10:53 [calum hood]

24

➸ l u k e

"Fuck!" Michael yelled, slamming his fist against the coffee table. Ashton and I stared at him as he threw his remote down on the ground and crossed his arms like a child.

"That was only Round One, Mike," Ashton sighed, rolling his eyes.

Michael continued to pout. "But I never lose. They call me Level 9000 for a reason, Irwin."

I snickered at Ashton's annoyed expression. "I'm going for a smoke," he mumbled, tossing the controller to me and leaving the room.

Michael shifted his gaze between me and the space that Ashton had just been sitting in. "What's wrong with him?" he asked blankly. I shrugged, unpausing the game and starting Round Two.

Things have been going alright over the past few days with Mickey. I actually really liked her, and she wasn't the insane psychopath that Riley claimed she was. She was sweet, caring, funny, and gorgeous; all the things I could ever ask for. Maybe, just maybe, I had found the solution to my sadness over losing Riley.

Ashton didn't come back until after we had finished Round Four and I had kicked Michael's ass three times in row. He took one look at the screen then arched an eyebrow at Michael. "Maybe they should change 'Level 9000' to 'I Got My Ass Whooped At Level One'."

I clutched my stomach with laughter, seeing Michael's face twist in anger. "You know what, Irwin? Maybe they should call you...Buttwipe!"

Ashton stared at Michael plainly before rolling his eyes dramatically. "Okay, Level One. I just got a text from Riley, and she said that she's coming over with Calum. Something about being bored and The Breakfast Club and Calum singing like Beyonce."

Michael and I nodded. "Wait." I raised my hand to speak, as if Ashton were the teacher and we were in the classroom. "Does that mean I can invite Mickey over too?"

"And I can invite Dani right?" Michael wiggled his eyebrows.

Ashton frowned, crossing his arms. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Luke..." he trailed off.

I pretended to pout. "So Riley can bring her asshole boyfriend over but I can't have my innocent lady friend over?"

He groaned, looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah, sure, invite her over. I just don't think--"

"Thanks, Buttwipe!" I yelled, hopping off the couch and racing upstairs to Ashton's room, where my phone was being charged in a dock.

Riley hadn't replied to the text I sent her last night, which meant that she either hadn't seen it or was too creeped out to reply. I hoped she didn't interpret my "I love you" as one of actual love, because it was supposed to be friendly. Completely friendly.

I sent a quick text to Mickey asking her to come over, and she responded within a few seconds saying that she would be here soon. I slipped my phone into my jacket pocket before jogging back downstairs, where Ashton and Michael were arguing about something once again.

"No, drop bears are definitely the scariest animals on this planet! Have you seen a picture of one of those things?" Michael snapped.

"Actually, drop bears aren't real. Centipedes are the scariest animals ever; I mean they've got, like, a thousand legs and they crawl so slow and--" Ashton shuddered.

The doorbell rang, interrupting their bickering. After a silent debate on who should answer the door, I lost simply because I was the only one already standing. I grumbled profanities under my breath, opening the door to see Riley and Calum smiling at each other and laughing. The rain was still coming down heavily, pounding on the roof like a fist banging on a table.