Downtown Idea

17. Everybody Talks

"Hey!" I saw Zoe on the bus first. Lobster and I got back from London sometime late in the afternoon. "Whattcha doin'?" She was sitting at the dining table all by herself scribbling in her notebook. She didn't say anything and I wasn't sure if it was because she was mad at me or if she didn't realize I was there. I tapped her shoulder and she looked at me with a deep sigh.

"What?" She snapped. I glanced at her notebook and then back at her.

"Um....never mind...?" I slowly turned and walked toward the back of the bus. I saw Michael asleep in his bunk and I saw Ashton in his using his laptop. He smiled at me as I jumped into mine to get my phone charger. It was the one directly across from him.

"Hey, how'd it go?" He asked giggling. I didn't really want to talk about it. Not to him anyway.

"It was okay." I shrugged. I smiled even though I didn't really mean it. "Uh, where's Cal?"

"I don't know." He said looked toward the back of the bus. "He might still be out with Luke."

"Oh...." I swung my legs over the edge of my bed. "How long has he been out?" Ashton shrugged and set his computer aside.

"If you're hungry we could wake up Michael and get Zoe and go get something for dinner." He said sitting across from me. "I don't know when Cal and Luke will be back."

"Oh I think Zoe's mad at me." I said making a face in her direction. "I kinda blew her off today to go to London."

"About that..." Ashton said slowly. I raised my eyebrows at him. What did he do?

"Ashton...." I said narrowing my eyes at him. "You didn't tell her."

"I had to!" He broke down. "She was all upset and I couldn't just leave her standing there."

"Ash!" I almost shouted, "I was supposed to tell her I was crushing her hopes and dreams! Coming from you it looks like I'm not telling her on purpose!"

"You aren't telling her on purpose!" Ashton hissed back. "Everyone knew but her! Jonas even knew! What's so wrong about-"

"Shut up!" Michael said loudly. His bunk was under Ashton's and he smacked the ceiling under Ashton for effect. "I'm trying to sleep." I rolled my eyes and glared at Ashton before I slid off my bunk and went to talk to Zoe. Now that she knew I was crushing her hopes and dreams, I could at least talk to her about it.

I sat down next to her at the table and she kept writing. She seemed to be writing some kind story. I couldn't see what it was though.

"So...um....is that invitation to hang out still open....or...?" I hoped maybe she wasn't so mad at me, but she was ignoring me completely. She didn't even acknowledge I'd sat down. I sighed and tapped her shoulder. "Zoe...?" She hummed back without pausing her writing. "Dinner? We could go get some. Just the two of us? I can tell you about London?" I tried to catch her eye but she simply turned the page in her notebook and kept writing. "No? Okay...." I got up and awkwardly looked around. Ashton was giving me an annoying I told you so look and I decided to go elsewhere.

I ran into Calum and Luke as I stepped off the bus. "Hey Baby!" Calum said putting his arms around me. He never seriously called me that. He always said it in a weird deep voice, like he wasn't comfortable saying otherwise. "I texted you earlier! How was London?" He kissed my cheek and I scrunched my nose. He laughed and I looked at Luke.

"My phone died and I didn't have a charger." I said sighing, avoiding the question.

"Wait you were in London?" Luke teased. I rolled my eyes. "Didn't even notice....huh...."