G O L D E N | why don't we |

|E I G H T|

"According to your heart, my place is not deliberate"-the 1975

3 years before

It was late. Emilia sat on Leylah's couch with her head back as Jack was laying beside her, his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. A warm feeling in her belly and the buzz of alcohol in her system, she felt comfort at that moment.

Leylah was across the room, her back against the wall as she sat on the window seat, taking another sip out of the bottle. The clear liquid was almost gone and her heart rate was slow.

Zach sat facing her, his eyes low as he watched her take another drink before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

She then handed him the bottle and he took a sip before passing the bottle to Charli who was sitting on Corbyn's lap in the sofa chair beside the window.
Charli didn't take a sip, passing the bottle to Corbyn who did.

Grimacing, he passed it to Jonah who was lying face up on the carpet, staring at the ceiling. Jonah took the longest drag, loving the burn in his throat and the warmth in his stomach.
Jonah passed the bottle to Emilia and so the cycle went on until it was empty.

Daniel was on his way home, they had cheered and voted for him but in a goodbye to the American Idol chapter in Daniel's life, they were drinking to him.

No one spoke and no one wanted to talk, things were changing fast and everyone knew it but they didn't want to believe it. Barely in high school and already ready to leave. It was becoming harder and harder to be the teenagers they wished to be.

Jessie was in the bathroom. She sat on the tiled floor holding her knees to her chest with her cheek pressed against them. She didn't realize she was rocking back and forth to comfort herself and all she wanted to do was cry her eyes out. But even alone in the bathroom, she couldn't suffice it. The tears she couldn't shed at home had dried up and disappeared, leaving the sadness behind for her to gloom through.

She was still feeling the high they smoked earlier but instead of forgetting, it was like her mind became clearer. All she could think about was finding a way out, she didn't know how but she knew she would. She wasn't to stay with her mother forever, she was going to get out.

Jonah lay still on the carpet, Jessie had been in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes since the last time he asked her if she was okay. He knew something was wrong the moment she walked in the door, her makeup darker than usual, she refused the alcohol but took the smoke, she had looked so alive then and he couldn't quite get the picture out of his head.

He hadn't known her long, he had joined the group later than the rest and she didn't talk to him unless she had a reason. But he wanted more.

Jessie stood up from her position on the floor and walked to the bathroom sink, staring at her face in the mirror. She pinched her cheeks to give them color and ran her fingers roughly through her dyed black hair.

The makeup she had done had smeared, the dark eyeshadow and eyeliner made her eyes look haunted. She turned on the faucet and then began to wash her face, scrubbing with her hands until she felt it was all gone.

When she looked back the mirror, she almost couldn't recognize the girl staring back, it had been long since she seen what hid behind the eyeliner and she wasn't sure she liked it or not.

Deciding she could do nothing more, she dried her face with a hand towel then exited the bathroom.

Leylah watched as Jessie walked back into the living room, her face looking lighter than before. She said nothing though and looked at Zach who sat across from her. His cheeks were red though he wasn't blushing and he wasn't watching her anymore. She liked the way he looked at her though like he knew her inside and out. They had been best friends since elementary so in a way he did.

"You know staring at me is only going to make me more beautiful, right?" His voice broke the silence and Leylah couldn't help the small smile her lips spread into.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, you can thank my mom for that." Leylah pursed her lips at him and then looked out the window.

"I'll definitely let her know the next time I see her."

It got quiet again. It had been the first time they all were together in one room and weren't divided by grade, social hierarchy, or the rules of high school. It was just them and they didn't want to talk.

To be in each others presence was enough. Jessie had sat beside Emilia and laid her head on Emilia's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Peaceful could've been the word of choice but they all knew once they walked out that door, real life was waiting.

This was before the boys knew of their harmony before the girls knew they danced to the same beat, this was before they all knew they had a light-headed for them. But at that moment, they were young and full of insecurities, but efficiently, golden.

✧

a/n: just a view into the past, letting you guys see sorta who they were before. I'm sorry if its a bit dark, I was listening to the 1975 and got all in my feels. Anyway I hope you liked it and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!