Incomplete {L.H}
Ages
~Ava~
“She was flirting with you!” I yelled at Luke as he stormed into his room. What had started out as a lovely date had quickly escalated into a jealous rage, seeing as our waitress at the restaurant had been a total slut.
“Goddammit, Aves!” Luke spun around as I stalked into his bedroom, following him and determined to get him to see in my point of view. So maybe I was a little bit jealous. Sue me.
“Lucas Robert Hemmings!”
“Ava Marie Summers!”
“Luke!”
“Ava!”
He kept mimicking me. I let out a frustrated scream, stomping my foot and running my fingers through my straightened hair. I’d made such an effort to get all dressed up for this date, expecting that it would be wonderful. And at first, it was, but then that tramp had to ruin everything.
“Did you see the way she was bending down?” I demanded, and Luke just closed his eyes and shook his head. I was angry though—angry that he couldn’t see the signs—and I continued, “She was practically letting you see right down her top, Lucas!”
“But I wasn’t looking Ava!” Luke said loudly, cutting me off before I could continue, “That’s the thing! I wasn’t looking! Why would I, when I have you?”
“It doesn’t ma—,” I interrupted myself, finally processing what he’d said, “—what?”
And then Luke chuckled, shaking his head yet again and looking down at the floor. He looked good, in a black button-up short-sleeved top and his signature black skinny jeans, his black Vans completing the look. His hair was swept to the side, and he ran his fingers through the blonde locks, tousling them and making them stick up.
“You’re a stupid girl,” Luke informed me before marching over to where I stood. In a moment, his hands had grabbed my face roughly, and he was kissing me passionately.
As a reflex, my hands came up, before I relaxed and let them fall, looping around his neck and simply pulling him closer to me.
“And you’re a stupid boy,” I breathed once we’d pulled back. His forehead was pressed against mine, and I gazed into his crystal-blue eyes. At the moment, I was filled with so much love for this boy, it actually hurt my chest. The thought of leaving him at the end of the summer made me want to cry.
“Don’t start crying,” Luke warned me, and I let out a laugh. He pressed his lips to mine again in a slow, sweet kiss. I sighed, enjoying the feeling of his lips against mine.
“We’re both stupid,” he whispered against my lips, his hands winding around my waist, “And that’s why we’re perfect for each other.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Blondie and Aves. The perfect match.”
“Ava?” Adrian clicked his fingers in front of my face. I blinked once and looked up at him, lifting my chin from its comfortable resting place in my palms.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, and he grinned widely at me, “It’s all good. Elise is looking for you.”
“Crap,” I hissed, and he laughed. I stood as he said goodbye and wheeled away his cart.
I quickly brushed off the white pair of jeans I wore today. I had paired them with a shimmery black tank top and a pair of black flats. I wore silver bangles around my left wrists and a pair of diamond stud earrings. My hair had been woven back into an intricate bun—I reminded myself to thank Jay later.
I made my way through the mess of peopled in the room, pausing to greet other interns quickly, and mumbling apologies to people that I brushed shoulders with. People were getting ready for the latest issue that would be released tomorrow, and the office was always crazy around this time of the month.
Finally I emerged from the throng, only to face a door that read Head Editor: Elise Camp.
Taking a breath, I knocked. Elise was the head at the magazine company, and she could easily have me out of here with a snap of her fingers. I was determined not to give her a reason to want to get rid of me.
“Come in!” someone called. I pushed through the door.
The office was very neat—white walls and black furniture, looking very professional. There were cabinets stacked along the walls, and Elise herself sat behind a black desk, each pencil on the smooth surface lined up perfectly, papers stacked with precision. There were two black chairs facing the desk, for anyone who would want to sit down, or for small one-on-one interviews. I gulped.
“Miss Summers,” Elise greeted me sternly, “Have a seat.”
Elise looked to be in her mid-fifties. She had light-brown hair that was streaked with gray. There were small wrinkles around her lips—no doubt from all of the frowning she did. Her eyes were a hazel colour, and she wore square dark-rimmed glasses that she would always pull down when scrutinising someone.
“Good morning,” I tried to act confident. She didn’t reply. I sighed softly and walked over to one of the black chairs, sliding down into it.
“You see, Miss Summers,” she began, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together, looking at me, “I’ve been looking over samples of the work that you and Miss Jacobs have provided. Jay, as she’s known?”
I nodded.
“And,” Elise gave me the smallest—the smallest—hint of a smile, “They are quite impressive.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief—I didn’t even know that I’d been holding it in. My posture relaxed slightly, and I smiled a small smile at her, grateful that she hadn’t called me in here to fire my sorry ass. “Well, um, thank you. It means a lot.”
“So impressive,” she continued as though she hadn’t even heard me speak, but I decided to let it go, “That we’d like to send you both—or rather, assign you both—to an article that we’re doing on the latest outbreak artist.”
“Really?” I blurted, unable to contain my surprise.
In each issue at Beeline, we always had a specific section dedicated to a new breakout artist. The article was usually assigned to someone exceptionally skilled, someone who’d been working at the company for a number of years, someone who was worthy of organizing such a popular section of the magazine.
“Really,” Elise nodded, “I would like for Miss Jacobs to focus more on the researching part—you know, look into their history and their personal lives. And I would like for you to actually get information straight from the band themselves. You know, host multiple interviews. You only get one chance, so this’ll need to be some of your finest work.”
“Wow,” I breathed, “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to tell Jay—I mean, Miss Jacobs.”
And then something clicked with me. I didn’t know how I couldn’t’ve noticed it before. “Wait,” I began, “Did you say ‘band’? Who’s the breakout artist for this issue? The Vamps? Emblem 3?”
“Better,” Elise stated, “5 Seconds of Summer. They’re coming to L.A for a full eight months to record and write songs for a new album that they’ll be releasing next year. Eight months! It’s like fate.”
I froze, my eyes going wide. Elise chuckled at my expression—it was the first time I’d ever heard her laugh, “I’m assuming you’re a fan?” she questioned.
I was silent, unable to process. Actually, I could process just fine. I was just freaking the fuck out. “Um,” I chewed on my bottom lip, “Something like that…Elise, can we please discuss this for just a moment—?”
“Nope,” Elise said, “I’ve got a meeting in five minutes. I hope that you and Miss Jacobs can accomplish this article. There’s a permanent spot for you on the team if you do. I’ve really got to go now, Miss Summers, so if you could show yourself the way out, that would be much appreciated.”
Unconsciously, I stood, somehow making my way out of Elise’s office and weaving through the mass of people. I pushed out of the main office’s door, turning down a hall and walking quickly, ducking into the women’s washroom. I set my hands on the counter, looking down at the sink, before lifting my head and staring at myself in the mirror.
My eyes were wide, alert, and unable to tear away.
5 Seconds of Summer. 5 Seconds of Summer. The words kept on replaying themselves in my head, horrible echoes that I couldn’t get rid of.
5 Seconds of fucking Summer.
~*~
“What?” Jay blurted when I told her. We both sat on my bed that same night. Jay had been like me—completely overjoyed, but the mention of the artists had completely ruined everything.
“You can’t blame her, Ava,” Jay explained to me, “Elise doesn’t know about—you know.”
“You’d think she would,” I grumbled, “Especially since Luke is everywhere. They’re all everywhere. There had to have been something about me somewhere.”
“Maybe none of them have ever brought it up,” Jay suggested, “Maybe it’s a sensitive topic.”
“It’s definitely a sensitive topic,” I snapped at her. She quieted down, and I rubbed my forehead, closing my eyes, suddenly so tired, “Fuck, I’m sorry. I just—she offered us full-time jobs, Jay! And she’s not taking no for an answer! I don’t know what to do!”
“Ava,” Jay said sternly. Her tone was enough to make me look at her, “Breathe. Calm down, and breathe, okay? Listen to me. We’re going to do this. And we’re going to ace it, because we’re just awesome like that. And we’re going to hop onto the full-time bandwagon, and we’re going to love it.”
“How?” my voice cracked, “I—I can’t face him again, Jay. I can’t face any of them. They’ve probably forgotten all about me by now.”
“You’re impossible to forget, Ava,” Jay told me sharply, “You’re probably still fresh in their minds.”
I fell back onto my bed and grabbed my pillow, smacking it over my face, and screaming until my throat ran dry, until there was no more air left in my lungs, until my voice was scratchy and damaged. I felt Jay take up a lying position beside me and wait for me to finish.
When I did, I pulled the pillow away from my face tentatively, peeking out at her. She smiled softly at me, “Done?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
She chuckled lightly, “Good. You can do this Ava. You can face them, you can face him. They aren’t a part of your life anymore, just remember that. Act as though nothing happened.”
I nodded, taking in a deep breath. But then something struck me.
“But how am I going to interview them?” I wondered, beginning to panic all over again, “They probably hate me, Jay! If I show up at their doorstep asking for an interview, they’ll kick my ass out. This is literally impossible!”
I’d begun to breathe heavily yet again. But Jay seemed to be wise today—she seemed to have all of the answers. “You’re a reporter now,” she explained to me, “What do reporters do best? We go undercover.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s cops,” I mumbled out.
Jay scoffed playfully, “Whatever. The point is, get close to them again. Tell them that the internship didn’t work out. Find an alias, do something.”
“I’m shot to hell,” I grumbled, rubbing my eyes with my hands. Jay giggled lightly, “You’ll be fine Ava. I know you can do it.”
“Okay,” I breathed, ripping my hands away from my face and sitting up, forcing my heartbeat to slow and my breathing to even out, “I can do this. I can fucking do this.”
“Yes you can,” Jay encouraged me. I turned to look at her over my shoulder. Her blonde hair was splayed out across my other pillow, and she had a smug look on her face, feeling proud of herself.
“You’re the best, you know that?” I told her. Immediately she covered her face, blush creeping up onto her cheeks. We both laughed lightly, knowing her ability to be easily embarrassed all too well. She parted her fingers, her eyes peeking out at me, a muffled ‘thank-you’ escaping her lips.
I smiled.
This was possible. I could get in there, convince them, and get out. Sure, they’d all been my best friends, once-upon-a-time, but this wasn’t personal content anymore. This was purely on a professional level, no feelings coming into play.
I could face Ashton, the funny one who always knew how to cheer me up, who always had the best advice to give.
I could face Calum, the crazy and kooky one who always knew how to put a smile on my face, who I could always rely on.
I could face Michael, the brother who knew me better than I knew myself sometimes, the one who could always help me out with making tough choices.
And I could face the boy who I’d fallen so hopelessly and irrevocably in love with. The boy that had been my first everything, whom I’d detached all feelings for. The boy who couldn’t plague me anymore with his sea-blue eyes or his dimples, or his smile, or his laugh, or the way he used to kiss me, or the way he held me at night.
I could face my Blondie.
I could face Luke.
“She was flirting with you!” I yelled at Luke as he stormed into his room. What had started out as a lovely date had quickly escalated into a jealous rage, seeing as our waitress at the restaurant had been a total slut.
“Goddammit, Aves!” Luke spun around as I stalked into his bedroom, following him and determined to get him to see in my point of view. So maybe I was a little bit jealous. Sue me.
“Lucas Robert Hemmings!”
“Ava Marie Summers!”
“Luke!”
“Ava!”
He kept mimicking me. I let out a frustrated scream, stomping my foot and running my fingers through my straightened hair. I’d made such an effort to get all dressed up for this date, expecting that it would be wonderful. And at first, it was, but then that tramp had to ruin everything.
“Did you see the way she was bending down?” I demanded, and Luke just closed his eyes and shook his head. I was angry though—angry that he couldn’t see the signs—and I continued, “She was practically letting you see right down her top, Lucas!”
“But I wasn’t looking Ava!” Luke said loudly, cutting me off before I could continue, “That’s the thing! I wasn’t looking! Why would I, when I have you?”
“It doesn’t ma—,” I interrupted myself, finally processing what he’d said, “—what?”
And then Luke chuckled, shaking his head yet again and looking down at the floor. He looked good, in a black button-up short-sleeved top and his signature black skinny jeans, his black Vans completing the look. His hair was swept to the side, and he ran his fingers through the blonde locks, tousling them and making them stick up.
“You’re a stupid girl,” Luke informed me before marching over to where I stood. In a moment, his hands had grabbed my face roughly, and he was kissing me passionately.
As a reflex, my hands came up, before I relaxed and let them fall, looping around his neck and simply pulling him closer to me.
“And you’re a stupid boy,” I breathed once we’d pulled back. His forehead was pressed against mine, and I gazed into his crystal-blue eyes. At the moment, I was filled with so much love for this boy, it actually hurt my chest. The thought of leaving him at the end of the summer made me want to cry.
“Don’t start crying,” Luke warned me, and I let out a laugh. He pressed his lips to mine again in a slow, sweet kiss. I sighed, enjoying the feeling of his lips against mine.
“We’re both stupid,” he whispered against my lips, his hands winding around my waist, “And that’s why we’re perfect for each other.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Blondie and Aves. The perfect match.”
“Ava?” Adrian clicked his fingers in front of my face. I blinked once and looked up at him, lifting my chin from its comfortable resting place in my palms.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, and he grinned widely at me, “It’s all good. Elise is looking for you.”
“Crap,” I hissed, and he laughed. I stood as he said goodbye and wheeled away his cart.
I quickly brushed off the white pair of jeans I wore today. I had paired them with a shimmery black tank top and a pair of black flats. I wore silver bangles around my left wrists and a pair of diamond stud earrings. My hair had been woven back into an intricate bun—I reminded myself to thank Jay later.
I made my way through the mess of peopled in the room, pausing to greet other interns quickly, and mumbling apologies to people that I brushed shoulders with. People were getting ready for the latest issue that would be released tomorrow, and the office was always crazy around this time of the month.
Finally I emerged from the throng, only to face a door that read Head Editor: Elise Camp.
Taking a breath, I knocked. Elise was the head at the magazine company, and she could easily have me out of here with a snap of her fingers. I was determined not to give her a reason to want to get rid of me.
“Come in!” someone called. I pushed through the door.
The office was very neat—white walls and black furniture, looking very professional. There were cabinets stacked along the walls, and Elise herself sat behind a black desk, each pencil on the smooth surface lined up perfectly, papers stacked with precision. There were two black chairs facing the desk, for anyone who would want to sit down, or for small one-on-one interviews. I gulped.
“Miss Summers,” Elise greeted me sternly, “Have a seat.”
Elise looked to be in her mid-fifties. She had light-brown hair that was streaked with gray. There were small wrinkles around her lips—no doubt from all of the frowning she did. Her eyes were a hazel colour, and she wore square dark-rimmed glasses that she would always pull down when scrutinising someone.
“Good morning,” I tried to act confident. She didn’t reply. I sighed softly and walked over to one of the black chairs, sliding down into it.
“You see, Miss Summers,” she began, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together, looking at me, “I’ve been looking over samples of the work that you and Miss Jacobs have provided. Jay, as she’s known?”
I nodded.
“And,” Elise gave me the smallest—the smallest—hint of a smile, “They are quite impressive.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief—I didn’t even know that I’d been holding it in. My posture relaxed slightly, and I smiled a small smile at her, grateful that she hadn’t called me in here to fire my sorry ass. “Well, um, thank you. It means a lot.”
“So impressive,” she continued as though she hadn’t even heard me speak, but I decided to let it go, “That we’d like to send you both—or rather, assign you both—to an article that we’re doing on the latest outbreak artist.”
“Really?” I blurted, unable to contain my surprise.
In each issue at Beeline, we always had a specific section dedicated to a new breakout artist. The article was usually assigned to someone exceptionally skilled, someone who’d been working at the company for a number of years, someone who was worthy of organizing such a popular section of the magazine.
“Really,” Elise nodded, “I would like for Miss Jacobs to focus more on the researching part—you know, look into their history and their personal lives. And I would like for you to actually get information straight from the band themselves. You know, host multiple interviews. You only get one chance, so this’ll need to be some of your finest work.”
“Wow,” I breathed, “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to tell Jay—I mean, Miss Jacobs.”
And then something clicked with me. I didn’t know how I couldn’t’ve noticed it before. “Wait,” I began, “Did you say ‘band’? Who’s the breakout artist for this issue? The Vamps? Emblem 3?”
“Better,” Elise stated, “5 Seconds of Summer. They’re coming to L.A for a full eight months to record and write songs for a new album that they’ll be releasing next year. Eight months! It’s like fate.”
I froze, my eyes going wide. Elise chuckled at my expression—it was the first time I’d ever heard her laugh, “I’m assuming you’re a fan?” she questioned.
I was silent, unable to process. Actually, I could process just fine. I was just freaking the fuck out. “Um,” I chewed on my bottom lip, “Something like that…Elise, can we please discuss this for just a moment—?”
“Nope,” Elise said, “I’ve got a meeting in five minutes. I hope that you and Miss Jacobs can accomplish this article. There’s a permanent spot for you on the team if you do. I’ve really got to go now, Miss Summers, so if you could show yourself the way out, that would be much appreciated.”
Unconsciously, I stood, somehow making my way out of Elise’s office and weaving through the mass of people. I pushed out of the main office’s door, turning down a hall and walking quickly, ducking into the women’s washroom. I set my hands on the counter, looking down at the sink, before lifting my head and staring at myself in the mirror.
My eyes were wide, alert, and unable to tear away.
5 Seconds of Summer. 5 Seconds of Summer. The words kept on replaying themselves in my head, horrible echoes that I couldn’t get rid of.
5 Seconds of fucking Summer.
~*~
“What?” Jay blurted when I told her. We both sat on my bed that same night. Jay had been like me—completely overjoyed, but the mention of the artists had completely ruined everything.
“You can’t blame her, Ava,” Jay explained to me, “Elise doesn’t know about—you know.”
“You’d think she would,” I grumbled, “Especially since Luke is everywhere. They’re all everywhere. There had to have been something about me somewhere.”
“Maybe none of them have ever brought it up,” Jay suggested, “Maybe it’s a sensitive topic.”
“It’s definitely a sensitive topic,” I snapped at her. She quieted down, and I rubbed my forehead, closing my eyes, suddenly so tired, “Fuck, I’m sorry. I just—she offered us full-time jobs, Jay! And she’s not taking no for an answer! I don’t know what to do!”
“Ava,” Jay said sternly. Her tone was enough to make me look at her, “Breathe. Calm down, and breathe, okay? Listen to me. We’re going to do this. And we’re going to ace it, because we’re just awesome like that. And we’re going to hop onto the full-time bandwagon, and we’re going to love it.”
“How?” my voice cracked, “I—I can’t face him again, Jay. I can’t face any of them. They’ve probably forgotten all about me by now.”
“You’re impossible to forget, Ava,” Jay told me sharply, “You’re probably still fresh in their minds.”
I fell back onto my bed and grabbed my pillow, smacking it over my face, and screaming until my throat ran dry, until there was no more air left in my lungs, until my voice was scratchy and damaged. I felt Jay take up a lying position beside me and wait for me to finish.
When I did, I pulled the pillow away from my face tentatively, peeking out at her. She smiled softly at me, “Done?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
She chuckled lightly, “Good. You can do this Ava. You can face them, you can face him. They aren’t a part of your life anymore, just remember that. Act as though nothing happened.”
I nodded, taking in a deep breath. But then something struck me.
“But how am I going to interview them?” I wondered, beginning to panic all over again, “They probably hate me, Jay! If I show up at their doorstep asking for an interview, they’ll kick my ass out. This is literally impossible!”
I’d begun to breathe heavily yet again. But Jay seemed to be wise today—she seemed to have all of the answers. “You’re a reporter now,” she explained to me, “What do reporters do best? We go undercover.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s cops,” I mumbled out.
Jay scoffed playfully, “Whatever. The point is, get close to them again. Tell them that the internship didn’t work out. Find an alias, do something.”
“I’m shot to hell,” I grumbled, rubbing my eyes with my hands. Jay giggled lightly, “You’ll be fine Ava. I know you can do it.”
“Okay,” I breathed, ripping my hands away from my face and sitting up, forcing my heartbeat to slow and my breathing to even out, “I can do this. I can fucking do this.”
“Yes you can,” Jay encouraged me. I turned to look at her over my shoulder. Her blonde hair was splayed out across my other pillow, and she had a smug look on her face, feeling proud of herself.
“You’re the best, you know that?” I told her. Immediately she covered her face, blush creeping up onto her cheeks. We both laughed lightly, knowing her ability to be easily embarrassed all too well. She parted her fingers, her eyes peeking out at me, a muffled ‘thank-you’ escaping her lips.
I smiled.
This was possible. I could get in there, convince them, and get out. Sure, they’d all been my best friends, once-upon-a-time, but this wasn’t personal content anymore. This was purely on a professional level, no feelings coming into play.
I could face Ashton, the funny one who always knew how to cheer me up, who always had the best advice to give.
I could face Calum, the crazy and kooky one who always knew how to put a smile on my face, who I could always rely on.
I could face Michael, the brother who knew me better than I knew myself sometimes, the one who could always help me out with making tough choices.
And I could face the boy who I’d fallen so hopelessly and irrevocably in love with. The boy that had been my first everything, whom I’d detached all feelings for. The boy who couldn’t plague me anymore with his sea-blue eyes or his dimples, or his smile, or his laugh, or the way he used to kiss me, or the way he held me at night.
I could face my Blondie.
I could face Luke.
Notes
Hope you enjoyed reading this!PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE! It would mean so much to me! Comment, I want to know if you guys are enjoying this! Don't be a ghost reader, guys! Can we reach 16+ votes? 16's my lucky number!
~I love you~
Please update I love this story so much and I need to know what happens.
2/5/16