I Don't Want It, I Just Need It.

“Whats that?” I mumbled through a mouthful of Coco Pops. Peering at the envelope that Curtis had slapped down in front of me, Oliver lurking at his side.

“Other than bein’ ridiculously sexeh” Curtis sniggered at the chocolaty milk now dribbling down my chin. “ ‘s a present for ye from Ol…” He stopped abruptly as Oliver coughed loudly, his eyebrows shooting skyward. “Aaaall of us, well the band…me”

I chuckled lightly at his spluttering and wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my sweater.
Eyeing them both as they glared at one another, both cussing the other out under their breath.

“Smooth Curt” Oliver groaned, “Real smooth”

I rolled my eyes once again and leant across the counter to grab my ‘present’. Ignoring Oliver’s sighs as I struggled to do so. My fingernails scratching at the marble, the paper skirting around on the shiny surface.

“Y’aright there love, ye wan’ a bit of…”

He stopped as I shot him the look, the envelope now clutched proudly in my hand. From the weight of it in my palm, I ruled out my initial thought of it being a bomb. I mean, sure, Oliver and I had been getting along fine the past week or so. He’d even taken me out for a drink a few days prior. But seriously?

I know how he is, I know how I am. And unfortunately, I know how we are.

Would Oliver Sykes have been able to get hold of Anthrax? Sars maybe?

“ ‘r ye gonna open it then?”

I looked up to see the two of them staring at me, expectantly. Realising I’d been sat flipping the envelope between my fingers for a fair few minutes. “I uh….yeah” I mumbled, flipping it once more. “Course”

I turned it over to see my name written in what I knew to be Oliver’s messy scrawl. My lips curling into a smile as I noticed the way he’d crossed the i instead of the t; something, I swore he’d done for as long as I’d known him. “I did it again di’nt…”

“Come on Veeeeee” Curtis whined, “Open it will ye”

I peeled the flap back with a sigh, holding it closer to my face and peering inside warily.

“Boom!”

I jumped a mile as Oliver screeched at the top of his lungs; slipping from the stool I’d been perched on and down onto the floor, my ass crashing painfully against the hardwood.

“Prick!” I groaned, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my head on them for a second. Surprised to feel strong arms wrapping around me and pulling me back to my feet, even more surprised at the light tap of a hand on my bum.

“I usually ‘av to ask the girls t‘get down on the…”

He winced in pain as Curtis nudged him hard in the ribs. “ ‘s not gonna open the prezzie if ye act like a twat”

I chuckled softly and shot Curtis an appreciative glance as I hobbled back up onto the stool.
Smiling as he handed me back the now crumpled envelope from the floor. “Thank You” I whispered as I let my hand slip between the layers and fish out what was inside.

A large lump rose instantly in my throat as I pulled out two plane tickets. My eyes barely focusing on the 1st class status, my name and Paris stamped on both. “What are these?” I asked breathlessly, my eyes darting between the pair of them.

Both were fidgeting; their smiles awkward, their breath held.

“Well they’re plane tickets aren’ they Verity” Curtis chuckled, running a hand through his hair and glancing at Oliver for help. “They’re…”

“ ‘s ye birthday next month yeah? the twelfth?” Oliver interjected, continuing without an answer. “Well I…were gonna be playin’ some festival in France, Paris…. ‘n we thought maybe y’ud wanna come?”

He was speaking a thousand words a second, his eyes fixed to the floor, the counter top, anywhere but me. “Y’know seein’ ‘s were y’only friends ‘n all”

I was about to glare at him but his tone was different. And one glance at his face confirmed that he had that smile.

“Ye always said ye wanted t’go t’ Paris, ‘cause ‘s where ye Mum and Dad got…”

“I don’t know what to say” I choked, unable to look at either of them. Instead fixing my eyes to my hands, and the tickets trembling within them. I could hear them fidgeting, even whispering to one another. But refused to look up.

I couldn’t look at them until I had found the perfect smile to show just how happy I was. I wouldn’t speak until I could tell them how very much this meant to me. I gave up my search for words, there simply were none.

Instead, I hopped down from the stool and dashed around the counter between us. Pulling them both into the tightest hug I could manage whilst feeling so utterly euphoric. The perfect smile crept across my lips as I felt familiar arms loop loosely around my waist.

Arms I’d missed more than I could ever wish to express and…

“I’d say tha’s only 99,999 things to go now”

I was about to question Curtis when I felt a head rest gently on top of mine. A tiny, barely there kiss disappear into my hair and a pair of arms grow a little tighter around me.

“Gay much?”

I broke away, reluctantly, to see Mattie and Lee smirking at us from the doorway. Two girls I’d not met on their arms. One girl; I had unfortunately met, stood at their side. Her arms were folded across her heaving chest defensively, and her lips pursed into a tight pout. If looks could kill I don’t know who would’ve been first to hit the big sleep.

Oliver or myself?

I shrugged Oliver’s arms from me as I noticed them still draped around my waist. One hand running through my hair, whilst the other tugged down the hem of the oversized bed shirt I was wearing. The bed shirt that was all of a sudden way too short, and definitely inappropriate when hugging someone else’s boyfriend. Or so her raised eyebrow was telling me.

“I’m just gonna…”

I didn’t have an ending to my sentence, but the harsh whispering that happened as Oliver crossed the room toward Hayley and pulled her out into the hall, told me I didn’t really need one.

I edged quickly back round to where I’d been sat and grabbed my bowl. Deciding against continuing eating as I peered at the now soggy mound of cereal in the bottom. Instead tossing the bowl into the sink and moving back to the group, recoiling instantly under the stares and glares of the new girls.

“Im uh…I’m Verity” I mumbled, thrusting my hand in their direction. Smiling awkwardly as they left me hanging. Their eyes narrowed, lips pouted similar to Hayley’s.

“We know ‘ho ye are” The shorter of the two snarled. Her grip on Lee’s arm growing tighter, her nails looking dangerously close to piercing the skin. I looked at him for help as he winced in pain, receiving a mere shrug.

“Yeah, we know ‘ho ye are Verity” The second quipped, resting her head on Mattie’s shoulder, running a hand slowly up and down his chest. Mattie shrugged in very much the same way.

I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly, flicking my hair from my face as I looked the pair up and down.Hair thick at the root with too much product, the ends thin from too much straightening.
No doubt pretty eyes hidden under lashings of mascara and way too much Kohl. Their lips curled into the sneer only stuck up scene girls could muster.

They could’ve been twins. I highly doubted they were though.

“And you are?” I asked, clicking my tongue against my teeth . “Thing One and Thing Two?”