Counting Stars

CHAPTER TWELVE - PIXIE

Fast update. Big day tomorrow. First day of my new school.

Instagram: melody_905

Luv, Mel

Dinner was Thai chilli Pot Noodles. With water.

I wrinkled my nose at the sad excuse for food. Did they eat this normally?

Before, when I was too busy to cook, Pot Noodles and instant dinners were all I had lived on. I had had no time to make anything.

Afterwards, I distanced myself completely from them and hoped I would never have to eat them again.
There is only so much Pot Noodles one can eat before getting incredibly sick of them.

When I asked if there was anything else to eat, Mr Cocky Pants frowned at me and asked if I didn't like the chilli. They had grilled chicken and prawn flavour in the cupboard.

Was this seriously all they ate? How were they all so fit and handsome?

It was impossible.

Yawning slightly, I followed Labrador around as he showed me their rooms. They were all extremely messy and unorganised.

Obviously.

Puck's room was bright green, with a light brown oak wardrobe, desk and double bed. The walls were decked with posters of barely covered girls of various nationalities.

At the foot of the bed, a large silver trunk caught my eye. A huge padlock the size of my hand secured the lid shut, and I found myself wanting to know the contents of the box.

I turned to Puck.

"What's in there?"

He grinned mischievously and leaned down to whisper in my ear.
"It's where I keep my pranking material. I'm a pro at them."

I looked at him.

"What-"
He waved his hand at me dismissively.

"You'll find out soon. Trust me."

I raised an eyebrow and nodded reluctantly.

Labrador's room was sky blue, with chestnut brown furniture. It reminded me of the sea. It was a normal room...not.

The desk was covered in wires and tiny gadgets. A laptop screen showed that the 'Lemonary' software had been downloaded.

What...never mind.
The room was a technical junkyard. It made my head spin.

Apart from that, the other odd thing in the room was a mirror.

A huge, body length mirror took up almost an entire wall. No, it wasn't body length. It was big enough to fit three bodies with space to spare.

I took a moment to gawk at it.

"What's this for?" I asked him. "Experiments or something?"

Labrador looked horrified that I could even suggest such a thing. "No, of course not!"

He rushed to the mirror and hugged it protectively, as if I was some evil monster that would take his child away from him.

"It's so I can get ready in the morning! I need to be able to see everything to make myself perfect!"

I gaped at him incredulously.

"You care that much about your looks?"

Labrador looked offended.

"Looks are very important. They define you as a person," he lectured me.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Aren't you meant to preach the opposite?"
These boys never ceased to amaze me.

Mr Cocky Pants' room was...blinding.

As soon as I stepped in, I was surrounded by a massive amount of orange.

Orange walls, orange bedspread, orange carpet...hell, there was even three orange beanbags leaning against the far corner!

The only other colour in the room was black.

The curtains were black. The furniture was black. The clock was black. The door was black. Even the alien crisp packets on the floor were black.

It looked like theme was Halloween.

After my eyes had adjusted to the brightness of the room, I snorted.

"Orange? Seriously? What are you, five?"

He stuck his tongue out at me, and that was the end of the discussion.

I stuck my tongue out back.

He raised his eyebrows and did it again.

I grinned and did it back again.

So he did it again.

And that's how we spent the next five minutes, having a tongue-sticking-out contest until Labrador came to the door.

"Guys, what are...what the hell?"

He looked weirded out. Very weirded out.

I started to laugh.

Mr Cocky Pants' mouth twitched.

Then he doubled over and laughed as well.

Labrador smiled, still looking slightly creeped out.

Then Puck appeared in the doorway.

"So, Pixie," he started.

"Which-"

"Pixie?" I cut him off with an amused look.

"Yeah. You look like you could be my best friend. And I've always wanted a best friend called Pixie. So that's your new name."

He nodded proudly, while everyone stared at him.

"Do I get any say in the matter?" I asked him in a resigned tone.

"Nope." He popped the 'P', making us all laugh again, although Mr Cocky Pants' voice sounded forced.

"Anyways," Puck straightened himself to his full height.

"What I wanted to ask you was, which one of us are going to sleep with tonight?"

"What?"

And instantly, my good mood evaporated.