Everything I Ask For » clifford, hemmings, hood, & irwin

5. the boys

the boys // "We're gonna throw a party."

"Bro, you are still shit at football." Calum Hood said to Michael Clifford laughing. Cal unlocked the door to the dorm room he shared with his three best friends. The familiar waft of dirty socks and Axe spray overcame them as they stepped into Room 118. They had only been moved into their suite style dorm for three days, but Calum, Michael, Luke, and Ashton had already taken it upon themselves to make it their own.

After years of dreaming of coming to the states, the four boys had made the big move from Sydney, Australia to Newport Beach, California for their senior year. They always knew they wanted to end up in America and when Calum got a football scholarship to go to a boarding school in southern California, they all took the opportunity and ran with it. Convincing their parents to send them across the world to another hemisphere took some work, but somehow each boy wiggled their way into attending Northern Christian Boarding School for their last year in high school.

"Excuse you. I'm fantastic," Michael said sarcastically while plopping down onto their living area couch and pointing his long finger in the direction of his mate, "you my friend can fuck off."

"Yeah, not all of us can be on a NCA football scholarship and have every single university I university looking to sign them like you, Cal." Luke said while he walked over to their mini fridge, grabbed a couple of Gatorades, and threw each one across the room swiftly into the hands of his best friends.

Calum Hood was the star of football team back at their school in Sydney. Every newspaper wrote about him and his giant future as a professional player. This move to America had the possibility to make that reality since the NCA Knights football team went to Nationals nearly every year.

"What Luke said." Michael replied cracking open his red Gatorade and letting the cold liquid slide down his dry throat.

Ashton automatically rolled his eyes while struggling to open his cold drink.

"Says the kid that keeps it a secret from everyone that he's actually on an Academic scholarship because really he's super fucking smart and has the potential to go to Stanford, but tries to keep it under wraps because he thinks he's a bad ass." Ashton decided to pipe it. He began taking off his sweaty football jersey in attempt to undress to get ready to shower.

The truth was Ashton was right. Michael Clifford was actually brilliant. He just had some complex about not wanting anyone to know it.

When Luke, Ashton, and Michael found out Calum got his scholarship, they all applied to NCA hoping to get in, so they too could spend their last year at the prestigious boarding school in states. The school was so impressed with Michael's grades, scores, and essay that they submitted him along with a fully paid tuition, something he made each of his mate's promise not to tell anyone on the campus.

He hated people knowing he was smart. His reasoning was that people would take him way too seriously and would try to thrust some sort of predetermined future with goals and responsibilities on him; two things he wanted nothing a part of.

"What Ashton said." Calum flashed a shit smile to Michael.

"You know what, football makes all of you testy. I'm never playing again." Michael waved his hand in the air and finished chugging down his drink. Luke nodded in agreement.

"Alright boys enough of this bitterness just because Cal and I's team beat the shit of ya. Let's change the subject, how was your second day? I want a reply from each of you. Yes that means you, Hemmings." Ashton placed his hands on his hips and stood proudly in his underwear.

"Alright. My math class is hard as shit. Michael you're going to have to tutor me in this trigonometry crap, it doesn't seem to be working out for me." Calum said, continuously tossing his soccer ball in the air and catching it.