"Are you into coffee now?"
Luke's P.O.V
Normally, I'd hate this Monday morning because who wants to go to school & start another long week of the same old shit. However, today I was actually a little anxious to get to school. Why? I wanted to see Ellie. I wanted to watch her a bit closer & I wanted to figure this girl out.
I was going to see her in a new way.
My mom dropped me off at school & then I quickly brought my lunch off to my locker & I exchanged out my books. I then quickly went over to the hallway, giving some small waves & good mornings to people on the way, where Michael's locker was since that was where he & Calum were already standing around. It was our usual routine that I meet them there every morning.
"You have a pep in your step for it being a Monday." Michael observed.
"Oh, what? Yea. I had coffee this morning." I lied. I couldn't bring up Ellie again. I spoke about her this entire weekend & they were getting annoyed with me about that. Apparently I found it extra interesting about her secret life & they were sort of over it for the moment.
"Are you into coffee now? Since when?" Calum then asked me. I still hadn't crossed that line of a coffee drinker yet but today, I had to lie about it.
"I'm not. I'm trying to get into though so I had my mom make me some but I feel it already." I lied again. "I'm fine."
"Maybe I should drink some too then." Michael spoke up. "Do you think it'll help me get through the day until lunch? It tastes like shit but if it gives you energy, I should."
"I don't know. Sure. I'll let you know how I feel today."
I wasn't really paying attention to them at all. I was watching out for Ellie instead. I knew her locker was on the other side of the school, since it's alphabetical, but I also knew that she walks to school because sometimes when I hang in the car park, I see her walk away from the lot & towards the houses nearby. It was actually possible too that she might enter by the side doors down the hall from Michael's locker because there were only so many doors to enter in at & the one right near us currently is the one that's closest to the direction I think she walks in.
I kind of felt bad that I stood in this hallway every single morning for years yet I had no idea if Ellie passes through it or not on a daily basis.
"Luke!" I heard a voice approach me. Sherrie. "Why didn't you come to my party on Saturday?"
"I was busy, sorry."
"I missed you. I really wanted you to come!"
"I'll make the next one."
"Do you promise?" She looked at me with a pout on her lips.
Sherrie was a fairly popular girl. She was actually probably the most popular girl & people always thought she & I would get together although it never happened. I took her to a dance last year but that was it. I just wasn't into her that way but from how people talk, she is into me in that way so it makes it awkward.
"Sure. I promise."
"Yay! Thanks! I was just so upset you weren't there when I had the entire house to myself once everyone left, you know?"
"Yea." I replied, not really caring about her having a parent-less house. "Sure, I know."
I then saw Ellie.
I felt so bad that I never realized Ellie had come through this entrance. Every single morning she passes right by me & I never saw her. Actually, I probably did see her plenty of times but I never cared enough to register that I saw her or care about the fact that I did.
Ellie walked with her head down. She had her backpack slung over one shoulder & she gripped the strap pretty tightly with both hands as she maneuvered through people. If someone was in her path, she moved. Ellie would get out of anyone's way before they even tried to get out of hers.
When she walked directly past us, the other guys gave her just a little look, as did I.
It was so hard to picture her less than forty-eight hours ago on stage, rocking cut off shorts, her hair a mess, screaming into a microphone & killing it on the drums.
"Hello? Luke." Sherrie pulled at my hand. "I said will you?"
"Will I what? Sorry."
"Will you come to the soccer match with me tonight."
"Well I mean I'm going with Michael but you can meet us there if you want I guess."
"Okay! I'll text you. Bye!"
"Luke." Calum laughed. "That girl is pathetically in love with you."
"Yea, but I don't like her."
"Then you shouldn't have taken her to the dance last year, you shouldn't have promised her you'd come to her next party & you shouldn't have said you'd meet her at my match tonight."
"Now I'm the third wheel." Michael complained. "Why does this always happen?"
"It's fine. We'll be with all of the group, Michael. I probably won't even stand by Sherrie. I just had to be nice." I looked down the hall & Ellie was gone as well. "Did you see her though? Ellie?"
"I barely recognized her." Calum admitted. "I mean I just don't understand how that is the same girl."
"Me either." I sighed. "But I want to find out."
"How?" Michael turned to me.
"I don't know yet."
-
That night, I couldn't fall asleep.
All I could do was replay Ellie walking into school today.
She literally walked the halls as if she was no one. She avoided everyone, she held her head low, she was alone.
At lunch, I noticed the table she sat at & she sat alone too. There were a few people on the other end of the table but she sat alone on the opposite end. I couldn't bring up Ellie at lunch since I sat with an entire table full of other friends & they'd find it weird if her name came up.
I could not put it together how this was the same girl.
The Ellie at school & the Ellie on stage are as opposite as can be.
I decided to do some research.
I pulled out my laptop & I opened up Facebook. Ellie had to have one, right? Who doesn't?
I searched 'Ellie Walker' & there were no matches for our school.
I also searched "Eleanor Walker' & 'El Walker' in case she had a different name but once again, no matches.
I guess if she didn't have many friends, she would have no use for a Facebook then.
I then went to Twitter.
Once again, no matches.
But then I searched 'New Bloods' & I had a hit.
They had a twitter.
@NewBloodsBand
For one, they had a few thousand followers so that was pretty damn cool. Then I started scrolling down the tweets. They signed the tweets of which member has posted it so I could find Ellie's.
thanks again for whoever came to the gigggggggg. always so happy behind my kit :) - ellie xx
& a few days before the gig she tweeted as well.
band practice usually just consists of arguing where we're ordering the pizza from after practice but i love my band... - ellie :)
always remember that today is not forever. things will change #cantwait #holdingout - ellie
ellie always brings homemade cookies to practice. this is why we asked her to join the band #thetruthcomesout - trevor
is it sad that my mom is my best friend? no. okay. cool. good. - ellie
WE HAVE A NEW VIDEO ON YOUTUBE. CHECK IT OUT. I'LL KISS EVERYONE'S CHEEK THAT DOES! - ellie xoxoxoxoxo
She was adorable.
As I read some more past tweets, I realized that Ellie only joined the band a few months ago.
today is ellllllie's three month with the band so we celebrate with donuts :) - ray
After I read some more tweets, I clicked on their youtube link. They had like five videos up. They had a cover of Stacey's Mom & Flavor of the Week, which I heard them play at their show & then they had three originals.
The first video of their original didn't even have Ellie in it. Trevor was singing & also playing guitar, Ted was still on bass but Ray, their other guitarist from the show I saw, was the drummer in their video. So I could only assume when Ellie joined the band, Ray went to guitar.
Their second video was an original that they sang at the show called Great Escape & it was an acoustic version. Ellie was sitting on a cajon drum & they introduced her at the start.
"Hi, we're New Bloods & we have new blood in the band! Meet Ellie." Trevor announced. "She's insanely awesome."
"We needed her in the band." Ray said. "Now I get to go back to my love, my guitar. Don't get me wrong, the drums are amazing but they aren't my favorite & Ellie is much better than I am."
"Hi." Ellie waved at the camera. "Like they said, I'm Ellie. I hope I don't suck. This is Great Escape."
To be honest, I watched that cover three times in a row. Ellie was amazing. Her rhythm was phenomenal. Her voice was too. I loved her solo in the bridge. & she looked so damn happy.
I then watched the fifth video, their third original, which was the newish one Ellie had recently tweeted about & it was their closing song, Five Minutes to Midnight. The video was sort of a music video so there were clips of them being goofy shown throughout the song. Whenever the camera was on Ellie, whether she was behind her kit or making faces as she ate pizza, she was happy.
& before I shut my computer to go to bed, I went back & I watched the Great Escape video one final time.
-
A/N luke is a fangirl...reading old tweets & watching all of their youtube videos. same luke, same.
i had to go get my eyes checked today because i need new glasses before i go back to uni so i went to the one in costco & the eye doctor was so gorgeous i was like shit, look right into my eyes. like hot damn.
won't lie, chapter like 5 & 6 are some of my favs so wait for that... :)
also so many people have been reading or rereading my mikey fic reasons & i've been getting messages that it's still some people's fav fic & i'm like what?! so thank you.
love love love
-
cathy