Happy Place || A Jerrie Fanfiction

XXIII - PRETTIER

"Perrie, can we please talk about this?" I practically begged.

We haven't talked about what happened since we left. Perrie was studiously avoiding my gaze and I couldn't do anything but sigh despondently at that. She was a few steps ahead of me, and even when I tried to catch up, she'd notice and walk further ahead until I'm a few steps behind her.

It's insane how the tables have turned in a complete 180 degree. I stepped into the party with the anticipation that I wouldn't think of anything, only to leave with a plethora of thoughts that has me questioning whether having a vacation here is a wise choice.

And it doesn't help that Perrie was the cause of it all.

She didn't even want to talk to me anymore. She merely glanced behind me and offered a small shrug before looking back to the front.

"Perrie, we were really just hanging out," I tried to explain. I ignored her sardonic snort and barreled on, "I was just feeling down all of a sudden because y —" I shut my mouth quickly at the last part. I didn't want to admit that I've been down in the dumps because I assumed that Perrie left with another woman.

Wracking my brain for words to say, I didn't realize that Perrie was already facing me now. I halted my footsteps and looked at her expectantly.

"Tell me if I'm wrong," she said. She crossed her arms and stared me down intensely. "When I saw you two, you guys were so close it almost looked like you were gonna kiss. And hearing Niall asking you out was the confirmation I needed that there was something going on between the both of you —"

"There's nothing going on, Perrie!" I sighed out, closing my eyes in exasperation.

"So, if I wasn't there to 'interrupt' your alone time," Perrie emphasized on the word with finger quotes, completely ignoring what I just told her a second ago, "would you have kissed him? Would you have said yes to him?"

"No!" I quickly denied, vigorously shaking my head. "We weren't even going to kiss! I was just —"

"You were just what, Jade Thirlwall?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly, almost challenging me to lie to her face. "Because you were basically invading his personal space awhile ago, it seemed compromising, if I were to be honest."

"I . . . was flirting," I sighed out, feeling defeated already. Feeling the lump in my throat, I tried to push it down and spoke up again, "But I didn't know he was Leigh's boyfriend! Who do you think me for, huh? Do I look like the type of woman who would just — just kiss everyone I see no matter their relationship status!?"

"I don't know, okay? All I know is that it infuriated me seeing you with him!"

Perrie was shouting her lungs out already, it almost felt like my eardrums are being destroyed completely. I thank God the party was too loud. The last thing I needed is people looking me down like I'm a microorganism lying down on a microscope.

"Not just because I like you, but because my best friend got cheated on again by that same fucking jerk all because of you!"

"Are you implying that it's my fault?" I asked lowly, my teeth gritted.

"I'm not implying it," she said, challenging my furious stare, "I'm stating it."

"Urgh!" I suddenly cried out, making Perrie step back in surprise.

I feel like I'm going insane because of this woman in front of me! I was basically trying to rip my hair out of my head because I don't know what else to do that could convey how unfair this all seems to be.