Lani
"Oh my god, Lani! Wake up!" Megan's tired voice pierced through my ears. My eyes shot open and I sat up abruptly.
"What happened?" I asked groggily. She shoved her bright phone screen in my face, the time reading 12am.
"Fuck!" I yelled, quickly slapping a hand over my mouth after remembering that Megan's brother and dad were probably sleeping by now. I paced around the room while tugging on my hair.
"My mom is going to kill me, Megan!" I whisper yelled. She rubs my back comfortingly, a frown on her face.
"Just call her and ask to sleepover. If she says no, I'll drive you home immediately." She suggested. I nod and take deep breaths, dialing my moms number. After two rings, her voice traveled into my ear.
"Lani! Where the hell are you!" She yelled, making me wince.
"I'm so sorry mom, Megan and I both fell asleep while watching a movie and we just woke up. I meant to text you beforehand, it'll never happen again." I pleaded. She sighed into the speaker.
"It's fine, Lani. You can stay the night if you want, after all it is Friday." She said. I smack my forehead. I forgot today was Friday. Or Saturday, now.
"I totally forgot," I laugh dryly, "Anyways, I'm gonna head back to bed. Night mom." I say, hanging up after she responded with a quiet goodnight. I sigh in relief, falling back onto Megan's soft bed.
"Thank god, she's not mad." I mumbled, curling up in her blanket just as there's a knock on her door. I look over to the door as it opens. Luke's head pops in and he looks at us.
"I heard the commotion, everything alright?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. Megan nods and smiles. He nods slowly, just standing there for a moment. As Megan was about to say something he spoke up.
"Hey Lani, can I speak to you in the hallway for a second?" He asked, making my stomach swirl with nervousness. I gulp and nod. What could I have possibly done in this short amount of time?
"Yeah, of course." I smile tightly, following him out into the hallway.
"Don't worry, you haven't done anything. But Megan's birthday is soon, as you probably know. I want to surprise her with a party and I need your help. You probably know her better than I do." He explained. Relief washes through me and my muscles relaxed.
"Oh, of course Mr. Hemmings. I'd love to help out." I smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. He chuckles and shakes his head, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper.
"Call my Luke, babe. I thought I already told you this." He cocks an eyebrow and takes a step closer to me. I step back slightly and nod.
"Oh uh, right. Sorry." I blush, making his beautifully sculpted lips turn up into a smirk. Something soft brushing against my arm and I look down, seeing Luke's hand softly trail up my arm. I gulp quietly as his hand reaches my chin, tilting my head upwards so I was looking him dead in the eyes. Our noses almost touched and I wanted to do something but I just couldn't.
"I'll contact you with the details." He whispered, sending shivers down my spine. I press my back against the wall to try and lengthen our proximity.
"Sounds good." I smiled, trying to seem unfazed despite his inappropriate actions. I swiftly turn around and squeeze through Megan's door and shut it softly behind me before he could say another word. Her head snapped up, her eyes averting to me rather than her phone now.
"What was that about?" She asked curiously.
"Oh I–" I stutter, trying to think of a good lie. I thought for a second, trying not to make it too noticeable. "He wanted to know if I left my bracelet in the kitchen earlier." I lie, slipping my bracelet off my wrist behind my back quietly, then holding it up as if Luke had just handed it to me.
"Oh, okay then. Let's go back to sleep." She shrugged it off, scooting over on her bed to make room for me. I lay down next to her and she scoots closer under the blanket, laying her head on my chest. I giggled and cuddle her before both of us fall asleep.
—
"Megan?"
I groan and nuzzle my face into Megan's neck, pulling the blankets over us further. The door squeaked open and I didn't doubt that it was her father. Megan stirred in her sleep, her eyes fluttering open as she turns her head to the door.
"Oh hey dad." She smiled sleepily.
"Hey girls, I made pancakes. Come down when you're ready." And with that, the door shut and Luke was gone. I opened my eyes finally and check my phone, shooting a couple of texts to my friends that had texted me this morning. I stand up to stretch then walked over to her full length mirror, shuddering at my appearance.
"I'll be right back." I mumbled, walking into her bathroom to freshen up. I opened the multiple drawers under her sink until I found spare toothbrushes. I pull one out and quickly brush my teeth. My hair was, to say the least, a hot mess. I cringe and pick Megan's hairbrush up off the sink, running it through my long black hair then throwing it up into a ponytail. I still looked too dead for my liking, so I washed my face for the hell of it. Once I finally looked presentable, I joined Megan back in her room where she stood in her clothes from yesterday. I was still in my yoga pants and my white long sleeved shirt from the other day as well. She smiled at me.
"Ready for pancakes? My dad makes the best." She grinned and led me downstairs and into the kitchen. We sat side by side at the island, across from Luke. He smiled and pushed two plates of pancakes towards us, along with a bottle of syrup and two forks. Megan watched eager for me to try it, so I cut off a tiny bit and place it in my mouth after drenching it in syrup. My eyes widen and I look at her dad.
"These are so good!" I moaned, taking another bite. Luke just bit his lip and nodded, looking back at his laptop. What was that about? I shrugged it off and engaged in conversation with Megan.
"So, you know Calum?" Megan asked. I nodded, of course I knew one of my best friends. She pokes at her pancakes slightly, seeming a bit upset about something.
"He told me he likes you." She said. I furrowed my eyebrows. He doesn't like me, and I know that for a fact. He must've lied to her because he told me he likes Megan.
"Megan," I began, cutting another piece of pancake off. "Calum doesn't like me." I laugh quietly, taking the last few bites of my pancake. She furrowed her eyebrows.
"But he-" I cut her off.
"He told me he likes you." I stated with a shrug. The chances of me being the one he truly liked, was slim to none.
"He likes me?" She asks quietly, and that's when I noticed her dad taking an interest in our conversation. I nod and smile.
"For sure. You have nothing to worry about."
"We'll find out I suppose." She mused, picking up both of our plates and placing them in the sink.
