Luella

52 | slipped

L U E L L A

"What do you want, Poppy?"

It was Harry who had spoken up, to which I frowned upon before I fixated my attention on Silver, who was talking again.

"Listen, I'm not here to start anything, okay? I just, I want to talk to you, Luella."

I deliberately tilted my head a little to the side in suspicion. "Talk about what? We don't have anything to talk about."

"I only need a minute," She pauses, glances between me and Harry before her shoulders deflate. "I can't deny that this seem suspicious, okay? I know it's weird and I don't know how to convince you otherwise, so...it's your call. Honestly, I just wanna talk."

I let out a heavy breath. "Be quick," I'm surprised by the confidence I gain. I have never seen this girl act polite in the few times I had interacted with her in my life.

"Alone, please?" Poppy gives Harry a look with an expectant raise of her eyebrows.

I squeeze Harry's hand before I unlatch it from mine with a reassuring look. I don't want to seem like a pusillanimous -which I'm not, and she obviously wants this conversation to be private and the curiosity and suspicion are killing me.

"Do I need to be here for this, or can I trust you, Poppy?" If I were Poppy, I would my knees would buckle in fear by the look Harry was giving her. So much of a warning, really.

"That's okay, Har. I won't bite," She acidly smiled but retracted and looked back at me with a friendly smile I wasn't sure if I should trust. "Let's sit, yeah?"

I didn't reply, but I followed her through the crowd and the vibrating music to sit by the kitchen counter, where the menacing amount of alcohol stood with pride on the concrete, the aroma already suffocating.

"What is it?" I finally ask her when she keeps looking around, stalling time telling some frat boy to make her a mix.

"Uh, I don't know how to begin this," Poppy grimaces, eyes vibrant as they stare at me with discomfort. "We, We were off to a wrong start, don't you think?"

"Erm. I've never done anything to you, actually. You were just constantly being a bitch." I cocked an eyebrow at her, confidence and adrenaline booming through my system from having Poppy around my finger.

Her nostrils flare and she loses her friendly composure for a second before she resets herself again.

"You know, I like- well, liked Harry. Anything I ever did to you was because I felt a tad...jealous, I guess? You stole his interest from everything, Luella. Suddenly he's all about you, Luella here, Luella there... It was surreal, to say the least. And I-"

"Where are you going with this?" I shake my head, narrowing my eyes at her, ignoring the tingling in my chest.

"Luella, I love him," Her eyes glisten over and she flickers her gaze away from mine to compose herself. But that word alone makes me the one who needs composure. I hold it together and keep my gaze impassive, stoic as I watch her take a shot of heavy alcohol, grimace then whisper, "I mean, loved...him."

I fidget with my fingers and sigh heavily, contemplating how I feel about this before I look up at a very desperate looking Poppy and my heart sinks.

I remember when Ben came over and told me all about Poppy's story. How she had had a thing for Harry since high school and the closest she could get to him was being his friend with benefits. How she just feels more loss.