Graffiti Girl // Michael Clifford

|| 19 ||

Her feelings she hides. Her dreams she can't find. She's losing her mind. She's falling behind. She can't find her place. She's losing her faith. She's falling from grace. She's all over the place yeah.

«Nobody's Home» Avril Lavigne

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"Hey, we still need dresses for formal, you know," R says, looking up from my lap. "It's in a week."

"Ugh!" I groan. "We really have to go?!"

"Yes," Calum says, not looking up from his phone.

"Why?" I drawl out.

"Because we are performing and you are going to support us," Luke says, lifting up R's legs before sitting down and placing them on his lap. "That's what friends are for."

"Who said we're friends?" I reply in a bored tone.

"Aww... Andi, we want to be your friends," Ashton chirps with a smug smile.

"A friendship is supposed to be a mutual thing, from what I'm told."

"Yes, but you only really have one friend," Calum points out.

"Fuck you, I have friends! I just don't like too many people in general, so friends are therefore limited," I snide.

"Name five friends," Calum scoffs. "And not just people you'll say hi to in the halls and shit."

"Fine. R," I start, ticking off on my fingers. "Candice. Evan. Um... well... there's..." I stutter. "Oh! Jax!"

"That doesn't count," Ashton laughs with a bigger smile than I would think appropriate for this situation. "He's your little brother's best friend."

"Fine! Well, Jax has an older sister that I talk to."

"Okay... I'd suppose I'll give you that one. Simply a pity count, but sure," Calum says. "What's her name?"

"Reina. She's sixteen."

"What school does she go to?"

"She's currently studying abroad in England for the term," I answer, smugly.

"Okay, I take it back. That doesn't count!" Ashton laughs again and I more than a little kinda want to slap him.

"Why wouldn't that count?!"

"She's in another country! You can't exactly be besties from across an ocean!"

"Why the fuck not?! I talk to her quite a bit, actually. We have a group chat with Jax and Hayd that we all use a decent amount."

"Interesting..." Luke mutters. "You text your brother and his friend? Like, frequently?"

"Yeah, why is that weird? We've all grown up together," I bark.

"Okay, okay," he defends, putting his hands up in surrender. "No need to get snippy."

"I'm not snippy!"

"It's okay," Luke pacifies.

"Whatever. Point is, Reina counts as a friend."

"Fine," Calum answers. "You have four."

"Okay... Oh!" I shout. "I'm pretty good friends with Ember."

"Ember Wells?" Luke asks. "She's in Studio Design with us, right?"

"Yeah. Which I have just learned you are in, by the way," I laugh.

"I've only been to one class so," he chuckles.