Internet Friends // Matthew Espinosa

Chapter 14

I get up from a good night's sleep and see that Charlene and Riley had already left. They left me money on the table. I look at the time. 11:25. Holy shit I'm gonna be late for this dance class. I put on some comfy orange sweatpants, a white cami tank top, a blue crop top, and some Air Jordans. I pull my hair back into a tight ponytail, put some water, my phone, my wallet, some clothes, and gum into a duffel and head out to the dance studio across the street, 'Stylz'.

Once I walk in, I see there's only one room and walk into 'Studio A', which looks just like a high school gym with basketball hoops and bleachers. I plop down my stuff and I see I have 10 minutes before the class starts. I look up from my phone to see a group of people, can you guess who? I decide to ignore them and walk to the gym floor where all the other people are warming up. So, I start, too. But in the back, of course.

After a good 10 minutest, the teacher walks in.

"I'm Mr. Chad, you're my students, let's start." He moves people around and somehow I end up right between Gilinsky and Carter, with Cam and Taylor and the rest of the boys in the row behind us.

"We start down and we awkward turn and we put our hands up and down and jump and slide back, shuffle side down up around and kick with......."

And the class drags on. After we're done, I walk up to my spot on the bleachers and turn on my phone. I see I have 7 missed calls from Krystel, so I call her back.

"Hey, man, what's up?"

"How's it going?" she asks.

"Fine," I say. "I'm leaving the dance thing right now."

"Cool," she says. "Gotta go, just wanted to see if anything happened like-"

"No." I assure her. "I have to go. Byeee."

"Bye."

Just as I'm ready to leave, Matt comes up to me.

"Nicole-"

"You can call me Nicoooooole." I laugh. "I liked that better."

"Ok, Nicoooole." he laughs. "I just wanted to make sure we're still on speaking terms."

"Yeah, totally." I say. But are we? "We're friends."

"Great." He high fives me and walks back.

I remember what I wanted to do in the morning. I get up and walk over to their group. "Shawn?"

He looks shocked to see its me. "Yeah?"

I sit next to him. "What ended up happening with you and Autumn?"

"We'll, um," he takes a breath. "It didn't work. She got hate. Long distance."

"Oh." I get up and ruffle his hair. "Thanks."

I walk out. I turn around to see them all whispering and looking at me.

What? I mouth.

It's nothing. Cameron mouths back.

I laugh and wave, then walk out.

"Hey, Nic!" Charlene drags my name out and runs up to me when I get to the room.

"What do you want?" I ask. Usually when Charleneis happy and when she drags my name out, she wants something.

"We need you to be in the...." she does a drum roll and jazz hands. "Fashion show!"

"What?!" I yell. "Why?!"

"We need another model and it's too late to audition a new one." Riley walks in. "PLEASEEEE?!?!?!"

"No."

"Please?!." They both beg.

"No."

"You can invite your friends." Riley says.

That gets my attention. "What friends?"

"Those famous guys."

"But, I don't wanna model." I say.

"But you're going to." Riley pulls me into her room and throws a neon orange lace dress and black heels at me. "Put it on."

I groan and slip off my comfy outfit and put on the dress.

"Come out!" Charlene yells.

"I look stupid as fuck!" I warn her and open the curtain.

They gasp.

"You look-" Charlene says.

"FABULOUS!" They both squeal. "Now this." Riley throws a silver skirt and a neon crop top with bright pink high tops.

I roll my eyes and put it on. This goes for about half an hour.

"You can call your friends if they wanna come on Friday." Riley says, stacking all the clothes into a suitcase.

"How many of them can come?"

"Only 5."

Okay, I think. Choose 5.

Taylor and Cameron, obviously. Mahogany and Jacob. Who else? I haven't talked to anyone else.

"I'll tell you guys later." I pick up my phone and walk into the bathroom to shower and change. After I'm done, I decide to call Taylor to see what's up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Nicole."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing," I sigh. "Just wanted to know if you and Cameron and Mahogany and Jacob wanted to hang out on Saturday?"

"Just me, Cameron, Mahogany and Jacob?"

"Yeah," I decide to tell him. "My sister is doing this fashion show and she wants me to model like 8 outfits, but we can leave and do something with the other guys once I'm done."

"Sounds good."

"Okay."

"You wanna come up now? All of us are in Shawn's room with Mahogany and Ruby and Skylynn."

"Okay, what room?"

"231."

"Kay."

I hang up and go into the elevator to go down 2 floors. When I get to the room, I knock and Taylor opens the door and I hug him and he squeezes me.

"Hey, Nic."

"Nicki!" I hear from the ground. Or it was probably Skylynn.

"Skylynn!" I pick her up.

They all hug me, with the exception or Matt and Ruby who are sitting in a corner eating eachothers faces off.

"Hi, Matt." I try to say hey, like anyone would. Right?

"Mmm." Matt says not stopping to even look at me.

"How long have they been-"

"Too long. Too long." Hayes says.

a/n I'm going to try to continue this so don't stop reading!