Playing With Fire || d.h

90. Ghost Squad

We go to bed pretty early the night before, but still manage to sleep in until ten the next morning. We're supposed to meet Shane at his house at noon,  so we have around an hour and a half to get ready. I dress in a black mock neck sweater, blue jeans, and a belt. I pull my hair into a high ponytail, and do light makeup. Even with the sun out, Los Angeles temperature is pretty similar to London right now, when it comes to temperature. I pull an oversized jacket over my sweater, and turn to Dan.

He's dressed in his black sweater with white checkered lines over it, along with black skinny jeans. He also has a large black jacket draped over his shoulders, and his curls styled as best as he can.

"I'm hungry," I declare, placing my hands on my hips, and Dan laughs.

"Well, there's a bakery downstairs if you want to check that out."

I smile. "Sounds like a plan."

We walk downstairs, and sure enough, there's an off brand Starbucks sort of place in the lobby. I order a smoothie and muffin, while Dan gets a coffee and doughnut. We sit in the lobby of the hotel, eating our breakfast and scrolling through our phones.

We finish our food, and 11:30 comes around, so we decide to leave. Taxis sit outside the lobby, and we get in the first one. Dan reads Shane's address off his phone, and the driver takes off.

My hands begin to shake, and I only now start to get anxious with the fact that I'm meeting Shane fucking Dawson, and all his friends. I try to focus on the scenery passing us by as we drive through LA traffic. However, it doesn't work, and my mind starts buzzing with anxious thoughts.

Too soon, we show up at Shane's house. Dan pus the driver and gets out of the car, but I can't get myself to move. He opens my door for me, and holds out his arm. After undoing my seatbelt, I grab my bag, and grab Dan's hand, squeezing it as we walk up to Shane's house. It's as if I'm floating, rather than walking, and I try to focus on my surroundings as a way to ground myself. Finally, we reach the door, and Dan knocks three times.

Three seconds later, the door swings open, and an energetic Shane stands on the other side, along with Andrew and his camera.

"Hi!" Shane wraps his arms around me, and I immediately hug him back.

"Hey!" I reply, and he lets me into the house, hugging Dan as well. Ryland, Garrett, and Morgan all sit in the living room, a large smile on all three of their faces.

"Hey!" I greet them, already overexcited, and hug all three of them. "It's so good to meet you."

"Oh, my god, your accent is everything," Morgan replies, and I can't help but laugh.

"Thanks, I guess."

"So, have you guys had a chance to look around LA yet?" Shane asks, and Dan and I shake our heads.

"No, not really," I reply. "I mean, we went to Cheesecake Factory, but that's it."

"Well, we're going have to do something about that," Shane says. I look at Dan, who has a large smile on his face.

Shane takes us all around Los Angeles, driving in his G-wagon to Starbucks, then striding down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and of course, spending hours in Target. We originally had just stopped for a few snacks, but after Dan and I admitted to never seeing a Target before, Shane insists on giving us the full experience.

"This is where I shop," Ryland tells Dan and I, motioning to the Boys section.

"And this...this is where I shop," Shane sighs with a self-deprecating grin, motioning to the plus-size section.