Illicit [Harry Styles]

Chapter 12

Tuesday morning I woke to my alarm beeping, and as I regained consciousness I realised that I hadn't even gotten into bed last night. Despite my clouded mind, I managed to half-revise-half-sit-on-tumblr until what must've been the early hours of the morning, and now I was waking up still dressed and surrounded by papers and books with my laptop at my side. I groaned as I sat up and shut off the alarm, I felt groggy having not have gotten washed or changed last night but I had no time for a shower.

I got ready as quickly as I could, washing myself briefly with a flannel at the sink and rushing downstairs in time to catch a lift with my mum and Niall. My first class was law and then I had a free period, followed by double psychology and then I went home at lunch.

After law I bumped into Mckenzie in the hallway and we walked to the common room together. As we were passing through the downstairs of the sixth form building a voice suddenly called my name, both Mckenzie and I spun on our heels to see who was trying to get my attention.

My eyes landed on Louis who was sat on one of the chairs in the downstairs common room waving me over. What was Louis doing here? He doesn't even go to our school and he isn't wearing a visitor's badge, he could get in a lot of trouble for being in here but I guess he didn't fear getting kicked out of a school.

"Who's that?" Mckenzie said quietly to me, both of us standing looking between each other and the scruffy brown-haired boy with piercing blue eyes that looked like an excited child staring back at us from across the way.

"Umm... that's Louis."

"Who's Louis? Should we go in?"

When it came to the two rooms that year twelve and thirteen were assigned to use to chill and study in their free time, there was a clear divide between those who sit downstairs and those who sit upstairs. There were regulars for each room and if you walked into the room you aren't usually seen in people tend to stare; it's not like they're divided by age or any kind of rule, it was more social status.

I looked back at Mckenzie and nervously said, "I guess, we kind of look like idiots standing out here."

She nods confidently and I pluck up the courage to walk in first, trying not to look around and make eye contact with anyone else. I smile at Louis before perching on a seat opposite him and saying, "Hey."

"I didn't think you recognised me for a minute there, you looked like you'd just seen a ghost," he chuckles, fiddling with the cap of a water bottle that sat between his knees. "Who's your friend?"

I look beside me almost like I forgot who I'm with before introducing her, "Oh yeah, sorry. Uhh... this is Mckenzie." Mckenzie looks a lot more relaxed than I am as she smiles back at Louis.

"Nice to meet you, Mckenzie." Louis seemed to have a thing with names; he liked to address people by their names and he repeated your name over and over like he was getting to grips with you or maybe trying to understand you or suss you out.

"What brings you here?" I ask him and he tears his gaze from my friend and looks back at me.

"I had nothing to do so I stopped by to see Harry," He points over to the other side of the room where I spot Harry sat at a small table with my brother, probably doing their geography project. I stiffen a little bit when I see Niall since I don't want him to ask how I know Louis, but he doesn't even seem to notice I'm here; the two of them look deep in concentration. Louis raises his voice some to make sure his friend overhears the additional part to his reply when he spits, "Who may I add is no fun since he started school again."

Harry looks up when he hears Louis' voice and at first his face is soft, until his eyes meet mine and then his stare becomes hard and uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of. I immediately look back to Louis so that I don't have to prolong the awkward moment between Harry and I, and I notice Mckenzie still has her eyes glued to him for a while longer.

"You're a lot more talkative today, Jessica. I like it," he nods, with an approving, lopsided grin playing on his lips. "Your friend on the other hand..."

Mckenzie's head darts back round when she hears Louis talking about her and she looks aghast. "This is new, someone telling Jess she's the talkative one and I'm the quiet one! You aint seen nothin' yet," she raises one perfectly plucked eyebrow and Louis laughs so loudly that he starts clapping his hands slowly.

"Oh- nope, there it is."

I roll my eyes at their low-key flirting but I crack a small smile nonetheless.

"You know, a certain rich kid-" Louis begins, cupping his mouth like he's whispering but his voice comes out loud, he waggles his finger in the other direction again so I guess he's talking about Harry, "-Is having a little get together on Friday night. I'm sure he won't mind you two coming along. Right Haz?"

Harry's head shoots round and his eyebrows are furrowed, his facial expression is stern as he eyes Louis. Louis, however, takes no notice of the warning glare and just continues to grin mischievously at his friend. Louis is the type of guy you just can't say no to, I reckon he could get you to do the most bizarre thing just by the way he's so confident in himself.

Harry shakes his head in defeat and mumbles, "Of course not," but his voice contradicts his words as he doesn't sound so happy about it.

I'm just about to politely decline the offer when Mckenzie beats me to speaking up over the silence, excitedly saying, "Sweet. Can't wait."

Mckenzie and Louis blabber to each other about this 'get together' and I discreetly peer at Harry who is staring back at me with a thoughtful look on his face. Niall says something to him, still not even noticing my presence, and Harry looks away to continue on with what he's doing.

"Anyway, I better sling my hook before someone tells on me," Louis says mockingly and stands up rapidly.

"We're gonna go back upstairs," I nod and Mckenzie and I stand too. We walk to the door behind Louis and he waves us goodbye before striding out of the building.

Without a doubt, when we make it upstairs and sit down, Mckenzie is buzzing from the excitement that she got from anticipating finding out gossip.

"How do you know him? He said you were a lot more talkative today?"

"He's... a friend of Harry's, who is a friend of my brother's," I sigh. I'm quite pleased with my answer though, actually - I'm getting good at this 'not exactly lying, but not telling the whole truth' thing.

"Was he who you were with at the weekend?"

"No!" I groan. She's never letting that go.

"Well he's who we'll be with this weekend!" she squealed, grabbing my arm and shaking it.

"I don't kn-"

"Don't you dare say we're not going! We are going!"

"Mckenzie..."

"Don't be boring! I've never been invited to a rich, popular, older guy's house for a party before and I'm not letting this opportunity pass us by, Jess."

Everyone seems to be telling me not to be boring recently, maybe I should stop worrying so much and let loose. Maybe I should see where this 'get together' takes us.

"Fine."

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