YouTube marathon

Harri's POV

"So things are that great at home?" I ask mockingly, taking the extra large family size pack of gummies from Jazz's hand.

She pouts, "hmm..." while still eyeing the package.

Ignoring her silent protest to return the gummies I place them along with my school bag inside my locker. "Want to talk about it?"

She screws up her face in disgust. "Uh, no."

"Right. Change of subject coming right up.... so, are we still on for tonight?"

Her eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Oh yeah, you don't get out of a Gate Thirty Four YouTube marathon that easily young lady," she asserts knowing that the only reason I have agreed to spend my Friday listening to her gush over her crush is to cheer her up.

"Ergh, tell me again why did I volunteer for this?"

"Because you love me?" she suggests with a smile, placing the index finger of her free hand to her cheek and twisting it sharply back and forth mimicking a dimple.

"Speaking of dimples..." I offer unprompted as we make our way to assembly.

She stops dead in her tracks, pulling me back by my arm demanding that I everything. I try not to smile or show too much enthusiasm as I recount my second call with SJ. Judging by the look of pure joy on Jazz's face and the lack of words coming from her mouth, I can tell that I am failing.

And failing hard.

Luckily we get to the assembly just as I finish so I don't have to listen to her go on about how much she loves young love - it's a speech I've heard way too many times.

"Ready?" I ask a few hours later as we are dismissed for the day.

"I'll get Mum to drop me off, just need to go home and pack. See you in an hour," she says cheerily as she makes her way to her Mum's waiting car.

"Hey, Jazz," I call out. She nods, indicating for me to continue, "when you get to mine, come round the back and head straight to my room. Hopefully you can avoid Theo."

"Who says I want to avoid Theo?" she yells back at me, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

I would say something to her but I know, or at least I hope, that she only says these things about my brother to get me worked up. Ignoring her comment I run across the car park and successfully find the man-child himself, convincing him to give me a lift home. He agrees only after I threaten to show everyone a video I took of him singing in the shower (and no I wasn't in the shower with him, I was outside in the hall. Now get your minds out of the gutter!).

----

By the time Jazz arrives I have completely rearranged my room. I've pushed my bed against the wall and covered up the carpet with every spare blanket and pillow I could find in the house. All of which I have set up to face my TV which I pulled off my desk onto the floor, for better viewing. I even went so far as to drag my Dad's mini fridge up from the garage. It's filled with supplies, like Jazz's gummies, so besides the occasional bathroom run we have no reason to leave the room, and I hope, no reason to see Theo.

I snap my head to attention when I hear Theo's voice from outside my room. "You didn't tell me Jazz was coming over, Sis?" he says opening the door to what I had hoped would be our Theo-free sanctuary.

"Ergh. Why would I? I didn't want you to know," I answer sharply giving Jazz the once over for alerting Theo to her arrival.

"Whatever. Just keep the giggling to a minimum. I have a game tomorrow and the last thing I need is you two keeping me up all night," he replies, his voice flat and steady.

Meanwhile, Jazz is standing silently by the door with her bags clasped in her hands in front her watching the whole exchange like she was watching a tennis match deep in the final set. Her head moving backwards and forwards between us. I flick my hand up and point in the direction of the door, "you can go now, Theo."

He is about to argue with me but I gesture to my phone in my hip pocket. "Tsk Tsk, we wouldn't want a certain video to get out now, would we?"

Apart from a strange growling noise that came deep from his throat he offers no response and leaves closing the door behind himself.

Jazz places her bags down on my bed with a thud. "Well, that was fun."

"Hopefully we don't have to deal with him again," I grumble while moving my arms around to show Jazz my newly acquired decorating skills.

"I love what you've done with the place! I always said you could do with more colour in your room. And before you argue with me, black is not a colour." Despite holding her hand to my face in an effort to dismiss an argument she rightly predicted was coming, her tone is cheerful.

We take our spots on the floor, an assortment of snacks littering the blankets between us. "Are you ready to have your senses shocked? Your mind blown? Your world changed?" Jazz sings as she sets up a Gate Thirty Four playlist.

"Sure," I answer unconvinced.

"You talk a big game Harri, but I'm betting you'll be a G34 fan by the end of this."

"I've never said I don't like them, Jazz. They're just not in the same league as Nirvana."

"Well, newsflash, H. Nirvana was like twenty-five years ago. Get with the times already." Her bangles jingling as she waves her arms in my face. "AND don't even try to pretend you don't like pretty boys," she taunts with a wiggle of her brows.

I raise my hands in the air in protest. "What are you talking about?"

"Come off it, Harri. I have seen SJ's profile pic. I know you can only see half his face in the pic but the boy is pret-tayyyy," she says placing the emphasis on the word pretty. "And if that's your type then you're definitely going to like Senna Jager, Beckett Wolfe and the Diaz Twins."

"What about the wonderful the Jax Crawford you won't shut up about? You forgot to mention him," I prod in mock innocence.

"Harri, I don't care if you are my best friend but if you go near Jax then.....then, let's just say that you'll be sleeping with the fishes." Her voice is serious but her face tells me what I already know, she is joking... well sort of.

"Okay, Okay. I've got it. Now hit play," I instruct. "The faster we get this crap-fest started, the sooner it's over," I grunt as the first video rolls.

----

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting the night to be as good as it has been. I've heard Gate Thirty Four before, but mostly just what they play on the radio. I didn't really know that they had much grungier sound on their other songs and I kind of dig it. They actually seem pretty cool, like guys I could actually hang out with.

Jazz was right, Senna is pretty cute. Come to think about it so are the twins. Shame about their playboy life styles, then again they are in a rock band. Beckett's probably a little too preppy for me, very neat and proper. Gosh knows how he fits in.

As for Jax, well, he seems like a lot of fun. Jazz was telling me that people think he can't sing, but I think he has a great tone and boy does he have a great talking voice. It's husky but smooth, like velvet. I think I could listen to a whole album of just him talking. He could be talking through stain removal techniques or how to plant the perfect veggie garden and it would still sound like gold. Honestly, I think him and Jazz would be great together... if only he knew she existed.

Not that I'd ever admit any of this to Jazz, it's much safer with her thinking that I do nothing more than tolerate them. The girl is already obsessed with them, heaven forbid she learns that I like them. I'd never hear the end of it.

"So?" She asks nudging me.

"So what?"

"What did you think? They're great huh?"

"They're ok," I answer as nonchalantly as possible.

I swear I see her eyes glaze over. "Great? Harri, they're fire trucking amazing!"

"They're pretty good, Jazz. Much better than I thought." I admit giving her the smallest bit of satisfaction.

"How cute are Jax and Senna? I totally ship. Team Sax all the way," she sings in reference to the multiple fan-made videos she forced me watch explaining why people think they're a couple. They were cute, I'll give them that. For the most part, it was just a bunch of slowed down interviews which made it look like they were staring lovingly into each other's eyes. If I was being completely honest, I envied their closeness. They seemed almost like brothers.

"I think you'll be going down with that ship, Jazz." I tease.

"You loved it, H. Admit it gurlll.

"Never!" I reply playfully shoving a handful of gummies in her mouth.