The Exchange

Chapter 26

My days fell into a somewhat normal routine. School became a regular thing that I enjoyed daily, Brandon's party's continued biweekly with the same amount of fun as the first time, shopping at the grocery store became easier as I did it more often and Austin usually walks with me which I don't mind too much anymore. After trying to get rid of him a few times (and failing) I realized it's just easier to let him walk along. Every time he looks at me at the cash though, I realize how much I actually enjoy his presence and support.

The boys work a lot at home doing band stuff and it can go pretty late. Times when they work frighteningly late hours I invite them to crash in my room. After the first time it just felt normal. It turns out my room is the biggest out of the three anyways so instead of Liam, Zayn and Niall walking home in the dark shadows of the night, they just enter my room and crash on pillows, blankets and a blow-up matress Harry found the second time I offered to let them stay. I actually prefer to have them all around though. It feels right. Kind of like family but not in that way. I'm not sure what I'm thinking of but yeah.

The phone rang while I sat at my desk, vividly describing the warm fall day for an English assignment.

"Mira!" Louis calls from the kitchen. I get up, expecting it to be my mother who usually calls around this time of the day.

I get up from my chair and grab the portable from the kitchen where Louis stands cooking, taking a break from their 'work' which usually ends with a nerf gun fight or a long movie that makes me wonder how they go about their... process.

"Hello?" I ask, plopping on the couch next to Zayn and tucking my feet up underneath me.

"Hey honey, how are you?" My mother asks probably in the same position.

"Good, you?" I reply getting the greeting over with.

"Good good."

"So how is everyone?" I ask, picking the polish off of my pinky nail.

"They're all good. Hayden's busy with school and Chelsea most of the time and Daddy's-"

"Wait, who's Chelsea?" I ask, testing the name on my tongue. Does Hayden have a girlfriend?

"Technically she's not his girlfriend." My mother says and I can picture her rolling her eyes.

"I am so e-mailing him about this." I say grinning. My big brother finally has a girlfriend.

My mother and I talk for a while about the family while I chip the soft blue nail polish off my nails. It lightly comes up and falls to the ground, making a pile of soft blue colour on the floor.

"-And Josie is growing up so fast! She asked Grans to pick her up and Grans said "Your going to break my bones your so big." My mother laughs heartily on the phone. It sounds like she's getting by fine without me, even though she calls almost every day.

"So then Josie looked and her and-" My mother chatted away through the ear piece but my mind gets distracted when Liam comes into the room wearing a dark blue button down shirt, dress pants and a vest holding two ties in his hands.

"Which one?" He asks, holding both up so we could all see. Everyone automatically looks to me for my opinion. One was a skinny black tie with diagonal strips and the other was a white one with black spiral pattern.

"Skinny." I say, moving the earpiece away so my mother won't hear I'm talking to someone else.

Liam turns to the mirror and begins to unbutton his vest to put on the tie.

"And Uncle Joseph is doing much better in the hospital. His surgery went well and all and the doctors say he can go home..." Liam, struggling to tie a proper knot, catches my eye while my mother is mid sentence. Still listening to my mother, I stand up from the couch and cross the room to where he is.