✓ | PHOTOGRAPHER ( CALEB MCLAUGHLIN )

vi. thinking

CHAPTER SIX.
[ vi. thinking ]
/ IRL /

PARKER SAT THE drinks down on the table, leaning over her friends' shoulders. She pulled out a chair and moved closer to the table, receiving some smirks from Esther and Andi. Parker furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and reached over to grab her drink. Before she could get it, Andi quickly reached over and grabbed the cup from her reach. "Hey!" Parker exclaimed, very confused about the situation. "What the hell?"

"Spill it, Park," Esther stated flatly, resting her elbows on the table. Parker huffed and sat back into her chair, slightly sinking more into the seat; secretly hoping to escape this conversation somehow.

"There's no way you're gonna get out of this, Parker," Dawn sighed, not making eye contact due to her looking down at her phone. "They've been talking about getting it out of you all day."

"Okay, but what is there to get out of me?" The flabbergasted girl asked, sitting up straighter in her seat.

"Don't act dumb, we know about you and Caleb," Andi sighed, slighly shaking her head. Parker became even more dumbfounded, throwing her hands up in the air in irritation.

"Me and Caleb? What, what? There was never a 'me and Caleb'," the tall girl scoffed, letting out a chuckle and grabbing her drink from Andi's hand when the blonde was distracted.

"The texting, your fans asking you questions about him, the way you smile whenever someone mentions his name," Esther explained, her voice getting more stern. "You cannot tell me there's nothing there 'cause there's defenitely something there."

"Bullshit," Parker fired back softly, trying to make sure no one around them could hear their conversation. A slight tint of a rose colored pink appeared on her face, making the girl instantly look down at her lap to try and hide it. Dawn rolled her eyes before taking her attention off of her phone and raising Parker's face up by gently grabbing her chin. Once the rest saw her face, Esther's face lit up.

"See! Told ya'!" She exclaimed, clapping once from excitement. "Suck my dick." Parker rolled her eyes and harshly moved Dawn's hand from her chin. Truthfully, whenever someone mentioned the boy's name, the girl's stomach would burst into butterflues. Leaving her with an excited feeling, a feeling she never have felt before towards anyone.

"Nothing is going on between us, we're just friends," Parker reasurred, letting out a sigh to try and have her heart stop to race. "If there was something, you guys' would be the first to know."

"It's like you were destined to screw up, plus, you two would look good anyway," Andi smirked, winking at the end and making the pink return to Parker's face. The girl then huffed, folding her arms and sinking back into her seat.

"Caleb doesn't like me and I don't like him," she explained calmly, trying not to get more annoyed than she already was. "Plus, it's too early to tell if there was something there anyway." But there is something, I think.

Caleb crossed his legs and continued to scroll through his feed on social media as he sat in the golf cart, waiting for Gaten and Sadie so he can drive them to set. He heard feet walk against the gravel, making him raise his head up to see the commotion. "About time," Caleb chuckled, turning back around in his seat facing the steering wheel. He watched as Sadie got in beside him, Gaten and her being in an awkward silence. Caleb let out a small chuckle, getting a bit confused. "Wow, y'all are quiet. I mean, Sadie is always quiet, but Gaten?" Just as Caleb was about to put the cart in drive, Sadie stopped him, catching him off guard. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at her, her expression stern.

"You and Parker seem to be getting really close," Gaten spoke up, turning around and standing up on his knees. Caleb sighed, leaning his head back in annoyance.

"So this is what that's about?" He turned around, glancing at both Gaten and Sadie. The two both nodded, making him playfully roll his eyes. "You guys' look like y'all are gonna kidnap me or something," he joked, turning back around in his seat to start driving. Sadie once again stopped him, irritating him just a bit.

"We aren't going anywhere till you tell us everything," Sadie explained, faking a smile. "We saw Parker's video, something must be going on that you're not telling us about."

"Do I have to tell you guys' everything?" The targeted boy asked completely dumbfounded.

"Well yea, basically," Gaten nodded in agreement, resting his arms on the seats in front of him.

"There's nothing going on between us, we're just friends," Caleb sighed, some disappointment tinting his voice. Sadie folded her arms, truly not believing everything he was saying. Caleb then started to avoid eye contact, feeling his face heat up.

"Caleb, you're smiling," the mischievous ginger smirked, having the curly headed boy's face light up. The smiling boy whipped his head around, trying to explain himself.

"Am not!" Sadie laughed at the boy's explanation, reaching over and nudging Gaten as well. Gaten smiled at the boy's attempt to try and mask himself being embarrassed. Caleb groaned, swallowing the forming lump in his throat. "Look, Parker and me? Never gonna happen."

"Aww, she's cute though," the curious ginger whined, throwing her head back in defeat.

"I'm just saying, she seems nice," Gaten added, falling back into his seat at the back of the golf cart. "You better shoot your shot before someone else does."

"'Shoot your shot?'" Caleb whispered to himself, shaking his head due to how idiotic it sounds. Once he grabbed the stick to move it into 'drive', Parker came back into his mind. His heart started to race and started to smile uncontrollably. Maybe him and Parker could be a possibility, but only in his dreams. He sighed and his smile soon faded, ultimately turning into a frown. He put his foot on the gas pedal and slowly applied pressure, making the cart started to roll across the loose rocks and gravel.

The silence was awkward, nobody dared to talk. They all sat in silence because Gaten and Sadie thought Caleb would get offended or possibly embarrassed again. Caleb didn't wanna say anything because he might say something he would regret or confess something he didn't mean or wanna say. "Look," Caleb sighed, breaking the silence. Sadie looked over at him, wanting to hear what he had to say. "Parker doesn't like me and I don't like her. Plus, it's too early to tell if there was something there anyway." But there is something, I think.

—————

YEET YAH BOYS