As the Wind Blows [A Niall Horan Love Story]

Chapter 20

Scarlette. Scarlette is here, at this party, that I'm at, talking to Niall. Scarlette. Really? Scarlette? It seriously couldn't be anyone else?

I look around the room to see if I know anybody else that I don't like, maybe Connor, but all the faces are unrecognized, costumed party goers.

"That's um, that's my old, she's um... that's Scarlette." I fumble to Louis.

His gaze focuses on the girl, his glassy eyes squinting. "Scarlette...?" He says, confused.

"Yeah, she used to be-"

"YOU'RE OLD BITCH FRIEND!" Louis blurts out.

Everyone, I mean everyone, turns to Louis, who has slapped his hand over his mouth. I frantically look at everyone, all of their eyes on us, and then take Louis by the shoulders and lift him up off of the couch.

"Louis, let's go out in the hallway, please?" I whisper to him, tugging his shirt as we begin to walk towards the door.

"Sorry everyone, a few too many to drink!" Louis drunkenly yells out to everyone. They all look at him, confusion washed over their faces, and then one by one go back to their conversations.

I pull Louis out the door and slam it shut, walking out into the cool hallway.

"Louis!" I whisper-yell out, my hands flying in the air.

"Sorry!" He slurs, sliding down the wall and plopping onto the floor. "The liquor takes away my filter!"

I sigh and take a seat next to him, putting my head in my hands. Why does she have to be here?

It's quiet for a few moments before Louis speaks. "So Niall over there is chatting up that cunt you used to call a friend."

"Louis! Your language is harsh."

He shrugs. "You know it's true."

I'm silent, but nod, because I really can't argue about how much of a bitch she is.

"What are you going to do?" Louis looks to me.

I stare at the wall in front of us. "I... I don't know. What am I supposed to do?"

The door opens and all I can see from sitting on the floor are a pair of fishnet covered legs enclosed in red stilettos.

"My car is parked just outside the main doors, it's the black Mustang. I can't wait for you to ride in it, it's so-"

Scarlette.

I look up and see the bitch herself, walking out the door in a beyond slutty, totally cliche devil costume. She stops short when she sees me, eyeing down to my level.

"Oh well look who it is." She taunts at me. I just stare up at her, eyes squinted.

"Scarlette, did you drink at all?" Another voice comes through the doorway, and my heart feels a little pang when I know exactly what country it's from. "Why are you just standing-" he walks past her to see me sitting on the floor with Louis, who is staring up at Scarlette with the same loathing in his eyes as me.

"Rae!" He excitedly says, wrapping an arm around Scarlettes waist. Ouch.

I suck in through my teeth at the sight. "Hey, Niall." I quietly say. Scarlette looks between the two of us, confusion buried in her features.

"We were just gonna go get some food!" He exclaims. "You said you didn't drink tonight right?" He asks her.

She looks back at Niall. "Nope. Why would I drive here, alone in a Mustang, if I was going to drink and miss out on the opportunity to find a babe like you to spend a night with?" She purrs.

Niall shifts from one foot to the other, a slow red creeping up on his features. The feeling in my stomach is unknown, why do I have it?

Scarlette looks down at me with a devilish look that matches her costume and back up to Niall. "You know Rae?"

Niall half smiles, the dimple in his chin popping. "Yeah, she came up to me on the street while I was playing my guitar, 'was really sweet." He looks at me, his eyes just a little dull from drinking.

"Aw, how cute." She dryly says. "But we really must get going." She puts her hand on top of Niall's which has slowly been inching off of her waist.

"Care to join, Rae?" Niall asks. "And you too, Louis!" He adds, looking down at Louis who's been quiet this whole time.

"Oh, no Niall." Scarlette says, putting her hand on his stomach. "There's only room for two." Her voice stings like venom and she cocks her head to give me the bitchiest face I've ever seen.

"You know what?" Louis' voice is finally heard after this whole time we've been out here. "Fuck you, Scarrrlette" Louis drunkenly spits, mocking her name as he pulls himself up from the ground, "you're just a bitch who likes to treat people like shit, I can see what you're doing here, and I'm having none of it. I can see right through all that poorly done makeup!"

Niall's face is flabbergasted at Louis' outburst. "Lou, what the-"

"You know what, Looouis?" Scarlette cuts in, pulling away from Niall to slowly walk up to Lou in her 6 inch heels, "fuck you, too. You wanna know what you are? A friend stealing, euro trash Brit who doesn't know when to back off and let little old Rae fight her own battles!"

Scarlette clicks her tongue and I'm at my feet in a second. "Scarlette, just leave. Louis didn't steal me away, you left me over one mistake I made. That was all on you. I'm sorry that you can't go on with your day without making someone else feel like shit because you have your own insecurity issues. So go and take Niall in your perfect little Daddy's money Mustang and have a blast! I could not care more."

I walk away immediately, leaving Scarlette there without a comeback, Niall awkwardly standing at her side, and Louis trailing behind me.

"That was brilliant!" Louis says as we walk back into the party. I personally feel shitty, but his excitement is so overwhelming that I don't feel completely awful.

"Thanks Louis." I say half heartedly as I grab a Corona from the fridge. I need it.

I take a swig and my stomach twists as the alcohol runs down. I need to drink all of this if I want to mask away the foreign feelings I'm having towards the Irish boy I met on the street.

"Don't be gutted over Niall." Louis says to me on the other side of the kitchen counter, "if he was interested in Scarlette then he's not worth your time."

"She's pretty, I can see why he was going to leave with her, she's everyone's type... tan, tall, and gorgeous." I swallow my words with more beer. "But I mean, I'm not even into Niall, it's fine."

"Yes you are." Louis looks me dead in the eyes.

Okay, so I am. Maybe. A little.