey, Zaylin," Zach greeted me.

"Hey, Zach--whoa, wait, Zach?!" I exclaimed. "How did you get in here?"

He frowned. "Um, I came in from the living room," he said, like it was obvious.

"I invited him," an Irish voice said behind me, making me jump. Niall grinned at me. "Turns out he's an amazing cook. Like Harry," he said pleasantly. I winced. You did not want to compare those two to each other.

Jasmine came in still in her pajamas, and barely fluttered an eyelash when she saw Zach. Why was everybody so calm that Zach's here? Were they just that used to him by now? I decided I was feeling uncomfortable only because of last night. And only me, Harry, and now Louis knew about that.

"Where's Mara?" I asked Niall.

"Still sleeping," he replied. "We had quite a night." I narrowed my eyes as he practically skipped away, giggling to himself. Oh gosh.

"Hey, Zaylin," Zach said and I glanced at him. "Yeah?" I inquired.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

"Um, sure," I said reluctantly. He reached over suddenly and took my hand, leading me away from the others.

"So, we had our date," Zach said expectantly, and I looked at him a little nervously. "And?" I prompted.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked hopefully. I sucked in a breath. I didn't know what to say. I didn't really want to accept, but at the same time I didn't want to break Zach's heart....

"I'm still thinking on it," I murmured softly, rubbing my fingers into his knuckles in a soothing manner. "But I'll let you know soon."

He sighed, and when I glanced up at his face, he had looks of both frustration and disappointment. But when he caught me looking at him he forced a smile. "Okay," he said half-heartedly. "Just make it quick. Remember, we leave on Friday."

As he walked away, my blood went cold. Friday! I totally forgot about that! That was the date when all of my friends went home! I felt worry build up inside me as I watched Mara enter the kitchen and peck Niall on the lips. Would my girls be able to leave their boys? I shook my head. We would cross that bridge when we got there. But that didn't make my nerves go away.