all that we got | adopted by zerkaa

✧ CHAPTER SIX ✧

I had planned on staying upstairs all day, avoiding all the guys downstairs. I didn't want to be around them. I didn't want to take a chance of something happening. My stomach growled regularly, considering I hadn't eaten all day, but I focused on my breathing instead.

About an hour into hiding away, someone knocked on the bedroom door, before cracking it open slightly. Josh peeked his head in, eyes landing on me with a smile. "There's someone here for you to meet," he told me.

I slowly pushed myself off the bed, walking out the door with some hesitation. Josh closed the door, following me as I inched my way down the staircase. Josh passed me, nodding towards the kitchen.

When I walked in, I saw a new man. He wasn't very tall, but he had a friendly-looking face. He was sort of chubby, but that kind of stuff didn't bother me in the slightest. He had gingery hair, lighter red than mine but still red, and his eyes were a blue-green colour. "Hello," he greeted, giving me a full smile. His voice was higher than any of the others, but it didn't sound squeaky.

"Hi," I replied, my voice small and quiet. I stepped away from the doorframe, rubbing my arm shyly. I tried to look anywhere but at him, despite that he didn't seem frightening. I was cautious, though, and I still didn't trust him. I didn't trust anyone.

Josh, not noticing the awkward atmosphere that filled the room, smiled. "Ellie, this is Ethan," he said. "Ethan, this is Ellie."

"Look, look," Ethan started laughing hysterically, "We finally found someone shorter than Vik!" His laughter echoed off the walls, a cheery noise. It was unlike an laugh I'd ever heard before; it was almost contagious. It was loud, though.

Josh bursted out laughing, and in the middle of the commotion, Simon walked in. I scooted over immediately and quickly, avoiding him brushing against me. His face was filled with confusion and concern, but it quickly disappeared. This must not have been unusual.

"Just poking a bit of fun at Vik," Ethan told Simon after he stopped laughing. Simon shook his head with a smile. "It's nice to meet you Ellie." I slowly nodded, still unnerved by the whole situation.

Josh spoke up, clapping his hands together, the sound making me flinch, "We've got to film. I forgot about it," he said, an apologetic tone in his voice, though I was thankful. "We'll head out to grab some food once we're done, though. Probably Nando's. You'll meet the rest of the guys there."

I nodded, turning on my heel swiftly and exiting the room to get away from them all. I turned the corner, almost running into JJ. He stopped, looking down at me, and I mumbled an apology before shoving past him. I didn't stick around to see if he was angry or not. Probably, but I'd rather not know.

As I sat back down on the edge of the bed once I reached my room, all I could think about was dinner. There were more people to meet. More? I would have to sit at a table with them surrounding me and pretend like I was fine with that. Pretend I wasn't scared. Pretend I was happy.

~

It was hours later before Josh called me down. My stomach was gnawing at me, begging me to eat, but I didn't want to go downstairs to eat. The sound of Josh calling me to leave for dinner was music to my stomach, but a curse for my ears.

I walked down the staircase, and as I reached the bottom, Josh is shoving his feet into his Adidas shoes. I eyed his socks, orange Nemo ones, before he looked up at me. I glanced away, clutching my hoodie in my hands. I slipped it on over my long-sleeved tee shirt along with my shoes, and Josh held the door as I walked outside.