Say When

Say When (9)

This is unedited but I'm over it

"Zoe, why are you lying on the floor?"

"I've decided hiking isn't my thing."

"It's a staircase."

I opened one eye to see Max staring down at me, equal parts amused and exasperated. I smiled at him and lifted my arms. "You could carry me if you wanted."

"You're going to have a heart attack by the age of twenty," Justin said crossly behind him, stepping over me. I rolled my eyes, but before I could tell him he worried too much, Oliver's voice piped up from behind Jayden.

"Max, either quit your flirting or grab the girl and take her to your bedroom! You're blocking the stairs, and I've had to piss for six hours!"

"Charming," Max remarked, rolling his eyes as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. Oliver trampled past with all of the grace of a baby buffalo, his lips pursed and one hand holding his crotch, hair even messier than usual. He'd taken to wearing it the same way it was when he got out of bed, refusing to let Mom mess with his "science experiment".

"I want to see if I'm still considered flawless with bedhead. If I am, I can sleep later and still be adorable," he'd explained at breakfast last week, a bright smile on his face. Mom had only rolled her eyes towards Mike, and probably ranted about it over the "friendly coffee" they'd gone out for later. They were at another one today, which is why the boys had decided to sneak out before they could get told to stay in the hotel room until a guard went with them. The longer the tour went on, the more crowds accumulated every time we stepped out the doors - including me, whether I was with one of the boys or not.

Max's plan of "easing" me into the public eye had gone terribly by my mother's standards, considering more than half of the pictures that had been released looked like candid couple shots. By my standards, it went great, because Max and I "joked" frequently about when our second date would be. We had decided the next time Mom was distracted by Mike we'd go and get sushi, and it depended on Oliver whether we would be alone or not. My guess was not, but Max refused to leave his BFF behind, and who was I to protest?

Max didn't bother to let go of my hand when I was on my feet. "I can't believe you got tired walking up the stairs," he murmured, shaking his head.

I rolled my eyes. "The elevator is broken. There's like fifty billion stairs in this place - sue me, I really don't care."

"You should start working out with us," Justin suggested from behind us. I laughed, but when I turned to see if he was joking his blue eyes were sincere.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That was a joke, right?"

He rolled his eyes at me and pushed his platinum hair from his face. "No, Zoe, it wasn't. A little excercise won't kill you."

"You don't know that. One of those weight things could fall and knock me out."

"If Oliver's lasted this long, I'm sure you could last a day. The kid's about as coordinated as a baby deer, and he still finds ways to work out without killing himself."

"Oliver's a lot bigger than me, and he's got like, biceps. I don't have those."

"Because you don't work out," Justin countered. "We can change it! We can get you a butt!"

"He's right," Max said. "Your flat ass could swell like a Kardashian."

"Thanks, guys," I said dryly, rolling my eyes at them, "but I think my flat ass and I will stay on the couch with the chips you tried to hide yesterday, Justin."