Ghost Of You *SLOW UPDATES*

Chapter 21

Finally!

xx

---------------------------------------------

"What the hell happened to you?" Sarah, the last drummer, asks as she enters my practice room without knocking.

I swivel around in my chair by the grand keyboard and cock my head to the side as she takes in my broken arm and partially bruised face. She raises an eyebrow expectantly as I say, "I got into a fight with a crocodile and a sack full of spiders. I walked out of it alive."

She chuckles slightly at my sarcastic comment before saying, "Some of us are concerned. We saw heaps of emergency vehicles rush into the school two days ago and saw you get loaded into the back of an ambulance with your mentor."

"Boyfriend," I corrected with a grumble in which she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "But that wasn't an answer so here it is. My abusive single Mum rocked up and decided to beat the living shit out of me because I apparently ruined her life by coming here. My mentor group saved me from any further torment."

She bops her head up and down in understanding as she looks anywhere but at me as her mouth forms the words, "Are you still going to compete?"

I narrow my eyes at her and snap, "Of course. I just..."

My voice trails off as I stare down at my inactive arm and think about how little I'll be able to do with this impairment, almost startling myself when I feel like crying.

"I just wanted to send my support to you. We may be competitors but if you ever need the help, I can be of assistance." She says patiently as she looks down at the floor briefly before meeting my gaze once again, her eyes hopeful and vulnerable as I smile weakly and thank her.

She beams brightly and nearly bounces back out of the room before closing the door after her. I sigh heavily as the cupboard door opens and Luke and Calum poke their heads out. "Is she gone?" Calum asks as he looks from left to right briefly, scanning the room for Sarah.

"She's gone," I say with a chuckle as they clamber out of the cupboards with their instruments in hand. Luke comes back over to his seat next to me as Calum plugs his bass back into the amp and sits back down in his chair by Luke.

Luke begins to play the chords for the song written for me by Tyler as I sing along to it, Calum providing the subtle bass notes in the background. I stare down at Luke's hands as they fly across the pearly white keys, each note melodic and perfect after playing it for the thousandth time today.

Thought I found a way out.
Thought I found a way out.
But you never go away.
So I guess I gotta stay now.

Oh, I hope someday I'll make it out of here.
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years.
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near.
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear.

The words roll of my tongue like sweet honey as another knock raps against the door and I groan in annoyance, the song ending abruptly and the boys freezing to stare at the door. "Who is it?" I call out, tired of the interruptions to our precious rehearsal time.

"Your pizza delivery guy Irwin and his pet dog Clifford." Ashton chuckles from behind the door. Mikey grunts in response and mumbles something about not being a dog before I yell at them to let themselves in. The door swings open and I smile at the two men who walk in with four pizzas – two in each of their arms – as they place them down on the couch and pull up a chair, so they can sit nearer to us.

"Whatcha doin'?" Michael asks as he looks over my shoulder to stare at the paper clutched in my hands, the words to the song written on it in bold black writing. I smiled at him slightly and showed him the paper in full as he scanned over the lyrics to the melancholic song.

Calum then begun to pluck out a new chord pattern that piqued my interest, causing me to look past Luke at the Kiwi sitting next to him. "What are you playing young Hood?" I ask curiously as his hands halt their position on his bass and he looks my way.

"Nothing," He replies, dragging out his answer as he goes back to plucking out that same tune. "Just some random thing I've had stuck in my head for a while."

I nod my head slightly as I say, "I need to talk to you once these three idiots leave. I want to use that tune for something."

He smiles slightly as Luke, Michael and Ashton chat about who knows what, Luke's hand no longer resting on the keys of the piano, but rather on my denim covered thigh, softly rubbing soothing circles with his long fingers.

I rest my head on his shoulder as Michael prods my leg with the corner of a pizza box, prompting me to take a piece but I gently decline and push the box away. Michael pouts slightly out the corner of my eye causing me to chuckle a bit as he then reaches past me and offers the box to Luke who takes a piece with his spare hand and begins to have a nice munch.

My eyes begin to droop closed as the boys' voice all begin to grow considerably quieter, my breathing beginning to grow even as I doze quietly on my boyfriend's shoulder. Stuck in the limbo between asleep and awake, I overhear the boys' conversation and my heart begins to swelter at their words.

"You really love her don't you." Calum states as I become more aware of Luke's hand on my thigh and the arm that he has since draped around my shoulders, holding me up against him.

He sighs slightly, and I feel his chest heave at the smallest action as he gently places his lips upon the crown of my head and kisses it deftly as though I'm but a precious gem of some description.

"I love her with my whole heart and I can't be happier that I have got her back in my arms again. She was my past, she's now my present and I can't wait for our future." He says quietly, his words brushing little puffs of air against my hair as he speaks.

I find myself cuddling further into his embrace as I mumble out, "I love you too Hemmings."

I can picture that heartbreaking smile as the boys around us begin to chat amongst one another, my head picking up slightly as I open my eyes and meet his piercing gaze.

"What songs were you planning on doing Shay?" Ashton asks from his seat opposite Luke's.

I break my concentration upon Luke's diamond orbs as I then turn to Ashton and say, "The only song I have so far is the one from my partner. It's called Lovely. Other than that, I have nothing."

Ash nods at my answer as Calum says, "Are you going to do our originals?"

I shrug my shoulders in response as Luke then takes the opportunity to speak up and say, "Ustamu said you had to do your partner song, at least one original and then you can choose to do any other three songs you want."

I nod at him in turn and say, "What would you guys suggest I do?"

"Youngblood." Michael says immediately with a broad smile as I pick my notebook up with my unbroken arm and open it up to a spare page before Luke grabs it from me and begins to write the numbers 1-5 on my paper.

"Obviously you have to do Lovely because that's your partner song," Ashton says as he leans back in his chair, crossing one leg over the over. "And I think you should also do Talk Fast. That one's a banger."

"I reckon you should do a new one. Something fresh and cool." Calum suggests as I smile at him and nod. But Luke speaks up next and I turn to look at him as he says, "Ghost of You."

I shake my head and say, "That one is not being performed. I can't do that."

He cocks his head to the side as though processing my answer as I then turn back to the group and say, "Any other ideas?"