come closer || nh au

thirty-eight

I stand up and shake Niall's arm off of my shoulders. I take my towel and jump down back into the house through the window. I can't be around Niall now. It just hurts too much. I go to his room and get my phone from his bed, seeing literally everyone texted me where I am. I text Wesley that I'm back at the house. He immediately texts me that they're all coming back. I go back to Ryan's, Mere's and my room. I just get into my bed, closing my eyes and calming myself down. I hear everyone come back, talking and walking up the stairs. My eyes stay closed, as the door to our room opens and Mere and Ryan probably enter.

"Violet?", Mere asks, so I open my eyes and look up at her.

Riley, Mia, Lilian and Mere stand in the doorway. They look down at me in a pitiful way. I don't need their pity.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Riley asks, sitting down on the bed.

Mia, Lilian and Mere do the same, making me sit up, so there is more room for them. I feel numb, like I could just run against a wall and still feel nothing.

"I don't know. I'm probably being really dramatic. Niall just said he doesn't like me like I like him and told me we could just continue as fuck-buddies and I just left. Why did I even have hope in him liking me? I'm so stupid", I say, groaning in annoyance at myself.

"I mean, he kind of led you on, to be honest", Mia now says.

"Why do I always fall for the idiots and fuckboys? First Tobias and now Niall", I groan.

"Girl, you don't need a man. You're an independent young woman. You're turning 17 in two days. I want you to have the time of your life, so get your head in the game. Just pretend like Niall didn't hurt you and everything is okay. That will drive him crazy", Lilian smirks.

"Maybe you should just forget about him and continue living. I mean, we're here to have fun and party. How about we go shopping for your party outfit tomorrow? The boys want to go to the skate park anyway, so why don't we girls just do something together?", Mere suggests.

I mean, forgetting what happened will be hard but maybe I can. Maybe just pretending like nothing happened will make this situation better. Maybe Niall will be able to just look at me like he did before tonight. I mean, we were having so much fun today at the beach after we had that little war going on.

"Okay, so I'll just pretend that nothing happened and I'm completely fine with everything", I announce.

"That's my girl", Riley squeals, hugging me.

There is a moment of silence and Mia looks around the room, seeing the present bag next to my bag. It's my present for Niall.

"So, what did you guys get Niall for his birthday?", she asks, looking back at us.

"I got him some Calvin Klein perfume that he likes to wear. Wesley told me about it", Mere explains.

"I got him some guitar picks and a H&M gift card. I didn't know what else I could get him. I'm not that creative anyway", Mia chuckles.

"Same, I got him a $30 gift card for some guitar shop downtown", Lilian smiles.

"Jake and I got him a stash of condoms but I also put some money in a card", Riley tells us.

Now, everyone is looking at me. Their eyes seem to bore right through me.

"I got him a guitar necklace and a The 1975 band shirt with some lyrics on them", I say, smiling to myself because The 1975 somehow connects us a little.

"That's sweet of you and I think the t-shirt will get a lot of use since he really likes that band", Mere winks.

I roll my eyes slightly, chuckling with them.