Harry Styles, I'm Not Your Puppet (Harry Styles Fan Fiction) (On Hold for Now)

Ch. 29 "Please, Just Please"

―Kim―

I was just dozing on the couch, preparing for a relaxing night at the hotel. Niall had left to see Zayn down the hall, and no doubt were playing video games before they had to leave in an hour. I was thinking about the pool, and maybe I could swim there until someone asked me out there. Yeah…maybe. Niall would like that, right? After all, he is the one who wants me to put myself out there like Harry. Yeah, Niall would love if I did that. My drowsy-self smiled.

Yep, tonight would’ve been a nice, relaxing night…That was until the phone rang.

I was too far in my sort-of sleep to get it the first time it rang, so when it went silent I went full snooze. Then it rang again and grumpy Kim answered.

“Hello?” I said a tad too angrily.

“Hey, it’s Terrence.” I wanted to scream at him for waking me up, but when I glanced at the clock it was 5:26PM and this wasn’t a time to be sleeping. “By chance, did you look yourself up at all lately?”

I glanced over at the laptop on the table in front of me.

“No…” I lied.

In fact, I looked myself up yesterday on Google. I’m not full of myself, I swear, but wouldn’t you like to know what others are saying about you behind your back? I promise you would like to do it, even if just to laugh at what they say.

“Well, do it now and call me back.” His tone obviously reflected that he knew I looked myself up sometimes. Heh.

“Can’t you just tell me what they said?” I whined into the phone. I think I was still recovering from my nap/full-blown-don’t-wake-me-up-again-or-I’ll-hurt-you sleep.

“Trust me. You don’t want me to tell you.” Before I could ask what he meant the line went dead.

I groaned as I pried the laptop open onto my lap. What the hell?

I typed Kim Horan in the search bar and pressed enter. Tons of stories came up, a picture of me and Harry kissing on a bench at Central Park from a month ago, Harry and I holding hands, me looking like crap as he kisses my cheek, and then I scroll down some more and I see what Terrence was talking about.

Story after story after story, all within 24 hours they were posted.

I whispered the titles out loud, “Kim’s Revenge?, Jake Oliver and Kim Horan, a New Hollywood Couple?, Jake and Kim, Are They SERIOUS or JK-ING? (okay, that one was a little clever with the whole JK thing)…” My eyes hovered over each title, scanned some and completely ignored others.

It’s not even true! I haven’t talked to Jake since that week in California, not after that little date disaster of ours. Sure, he texted me, but I didn’t text back! Okay, maybe once when he asked how Aria was doing…but other than that: nothing! I didn’t respond to his “apologies” or “can we talk?”’s. I was dating Harry and I could’ve cared less what he had to say.

And yeah, Kristina’s movie was a big one and I was for sure going to the premiere, but I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Jake! I didn’t even know she was a mutual friend with him!

So how all of a sudden did the press think me and Jake were dating? Not that one date, they knew about that, I mean multiple recent dates to where they think there’s actually something going on?

I called Terrence back, biting back the anger that was causing adrenaline to shoot throughout by body.

“Hey,” I say, this time not caring about the harsh tone in my voice.

“So, you see why I’m confused.”

“Yes.” I gritted my teeth together.

“Do you need to go somewhere? I’ll pick you up.” Terrance voice reflected concern. To be honest, he has always been there for me. Well, he’s been there for me ever since Niall got famous and he hired him for me. But still.