Toxic (Harry Styles)

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness.

The sun has set over the horizon as I'm the only one in the staffs dance room. Lilly came in a few minutes ago, saying she's turning in for the night and reminded me to lock up. Before she left, she took a good look around the room, and I felt like I could read her mind right then. She was thinking about Harry and Thomas' confrontation.

And now he's dead and she still doesn't know.

I couldn't bring myself to tell her. I only said he wouldn't be coming here anymore, which is partially the truth.

Now I wear my point shoes and stand in the middle of the room waiting for the music to queue with my hands in first position. The feeling of my tights and leotard calm me, giving me memories of when I was younger and my mum was telling me how to move my feet and hands.

The music begins to play and I fluently progress with it.

While I was walking here this morning─ after not being able to go back to sleep and my thoughts race about Harry ─I listened to my iPod music and stumbled upon this song and couldn't get to my desk fast enough to burn in onto a CD. I've spent the hours of the afternoon choreographing a routine. I work fast, so it only took a few hours to work everything out. Now I'm here to perfect it.

This is the song I'm doing for the solo Lilly's been nagging me about.

I steady on the flat tip of the shoes and lift my leg to make a perfect straight line, and my torso and head fall towards the floor. I lower my leg and continue.

"That's a really good dance."

A voice overpowers the music and makes me miss my spot as I whirled in multiple pirouettes. I catch myself before I fall.

Jess stands in the doorway of the room with a smile playing on her lips. I won't lie; she did startle me and my heart races still as I click a button on the remote and the soft melody cuts off. I didn't expect to hear from her for a while since we aren't on the best terms really, and yet here she stands.

"U-uh," I stutter. "What are you doing here?"

"I was trying to find you," she explains, walking further into the room. "And the front door was unlocked. You should really lock it if you're the only in here. Not very safe, you know."

I narrow my eyes, but nod anyways. "So you've found me."

Jess takes in a deep breath, walking to the ballet bars that line the back wall. "This may be way overdue, but...I want to say that I'm sorry," she says. Her eyes are wide, apologetic and real─ she's not lying. "I'm sorry for making accusations against Harry and you. I was being a bitch when I said he was toxic when I know nothing about him. I just said that stuff because I didn't want to see you hurt."

She finally said it. She said she was sorry.

"Oh, it's fine," I smile. Her eyes snap to mine from being trailed on the floor. When she sees I'm not messing with her, a grin appears and she runs to embrace me in a hug─ the kind that means everything is behind us. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too!" She squeezes me harder. "Okay, so tell me everything that's happened," Jess demands, pulling me to sit in front of her on the hard wood floor.

I shift through everything that's happened in the past month, debating on what to tell her. I can't tell Jess about Harry's work since I'm not even supposed to know. So that rules out the alley, anything about Evan, excreta. But not Emily.

"Well, most recently, I saw Harry's ex-girlfriend kissing him."

She gawks. "And you're not mad at him?"