leather journal / h.s

21

M A R Y

"penny, it's so nice to see you." harry said, but i could tell he didn't mean it. he rose from the couch and walked over, engulfing her in a hug.

"nice to see you too." she smiled from ear to ear, and i could tell that she was more than happy to get any kind of physical contact from him.

but then he looked at me for a second and gave me a dorky smile. "i forgot to give you your hug, mary." he enveloped me in his broad arms and he hummed into my shoulder, giving me a sense of security. hugs with harry were the best, and i could have spent the rest of my life like this.

penny, on the other hand, gave the two of us a nasty glare from over her shoulder. she let out a raspy cough, making harry pull away on an instinct.

"sorry." he said quickly. he looked at me before looking at penny the same way. "mary and i just got done watching the titanic."

i smirked over at her, and she was more than envious with me. that's what i wanted, but then on the other hand she looked like she was ready to spill all my secrets.

"well..." she clenched her teeth and glanced over at me. "maybe i came at the wrong time."

harry shook his head, making me want to smack myself on the forehead. sometimes i wished that he wasn't so generous. "actually, we were just going to get lunch and a movie. want to come with us?"

she glanced between the two of us, thinking it over. i prayed she took no interest in ruining our second date, but only an interest in talking to me.

my wishes were granted. "no, thanks." she said dismissively, and harry looked thankful as well. sometimes you say those kind of things to sound polite and genuine, and i assumed this was one of those instances for harry. "i actually just came to talk to mary for a second."

he smiled, as he did as a reaction for nearly everything. how he managed to smile so often? i had no idea. "sure." he said plainly. "i actually have to use the bathroom anyway."

i opened my mouth to remind him where it was, but he just shook his head and started to walk down the hall. "i remember where your bathroom is." he commented. "the one that wasn't clogged the last time i came here, anyway."

we both giggled flirtatiously as harry disappeared out of my line of view, leaving just penny and i. good thing i had put the journal away before he knocked.

she raised an eyebrow at me. "inside joke, huh?"

i nodded in agreement with a distant grin. "yeah." there was a short and awkward silence. "we have a bit of those."

her hands were on her hips. "and you watch sappy romantic movies together now, huh?" she asked in a clipped tone.

i was enjoying this by then, just bobbing my head when she asked. "me and him are friends. just because we watched titanic together doesn't mean a thing."

"oh really?" she sneered. "what did you do during the romantic scenes?"

i shrugged, but laughed at the memory. "he covered my eyes and i covered his. it was pretty funny."

"i bet you liked it." she said, her voice choppy. "i bet you enjoyed snuggling up to him and watching some soppy movie about two sad lovers who end up dying because they were on a ship as wrecked as their relationship!"

i took a step back. something told me that she wasn't okay in the head, like harry and i hanging out was affecting her in ways unimagined.

"did you?" she pried again. "i bet he didn't ask you if i talked about you all the time!"

what? maybe i should have kindly been asking her to leave at this point. she was saying weird and crazy things, and i was starting to think she was mad.

"penny..." i said, as calmly as i could.

she slapped my arm that was reaching out for her. "don't penny me! you've had all the time in the world to do that!"

i frowned. she really wasn't okay. "maybe you should go."

"maybe i should go?" she repeated to herself as if she wanted to hear how the words tasted on her tongue. "maybe i should go." she said again, and a sad laugh followed. "it'd be a lot more easier to leave if i weren't so madly in love with the boy who's taking a piss in your personal bathroom, mary! i loved him before we even met him. how can you just barge in and steal him from me like that?"

"i never stole him from you." i said curtly. "he never even belonged to you!"

she shook her head in disbelief. "this is so you, mary. pretending you're the victim and that you deserve everything you have. news flash-- you don't. a liar and a thief doesn't deserve to win harry styles' heart, over all people! it just isn't fair!"

"for one, i never even owned his heart!" i basically screamed at her. she was being irrational. harry was just a clingy friend, which wasn't bad at all. if penny couldn't see it any other way than she must have hit her head.

"he literally tried to kiss you." she said in a harsh whisper. "your own words. why else would he want his plump lips on yours?" she teased, and i felt my cheeks getting hot at the thought. she was right about one thing, and that was the fact that i was in no position to belong to harry. what he needed was a kind and genuine girl. not a liar.

"im sure he was going to ask me something." i said in my defense, feeling a little stung by my own words. from my room, i could hear the toilet flush. "like you said, he wouldn't go for the lying type like me."

she stayed silent, and in an instant harry appeared in the hallway. he was staring at the pictures of me from leeds as a child, just as he had last time. despite penny being here and sparking an argument, i smiled at the sight.

"i can't wait for next weekend." harry said when he turned to look at me. he must've forgotten that penny was here, because when their eyes locked he was immediately stricken with worry. but he still continued. "it isn't going to be leeds, but that's close enough."

i peered over at penny and she was unsuspecting. "yeah." i agreed, the ends of my mouth curved up into a grin. "im really looking forward to spending some time with my best friend."

harry laughed, and it had to be the second cutest thing ever. the first thing on the list was his giggle. "ive been upgraded to best friend!" he said cheerfully. "success!" he jeered, and i laughed along with him.

penny just gave us a sideways look, obviously jealous. there was no other explanation. "i guess ill be leaving now." she said lowly, her head down. she set an envelope on the top of the couch. "mary, read that in private when you can. it's the reason i came here."

"o-okay." i stammered, taken aback. penny just nodded and left, shutting the door behind us. it was just harry and i all over again.

"how about we go for lunch another time?" harry asked me, his eyes occasionally drifting to the untouched letter on the couch. i remained unfazed by his interest in it. "it seems like you have a lot on your platter."

that was irrefutable. "you're right." i affirmed. "i certainly wish you could help me clear it."

he grinned down at me. "mary, you know id do anything to help and--"

"go home harry."

he seemed confused and hurt. "what?"

i just gave him a genuine smile. "get your rest. isn't that why you're on break?"

he nodded slowly. "you sure?"

"im sure." i said, even though i was the opposite. i didn't want to be left here alone any longer. i wanted harrys sense of security and warmth he gave me. i hated to feel alone. "you need your rest. i need mine. we can text or chat later."

"yeah." he agreed once more. he pulled me in for yet another hug, and this one managed to last longer. "see you soon, then."

"see you, harry." i waved and his dimpled grin was the last of him i saw before he shut the door behind him, leaving me in a discomforting loneliness once again. plus, i still looked a mess.