the hating game ; lrh

eighteen

"CALUM, IF YOU HAVE TO tune your guitar one more time, I swear I'll break it over your head."

Saturday night couldn't have come quicker, and tensions had been running particularly high as the band began setting up for the big party. After assisting with bringing all of the equipment in from Michael's car and setting up the sound system, I had sat myself down on the couch where I am now enjoying watching the band bicker over each and every small mistake they can find.

"If you scream at me one more time, Luke, I'll... well... I'll probably cry," Calum begins his statement in a snappy tone that quickly fades off to an overly-honest one.

"Let's just focus on the songs, yeah?" Ashton quips from behind the drum kit, and I swear I see Luke's eyes roll the moment he opens his mouth — good to see the tension still existed between those two. Not. "One-two-three-four!"

"Her name is Noel,
I have a dream about her,
She rings my bell,
I've got gym class in half an hour,

Oh how she rocks,
In Keds and tube socks,
But she doesn't know who I am,
And she doesn't give a damn about me..."

For the first time that night the boys manage to get through the entire song with almost no errors. Luke finishes up his last note and Ashton lets one more crash ring out through the room before all of the boys visibly relax and share a smile.

"How was that?" Calum finally turns to me, a proud smile tugging at his lips that tells me that he already knows how good it was.

"It was great," I tell him honestly, and I notice all of the boys relax a little bit more. "I just don't get why you guys are playing so many covers?"

Calum rolls his eyes and sets his guitar down against the wall. "I told you, Rory. We want people to be able to dance and sing along!"

"That's what the DJ is for!" I remind him, nodding toward the speaker system we had set up hours ago.

"Your Spotify playlist is not the same as a DJ," Calum quips, rolling his eyes at me.

"It's better than a DJ," I retort, a cheeky grin playing on my face, earning a scoff from my brother. "Just you wait, in a few hours people will be tearin' it up to my music."

This time it's Ashton, who appears to be adjusting his drum set for what feels like the millionth time, who scoffs. "What are you, fifty?" He says. "People don't 'tear it up' any more, Rory."

"Sure they don't," I smirk, though I know he's probably right about my choice of words. I give my brother a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Anyway, you guys make sure everything's set for when people get here. I'm going up to get ready."

Calum nods and me and instantly strides over to the kitchen, where he begins picking apart the snacks — not exactly what I meant by helping, but at least he would fill the bowls up again once he was done.

I quickly race up the stairs and make my way to my room. As I reach for the foundation on my vanity, I glance quickly at the time — six-thirty. The party didn't technically start until seven, and although I know that people probably wouldn't arrive until eight, I want to be properly ready as soon as possible.

I speed through applying my makeup (I had learned my lesson since attempting new eyeshadow looks prior to my date with Ashton) and begin brushing my hair when I hear a knock at my door. I know it can't be Calum, because he stopped knocking on my door years ago, so I try to sound somewhat polite when I say, "Come in."

When the door opens, the last person that I expect to see is Luke ushering himself inside. I try to conceal my surprise and continue brushing my hair as he slowly steps further into my room and finally takes a seat on my bed.