pembroke || l.p (hiatus)

one

Liam

I opened my bedroom door, walking in and throwing my backpack onto the floor. My room was almost bare. My family had never had enough money. We put all our spare money towards university, but at this point, I don't think I'm going to be going.

Let's just say I'm not very good at the whole school thing.

Anyways, I logged onto Facebook (on my extremely old desktop computer) and scrolled through my newsfeed. Nothing interesting.

Beep! I shifted my gaze to the bottom right corner of Facebook. I had received a message.

From Pembroke Auden Mitchell.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: Hey there, Liam James Payne. ;)

A winky face, really?

Liam James Payne says: Hello, Pembroke Auden Mitchell.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: Call me Brooke. ;)

Liam James Payne says: Okay...Brooke.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: So what's up, Liam James Payne?

I raised my eyebrows. Could she not call me by my first name?

Facebook beeped again.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: Liam James Payne? Are you there?

I guess she couldn't.

Liam James Payne says: Yeah, I'm here.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: Okay. What school do you go to?

I scoffed. Why would I tell her that?

Liam James Payne says: I'd rather not tell you.

A reply came fast.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: Oh, come on Liam James Payne. Your profile says you're eighteen. Can't you tell me?

I started to grow frustrated with Brooke. I had just met her, I wasn't going to immediately tell her these things. I'd been taught to not trust strangers I'd met on the Internet.

Liam James Payne says: Sorry, I don't tell people I've just met that kind of stuff.

Pembroke Auden Mitchell says: Aw, you're no fun.

I logged off then. Something about this girl made my stomach churn. Something about her was off.

I leaned back in my rickety desk chair. It was stained and dirty. It didn't spin anymore, and one of the wheels had broken off, so the chair was on a slant. I've slipped off multiple times. I looked around my room again. My ceiling fan was pretty much going the speed of a sloth, even though I put it on the fastest setting, and making an awful noise as it did so. My lamp was flickering, the light bulb starting to burn out. I had a dresser with three drawers. Only two were filled.

I just didn't have that much stuff. I put all the money I'd earned towards the bills and taxes. Usually the water or electricity. Other perks like cellphones and a landline we could live without. Mum hated it when I paid for stuff — she insisted that she could pay for it all herself — but it was necessary.

We were hardly scraping by.

My dad died from cancer when I was 14. I said goodbye and everything, we were kind of expecting it. He was really ill.

Anyway, my mum had called me down for dinner. When I reached the table, I was met with alfredo pasta and garlic bread. Mum was a fantastic cook, she could make something from nothing. We had a lot of money saved up for food, so usually we ate pretty well. We bought simple ingredients, like butter, milk, garlic, and vegetable oil, and mum could make something as amazing as alfredo and garlic bread.

I sat down in the old wood chair. The paint was chipping, and it needed to be sanded again. I've gotten enough splinters to last me a lifetime.

Once I had finished dinner, helped mum with the dishes, and folded my laundry — which didn't take long, I didn't have much — I ran back up to my room, taking two steps at a time. I sat down at my slanted desk chair and turned on my computer again. Facebook lit up the screen. It was my browser homepage, I wasn't an addict or anything. I was about to close the page when something on my newsfeed stopped me. There was an event, and I was invited.

I'm not very popular, I'm not usually invited to things. I looked at the RSVP details. The house party was tomorrow night, on the other side of town.

Meh, I might as well go, I don't get out much. I clicked RSVP, but then I noticed something, which was written in considerably smaller font than the rest.

The host of the party was none other than Pembroke Auden Mitchell.