Chapter Fifteen

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Chapter Fifteen



Veronica walks over to me and takes my clothes out of my hands. She carelessly tosses them back into my car and closes the door, handing me my car keys. I slide them into my borrowed jeans. Annoyingly, these jeans have almost absolutely no space in them.

"You should wear these more often." Veronica walks around me, fully inspecting her handy-work. "The pants are ones that Aiden can't fit anymore. They were in an area labeled "discard." Along with the shirt as well. He grows really quickly from being in football and you're smaller than he is, so I grabbed them." She stops walking when she's in front of me.

"Why do you keep staring?" I can't help but ask. I push my glasses up my face, trying to hide my pink cheeks. "It's making me feel flustered."

"I'm enjoying the view before anyone else can. Call me selfish," she shrugs. "But you seriously need to see yourself. Hold on, I have a camera." She pulls out her phone and aims it at me. I don't know if I should smile or throw up a random hand signal, so I just stand there awkwardly.

"Take it yet?" I ask her.

"Nope, not yet," she lowers her phone and holds out her hand. "Glasses."

"Glasses?! I can't see without them! There's no way I'm going in blind."

"Harry, you aren't that blind. Just give me your glasses. They're screaming the name "Marcel" to the world." She motions her fingers at me impatiently and I sigh, dropping my glasses into her outstretched hand. "See? You're not too blind are you?"

I have to squint to see past her and even then the lights just all seem like giant, fuzzy orbs of light. There's no definition to anything farther than five feet away from me. This scares me.

"Okay smile," she directs and holds up the phone again. I try to give her a genuine smile but I still feel scared. She snaps a picture anyways and looks at it, a small smile on her face. Then puts away her phone not even offering to show me it.

Veronica puts my glasses in her purse in a place she says is safe and then takes me by the wrist, dragging me towards the party. When I start to complain she reprimands me and tells me to act cool or people will notice who I am. Going up to that front yard littered with high schoolers is the hardest thing I've done. Especially since everything is a blur.

"Veronica! Wassup girl!" This guy slurs, thrusting his cup into the air. I watch the liquid slosh over. He's wasted.

"Hey! Don't drink and drive!" She laughs, mock saluting him, before pulling me into the house.

A miracle. No one noticed it was me.

The house is literally wall to wall filled with people. Music is blasting, the sound vibrating through my chest at a level that will do major damage to these people's eardrums. I ignore the urge to cover my ears.

Veronica leads me through the people and we end up in a kitchen where people are gathered around half a dozen coolers. I wonder why they're all just hanging around?

"Give me two cold ones, Vic," Veronica says firmly to one of the guys. He gets up and pulls out two dripping cans of beers from the cooler. He hands them to Veronica who then hands one to me.

"N-no, no thank-" I cut myself off when Veronica gives me a forceful glare. I have to keep my cool before they figure it out. I shut my mouth but don't open the can.

"So, Veronica, who's this kid?" Vic asks, holding his own open can to his lips before tipping it back. The moment of truth. The part where I hastily make a run to the exit in order to avoid being hit.

Veronica just shrugs without a care in the world. "Just some guy I found lounging in the front yard. Decided he could use a drink, you know?" She sounds so casual at leaving details out.

"Huh, he looks familiar," Vic's eyes study me and I freeze under his scrutiny. I can feel him discovering the real me. "Did you used to go to Lakeside?" He asks finally.

I breathe out. He isn't as sharp as I think. "No, no, I didn't go there," I say to him, using the voice Veronica taught me. She nods her approval, bringing the beer to her lips.

"Anyone know where Aiden is? I need some smokes. I'm out." So that's why she hasn't been smoking.

"Yeah, he's out back with the BP tables. But I've got a couple if you want them." Vic holds out a pack of cigarettes and Veronica takes some, putting them in her purse. Vic offers me as well but I just wave it away. Fortunately, he doesn't question me.

"Excuse us boys," Veronica nods at them before pulling me out of the room, her hand fastened around my elbow. She pulls me into a nearby restroom and shuts the door behind us. "What are you doing?!" Her tone scares me.

"I uh..."

"Harry, don't you see how hard I'm trying to keep your face clear of more bruises?! Hell, that one barely went away!" She points at the place Bryce had decorated a couple days back. "But I can't do everything. You have to take the beer and drink it in front of guys. You have to accept a cigarette even if you're not going to smoke it right then and there. And for god's fucking sake, you have to stop looking so lost!" Veronica exclaims, putting her beer can on the edge of the tub. She grabs mine and does the same.

I don't know what to say to her. I just don't feel comfortable. Everywhere I go in this house I'm going to feel like someone's going to make me their personal punching bag. With my glasses or not, I'm still Harry Styles.

Veronica grabs my arm and pulls me in front of the bathroom mirror and tells me to take a good, long look. My green eyes widen at the unfamiliar sight.

My hair that Veronica had messed up back at the beach, is still a complete disaster on my head. The natural curls I had been born with have made their self known, messily flopping on my head. My green eyes, though wide, are fully visible without the thick framed, giant glasses hiding me. The clothes make me look thinner, more toned since they fit my body more.

"Say it Harry," Veronica whispers, her hands on my arms as she looks at me as well. "You're fucking hot."

I look at her reflection beside me. "You're fucking hot," I say back.

She smiles and leads me back outside of the bathroom, not even realizing that I was referring to her.

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