How I Became the 4th Member of a (former) All-Boy Band

I Change My Stubborn-ass Mind, Sort Of

I'M BACK BITCHES

(sorry, i just always wanted to say that. and yes, i changed the cover once again and yesh i strayed from hipster land and into mainstream doge meme and i am not even sorry.

anyway. here's something.)

Skye's POV:

You know that feeling when you're so tired and bored that you just want to flop over and die or something but you can't because you don't really want to die and it'll be a bother for your friends to plan your funeral? Yeah, this was what I was feeling come exam week. 

"Skye~! You're so boring now!" Kevin whined in my ear as I stared at a picture of some prime minister that was all pro-Britain before he got chased off the platform. "Why don't you come out and skate with us? C'mon, we'll treat you to ice cream!"

"Unfortunately, I'm not like you," I told him, flipping the page because the dead guy's face was starting to give me a headache. "I have grades to keep up, and shouldn't you guys be trying to promote your songs or whatever?"

"But Ned's being all busy and we've ran out of Subway coupons!"

I sighed. "Go to A&W's then, they never stop handing those out."

"But you're not here!"

"I thought you and Maddie were a thing?"

"But she's studying so hard!"

"I'M TRYING TO STUDY TOO, DAMMIT!" I hung up on his squealing.

There's a knock on my door suddenly. "Skye? Who are you talking to? I thought you had exams this week?"

It took all my willpower not to chuck my textbook at the door. "Mom. I am studying. Go terrorize some puppies or something."

Even across the room and with the door shut I could hear her exasperated sigh. "Why are you so insistent on treating me like your enemy?"

I didn't bother answering, instead turning up The Cab. She stomped away, which wasn't news to me. We've been repeating this routine for a while now ever since she got back and gave me that disappointed face. I just wondered how long she was going to stay this time.

My phone rang again, but this time I liked the ringtone better. "Yes, Shane?"

"Are you sure you can't take a break from learning about dead people and all the ways they created the world as we know it?" he said without taking a breath. "Because Kevin is reaching a whole new level of annoying."

"He's your kid," I said back to him. "And didn't you learn the same things?"

"Yeah, but I quit, didn't I?" He paused, and I could hear Kevin making a ruckus on his guitar. "Why don't you study here?"

I stared at my phone dubiously, not that he could see me. "With Kevin like that? And isn't Annaliese and Mike still in their honeymoon phase?"

"They went out on a date. God knows where." Shane left the phone for a moment to yell at Kevin to put the goddamn lamp down. "Get your friend and maybe we can distract Kevin from trying to set the apartment on fire for a bit. Besides, aren't you overdue for a bit of stress-relief?"

I sighed. "You should become a lawyer, bro."

"I object," he replied without missing a beat. "See you in a few."

For a moment I didn't move from my seat. He sounded so normal and so like a friend it was strangely... I don't know. I felt like something was missing, but Shane was acting like he always did; no nonsense, stubbornly frustrating, and so fucking nice. And I'd been pretending not to see Sean giving me looks while still smiling so goddamn prettily at girls, so busy I was at trying to stop myself from blowing up because of my insufferable mother. I didn't know why she was still here, why she still acted like she was right. I didn't even know what I wanted from her.