Nick~

"See you soon, Nick," Millie threw me a small smirk as she opened the closet door and walked out. I leaned back against wall behind me, the feeling of relief spreading through my body. After going crazy for a few days since the whole kiss incident, I'd just thought, what the fuck, may as well. 

I had not expected it to go anywhere near as well as it had gone. The thing was, when I was around Millie I couldn't control myself and there was nothing that I could do about it - and trust me, I tried to fucking sort myself out. 

I opened the closet door and walked out, turning left and walking down the hall. I walked back into the now empty boys changing rooms and entered the bathrooms. Staring into the mirror, I leaned forwards on the sinks with my hands. I shook my head at my reflection before rubbing my hand across my face and letting my hands linger over my lips. A rye smile slipped onto my face - I had been seriously shitting myself that Millie would go ahead and knee me in the balls. 

"Nick?!" I heard someone, Jake, call my name from the changing rooms, "Wright, where the hell are you?!" he shouted again, however his voice was nearing. I was meant to be giving him a lift home, I suddenly remembered.

"Man, you don't have to shout like a fucking fishmonger, I'm in here," I hollered back, chuckling slightly when I heard him laugh out loud as he walked into the bathrooms. Jake and I had been friends since freshmen year when we both started playing football for West Side High School. My family members aside, Jake was probably my best friend. 

"Just bumped into your mortal enemy walking down the corridor," he began, turning on the tap and washing his hands. I raised an eyebrow at him, even though I had a pretty good idea of who he meant.

"Millie Ward. She looked banging in that little cheer skirt, man. Remind me again why I didn't get with her at my party?" he finished. My jaw clenched ever so slightly as he began talking about Millie, but I played it off with an eye roll.

"Some freshman player decided to knock on your door at that fated moment," I recited, grabbing a hand full of paper towels and drying my hands hastily before throwing them vigorously into the bin. 

"Exactly! Wanker!," he exclaimed as we walked out of the changing rooms. I shook my head and inwardly I laughed to myself. If he only knew the real reason why he didn't get with Millie that night. I dropped Jake at his house on my way home. Since I had had football practice, my cousins, Seth, Holden, Ivy and Isla had driven home from school together earlier. 

******

"Listen to me," I heard Seth's clear voice begin to talk as I threw my keys into the bowl on the dresser in the entry way. 

"Listen to him," this time it was Holden. I rolled my eyes and chuckled slightly at both their comments. Holden and Seth, whilst only cousins but born only a month apart, could well be considered twins. They did everything together and they always had. The two were considered the trouble makers of the family since they did everything they could to cause mischief. Their voices were coming from the lounge and I had no doubt that it would be either Isla or Ivy that they were convincing. 

"You cannot try and tell me that John McClane is not the best fictional cop out there!" Seth exclaimed exasperatedly, as I walked into the lounge. Seth and Holden were sat next to each other one one of the sofas, Isla was curled up in one of the armchairs and Ivy had her long legs stretched out on another sofa opposite from the boys, a rye smile playing on her face. 

"Ashburn and Mullins are freaking insane, there's no beating them, Seth," Ivy replied coolly, laughing as the two boys looked at each other. The dark haired Holden raised an eyebrow at his blonde cousin before turning to me. 

"Nick, Die Hard..." he began, emphasising his pick for the winner and dragging out the syllables of the title, "or The Heat," he finished quickly. Seth snorted at the latter and Ivy just laughed again at the two competitive boys. I chuckled at Seth and Holden as the waited eagerly for my answer and shot a grin at Ivy. 

"To be honest," I began, folding my arms across my chest and walking across the room to Ivy's sofa, "The Heat is a buddy cop film and therefore the two can't be compared," Holden and Seth glanced at each other again and I glanced down at Ivy, who was smirking.

"But then again, the legend of McClane could never be questioned," I finished with a laugh as I flopped onto the sofa, sitting on Ivy's legs at the same time. Seth and Holden roared in victory and high-fived each other while Ivy laughed before screeching as I landed on her legs. Ivy was one of my closest family members and we had always gotten along really well. While her twin sister, Isla, was your typical girly-girl, Ivy had a feisty heart and she took no nonsense. Grinning at me, she recoiled her black skinny jean clad legs and pulled her black and white plaid flannel, which hung around her black crop top, closer around her torso.

"I don't see why you guys are so fussed, I don't really like either films," Isla chirped as she watched Seth and Holden's victory antics. They were in the middle of a long-winded handshake which included fist pumps, chest bumps and carefully choreographed dance moves. 

"That's because you'd rather watch some sickening chick-flick, Isla," Ivy replied to her twin, their identical brown eyes glinting at each other. Isla giggled in response before quickly turning her attention back to her iPhone. Seth and Holden also laughed at Ivy's response before flopping down next to each other on the sofa. 

"Who's she texting now?" I questioned dramatically, throwing cheeky smirks at my three other cousins. Ivy kicked me playfully because she knew that I had entered her poor sister into a roasting by Seth and Holden. At that same moment, the boys' eyes lit up and they both sat up on the sofa. 

"It's Marshall the banker!!" Seth exclaimed, nodding his head enthusiastically as he took the piss out of his cousin. Isla raised an eyebrow at him, a smile tugging on the sides of her lips. To say she was used to this was an understatement. There were no secrets when it came to Isla's plans for the future. As far as she was concerned, she would find a rich husband, have some children with him and then live comfortably and lavishly for the rest of her life. It was unfortunate to say, Isla was the polar opposite of a feminist. 

"No, no, no, it's Arthur the CEO, for Gods sake," Holden added, shaking his head. Ivy and I laughed along with the two boys while Isla flipped a stray piece of straight, dark brown hair over her shoulder.

"Actually," she began, narrowing her cheeky, brown eyes. Isla may have planned her whole future out already and was already preparing herself for a domestic life of luxury, but she was by no means stupid. After all, a girl couldn't well be thick to bag an insanely rich guy and Isla was well aware of that.

"He's called Parker and he's a finance student, thank you very much," she said matter-of-factly, flipping the two boys off at the end. Seth and Holden erupted in roars of laughter and Ivy just laughed and shook her head next to me. It was plain to see that Ivy would not be following the same plan as her twin. She was independent and sarcastic and there was no way she'd sit down and follow a man around for her whole life. 

"At least I have somebody interested in me, unlike you two pigs," Isla jeered at her cousins on the opposite side of the room to her. Seth snorted in response while Holden chuckled.

"Isla, mate, we're irresistible," Seth retorted, motioning down at himself, his brown eyes glinting with cheek. 

"The girls at school just aren't ready for us, we're too advanced for them," Holden continued, winking at Isla as Ivy and I snorted at his remark.

"Yeah, Holden, that's why Nick walks through the halls fending the masses of girls off you," Ivy chimed in sarcastically. I chuckled and Holden flipped off Ivy. She threw her head back and laughed out loud. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I reached for it as the banter between my cousins continued. There was an unknown number calling me but I had a dark suspicion about who it would be. I excused myself from the room and went outside the glass double doors which led outside into the gardens. 

"Hello?" I answered, keeping my voice cold and hard. My suspicions were confirmed when the harsh voice of Phil Protery echoed down the phone.

"Ah Nick, the boss is still waiting on his money," Phil Protery's voice drawled into my ear and my eyes narrowed.

"Protery," I snarled, "I paid him back everything that I owe you, so you can fuck off," I hissed back down the phone to him. 

"Now Nick, you know that's not how it works," he began in a condescending manner, "We'll have the rest of the fucking money by the end of the month or you'll find yourself in the fucking shit, Wright," I didn't reply to him I just cut the call. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, enabling my hands to ball into fists. I angrily kicked the gravel that was under my feet. They weren't going to get any more of my money, but they also sure as hell weren't going to give up. 

My phone vibrated in my pocket again and I grabbed it angrily. Looking at the screen, it was only a text from one of the football guys. 

House party tonight, you down?