~COMPLETED~
Ellody Brown, a high-school girl who happens to be Zach Herron's best friend since childhood, hasn't told Zach how she feels about him. But what happens when feelings for someone else come in between them? Ellody struggles with anxiety...
Leaves crunched underneath Ellody's comfy boots as her heartbeat quickened. The boys were laughing and kicking rocks at each other somewhere behind her. The suitcase wheels made the most addictive noise on the cobblestone walkway, which ended abruptly just meters ahead.
"Airport, airport, we made it to the airport," Corbyn sang behind her. Christina appeared at Ellody's side in her go-to Fabletics outfit, smiling and twisting her hair around her fingers.
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"Longest walk ever," Christina complained. Ellody glanced down at the girl's high-heeled boots and decided not to say anything. The girls pushed the airport doors open, and a gush of heat blew into their faces, washing over their bodies. Zach ran ahead of her with his arms spread wide, hollering about the warmth.
"Oh my God, Zach, come back please," Ellody called to the back of his brown head of hair. He turned around, winked at her, and took off to the bathrooms. Corbyn slung an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, shaking his head at Zach.
"Toilet stop," Corbyn added before following his band-mate. Daniel and Jack followed, leaving Jonah with Ellody and Christina.
"They were talking about synchronised toilet breaks earlier. Zach's gonna be so pissed that I didn't join," Jonah explained. Christina rolled her eyes and joined the VIP online tickets line, which was incredibly shorter than the normal one.
"You're going to be voted out of the band for the rest of the flight, I'm telling you now," Ellody warned him, making the tallest guy in the band laugh and sending a tingling sensation down her spine. The pair finally joined Christina in the line, Jonah struggling to pull five suitcases. Ellody thought about helping him, but decided not to - Zach would definitely find it funnier if Jonah had all five, and Zach meant everything to her. Speaking of, the four boys suddenly appeared behind the three in line, and the first thing Zach did was laugh.
"She made you pull them all! Sucked in!" Zach laughed, and Ellody grinned at her best friend.
"I must be made of muscles," he decided, flexing his biceps at Ellody. The girl laughed, and Zach took a step forward to position himself exactly between Jonah and Ellody. Protective baby, she thought, and had to stop herself from laughing out loud.
The line drifted forward, and Jack pulled a Rubik's cube from the front pocket of his bag, leaving the group to ask strangers if they could please mix it up better than Zach could.
"Ell," Zach whispered, holding out a fist. She showed him her flat palm and he dropped an Airpod into her hand. She put it straight in her ear, spotting the other in his, and Ed Sheeran's Perfect drifted through. Ellody smirked at his music choice; usually he forced her to listen to Why Don't We, or something by One Direction. Christina tapped her shoulder, suggesting that the boys should put their stuff in first, since their flight left before hers. Ellody frowned, remembering that every single person here was flying except her - the boys back on tour and Christina back home. Ellody wished that they were all staying; they'd just had the best weekend ever in Colorado, and none of them wanted it to end, but Christina hadn't posted enough on her YouTube channel and the boys had rather important places to be. As though she could read her mind, Christina reached into her purse and took out her camcorder to vlog.
"Hi Chickees, so we're at the airport, I'm about to go back home and the boys are going back to their... jobs," she began, then pulled Ellody into the shot. The girl smiled into the camera as she continued. "And here's Ellody, seeing us off at the airport. We had such a good weekend, but it has to end, unfortunately," Christina said and one-arm hugged her. Ellody pressed their cheeks together and poked her tongue out at the camera, smiling. On the inside, Ellody was positively freaking out at the prospect of them all leaving at once, but she never showed worry, or much negative emotion, on the outside. Keep it in. There's no point in worrying outwardly over something you can't change. That was something she'd lived by, due to her anxiety.
"I'll miss you guys," Ellody said, turning to face Christina. The girl frowned before pulling Jack into the shot, who made a face before trying to steal Ellody's Airpod and failing. "Nice try," Ellody added before elbowing the boy in the guts. He keeled over, making the rest of them laugh.
"That's my best friend," Zach said proudly, reaching out to ruffle Ellody's hair, but she slapped his hand away, shooting him a warning look. "Oops," he muttered, grinning and running a hand through his own. Christina put her camcorder back in her bag as the boys stumbled forward with their suitcases.
"They're going to take forever checking in. Do they all have their ID's with them?" Ellody frowned, watching the exchange between the boys and the startled woman behind the counter.
"Let's just hope. We're running a bit late," Christina replied, glancing at the time on her phone before flicking to Instagram and updating her story with a selfie. Seconds later, Zach ran back to Ellody, grinning sheepishly.
"Do you have my ID?" he asked. Ellody raised her eyebrows at Christina, who giggled.
"Of course not. Where'd you put it last?" the girl said, glaring at Zach as the song changed to Something Different. The beat kicked in and Ellody rolled her eyes.
"I don't know," he sighed, and Ellody's mum-instinct took over - an instinct that only came on for Zach.
"Well, it has to be here somewhere. You only flew here on Friday," Ellody fussed, walking over to the boys and their bags. Zach followed slightly behind, knowing that she'd figure everything out for him, like she always did. Ellody dived straight for his bag and pulled open every side pocket, finding all manner of things that she'd shoved in his case before they left her house that morning. Tissues, gloves, random stuff that she couldn't remember packing. Out of the corner of her eye, Ellody could see Zach mouthing the lyrics and dancing a little, which she rolled her eyes at. Seriously. I am not his mother.
"Can he board without his ID?" Daniel asked politely, turning to the woman at the counter. Ellody rolled her eyes again. No, he can't, so someone better find his damn ID.
"Oh, I've got it," Zach said suddenly, pulling a small card out of his pocket. Ellody zipped up all the pockets, cursing the boy under her breath.
"Honestly. You are so ridiculous," she fumed, but she wasn't really angry. She couldn't be angry with Zach. He was way too cute.
