"Luanna, wake up," El nudged me.
"What's going on?" I asked quietly. It was strange that she wasn't yelling today.
"Well, last night we drank a little," she scratched her neck.
"Yeah. A little," I sighed, sitting up. She just giggled and handed me a pill. I had no idea where she got it. "So what was the occasion for drinking?"
"Well, on the way back from Nando's, we bought a few bottles to celebrate you making the team. So, the four of us celebrated," she explained.
"With who else?"
"With Niall and Louis. They kept asking you where you knew Niall from when you were drunk. You didn't tell them anything and just kept repeating: 'You're so stupid you don't remember me! But you won't find out anytime soon!' It was so funny," she recounted. "Now, hurry up and get ready, we're leaving."
I sighed heavily, but nodded and started getting ready.
"Come on!" I yelled at El, who was running around the room looking for her phone.
"Found it!" she happily dashed out of the room while I locked the door. "So, are you excited about practice?" she asked, pressing the elevator button.
"Yesss! Mostly because I'll get to kick Horan's butt," I said with a grin.
"Can you please tell me where you know him from and what he did to you?" she pleaded.
"Fine, but if you tell anyone, you can't call yourself my friend anymore."
"I swear! Tell me!" she urged impatiently.
"Well, it all started when I was in fifth grade. I was, to put it mildly, fat, a crybaby, ugly, and... well, you get it. Niall was at my school but a year ahead of me. He started bullying me, making fun of me, and pushing me around. I couldn't defend myself, so I just suffered. Finally, my mom got a job offer in London, and we moved away. I never thought I'd see him again until now. So, now I'm getting my revenge for the old times," I finished telling the story, and El looked at me, confused and horrified.
She rushed to hug me and whispered: "If I could, I'd beat that ass up right now."
"Well, Harry, Louis, Zayn, and Liam were with him," I muttered, and she covered her mouth in shock. "Of course, they only acted badly when Niall was around; otherwise, they didn't even notice me."
"Those jerks," she growled.
"You swore, remember. I'm not mad at the others, but Niall is going to suffer," I said.
"And I'm completely behind you," she hugged me again, and we walked into the cafeteria. We bought food and sat down at the same small table. Josh and his friends walked past us. He looked at me sideways while his friends checked me out.
"How's the nose?" I asked mockingly, and his friends either gaped or started laughing.
"Great," he said sarcastically.
"Don't be mad. You were warned. By two people, even!" I chuckled.
He just walked off with the other three guys. Not even a minute passed before Niall sat down next to me again.
"God, tell me, why is he still alive?" I asked, staring at the ceiling. Louis, who had just arrived, started laughing with El.
"Why don't you like him?" Louis asked.
"I heard you asked a drunk me, and I didn't tell you. So why do you think I'll tell you sober?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Can you just tell me?" Niall sighed.
"I'll give you a hint, Horan," he immediately perked up, and El looked confused. "Six."
"And that's it? All you're saying is six?! What is that supposed to mean?" he was frustrated.
"Well, that's what you'll have to figure out, isn't it?" I laughed and started eating.
"And why is it so difficult?" he muttered very softly, but I heard him.
"Because that's life," I said. The pair looked at me strangely, and Niall shook his head.
"But it shouldn't be like that. I mean, things can change," he continued thinking.
"For some, it happened for them. They get to live perfect lives, but someone ruins everything they have," I explained.
"At least that's not the case for me," he muttered.
"But it will be soon," I smirked. "Done yet, El?" I asked the girl, and she nodded and got up from the chair. Moving toward the cafeteria exit, I glanced over my shoulder again, where Niall and Louis were looking strangely at each other.
"You did great!" El said once we were far enough away.
"Thanks," I laughed. "Literature again now?" I asked, and El nodded sadly.
"Yeah. I hate it so much," she growled.
"And the idiots are sitting behind us again," I added, agreeing with her.
"The teacher's a witch," she continued listing.
"I only chose it for the extra credits."
"Me too. Well, ready for the pain?" she asked by the door.
"Come on! We got this!" I encouraged loudly and opened the door. The guys' eyes fixated on us. I rolled my eyes and said:
"She's taken," pointing to El.
"And you?" asked a very cute guy.
"Do I look like I would be?" I raised an eyebrow.
"No," he answered himself. "So, what are you doing after classes?"
"Soccer practice, and then I'm free," I smiled flirtatiously.
"Then maybe after practice, we could go out together somewhere?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure!" I replied. "By the way, I'm Luanna."
"Shawn."
"Nice to meet you, now I have to run," I said and hurried to my seat, where El already was.
"Well, spill it!" she leaned her head on the table with her hand.
"Well, I won't be around for a few hours after practice," I said, and she started squealing. I didn't know if it was because of me or because she could invite Louis over, but I didn't care anymore.