fire starter | l.s [1]

eighteen

**sorry if you read the chapter before i edited it, it was a hot mess.  i didn't have time to edit it but i wanted to post it. it's all edited now so i hope ya'll enjoy :-)

Liam gently took my hand and lead me down the bleachers and back into the school's hallways. It was an odd sight, walking around in an almost vacant school. As we passed many arrays of lockers I imagined what they'd look like on the inside, posters of their celebrity crushes, textbooks they'd never even opened stacked neatly on a shelf, an assortment of coloured pens and pencils tucked into a pencil case. Who knew something as simple as school supplies would have been something I would have missed.

We soon arrived at a classroom with a door covered in different paint splatters, Liam turned his head to me and let go of my hand. He smiled softly before reaching out and pushing the colourful door open. Stepping aside, Liam gestured for me to enter first. Nodding my head slightly, I entered the classroom and an immediate smile was placed on my face. There was a familiar stench of old, unused paint and dusty paper. It was an art room, filled with art canvases and different utensils.

"Woah," I said under my breath as I stepped further into the classroom.

"I thought you'd like it, since you're so fond of drawing," Liam explained as he closed the door behind him.

"You know, you're too good to me, Liam Stewart," I say and turn to him.

His face turns a light shade of pink and he runs a hand sheepishly through his hair, "It's nothing, really."

I shake my head at him and turn back around to the shelves full of art supplies. There was dried up pots of paint and broken pencils. Most of the utensils were dusty and hadn't been used in over a year. However, I spotted a few salvageable things like watercolours and paintbrushes. Quickly, I slung my bag off my shoulders and unzipped it. I grabbed as much as I could from the shelves and hastily threw it into my backpack which was now going to weigh a tonne. After I had collected everything I had wanted I turned back to Liam, who incidentally, looked incredibly attractive.

I hadn't really noticed how attractive he actually was. Of course, I thought he was cute and he is but seriously, I could feel how fast my heartbeat was going. His blonde hair was a little messier than usual, he was leant against a desk with his arms tightly folded over his chest causing his biceps to bulge from under his shirt sleeves and the light was hitting his face just in the right spot that made his blue eyes shine brightly. He looked much taller than me in that moment too and we weren't that much different in height either, the top my head usually reaching the bridge of his nose.

"You need me to find a photography room, too?" Liam asked which bought me out of my trance.

"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling extremely embarrassed at my staring.

"Don't apologise," Liam smiled and started to head for the door, "Chubs, Ruby and I are going to head out into town to see if we can find food and other supplies. Are you right to stay here with Zu?"

"'Course," I replied, following him out of the room.

"I don't want you to feel like we're babying you, we just don't want you to pass out again or something. We want you to rest up and feel better so we can get to East River and-" I quickly cut Liam short of his rambling.

"Don't worry, it's fine, really!" I assure him and he simply nods.

The both of us find our way back to a classroom where we had stayed the night. It was quite a peculiar scene to come back to. Zu was standing on two tables, her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was holding two dolls. Ruby and Chubs were on the floor, each holding a doll of their own. Zu moved the dolls around, trying to instruct them without words. The pair sitting on the floor awkwardly moved their dolls around, murmuring a few words.