"...boys do what they can."

___

"Would you guys be cool if Luke came with us tonight?"

"Which one? Luke McNarry from band, or Luke Castillo from--"

Royce laughs loudly.

"Shut up, Lola!" Kennedy scowls. "You know which Luke!"

___

Royce is sucking on a lollipop, leaned against her sister's car as she laughs with Lola and Kennedy and Calum can't take his eyes from her lips around that lucky-ass piece of candy.

He's got his earphones in his ears, and he's listening to a group Royce showed him while he was at her house that apparently Tobe loves. They're called Flatbush Zombies, and Calum has been listening to them all day and he doesn't give a single fuck. 

It's both cold and wet outside, but the rain has stopped and so of course everyone is outside because school is over and the rain has stopped.

She starts laughing, and Calum realizes that not only is he staring, but so are Ashton and Luke.

Royce and Lola and Kennedy are laughing, and Calum realizes that he's not the only one who would give anything to be over there with them and not over here with...well, with not them.

With Emma.

The cigarette between Calum's fingers is not helping him relax.

"That's that girl, isn't it?" She asks, head nod Royce's way. "Those're those girls who bailed you out of jail?"

Luke snorts. "No thanks to you."

Emma rolls her eyes. "For once in your life, could you not be such a little bitch?"

"Why the fuck are you even here?"

"Because," Emma snaps. "Get the fuck over it!"

___

"Look, guys," continues Kennedy, "apparently he doesn't want to ride to the party with Michael like he'd planned, so he asked if he could come with us," she lifts a perfectly arched brow. "Is that alright?"

"You know I don't care," replies Lola. And she chuckles softly to herself. "I was almost gonna ask why he didn't just drive himself, but..." She laughs harder, "Forgot he couldn't drive."

Kennedy snorts. "And why does Ashton like you, again?"

"Because he doesn't actually like me," she shrugs. "I'm just the third friend. I'm interesting by association."

"Yeah," Royce replies. "Alright."

"Believe that lie," finishes Kennedy. "Sure," and she turns to Royce. "You good with Luke taggin' along, Roycie?"

"I mean..." And Royce peers down at her nails. "Paige is kinda driving us, so," she clears her throat, attempting to ignore the two simultaneous groans she's elicited.

"What?"

"Seriously, Royce?" Lola snorts. "You live with Paige, remember? Jesus, she can't let you come with us for one night?"

Kennedy nods. "You never come party with us. This is like...It's like a national holiday, or something."

"You're extra. That's fine."

"Are we, though?" Lola asks, hand cupping her chin. "Because, I don't think we're extra."

"Nope," Kennedy shakes her head. "Y'know what? Neither do I."

"Oh my god, guys."

"Can you get out of your sister's anus for like, one night, please?"

"Lola!"

"What? It's true!"

"It's not."

"It kind of is," Kennedy adds. "But, that's okay, Royce," she says, looking up from her nails. "I wish my big sister wanted to spend time with me like Paige does with you."

"That's not the point," says Lola. "It's just not. What's she gonna do when she goes to college? Visit every day so she can personally drive you to parties?"

"Guys," Royce groans, "she'd already asked me, okay?"

"And you can't say no?!"

Royce crunches hard on her lollipop. "I, unlike you, Lola, don't intentionally like hurting people's feelings."

"So, you care less about your friends than you do about--"

"Lola!" Royce exclaims, laughing aloud, "I'll be there, okay?" And she takes her friend's shoulders and shakes. "I'm not gonna ditch you. I. Will. Be. There."

"Calm the fuck down, Lols."

"Y'know," Lola begins, "I love you, Roycie, but sometimes your sister can just be--"

"Extra?" Royce asks.

And she nods.

"I know, I know," Royce grins. "And so're you."
___
DONT GRAB LOLA YOULL KILL HER

Calum watches Royce read her text and laugh.

He's smiling because she's laughing.

He's smirking now as she turns and flips him off across the lot.

And she texts him back.

Poppy: chill
Poppy: she's stronger than she looks

Calum turns back to his phone.

She doesn't look that strong so...
What're you really saying???

Royce laughs again.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Kennedy exclaims with a bemused grin. "You're over here cracking up."

Royce grins. "No one..."

Lola and Kennedy both deadpan, turning to each other.

"Calum."

"Duh."

"So much for," and Lola bats her lashes and mimics Royce's voice, "he helps me with Calc guys I don't like him."

"He does!"

"And also he takes you out during class periods and probably dicks you down in his car, when he had one!"

Silence.

Royce's cheeks are hot.

She doesn't know where to look.

"Royce..."

Lola starts laughing.

She starts laughing hard.

"No fucking way!"

"What?" Royce exclaims defensively, now. "I didn't say anything!"

"Yeah, 'cause you didn't have to!" Lola steps towards her, lowering her voice. "You're fucking Calum?"

Royce doesn't like this attention. "I didn't say that!"

Kennedy's eyes are huge. "Are you--And you didn't tell me?"

Lola is still laughing, shocked. "You're fucking Calum Hood...."

"I didn't say that, either!"

"You didn't have to, Royce," Lola replies. "You did not have to."

"Whatever," Royce huffs. "We're..."

"Friends with benefits?" Lola lifts her brows. "Yeah. I saw the movie. I also saw No Strings Attached, which, by the way, wasn't as good, but still..."

Kennedy laughs. "What the fuck is your point, Lola?"

"The point is, someone always ends up catching feelings," she states. And she lifts a brow, "So...? Has someone caught feelings already, Royce?"

Royce shrugs. "How should I know? I'm not Calum."

Lola snorts. "Whatever you say, Royce..."

Kennedy shakes her head. "You and Calum...? I mean, I guess it works, but--"

"But?" Royce chokes. "Me and Calum work to you, Kenn?"

"I mean," she shrugs. "Yeah. In a weird way, kinda..."

And before Royce can question Kennedy any further, Lola has begun to laugh again.

"Wow," Lola is unable to contain herself. "Wow. Am I the only one not fucking one of them?"

"No," Kennedy replies, smile falling, eyes darkening at once. "You're not."

"Y'sure about that, Kenn? 'Cause everytime Luke's around you he's all over you like--"

"We aren't having sex!"

___

I keep hearing my name

are you talking about me???? 0_0

Calum looks up from his phone just as Royce turns back to hers. Lola and Kennedy are giggling and the look of giggling girls is kind of sort of starting to make Calum nervous.

What the fuck are they telling her over there?

Poppy: not everything is about you GOD

"Well. I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

"Who?"

"Yeah," Ashton asks with a knowing smirk. "Who, Cal?"

Calum scowls, lifting his hood as the rain begins to sprinkle gently, again.

He continues to stare at his phone, "I don't know who you two idiots are talking about."

"Yeah you do," Emma says.

"But, I don't."

Ashton chokes.

"Yeah--Yeah you do! That girl," she nods, motioning quickly towards Royce. "That..." She scowls. "That--"

Calum instantly narrows his eyes. "Think very carefully about what you decide to call her."

"Oh," Emma's eyes widen. "Wow. Someone's possessive and shit," she folds her arms, cocking her head. "You really are dating her, huh?"

"No," and Calum shoots Ashton a glare because he's started to laugh, again. "I'm not."

"But you think about her, don't you?" Emma grins. "You think about her at night when you're having a wa--"

"What the hell are you doing here, again?"

Emma laughs. Loud and shrill, her voice rings in the mist.

"You really need new friends," says Luke.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Obviously."

And before Calum can ask who here is actually Emma's friend, she's fallen silent, her eyes trailing after Royce as she jokes around the lot with Lola  and Kennedy.

Emma frowns. "I know her."

"Who?"

"Your girlfriend, idiot," she snaps. "Who the hell were we just talking about?"

"Y'know," Ashton begins, "kindness might take you farther in life, just saying."

Emma rolls her eyes, pulling her lighter from her pocket. "Anyway," she groans, reaching now for Michael's cigarettes, "I know that chick."

Calum snorts. "Yeah. I know. Jail, remember?"

"No," she shakes her head. "Like, before that. Before jail..." Emma's voice trails off, her forehead creasing. "I--She's so familiar. I swear I know..."

"Royce?"

Emma's brows are pinched tightly. "No..." She scratches her head. "No, I don't know a Royce..."

And Calum lets out a sigh of relief.

Emma was crazy, point blank.

And Calum wanted to know why the fuck she was still around.

Actually, Calum knew why she was still around. It was Michael's fault for letting Snake talk him into babysitting his delinquent daughter.

"God...I swear I fucking know that chick."

Luke frowns. "You know the other girls, too?"

Emma shakes her head, flicking the lighter absentmindedly. "Just Calum's bi--"

"Who?"

Emma ignores this.

"This is gonna drive me crazy..." She furrows her brow, sticking a cigarette into her mouth and cupping her hand around the flame.

She inhales, blowing smoke into the mist. "It's gonna come to me. She looks so familiar. I swear I've seen her be--"

And Calum doesn't hear the rest of that statement, because he plugs his ears with his earbuds and realizes, as he walks away, that there's no way in hell Emma could be telling him the truth...but, if she actually is, Calum really didn't think he wanted to know it.

___
"C'mon, Poppy! Jesus, go get ready!"

"Take a chill pill, Paige," laughs Tobe as he stretches across their parents king-sized bed. He's staring at his phone, playing games and altering pictures for instagram as he lies, already ready to party, at 8:45 that night. "She is, ma. She is."

Paige only scowls deeper. "Zayn is gonna be here any minute. What the fuck could you be--"

"I'm doing her cat-eye!" Theresa calls from the bathroom before turning back to her other daughter, who is only laughing as she sits upon the toilet seat. "God, your sister..."

"Is wildin'," Royce finishes, as her mom laughs, digging around through all of her makeup for her liquid eyeliner. "She's been extra Paigey now that she's been wrapped up in Zayn."

Her mom hums, "She does really like him, doesn't she?"

And Royce responds, "Mhmm," as Theresa tips her head upward and taps the eyeliner against her hand.

"Eyes closed."

Royce does as she's told.

And she can feel the cool liquid against her lashes as her mother begins to do her makeup.

"Well..." Theresa begins slowly, as she slides sweeps the pen along Royce's almond eyes, "What about you?"

Royce laughs. "What about me, mom?"

Royce can't see her mom's grin -- her eyes are closed. "There's got to be some boy who's caught your eye."

Oh Jesus.

First Kennedy and Lola find out about Calum, and now, her mom?

No way in hell.

Royce licks her lips. "I mean..."

Theresa chuckles. "I knew it," she sings, drawing back, finished with the first eye.

"Mom, it's not like that," Royce blinks, now, perfectly able to see her mom's unconvinced smirk. "I really don't--"

"Mhmm," Theresa purses her lips. "Close your eyes, again."

Again, Royce does as she's told.

"Well," says her mom, "I was going to tell Paige that she should invite Zayn over for dinner, since y'know, she's just so serious about him, and I was gonna say that if you had anyone special, you could invite him over, too."

Royce feels the sweep of a pen across her second eyelid. "I don't know if there's any boy I know who would be willing to come over here and eat dinner with all of us," she says truthfully as her mom finishes.

Calum over with Paige? No way.

Royce shakes her head. "No offense."

"None taken," she replies. "And I'm sure you could find someone if you wanted to, Royce. You just went out on a date."

She turns away. "Yeah..."

"Oh," Theresa's eyes widen. "Oh. Did it not go well? I heard..." Theresa shakes her head, "Paige of course thought everything was perfect--"

"I mean," Royce shrugs, not necessarily feeling anything at the thought of Liam. Sure, he was nice, but he didn't exactly make her laugh like Calum, and he didn't comfort her like Calum, and he also didn't lie to her like Calum did, either. She bites the corner of her lip, "It was fine..."

"But, I take it you weren't nearly as excited about it as Paige."

Royce laughs. "I don't think anyone could ever be as excited about it as Paige."

Theresa nods, searching around for a mirror, now. "So the boy you went out with..." She pauses, handing Royce her magnified hand-mirror, "he's not the one who spends the night, now," she places a hand on her hip, "is he?"

And Royce thinks she actually stops breathing.
___
OOPPP THERE IT IS.

ok guys i have a question.

@anBhanrion asked what royce/poppy and calum's ship name is and IM TERRIBLE AT COMING UP WITH SHIP NAMES.

SUGGESTIONS????

also guys i have been so shitty at responding to comments. i'm sorry i'll do better, bc i read them and i love them and they help me determine the things i should change and makes me reconsider the direction of the story. :)

comment and vote, and i hope you had a lovely valentines day. xx

girls do what they want || the maine