Speak-Adopted by 5sos

Chapter 31 (Caleb and Pizza)

C A L E B (ooh)

As I stood next to Ella's locker, waiting for her to come from her last class, I couldn't help but keep going over what Gabby had said to me this morning.

"She's trouble.  Ella will send your reputation down the drain and you'll have yourself to blame for it.  Famous people are nothing but drama starters and attention seekers!" Gabby said in an angry tone.

"Ella isn't like that.  Do you think she asked for any of this?" I retorted, trying to stick up for my friend.

"Well, whatever she did or did not do, she's going to pull you into her trap.  I'm just trying to warn you here Caleb!  If you don't stay away from her, then I don't think we can be friends." She finished.

"Well then I guess I have no business talking to you right now, considering we aren't going to be friends." I said in a low voice.  With that, she huffed and stormed away.  I shook my head and walked back over to Ella's locker.

I ran over the conversation multiple times, analyzing every word said. Did Gabby really mean it this time? Like I had mentioned to Ella earlier, Gabby did this often. But now that Ella had been added into the equation, I wasn't sure how this would end up going down.

It used to be just Gabby and I, before Ella. Sometimes I was even left on my own when Gabby would feel accepted in the popular group on and off. I didn't see Ella as that type of person. Nor did I think she was going to 'ruin my reputation', which I barely even have anyways.

I watched as Ella made her way over to me while kids flooded from their classes behind her. I had a free period, so I had just used it to go to the library, and get to Ella's locker early. She had a bright smile etched onto her face. A smile I would never be able to get over.

I remember she had worn the same smile at the masquerade ball just a couple of months ago. I didn't know her as well back then, but I still don't think she knew it was me under the mask.

Truth be told, I've been starting to develop some feelings for her. I don't know what it is, but there's just a quality that she has that draws me to closer to her. When she walked up next to me, I lazily slung an arm around her shoulder as I always did, and we walked out of the school together.

"So, I was going to walk to this pizza parlor that's down the street from our neighborhood, and maybe pick up a job application. I just need to earn some extra cash, and I thought you might want apply with me?" I sort of asked. She looked up at me and nodded, with a grin adorning her face. I laughed and hugged her into the side of me as we walked to the bus stop.

The ride was short and we sat in a comfortable silence. The pizza place that I was applying for was small and quaint. There weren't too many people who new about it, so it was kind of a place where I would go with Gabby. We had originally talked about getting jobs there together, but I had since scratched that idea.

We arrived at our stop which was a few blocks away, meaning we had to walk a little bit. The pizza place actually wasn't too far from our neighborhood. The place was called "A Slice Of Heaven" and I honestly can't think of a better name for it.

As I pushed open the door to the pizza shop, I was greeted with the most amazing smell. We walked in and I watched as Ella looked around curiously. I went up to the counter and asked for two applications, and I also ordered us a pepperoni pizza.

I turned around to see Ella had already found a table. I grabbed our table number card and thanked the person at the counter. I walked over and set the application in front of Ella. She gave me a half smile before pulling it towards her and scribbling away.

I was about halfway through my application when our pizza was brought over to us. Grabbing a slice, I took a glance at Ella's paper. She had neat, meticulous handwriting. She looked up at me suddenly, as I tried to cover my act and look down quickly. I don't think she bought it though because I could still feel her eyes on me. My cheeks turned a light shade of pink as I tried to finish up my application.

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Ella and I had finished our applications and handed them back to the woman at the counter. We left the shop and started walking towards the bus stop. Without thinking about it, I moved my hand and laced our fingers together.

I looked down at our hands and then back up at her with a nervous look. She smiled at me reassuringly and squeezed my hand ever so slightly as we continued onto the bus stop. We walked on together and sat down, waiting for our stop to arrive.

When we were finally at the stop right in front of our neighborhood, we got of and began walking to her house. I walked her up her driveway and was about to leave, when she motioned me to continue into the house. I decided to follow and we walked in.

I was greeted with the scent of vanilla and I saw a boy sitting on the couch that was visible from the entry. He had curly light brown hair and was sitting at his laptop with a cup of coffee. When he heard the door shut, he turned his head and cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Who's this Ella?" He spoke as he stood up. She pulled out her phone and began typing in the app that allowed her to talk. Kind of.

"This is Caleb. He's the one from school that I mentioned." The electronic voice sounded from her phone. I knew her dad as Aston Irwin, famous from 5 seconds of summer. That's not why I hung out with her though. I liked her for herself. Not what a tabloid says about her family.

"Oh. We've heard a lot about you Caleb, it's very nice to meet you! I'm Ashton." He said extending his hand for me to shake. I gave him a small smile and shook his hand in return.

"Hi. I'm Caleb, it's very nice to meet you Mr. Irwin." I said as politely as possible.

"You can just call me Ashton." He chuckled.

"Will you be staying for dinner then?" He asked me.

"No, I'm sorry. My mum wants me home soon because we have family coming up from out of town." I declined. I remember her telling me this morning how my Aunt and Uncle would be arriving at around 7 tonight.

"That's okay. Maybe another night?" Ashton said.

"Definitely." I said, my smile growing as I looked over at Ella. We said our goodbyes and Ella walked me back over to the door. She gave me a hug before I left the house.

I was about halfway down the driveway, when I heard running behind me. I turned around to see Ella with pink cheeks as she stood on her tip toes to kiss my cheek. She smiled and ran back to her house. I continued walking home with a warm feeling growing inside of me.