Not Thinkin' Bout You

Chapter 24

PREVIOUSLY: Ellody hurried up the stairs, tears stinging her eyes.

Her mind went straight to Jonah as she fumbled with her phone in her room, searching for his contact and pressing call. He picked up straight away.

"Ellody, hey," Jonah began, taking a breath to continue talking.

"Jonah, I just-" she spoke, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.

"What? Talk to me," he said gently. Ellody quickly broke down at the sound of his caring voice, and she told him about how her dad was staying with them so they could 'bond', and how Sienna wasn't talking to her because she told their parents everything. He listened silently until she was done, and quietly sobbing to herself.

"A-and I don't kno-ow wh-at to-to do," she finished, reaching for the box of tissues on her dresser.

"Ellody, I... this isn't the best timing, but I figured you might want to know this," he trailed off. Ellody stopped crying and blew her nose.

"Go ahead," she sighed, deciding that if it was that bad, she couldn't feel any worse. She just wanted a hug from every boy in that band right now. Especially Jonah. But Daniel's hugs were so warm... and Jack's hair tickled the back of her neck in a nice way with his head over her shoulder...

"You know what? I'll save it for when we see each other next, it's really not that important," Jonah mumbled. Ellody wiped her eyes, shrugging and frowning.

"If you want," she replied. Sienna's door was thrown open and she stormed down the stairs. Ellody winced as her sister reached the bottom, shouting about how toxic their dad was and how she would move in with 'Jaiden' before he stepped foot in their house. "Now Sienna's having a go at mum about inviting dad over," Ellody explained, in case Jonah could hear what was going on in the background.

"I hope that all of this turns out alright," Jonah added. You said goodbye before hanging up, wondering what was going to go down and agreeing with him.

~

The next morning, Ellody decided to get out her funk and do something. She stared at her ceiling, feeling the sheets beneath her and wondering what she could possibly do. Maybe go for a run? Ellody hadn't ran since the weekend on the beach. Memories flooded through her mind, of Zach's arms around her and Daniel's lips on her cheek as they took selfies, watching the sunset with Zach on one side of her and Corbyn on the other.

Ellody forced her mind elsewhere, trying not to think about everything as tears spilled down her cheeks. Pushing her thoughts aside, she decided to do some exercise, get out of the house. She pushed her door open a little before calling out to her mum to say she was going for a run, then dug up a pair of leggings and a singlet to wear.

~

"You? Doing exercise?" Sienna spat. Ellody glared at her sister and walked out the front door, deciding that she was just being annoying because she got in more trouble about the concert than Ellody did. She kind of missed being cool with her sister. Sienna wasn't all bad, but Ellody would never admit it.

A gush of wind pushed Ellody along as she walked down her driveway. The weather was good today, and Real Thing by Ruel was playing in her Airpods.

I'm tired of that fantasy, I'm tired of the daydream

Tired of just waiting to fall asleep to see you

I know it's imaginary but I think my mind is ready

Need to leave this sanctuary for something true

I just want the real thing

I just want the real thing

Ellody wanted the real thing too. If it was with Jonah, or with Zach, she didn't know. Her thoughts travelled back to her first boyfriend in primary school, Lewis. He wasn't ever affectionate, and he teased Ellody about not having a phone. It wasn't a real relationship, but it was the second-realest boyfriend she'd ever had. In middle school, there was a boy named Oscar, but Zach didn't like him much, so that didn't last very long. At least Oscar had held her hand and showed her off to his friends, like a real boyfriend. Zach hadn't liked him because Oscar thought singing was 'gay', and that Zach was wasting his time.

I want all the fights, you know

I want all the tears

I want all the conversations, tell me all your fears

'Cause I know that it's hard for you to trust

No one's ever given you enough

I might need to stop and give it up, eh

Ellody had told Zach all her fears. They had talked about everything, as best friends are supposed to. She remembered when the video of Zach singing 'Stitches' went viral, and how excited he was. But he was scared of never being better than that, and being known as 'the Stitches kid'. He was scared of losing the people he loved. He was scared of losing Ellody, and she remembered that conversation like the back of her hand.

I wonder if Zach has cried over me like I've cried over him. Probably not. God, I hope he has. I hope he cares about me as much as I've cried over him.

Her all-consuming thoughts took over her run, but as Ruel's song ended, she remembered that she was supposed to be running to forget about him. Suddenly, she realised she had an enormous stitch, and she had to stop. Ellody slowed to a walk and looked around, seeing the mountains of Denver in the distance. A large lake could be seen through a group of trees on the other side of a library, and she decided to cross the bridge. The view was always gorgeous on the bridge.

Her phone vibrated consistently, and 'Nobody Gotta Know' blasted through her headphones. Zach was calling.

Oh my goodness. Do I pick up? Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my-