────── 〔✿〕──────

SHE NEEDS HIM

chapter ten, WE DIDN'T NOTICE!

────── 〔✿〕──────

 IT WAS A CHILLY winter night in Boston and Anastasia Paton was, for some odd reason, laying by the poolside. She had one leg in the water and the other laying straight on the concrete. Anastasia heard the sliding door open but paid no attention to it as the sound of her music was practically blocking it out.

"What the fuck," Nick spoke as he spotted the girl laying in shorts and a bikini top, in the middle of winter. "Stacy, you're going to get sick."

Stacy took out an AirPod and furrowed her eyebrows at Nick. "I'm fine, no need to worry!"

Nick was not convinced at all. He held out his hand to her and Anastasia reluctantly took it, allowing him to pull her up. Stacy wobbled for a few seconds but stood up straight with a smile.

"Where are the other two?"

Nick thought for a moment, trying to retrace his brothers' words. "Matt's at Layla's and Chris is asleep."

Anastasia frowned at the mention of the bright, blue-eyed girl but shrugged instead. There was no doubt a feeling of bitterness and hostility inside Stacy's body whenever Layla's name was mentioned. There was something about the girl that just bothered Stacy.

"Hah! You're jealous!" Nick shrieked after watching Stacy ponder in silence. Furrowed eyebrows and all.

Stacy gasped at his outburst, immediately shaking her head. "I am not!"

Nick smiled even wider. His teasing manner obviously began to annoy Anastasia because she stood up and stormed inside the house. She was definitely not upset with Nicolas, though Stacy was particularly mad at Matthew. Had he not seen the way Layla treated her? Let alone his brothers?

"You are too!"

Anastasia sighed loudly at Nick's argument and collapsed onto the living room loveseat. Nick bolted and then jumped onto the longer and larger sofa, sighing just as Stacy had.

"What the fuck?" A voice broke the comfortable silence.

The pair turned their heads to see Felix standing there with a girl. Yes, a girl. Stacy squealed and rushed over to her younger brother excitedly. Standing in front of him and waiting like a dog for him to introduce her to his new lady friend.

When Felix said absolutely nothing and just stared over Stacy's shoulder, Stacy sighed and held her hand out to the shy-looking girl. "Hello, I'm Anastasia. Or Stacy. Felix's older sister!"

"Hey, I'm Kayley!"

"Hang on... Kayley as in, Kayley Morris?" Stacy asked, hoping for an affirmative confirmation.

Her brown, almond-shaped eyes peered up into Anastasia's as she nodded. Stacy gasped, spinning around to look at Nick, whose head seemed to have spun faster than the brunette girls.

"Kayley, hey!" Nick grinned, walking over to give the girl a hug.

Kayley Morris was Leo Morris' younger sister. Stacy knew Leo from high school but she also knew that he and Nick hung out a lot. Felix loudly coughed to reannounce his presence.

"We know you're here, we're just ignoring you," Stacy fired at him as soon as he coughed.

Kayley giggled a little bit at the sibling banter, she immediately flung her hand to cover her mouth with wide eyes. Felix pursed his lips together, a spark of mischief in his eyes as he turned to Kayley.

"Did you just... laugh at me?"

The young Morris girl held back a laugh and violently shook her head. Felix tilted his head to the side jokingly and yelled in surprise as Kayley sprinted outside. Stacy chuckled as her brother ran after Kayley, she was happy he made a new girl-friend.

Nick and Stacy made their way into the kitchen where Vada was helping herself to a beverage. Vada Paton spun around having heard Nick chuckle, she gave them both an innocent smile acting as if they hadn't walked in on her dancing in front of the refrigerator.

"Good day," Vada sarcastically nodded before sprinting up the stairs in embarrassment.

Nicolas collapsed on the floor in giggle while Stacy just watched him amusedly. The pair grabbed a pack of popcorn kernels and placed the paper bag inside the microwave. They waited rather impatiently and celebrated when they heard the machine beeping. Five minutes after dumping the popcorn into two bowls, Christopher walked into the house.

"Oh, hello, Sleeping Beauty," Stacy chuckled. The boy's hair was a mess and he was still in his pajamas. Nick snorted at the sight of his brother but still gave him a hug.

"Hi," Chris grumbled, throwing a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

The three got cosy on the sofa and hovered over the play button for Stranger Things season four, the only thing holding them back from finally playing the show (that had come out ten minutes ago) was Matthew. The boy had claimed he'd be over by four but it was ten minutes to five pm and he still wasn't there.

After many tries of the three teenagers trying to get ahold of him, Stacy's phone rang. The contact name 'MARTY 🦓' was displayed on the phone.

Without hesitation, Stacy answered the phone. More worried about his safety rather than the grudge she was holding against him.

"Hey, you're on speaker," she told him before he began to speak.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm running a bit late—"

Nicolas cut his triplet brother off with a smart response. "Really? We didn't notice!"

Matt sighed through the line he sounded worried but excited at the same time. Matt sounded somewhat exhilarated, and after he hung out with Layla? That was surely a surprise to the three.

"Could I talk to Chris?" Matt awkwardly asked.

"Yo!"

Stacy handed Chris the phone but the triplet did not take it off of the speakerphone. Neither Stacy nor Nick said anything as they were rather curious about what Matt had to say.

"I kissed her," he blurted out.

Anastasia felt nauseous and she had no idea why. Well, she had a vague idea as to why she felt this way but wasn't one hundred per cent sure. She stayed silent, staring at the bracelets on her wrist. Chris froze in his spot, worriedly looking over at Nick who just anxiously furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hello?"

Chris widened his eyes, realizing he was still on the call. "Yeah, uh, hi."

Matt filled his cheeks up with air as he came to the conclusion that he was still on speaker phone and Anastasia would've heard his confession.

"That's— uh, that's great, Matt! I'm proud of you, honestly," Chris kindly supported his brother.

"Thank you. I'm five minutes away now, see you soon," Matt mumbled.

Barely catching onto what he said, Chris bade his brother farewell just before the phone call ended. Chris sympathetically turned to Stacy who had just snapped out of her trance and looked between the concerned faces of her best friends.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Chris sighed, resting his head on her shoulder.

Stacy sighed with a smile, leaning her head on his. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Matt and I weren't dating or anything."

Just before Nick could speak up, Matthew walked into the living room. Speak of the devil.

"Hey," he awkwardly smiled, not entirely knowing if the girl in front of him had heard what he had said earlier.

"Hello," Stacy flashed him a fake smile.

It was painfully obvious to Matt that she had heard what he said and did not take it too well. Matt frowned at the tension and shoved Nick over so he could squeeze onto the side of the sofa.

"Three, two, one, silence!" Chris declared as he played the first episode.

Nick and Stacy excitedly drummed their hands on their blanketed legs. All four of them held hands in anticipation. Anastasia yelled in horror as she noticed whose hands were tying the shoe laces in the beginning.

"You've got to be shitting me!" She whined, stomping her feet like a toddler. Nick giggled but only proceeded to squeeze her hand tighter.

'🌎🔫🐦'

BIRD LOVER 🥺 — NICK STURNIOLO
MATTY BOY 🥶 — MATT STURNIOLO
KRIS TOPHER 😩 — CHRIS STURNIOLO
LEXI HOWARD 😏 — STACY PATON

BIRD LOVER 🥺
Chris can u hurry tf up??

MATTY BOY 🥶
Bro fr, you take so long
to literally shit 🙄

LEXI HOWARD 😏
CHRISTOPHER! HUSTLE.

KRIS TOPHER 😩
Yes ma'am!
Guys...

MATTY BOY 🥶
Oh boy. What?

BIRD LOVER 🥺
What do you want?

LEXI HOWARD 😏
what's up, chris?

KRIS TOPHER 😩
Do yall hear that clock?
It's goin' crazyyyy

LEXI HOWARD 😏
people fucking sighed, chris.

BIRD LOVER 🥺
I am people.

MATTY BOY 🥶
Kid thinks he's so funny

KRIS TOPHER 😩
Y'all are no fun :(

LEXI HOWARD 😏
boo-hoo. now hurry up,
nick is boring me with his fyp

Bird Lover 🥺 reacted '😕' to this message

Seen by all 2:12am

"BOO!" Two cold hands were placed on Anastasia's shoulders. Stacy gasped, jumping in fright.

She groaned as she realized it was just Chris. "Go drown. Respectfully though."

Christopher touched his chest in a flattery manner. Stacy rolled her eyes and shuffled over so Chris could take his seat beside her. He pressed play on the fourth episode and the four snuggled up excitedly. 

( 💟 ) MAL SPEAKS,

yaya i finally got a chapter out!
how happy are we?

i have a theology exam coming up
this week & next, and i'm lowkey
nervous for it!! either way, i will
still try my best to update when 
i'm either sick of studying or if
i'm bored!

a few shoutouts for today: first, to maha!
kayley morris is a character in her nick
sturniolo book (go read it) and she created
a younger sister for leo morris last minute
just for felix aww!! ily everloreera <3
next, to mak! mak just caught up on this
entire book (it's her fault for slacking) so
props to makka moo! & lastly to the stmfu
groupchat on instagram, ily guys <333

ANYWAY, i adore you all and happy ten chapters!
it feels like way more but here we are!!!

mwah, mal x