Get Your Kicks

I’m not very good with upset people. Healey goes on the defence, Brenna is like a mama bird, and Darcy will probably beat the crap out of someone (or claim she will). Not me though. I just stand awkwardly in the corner and there’s nothing I can contribute.

So naturally, when I heard Ellie running down the hall and Louis banging on the door I was glad I wasn't rooming with them. I sort of wish the walls were thicker though, all the banging and yelling woke me up.

I grabbed my hoodie and pulled it on over my tank, heading out the door once the coast was clear. i didn't want to run into Louis in the hallway. He would try to sell me some douche story about how he didn't mean to do whatever he'd done that had Ellie crying so loud I could hear her through the wall. I’m not so good in serious situations.

Of course I sort of wish I'd stayed in my room. “I guess the prank wars are over now,” I called. Liam was in the hall, sitting on the ground next to a table.

He looked up at me briefly before concentrating on the ground, or more appropriately the cell phone he had probably borrowed, that was sitting in his lap.

“You're not going to speak to me now?”

“I'd rather not,” Liam answered.

“You’re such a dick,” I rolled my eyes at him and continued to the stairs.

“Why because I don’t want to talk to possibly the most immature person on earth?” Liam chided. For not wanting to talk to me he hopped right up and followed.

“You’re the one who decided to stay, according to Darcy,” I replied.

“We can't just leave you lot here,” Liam answered, “where are we going?”

“I’m going to the pool.”

“The pool doesn't have water,” he pointed out.

“What? No water? Why I had no idea,” I put on a voice as I spoke. Healey called it my ’Judy Garland’ voice because I sounded like an old movie actress when I used it.

Liam didn't say anything in reply but I could hear him huff. We headed down the stairs and out the door in silence, making our way across the parking lot to the empty pool. I wondered if Darcy and Ellie were still awake. Darcy said they had a perfect view of the pool and I wondered if they could see me climbing down into the pool with Liam.

“So what happened with Louis and Ellie? I was sleeping,” I walked down the the deep end of the pool, following the outline of the squid that had been painted along the floor.

“Louis has a girlfriend back home,” Liam admitted, following me down to the deep end.

“Damn,” I breathed.

“He really likes Ellie though,” Liam added.

“So what?”

“Listen, it's not my place to get involved and I'd rather us not argue about other people.”

I just nodded my head. He was right, I didn't want any indirect confrontation about Louis and Ellie ruining my insomniatic excursion. I didn't really know what happened with Ellie and Louis, no one but them knew. They were up alone on that roof for hours.

"It’s hard to be with someone and have feelings for someone else," Liam sounded almost like he was talking to himself. He looked a kicked puppy when he said it and the usual frustration that came instinctively when I saw him disappeared.

"Sometimes it's just you realising you aren't with the right person," I didn't have any experience on the subject. I'd only had one boyfriend and I doubted I could consider Alex serious.

"Well what if neither of them was right?" Liam asked, moving closer to me.

I leaned against the wall of the pool and watched him the best I could in the dark. He was close enough that I could make out his features perfectly, even the birth mark on his neck. I bit my lip as I stared at him.

I'd been so busy mouthing off to him that I hadn't noticed just how attractive he really was. Liam was probably the most attractive guy I'd ever seen. He was watching me too, waiting for my reply. I didn’t have one though because my breath was stuck up in my throat and I couldn't form a word if I tried.

It was so foreign to me. Sure I had found guys cute before but this was something else entirely. It was a completely physical feeling that came over me in a matter of seconds.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do to diffuse a situation, I reached up and ran a hand over his hair. It was shorter than mine and honestly, in this moment, I kind of just wanted to touch him.

Liam quirked an eyebrow at me before the softest of grins came to his lips. Without warning he reached forward and pulled my hood over my head. My sweatshirt pulled up in the back and he yanked the fabric completely over my face. I laughed and moved closer to him.

"Let go of my hood!"

He released my hood and I yanked it down, fixing my sweatshirt back into it's appropriate place.

I don't really know how but one way or another Liam was chasing me around the empty pool, trying to grab me. We had ended up playing tag, trying to tackle each other to the ground.

It took my mind off of Ellie and how upset she was. It took my mind off of anything but Liam and how I desperately just wanted him to catch me. Because he was sort of gorgeous and when we were just alone we actually got along fairly well.

"Gotcha!" I felt Liam's arms around my waist, the touch giving me butterflies. I pulled forward, trying to break away from him but he didn't let go and we both fell.

"Shit," I felt tears instantly. My ankle twisted under me when I fell and Liam landed on it, the pressure pushing it the wrong way.

"Oh my god," Liam rolled off me and was on his knees in a second, "what hurts?"

"My ankle," I was crying from the pain.

Liam ghosted his hand over my left ankle and than my right, the injured one. I bit my lip to stop from crying harder. Liam looked back up at me, a frown on his face.

"I think it's sprained, I'm so sorry," he stated.

"It's not your fault," I couldn't even smile to reassure him.

"I tackled you to the ground," he laughed a little.

I watched as he stood up, thinking he was going to look for help or call someone, he did have a cell phone on him. Instead he squatted back down, placing his arms under my back and knees, and lifting me up.

"What are you doing?" I think I probably screamed in surprise. I wrapped my arms around his neck for stability and because I hated being lifted up.

"Carrying you back to your room," Liam answered.

"Don't drop me," I laughed a little an hugged him tighter.

Liam carried me all the way up the stairs and back my room, setting me down but keeping an arm around my waist to support me. By the time we got to my door I had stopped crying, giving out a rather pathetic sniffle every once in a while.

"Will you kill me if I tell you I don't have my key with me," I asked, looking over at him. The lighting was better in the hallway and he was closer to me than he'd been in the pool.

"My room than?" Liam asked.

"Yeah,” I nodded, I needed to sit down or prop up my ankle or something.

Liam took me to his room, letting me use him as a crutch this time. Our first impressions of each other weren't the best but I had to wonder if we could negate those. Pretend they never happened and start over with each other.

We were quiet coming into Liam's room. Niall was in the other bed, fast asleep, and Liam led me to his.

“Here,” Liam set up the pillows as I sat down, propping my ankle carefully, “I'm going to see if the kitchen has ice.”

“Hey Liam,” I called quietly as he made his way back to the door.

“Yeah?” He walked back over to me.

“Thank you...for being so nice tonight,” I smiled.

“We have a lot in common,” Liam shrugged and then reached forward and ruffled my short hair.

I laughed and swatted his hand away, “I think we should team up and get everyone back.”

“A huge, traitorous, prank on everyone?”

“They’d never see it coming,” I shrugged. It might be fun to get in on the prank war.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Get me ice and I'll tell you,” I waved him away and he laughed.

When he got back we stayed up, talking about our plan to rig everyone’s rooms like The Parent Trap cabin. We would have to get the spare keys off the other rooms and a trip to the general store was in order but we were almost certain we could pull it off. I had never really pranced anyone in my life but I'd always wanted too.

Tomorrow we would have to be careful, buying everything for the prank and taking keys would have to be done discreetly. No one could know that we were planning the most epic prank of all time. No to mention I would get flack in the morning when Healey and Brenna woke up, or even worse if Darcy saw me outside with Liam.

Right now I tried not to worry about that. I focused on Liam and how cute he looked when he smiled and tried to whisper to me.