Atlas High

Chapter 7-Will's Diner

Ellie Hall's Point Of View

    Rolling over to my side I steal a quick glance at my nightstand. The glow of the numbers from my alarm clock stand out in the darkness of my bedroom. It is seconds away from becoming 4:13 a.m. I have been struggling to fall asleep ever since I got into my bedroom. Frustrated I grab my phone from its charging spot and my airpod pros. Unlocking my phone my airpods connect automatically as I think over what song I want to listen to. A few songs come to mind like Confident Slowed the remix by Eduardo Luzquinos but, I go with If you want love by the artist NF. 

    Switching to the right page on my phone I soon find the app I was looking for. Opening up Spotify I head to my liked songs and type in the title of the song. It does not take long before I hear the familiar beat play. Sighing in content I go on to figure out which pillows I should move and which should be toss off the bed. Grabbing two of the bigger pillows I sit on top of them. Adding another two pillows on my left to rest on, I dig the side of my face into the fuzzy blanket. Looking out of the windows I notice our semi empty backyard that leads to the beginning of a dense forest. The occasional small animal goes by that momentarily distract myself from my train of thoughts. And of course the song that has been playing on repeat. I go from wanting a dog to the environmental impact of single use plastic. Almost losing myself in my disorganized thoughts until the familiar ding of a message notification. 

    (Phone conversation)

            Hunter: Hey Ellie, it's Hunter

            Ellie: Hey Hunter, what's up?

            Hunter: Glad you're awake. Can you come outside to talk?

    I don't even bother to text him back as I quickly get out of the comfort of my bed. I jog over to my closet and grab my beaten up light grey converse, black sweatpants to go over my shorts, and a matching oversize sweatshirt. Looking at my reflection in the floor length mirror I fix my messy bun and do a quick prayer. For the last year or so I've struggled with sleeping throughout the nights or sleeping and not waking up from a nightmare. It did not take long before my brothers noticed my lack of energy or the bags under my eyes. Since then they have made their own schedule taking turns watching over me throughout the night. Comforting me the best they can until I pass out from exhaustion. 

    The overwhelming feeling of guilt never goes away with each night they spend taking care of me. Sighing I open my bedroom door and slowly make my way down the staircase hoping I don't make a sound that would wake them up. Thankfully I don't and as soon as I reach the last step I run to the backdoor and search for Hunter. I look to my left then to my right when I finally see a figure with their shoulder and head down walking to Jack's and Leo's house. I spring to him and slightly squeeze his shoulder forcing him to stop and turn towards me. He stares at my outfit then finally looking up at my hair and face. I feel no shame in checking him out as he does the same thing to me. 

    He has on a black leather jacket and a red shirt underneath that clings to his biceps. The black jeans he is wearing is like another layer of skin that clings to his muscular legs and that ass that was sculpted by Michelangelo. The silver chains that are on his jeans give his outfit an overall edgy look that fuels his bad-boy attitude. I slowly raise my gaze to his face where I stop at his lips. They are in a slight smile as he knows what I have been doing. Looking into his eyes I can see that he's nervous. I wonder what could make Hunter so nervous.   

    I feel my patience growing thin as my anxiety grows. Feeling my anxiety about the situation he grabs my hand and leads me a little further into the yard. Stopping near a cluster of trees he sits down pulling me with him. He lays flat on his back looking up at the starry night sky. It is so beautiful to look up and see the multitude of stars in our universe. This is just a very very small portion of the universe that is filled with the  unknown. Much like this situation, I don't know what Hunter has to say. 

            "Ellie I gotta ask you something okay?" he says looking at the full moon.

            "Sure Hunter, what is it?" I say still looking up at the stars that surround us. 

            "Okay, I'm just gonna say it...Ellie, I know this might not be what you were expecting but would you go on a date with me tonight?" 

            "Yes," I say. 

    The word 'yes' was soon replaced with my giggles as he picks me up and gently places me onto his lap. His muscular arms securely wrap around my body as I adjust my legs to straddle his torso. Holding onto him I close my eyes as I enjoy his warm body against mine. Giving a squeeze to my hips we both pull back to look at each other. From the corner of my eye I see him bring his thumb up to caress my cheek. Leaning into his touch I stare back at him as his other hand gives me another squeeze. 

            "I better let you go." He says making me look at him confused.

            "Wh-" I didn't get to finish since Hunter turns us around to face my house.

            "Hey, Eric" Hunters call out behind me.

            "You know you are lucky it was me and not Tristan or Angel Ellie. You know how protective they are of you." He says looking at me then shifts his gaze to Hunter, "Next time you want to talk to my sister please do it after 10;00 a.m. and in the house where we can all see you."

            "I'll do that next time," Hunter says before looking at me.

            "You better Hunter," Eric says before walking back inside the house.

            "Better let you try to get some sleep. Come over with your brothers for breakfast, okay?"

            "Yeah sure see you in a few," I say before going on my tippy toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. I can see him slightly blush before I leave him alone. 

                    Next Morning   

Hunter Young's Point Of View

            "When are Ellie and her brothers coming over to hang out with us?" Ky asks me. 

            "I swear Ky you only came over just to hang out with Ellie and her brothers," Leo says while laughing. 

            "Not only did I came to hang out with them but also because she made amazing pancakes last time. They were some of the best I have ever had and you guys can not lie about that," he defends himself. 

            "Ky's got a point there Leo. They were delicious with the bacon and eggs she cooked for us." Ash gives his opinion as he walks into the kitchen. A freshly filled water bottle in his hands as he settles into the conversation. 

            "I'm glad someone appreciates my cooking skills. Maybe you should be my brothers instead of these three," Ellie says while walking into the house and pointing to her three brothers who are fake pouting behind her. 

            I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her waist bringing her in for a hug. Once I'm near her ear I whisper, "Good morning beautiful," followed by a small wink that causes her to blush a light shade of pink. 

    Our short moment was interrupted by her brothers coughing and my dumb ass friends making 'ooh' sounds as if we were in fifth grade. I pull away from her and look into her eyes as she says the same thing to me. I intertwine our hands together guiding her to the kitchen island where we sit on the barstools. 

            "So what's there to eat?" she asks trying to get a conversation started but all I can think about is how cute she is right now. The blush from earlier still visible but is slowly fading away from the surface of her face. 

            "Hunter? Hello?" she moves her hand in front of my face trying to gain my attention back.

            "Oh yeah well we could go to the local diner or we could all help out make breakfast. What do you guys want to do?" I ask the other guys who are staring at us.

            "What?" Ellie asks as she notices their stares. 

            "How come Eric always finds out about stuff like this and Tris and I never do?" Angel asked with a pout making Ellie laugh.

            "First of all lose the pout Angel it does nothing for you. That is why you do not and never ever will have a girlfriend. Second of all Hunter just asked me on a date a few hours ago okay?" She eyes both of her brothers. 

            "I so could get a girlfriend if I wanted to Ellie, okay? Just look at me," he says while moving his hands over his body before speaking again, "I am a hot football player okay?" 

            "Sure keep telling your virgin self that," Ellie says causing everyone to laugh. 

            "Plus I'm her twin, of course, I would know before you guys!" Eric says as he swings his arm over Ellie's shoulders and placing a kiss on her cheek. 

            "Now that we have clarified that Angel is an 18-year-old virgin and that Hunter and Ellie's status which is still single for the moment let us get back to what is most important. And that is figuring out what we want to do for breakfast." Sebastian takes a look around the kitchen island before continuing, "I think we should go to Will's Diner for breakfast. Plus it is a good way for you guys to see the town." Sebastian says while focusing on the Halls siblings. 

            "Hey, guys do you mind if I invite someone for breakfast?" Ash asks us looking a little nervous. 

            "Oh yeah me too," Jack says while scratching the back of his neck avoiding the eyes of all of us. 

            "Tell them that you will pick them up in 30 minutes and to dress comfortably. We will be exploring the town after breakfast." I say while grabbing Ellie's hand and head to the key holder before anyone can say anything else. 

    As we make our way to the main entrance I open the door for us to get going. I lead her to my 2020 Chevy Camaro SS in all red one of my favorite cars. I go to open her door before she gets the chance to. She mutters a thank you as I close her door and make my way to my side. I start the engine and connect my phone to Bluetooth before handing it over to her. She smiles but before she can respond we hear the sounds of the doors opening. Looking behind us we see Eric and Angel seating in the back seats with a mischievous smiles on their faces. I can only guess what they are planning to do with us. I look back at Ellie before shrugging off their company. 

            "Play any song you want to hear Ellie," I say to her.

    She thinks about it for a little bit before the typing of the keys fills the silence. After a moment she puts the phone down and soon enough the beat and lyrics of  No Rule Modelz by J. Cole fill the car

                    20 Minutes Later    

    Parking my car I grab my phone and text in the group chat.

Group Chat: Ride or Die

            Hunter: Just got here, how far away are you guys? 

            Jack: 5 minutes away!

            Ash: Same

            Ky: About to enter the diner

            Hunter: Okay we'll see you there. Hurry up, Ash and Jack!    

            Ash: Be there soon!

            Jack: I want my usual sport, okay? 

            Hunter: Okay

            "Okay let's go inside ky, Angel, Sebastian, and Carter are waiting for us inside the diner. " I say as I open my door. 

    We all head to the diner where everyone else is waiting for us. I open the door for everyone and we gather will the others. I nod to Sebastian and Carter who point to our usual table. As we were about to sit I hear the voices of Jack and Ash coming inside the diner. I wave to them to come over to us with their dates. We decide that the 'couples' will sit together on one side and the rest on the other side. I guess they did not want to be in the middle between us couples. 

    Jack and his date sit first then followed by Asher and his date and finally was Ellie and I. Looking at the other side I can see Carter, Eric, Leo, Angel, Sebastian, Ky, and at the end is Tristan looking at Ellie and me. We all start our own conversations until Ky breaks all conversation. 

Kyle Campbell's Point Of View

            "Okay so this might sounds elementary but since not all of us know each other why don't we all introduce ourselves," I ask the group. 

            "That's actually not a bad idea so I guess I will start. My name is Carter Torres. And um your turn Hall."

            "My name is Eric and I am the twin of that girl over there," he says while the rest expect Ellie laugh

            "I'm Leo"

            "I'm the third Hall at this table. I'm Angel Hall."

            "Sebastian"

            "I'm Ky or Kyle 

            "Tristan the fourth Hall at this table."

            "Hunter"

            "Ellie the better twin and Hall sibling."

            "I'm Aria"

            "Asher"

            "Stephanie"

            "And the better Thompson sibling, I am Jack"

            "Keep telling yourself that Jack," Leo says 

Ellie' Hall's Point Of View

    Oh, this so not gonna be good especially playing with your very protective siblings but life is about living on the dangerous side right? Well, that is what I am hoping for right now. Right now it is currently Tristan turn for 2 truths and 1 lie but we as group somehow decided to turn a harmless game into a dirtier one. I do not know how but that is what happened. Our food arrived but that did not stop us from continuing to play. 

            "Okay, so which are the truths and which one is the lie?" Tristan asks the group 

            "I don't know why but you definitely seem like the type of person to do it while a friend is sleeping on the other bed. That is one truth and the next is that you lost your virginity at 16. Meaning you lied about getting into a car accident last year." Aria guessed

            "Oooh so closed Aria," I say to her

            "Tristan here is the safety driver out of all Hall's siblings," Eric says 

            "I have done it with Angel in the next bed and I did lose my virginity freshmen year," he pauses then continues saying, "But I never and will never get into a car accident."

            "I guess it is my turn," I say to the group. I take a minute or two before telling my truths and lie. "I have gone cave diving with my teammates in Tulum, Mexico, I have two tattoos, and um I hate sexting."

            Stephanie was the first to guess which were my truths and lies. "I think that the first and last are the truths."

            "No, wait I think she lied about the sexting thing and the others are the truths." Ky guess

            "Nah, Ellie definitely seems like the sexting type. I think she lied about the tattoos." Sebastian guess with confidence

            "No, I think the first two are the truths and the last one is the lie," Asher said

            "Bing bing bing you guessed correctly," Angel said which caused the group to look at him with confusion forcing him to elaborate. 

            "When they were 17 and we were 18 we went to the tattoo shop and got a sibling tattoo that we got on our forearm. Then Ellie got an eagle on the front of her ankle. The reason I know that the sexting thing is her lie is because I once took her phone away during one of those conversations." Angel said with a shiver at the end as if he remembers the messages in question. 

            "Anyway..why don't we pay and go explore the town as you guys promised," I say in the hope to drop this topic. 

            "Sure where do you guys want to go?" Leo ask us

            "Why don't we go to the planetarium?" Carter suggest to us

            "I'm down," Aria says and I nod to her

    We decided that we would pay for ourselves but Asher, Jack, and Hunter refused to let Aria, Stephanie, and I pay for our foods. They said something about, 'when you are with me you won't pay for anything.' Honestly, it made all of us blush. We made our way to our cars and headed off to explore Atlas. Several hours were spent at the planetarium. We made our way to the ice cream shop then to the river walk.  After constant begging from my brothers to leave to do something else we decided to go to the park to let out some energy. 

          "Okay now that we are here what should we do?" Sebastian asked. 

            "Why don't we play a game of soccer?" Eric asked with mischief in his smirk. 

    We all split us into two teams with one referee. I was the captain of my team that was made of Kyle, Tristan, Jack, Aria, and Hunter. On the other team was Eric the captain, Sebastian, Angel, Stephanie, Ash, and Leo. We did rock paper scissors to decide who would start and of course, I won. 

    Once Carter gives the signal to start I pass the ball to Tristan then move towards the goal. He passes to Hunter who further moves the ball to their goal. As he went to pass the ball to Kyle Angel intercepted the ball. He sidesteps Kyle slightly shoving him causing him to lose his balance and fall. All the while I run to Angel who is close to our goal. I rush to get to the ball and thankfully he got trapped by Tristan. Tristan gets the ball and hits it behind him where I take control and move up the field to score our first goal. 

    After our goal, we restarted and continue to play for another 9 rounds. By the end of our game, the score was 10 to 9. I couldn't get happier knowing I beat my brothers. What made this moment better was when Hunter picked me up and swung me around causing me to have a fit of giggles. At this moment I forgot about the broken pieces that are me. I finally let go of everything I have been feeling for the last few months. I was surrounded by my brothers and people who will soon be my friends.