Bet On It | H. Styles

viii

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Six Years Ago

For some reason, Wendy felt nervous. She never really got nervous, especially when it came to boys.

She only had met the blonde boy for all of fifteen minutes, but when she was due to attend the party, she felt herself getting anxious. It felt refreshing however. Most of her life she stayed away from those high school boys, not wanting to deal with the drama and baggage that came with them (Harry being a separate story).

She had one boyfriend in ninth grade that lasted about three months and she wishes she never got involved with him looking back at the situation. He was boring, really only cared about boosting his popularity stance, and quite narcisstic. One of her biggest regrets.

But this night, Wendy stood in her room, scavenging through her closet for a decent outfit to impress the beach boy. Although nothing seemed to work.

"Jenny!" Wendy hollered throwing herself on the floor.

"Yes, Wendy?" Jenny responded, hurriedly walking into the room.

"I have nothing to wear!" Wendy whined, kicking her legs up into the air like a toddler.

"Miss, you have a whole closet full of clothes," Jenny chuckled, helping Wendy back to her feet.

"Jenny," Wendy started, now collapsing onto her bed. "I have a boy to impress."

"A boy? Oh, this is great news!" Jenny squealed, now scavenging through the messy closet herself.

"But I have nothing to impress him with," Wendy sighed for the millionth time that night.

"Oh, please. Let me see what I can do," Jenny chuckled.

After about five minutes of searching for the right outfit, Jenny appeared in front of Wendy. In her hand was a blue dress that was only one shoulder and was tight fitting with one long sleeve. It stopped just above mid-thigh. Jenny had matched it with a pair of nude wedges. It wasn't the most scandalous, but it was just right to give off the impression that Wendy was there for a good time while still keeping herself somewhat reserved.

"Oh, Jenny, where would I be without you?" Wendy smiled, hugging her petite friend.

"That's a good question. Now I'm going to cook you a little meal before you go. Can't have you partying on an empty stomach," Jenny winked, leaving the bedroom.

Wendy stepped into her bathroom, plugging in her straightening iron. Removing the sand from her hair was one of the biggest tasks Wendy ever faced. She washed, rewashed, and re-rewashed her hair for over an hour. She did love her natural curls, but sometimes she wished she could've been blessed with an easier hairstyle. Not to mention, straightening her hair would now take another hour of her time. And then she had to do makeup. Although, because of the summertime, she cut back on some makeup products. She reduced herself to mascara, concealer, and eyebrow gel. If it was winter she would probably put on that extra layer of foundation, and any other product she used to deduce her flaws.

After what felt like forever, she finished beautifying herself. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read just a little past seven. She was to be picked up by Patty in under an hour.

She made her way downstairs to see Jenny heating up the dinner she had prepared. It was a breadcrumb mac and cheese dish she knew Wendy loved, and on the side was a salad with balsamic dressing. Wendy drooled at the sight.

"What would you like to drink Wendy?"

"I'll just take some water, thank you. This looks delicious," Wendy beamed, sitting at the table, immediately digging into the food.