004

        I WAKE UP AND SEE IM STILL IN BED. no paytyn by my side. i wouldn't be surprised if she went to bed with matt. i tend to forget their eighteen.

i head to my suitcase and grab out a black crop top and forest green leggings. i head to the bathroom, pee, wash my face and apply makeup. i brush through my hair and straighten it out.

i head downstairs and see everyone is up. how do they go to sleep after me but are the first people up. and by everyone i mean matt, chris, paytyn and nick.

i sit down next to chris and smile. maybe i can actually talk to him and not feel like leah is stabbing daggers into my soul.

"morning ass hat." he says with a smile.

"good morning."

"how are you up? you went to bed way after me." i say.

"well, when leah leaves matt and i have to take her home. so at exactly seven this morning i had to take her home." he says.

i make a questioning face and look at him. home girl really can't drive herself? i need to stop judging her. she's nice and good for christopher.

"will she be back later?" i ask. i feel uncomfortable when she's here. and i feel like that's me overstepping boundaries but she makes me feel like i can't talk. or really have an opinion.

"nah. she has to help a friend study. she's a touture."

"nice." i say with a fake smile. "yeah. definitely."

"do you wanna go watch some tv?" he ask me. i nod my head. he sticks his hand out for me to grab and i take it following him to his room. he sits down on his bed and pats the spot next to him. i lay down next to him. he turns on a tv show.

"hey, take some pictures of me. i need some new ones." he says. i roll my eyes, "okay weirdo." i pull up my camera and kneel in front of him to get a better angle. after snapping a few pictures i smile.

"you look really good in all of these." i look up and he has a smirk across his face. "okay sturniolo." i say laying back down next to him.

i lean my head against chris as we look over the pictures. after we go through them i send him the ones he picked. i open up snapchat and post my favorite one of him.

i feel christopher's fingers tangle in my hair. i immediately relax under his touch. i sigh. this isn't right, he has a girlfriend. leah. he has leah.

"chris.." i say.

"come on emory. it's fine. i like playing with hair. it's nothing more than a friendly gesture." he says. i jump up off the bed and step away.

chris sits up, "what's wrong?"

"chris, you have a girlfriend. leah! remember her?"

"i'm not okay with this? this isn't who i am." i say throwing my hand in the air.

"i'm sorry emory. i didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." he says.

he genuinely looks upset that i'm upset. but that doesn't make what he was doing right. "why didn't you tell me?" i ask.

"tell you what?"

"that you had a girlfriend?"

"it wasn't important."

"it wasn't important? chris you're my best friend and i had to find out you had a girlfriend by her following me and making it known you're hers." i say cocking my head.

"why are you getting so mad? emory i didn't tell you because it didn't matter. you're nothing more than a friend, it shouldn't effect you."

"it doesn't chris. you just kept something from me and i got hell for it by your fans." i say crossing my arms.

"i didn't keep anything from you, you never asked." he's right i shouldn't be so mad, but he needs to understand that i'm mad. he needs to get my point across.

"i'll see you tomorrow chris. i'm going to go hangout in my room."

"emory, you aren't honestly mad at me."

"i don't know chris." i turn and leave his room. i'm overreacting, i know that. but i know he'd want me to tell him if he were in this situation. i don't even know why it hurts me. i need to shower. i run me a shower and step in. the hot water running over my head.

i let the water run over me a little while longer before i step out. i wrap my hair up in a towel and dry off. i put on black fuzzy pajama pants with a white tank top. i french braid two braids in my hair and step out almost running into nick.

"shit sorry nick."

"i will never get used to that accent."

"yeah, yeah. wanna go get some coffee?" i ask. he nods his head and i grab his hand pulling him out the house.

"how did you even know if i had matt's keys on me?"he ask me. "i honestly didn't. just a guess hoping you would." i say shrugging my shoulders. he rolls his eyes and throws the keys to me. he unlocks his car and we get in.

"starbs or dunkin?"

"dunkin" as i drive to dunkin we talk about random things. our favorite games, sports, songs, movies.

"so what's on your mind emory?" he ask as we pull up to order. "vanilla ice coffee. largest size." i reply.

i block him out as i order. i don't zone back in until the worker hands me my coffee. "let's not avoid this and talk about it." i say pulling out.

"talk about what? there's nothing to talk about." i say sipping my coffee. "you wanted out the house. you didn't have to say it i could tell. so what happened?"he's not going to let this go, and i trust nick enough to tell him.

"chris."

"what about him?"

"i think i like him nick." i say looking up at him. this is my first time admitting it or even saying it out loud. nick doesn't respond. that must mean something bad.

"i know it's wrong. i know he's with leah but i can't help it. i was hanging out with him and he started playing with my hair and i just freaked out on him."

"it's not wrong emory. you can't help your feelings and honestly i don't really like leah. i have fishy vibes about her. and chris is cute like that. he likes feeling attention. just don't be mad at him when he truly doesn't know what's wrong."

"yeah." i say. we pull up to the house and we step out heading inside. it's five and i'm fairly tired. "i'm going to be in my room if you need me." i say to nick as i head up the stairs. i'll probably just be asleep so hopefully no one needs me.