They're Just Girls

Luke's POV

"Hey Luke, Marley's here are you ready?" Mike stuck his head in my door as I pulled at my hair, making it stand just right.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

"We'll be in the car."

I shrugged my leather jacket on, quickly spraying on some cologne before meeting the pair in Marley's car.

Upon climbing in I was surprised to see Michael in the backseat, I thought he would have sat up front to talk with Marley, but when I saw the blonde, Cleo, occupying it I knew why.

She smiled a small smile at me barely curling the edges of her mouth. She seemed nervous.

"Hey." I nodded in her direction.

"Hey."

She turned back around in her seat, messing on her phone as Marley and Michael dominated all car conversation, talking about some shit they had done at school. Nothing I cared to listen in on.

Marley parked her car a few houses down from the actual party, not wanting it to get messed up by any drunk people too far gone to care.

We all got out of the car and I immediately took in the tight dark wash jeans Cleo wore. They hugged her ass flawlessly, hitting the perfect spot on her hips, just under where her shirt had rose a little, exposing skin.

We walked through the lawn, and I noticed Cleo falling behind so I slowed my pace, wanting to talk to her.

"I'm really glad you came." I looked down on her small frame. It always took her a few minutes to warm up to conversation.

"You didn't give me much choice now did you?"

"I'd like to think you wanted to come."

She didn't say anything, but continued walking.

Inside the house was loud and hot due to the mass amount of people stuffed into the too small space, I was in my element now.

Back in Australia this is how I spent my days, a little drunk and really high, any girl I wanted hanging off my arm begging me to do ungodly things to her, I was as good as they came back home, it wasn't a party without me, but here I was just Luke. I kind of liked being just Luke, it was a lot more boring but it was also relaxing, and as for the girls the only one I was really after was Cleo, but she obviously wasn't in to me. I had tried one too many advances on her during the first week and it had only made her hate me more. Those same moves had worked on just about every girl I had ever been with but Cleo, she was different.

I watched as Marley drug Mike off into the crowed and Cleo shrunk into me, standing as close to me as she could without it being mistaken as an advance on me.

"Do you want to get drinks?" I prompted, wanting to move out of the entrance.

"Sure." She nodded, and when I put my arm around her shoulders she didn't shrug away.

We wondered and weaved through sweaty bodies until we finally found the kitchen, me leading the way the whole time.

"You guys want drinks?" I recognized the guy from school, he played football.

"Yeah." I spoke for the both of us. Cleo seemed to freeze under my arm and I wondered what it was about the party that had gotten her all shaken up.

"Cleo!" Someone squealed from behind us, making her jump, but turn around.

"Oh, hey, Amanda." She smiled and I watched them embrace, "I haven't seen you in so long!" She seemed to ease up, relaxing with the familiarity.

"I know! June and Matt are here too! They would love to see you I'm sure! Come on!" The brunette girl, Amanda I guess, took Cleo's hand, pulling her away, and I couldn't help but chuckle as she turned back to me, a slightly alarmed look in her eye, then telling me she would be right back.

"You know her?" Football guy asked once they had left the room, coming and standing next to me.

"Yeah." I looked over at him, wondering where this was going.

"Duuuuude! No way!" He was obviously drunk, "She's so fucking hot!"

I rolled my eyes, not saying anything, already annoyed with him and the way he was talking about Cleo, I just wanted her to come back already.

"At the beginning of the year me and some of the team, oh my God," he paused his story, leaning on the counter in laughter, "She got completely hammered! She was so trashed! Falling all over the place and shit." I tried to imagine Cleo drunk and giggly, unable to keep her mouth shut but I couldn't quite conjure it. I wasn't really interested in the story, but I listened all the same. "So, we took her upstairs and-"

My blood boiled, and before I could realize what I was doing the collar of his shirt was clenched in my fist and his eyes were wide, "You took her upstairs and did what?" I growled.

His wide eyes drooped and he started to cackle again, spit flying from his mouth, "Are you with her or something? Cleo's Big Daddy getting all over protective?"

"Tell me what you fucking did to her?" I couldn't feel anything else happening around us, all I could comprehend was the rage flowing through my veins and the need to crush every bone in this asshole's body.

"I'll tell you what we did, we took all of her clothes off, nice and slow, and she was too drunk to stop us, then I touched her soft skin, every inch of it, and I kissed it, and then I felt her tits, they fit perfectly in my -"

My fists cut him off, knuckles colliding with his nose, the bone crunching and cracking under my force.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" I couldn't even think I was so angry. The thought of them touching her was the motivation behind my next blow; right to the jaw. The image of her naked and hardly conscious on someone else's bed, a bunch of apes surrounding her, touching her, feeling her, infected my thoughts and I dodged his attempts at attack, punching him square in the face.

"You're disgusting! You fucking touched her!" The words were like acid in my mouth.

"Chill out man! Stop! It's not like we had sex with her!"

"It doesn't matter! You touched her! You touched her and she didn't say it was okay!" I shoved him against the counter.

"I don't want you near her ever again. Don't touch her. Don't look at her. Don't talk to her. Don't even think about it, or I swear to God it is that last thing you will do."

I now noticed the kitchen was silent and all eyes were on me and the bleeding pervert, everyone too into the party to bother with getting involved.

My blood was still pumping as I pushed out of the room and into the hall. I needed to find Cleo. I felt sick, and dirty, I needed to apologize to her. I had done the same thing to her. Well sort of. She definitely wasn't naked, or drunk for that matter but I had put y hands on her, just like them, without permission. I'd probably only reminded her more and more of the football guys with every caress of the thigh and ass squeezing I shelled out. No wonder she hates me. I felt absolutely terrible, and I wish I would have let that douche punch me, I deserved it.

"Marley, have you seen Cleo?" I asked spotting her and Michael in the middle of a very heated make out session.

"No, sorry." She mumbled back, not bothering to separate from him.

I shoved through people, finally spotting her straight blonde hair, standing with a small group.

"Cleo?" I grabbed her by the arm, turning her to face me.

"Did you run here?" She laughed. I hadn't realized I was breathing so hard. Her cheeks were flushed and her cup was empty.

"Sort of. Can we talk?"

She eyed me, obviously not expecting that, "Okay?"

We found a corner void of obnoxious couples making out and quiet enough that I wouldn't have to yell over the noise.

"Look, Cleo, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." The words tasted weird in my mouth, apologies had never been my thing.

"You're sorry? What did you do?" She was worried, searching my face for some kind of answer.

"I've been so shitty to you, I feel so terrible and I shouldn't have come on to you the way I did."

She sighed, nodding, "It's fine Luke. Who told you?"

"Told me what?"

"About the football guys, don't play stupid."

"That guy from the kitchen, the one that did it, I kicked his ass though. I feel so bad Cleo, I'm so sorry."

Then she did the unexpected. She hugged me, a tight hug, not one of those side hugs you give to uncomfortable, distant cousins.

"It's about time someone punched that dick in the face." I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and her head rested at my chest, and I couldn't have felt more dreadful for the way I had treated her.

Jett's POV

"All set?"

I watched Presley slide a frog beanie onto her head, sighing as she did so, "Yep."

It was chilly outside, not yet cold at the end of October in Colorado, winter was on it's way though.

The little girl climbed in the backseat as I got in the front, starting the car and turning the heat on low.

"It's good to have you home." I looked at her in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, I wish I wasn't sick though."

"Me too kid, me too."

Tears pricked my eyes but I blinked them back, knowing that if I cried it would only give her more to worry about.

"Can you put the CD on?" She begged as we pulled out of the neighborhood, on our way to pick up Calum.

"Sure." The CD was something the two of us had created. A mix tape with all of our favorite songs, we used to listen to it a lot when I had to drive Presley back and forth from dance class and sing loudly together, but she had to quite once she got sick.

I pushed play, the first song was Heart of Glass by Blondie. The song made the CD due to the insane amount of Blondie our mother had played when we were younger, we knew every line and beat to the song, perfect for car jamming.

I smiled to myself when Presley nodded her head to the beat, singing softly.

I was confused as to why Pres had invited Calum to come along, she didn't normally warm up to people so quickly. I was okay with it though, I liked Calum, he had turned out to be a really nice guy, although we did have rough beginnings. My mom seemed to like him too. It was weird to imagine Calum doing all of the things Project S.O.F.T said he did. He was just too sweet.

"Jett?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like Calum?"

"I think he's really nice, and he's a good friend, why?"

"He likes you." She grinned.

"Oh really? And how would you know that?" I could feel my cheeks heat and an accidental smile erupt on my face.

She shrugged staring out the window, "I just know."

"Why did you invite Calum to come with us?" I squinted at the navigation on my phone.

I watched her in the mirror again, she leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs, "He makes you smile, I like it when you smile, and I want to make sure you still smile when I'm dead."

***

"I like your hat." Calum complimented the green frog on Presley's head as we waited in line for snacks.

"I have a sock monkey one too, it's my favorite, but this one matched better. " She boasted, reaching up to readjust it.

It felt so good to see her not laying in that damn hospital bed. It was hard to think that, on the inside, she was only getting worse, because on the outside she was so alive, and it hurt me to know that she wouldn't be for much longer.

Presley's thin arms wrapped around my middle, hugging me tight, and I promised myself I would push those thoughts away for now, and enjoy the time I had left with her.

"Alright Pres, what do you want?" I couldn't help the grin on my face when Calum used her nickname. I was glad they got along so well.

I had fought Calum earlier to let me buy the tickets since Presley had somehow roped him into coming along, and he protested all the while claiming the boy should always pay, but, eventually I won, and he promised he would buy snacks.

"Sour Patch Kids!" She exclaimed, bouncing excitedly. It was tradition. Every time we went to the movies we sat at the very top in the exact middle and ate the sour candy. She ate all the red and green ones, and I ate all the blue and yellow ones. We threw the orange ones away because we both agreed they tasted like vomit. I don't know why, or when it started, that's just how it was.

"All of this candy and all you want is Sour Patch Kids?" Calum eyed her.

She hummed, looking around, "And a red slushy." She added to her order, smiling sweetly at him.

"You got it." He chuckled.

After we got our snacks we got to the theater, Presley hopping up the steps excitedly in front of Calum and I, making sure we got our spot.

People smiled sadly at her, taking in her pale skin and lack of hair, knowing that she wasn't okay. I hated it. She was human just like the rest of us. She didn't need the pity of a bunch of people that don't even know her.

"I'm really glad I decided to come," Calum expressed, "She's a cute kid, and her older sister isn't so bad either."

"Not so bad?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"I'm kidding. You're great, it's cute how much you care about her."

"I just love the movies so much!" She gushed after we sat down, laying over the arm rest dramatically. It was still a good five minutes before the movie started, local advertisements flashing on and off the screen while everyone found seats.

"What's your favorite movie?" Calum asked her from the other side of me.

"Hmm... I like Ponyo."

"Ponyo?" Calum wondered, apparently not knowing of the film.

"It's the one where there's a fish that turns into a girl and becomes best friends with a little boy." I elaborated, hoping to jog his memory.

"Hm, I've never heard of it."

"We have it! You have to come over and watch it sometime!"

"Well I guess so, a movie about a girl-fish hybrid, and if it's your favorite it must me good." He stated matter-of-factly.

"What about you Jett, what's your favorite movie?"

"Juno. Hands down, most definitely Juno."

"That's a good one, but nothing beats a classic horror movie, my favorite is a tie Poltergeist and the original Exorcist."

"Poltergeist is good, I've never seen the Exorcist though."

"We are definitely watching that." He decided as the house lights dimmed and the first preview started.

It felt so comforting here in between the two of them, and I felt much closer to Calum than I had ever imagined possible. Like I was sharing this part of my life with him that I had never shared with anyone before and I liked that.

Locklyn's POV

"I'm so jealous I sat and did nothing all weekend." I whined as Jett and Cleo recounted the wonderful tales of their Saturdays. I however had to visit my dad two towns over this weekend, not that Ashton and I would have even attempted to hang out anyway and they were all busy obviously.

"Well my weekend was better than all of yours." Marley smirked, re-situating herself on the beanbag chair in my room.

"How is that?" Cleo challenged her, all of us waiting to hear what she had gotten herself into.

"At the party on Saturday, me and Mike had sex, and he asked me out!" she squealed excitedly, but she was the only one.

It was dead silent in the room as Cleo, Jett and I exchanged worried glances. They hadn't known each other that long and taking such a big step already was more than alarming.

"Wow, you guys had sex already?" I tried to approach the situations cautiously, not wanting any feelings to get hurt.

"Well yeah, I mean we both like each other so I don't see why not." Her smile was gone and she looked irritated, not liking that we didn't celebrate with her.

"It's just really soon, and if something happens you're stuck with each other for the rest of the year." I pointed out.

"Whatever, why can't you just be happy for me?" She busied herself with her phone.

"Chill out Marley, we're just looking out for you." Jett piped in.

"You guys are being bitches, that's what you're doing."

I groaned loudly, pulling at the ends of my curly hair, after years of knowing Marley, we all knew there was no winning. She always knew just how to get under your skin to the point where the topic was dropped and she was forgiven, without consequence. That couldn't happen anymore. She couldn't walk all over us, it wasn't okay.

"You need to stop this!" I directed angrily at her.

"Stop what?" She laughed, a condescending laugh.

"Stop treating us like shit and acting like we should all just agree with you and share your opinions, that's not friendship."

Jett and Cleo looked at me with wide eyes, and I'm sure mine matched theirs, not believing I would say the words.

"Well, she's not wrong." Jett agreed, looking expectantly at Marley.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Marley rolled her eyes, still looking at the device in her hand.

"It has to do with everything! You're not being fair to us. We treat you with respect and you should do the same." Cleo added.

"Whatever, I don't care, I don't want to talk about it."

"Well sucks. You don't always get to call the shots." Jett glared at her, naturally hot headed, not masking her resentment well.

"Well you guys are ganging up on me it's not fair." She complained, crossing her arms childishly.

"Well neither are you! We're just expressing our concerns and you blew up on us!"

"Well if you don't like who I am then don't be my friend."

Jett groaned loudly, "Oh my God, Marley, it's not about who you are, it's about what you do! We like who you are, and we like being you're friend just stop treating us like shit and expecting us to just take it! If we treated you like that you would have eaten us alive. This double standard is not okay."

"Whatever, you guys suck. I'm leaving." She stood us, grabbing her bag angrily.

"Okay fine, just drop us. I mean that's what you did with everyone else right?"

She didn't utter a word, but instead, stuck her middle finger up, stomping out of my room, slamming the door behind her.

"I feel bad, but it needed to be said."