the science project || l.h.

[sixteen] - [nerves]

I stand at my locker, putting books in before class. Lil must be running late, because she isn't at her locker. 

It's been two days since the weird incident with Luke, and he hasn't said much about it. He hasn't been acting like it happened either. He's just acting a little bit more affectionate, but not like he did on Monday.

I sigh, closing my locker. As I do, I get surprised with three smiling faces where the door used to be.

"Jesus what the hell are you doing?" I gasp, jumping a little. The three boys laugh.

"Don't think you're supposed to use 'Jesus' and 'what the hell' in the same sentence, Livia," Ashton chuckles. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever, what do you want?" I ask, a teasing layer of sass in my voice. I start to walk down the hall, the three boys standing all around me.

"Okay, so, Luke wants you to come over around four thirty." Calum says. They all seem so giddy. I look at them. "Why didn't Luke just ask me then?" 

"Because he was too shy." Michael says. I raise an eyebrow. "Why is he too shy? It's just me." I say. They look panicked.

"No, no, no, you see, Luke is being a big wuss lately and he thinks if he asks you you'll bail." Calum says. Why are they lying... 

"Why would I bail?" I ask. "Is it not for the project?"

"No, it isn't." Ashton says. Michael and Calum give him death glares. "I.. I mean..."

"We've actually been working on some songs and he really wanted you to hear them, but he was too scared to ask because he thought that you wouldn't want to come over. Since it isn't for the project. I don't know. He's a sissy." Michael says. He seems to calm down the other two boys.

"Oh. Okay... Yeah, I'll come over. Should I not say anything, since he is being a 'sissy' or..?" I ask, using Michael's term to lighten the mood. They seem to cheer up a little from their sudden panic.

"Yeah, yeah, no, don't, he's weird as hell," Calum chuckles. I nod. We say goodbye to each other and part ways, the boys running off in the other direction.

This should be weird. 

***

*Luke's POV* 

"We're practicing Voodoo Doll, right?" Calum asks me, looking up from his phone. Michael and Ashton look at me too.

"Uh.. Yeah, I guess. If you want to," I say. What is up...

"Okay, cool," Calum nods. He looks back down at his phone, but Michael and Ash keep looking at me.

"What??" I ask, kind of concerned now. Do they think something is wrong with me?? 

They both just shake their heads and get back to what they were doing.

It's nearly four thirty and we haven't started practicing. It's never this late, we usually mess around and stuff for like ten minutes before actually practicing. But it's been nearly thirty minutes and I'm starting to get suspicious.

"Can we get started now?" I ask them. They all look back at me and nod.

"Why didn't you just ask?" Michael asks me. I shrug. Why is this suddenly my fault?

"I didn't think I needed to.." I say. Something is definitely up. But they get up and start tuning without another word. I shake it off and go join them.

Within minutes they're back to being ridiculous again and it feels normal. We start playing the intro for Voodoo Doll and I'm right about to open my mouth and start singing when-

"Olivia??" I gasp. There she is, the small blonde that I wrote this stupid song about, standing right at the foot of the stairs. That's what was going on. They told her to come here. They want her to hear this. 

No fucking way.

"Luke.. I don't know why you thought I wouldn't come," she says, walking over. What is she talking-

Oh.

They told her I wanted her here. 

"Can I have a word with these three alone, Olivia?" I ask her. I'm pissed. She sees it too and nods. She must know something is up. Olivia hurries up the stairs and I hear the door shut behind her.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask them. None of them meet my eyes, obviously not wanting this to happen. It's their fault.

"Why did you invite her over??" I ask again. Finally, Ashton speaks up.

"We wanted her to hear it. Because, maybe, then... Maybe she'd realize that you're a cool dude and give you a chance..." He shrugs. "You do want that, right? For her to give you a chance?"

"You can't just go and do that without telling me," I say, not answering the question. I mean, of course I would. But this is fast. I just don't know...

"You can't keep thinking that you can just like her so much in secret and not do anything about it. Get yourself out there, maybe she likes you too." Calum says. Michael nods.

"We just want to see you happy. You've liked her for so long," Michael says.

"What? No I haven't," I frown. I don't think I have... They all laugh.

"Why else have you been super rude and annoying to her all these years, Luke?" Calum asks. I shrug. "I don't know..."

"Just get her back in here you idiot," Ashton chuckles, rolling his eyes. I take a deep breath and nod. I go over to the stairs and go up them, opening the door. 

"He's been acting strange lately, Olivia, it isn't your fault, darling." I hear my mum say from the kitchen. I walk over as Olivia sighs. "I don't know..." She says.

"Olivia?" I ask, peeking my head around the corner. They both jump. I chuckle softly. "Sorry, just need to steal her back,"

Olivia nods and follows me out of the room and down to the basement without a word. She sits down on the bigger of the two couches and looks at me.

"So... You have a new song, Hemmings?" She asks, the corners of her mouth twitching up. I smile and nod. "Yeah."

As I walk back over to the small platform we call a stage, nerves hit me like a truck. I've never been nervous. We've never played for anyone besides our family and sometimes Olivia. But now it's different, because then she was 'Livi, the annoying girl I hate' and now she's 'Olivia, the beautiful girl who I like way too much'.

Oh God I'm terrified.

Before I can register, they start playing the intro for Voodoo Doll. Here goes nothing... 

I try my hardest to tune out Olivia and just focus on the words, but Olivia is the words. I just watch her, singing every line that's mine until it ends minutes later. She looks stunned.

"L-Luke? Can I-I talk to you for a second?" She asks me. I nod, gulping. I just made the biggest mistake of my life. This did the opposite of helping. I follow her up the stairs of the basement and watch her as she closes the door.

Before I can apologize or explain myself, her lips are against mine.

~~~

A/N:

OKAY THIS IS WHERE IT GETS SERIOUS YOU GUYS THIS IS THE BEGINNING GIYPRABWHKV

FINALLY

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CAN'T

THERE ISN'T MUCH TO EXPLAIN HERE BASICALLY SO YOU KNOW THE DRILL 

LOVE YOU X

AND THE CAPS BUTTON

-ALLIE XX