mastermind [h.s.]

chapter 4

"So basically he says that if I keep my marks up he'll buy me a car," Julia summarizes her dinner with her father, the next morning.

"Does he... not know you have a 4.0 GPA?" I ask, bringing a mug of coffee to my lips.

"No, I haven't talked to him in a long time, and I don't think I've ever told him my marks," she explains, placing banana slices on the peanut buttered toast. "And I told him I had a 3.6 right now so that next time I can say I have a 4.0. He'll be prouder and thus my gift will be bigger."

I shake my head. A sudden thought appears in my mind.

"Did you tell Harry you were seeing your father last night?" I ask.

"No," she frowns. "I told you."

I roll my eyes at her. "You're supposed to tell Harry too, Julia."

"Why? We didn't have anything planned."

"Yeah, but your mending your relationship with your father. That's something you're meant to tell your boyfriend about."

She's pondering over this when the door to our apartment unlocks and I know it has to be Harry, because no one else has a key.

"'Ello, love!" he greets Julia, who stands to wrap her arms around him. He kisses her cheek, then pulls a chair to sit at the table with us in the small kitchen. "Alright, Aria?" he nods at me. He doesn't look at me like he's worried I'll burst into tears and weep over my failures, instead he looks at me like a friend wanting to make sure I'm okay.

I nod, and he doesn't ask anything else. I know immediately he's not going to talk about last night in front of Julia which makes me happy because I'd rather no one knows about my breakdown. Not even Julia.

"You didn't tell me you were seeing your father last night," he tells Julia, picking up a banana from the fruit bowl. 

"It was kind of last minute. I checked my emails and it turned out he sent me one a week ago, so I responded right away and next thing I know, Liam is at the door," she says.

"Your own father doesn't have your phone number," Harry says slowly.

"I forgot to give it to him since I changed it! Don't make me feel worse, I already feel bad."

"You should. He doesn't even have your number and you want a car from him," I snicker at Julia and get ready to leave. "Anyway, I have to leave for work now."

"Are you gonna go to the art shop after?" Julia asks, wiggling her eyebrows behind Harry. I roll my eyes, knowing she wants me to see Zayn again.

"Too far, not today."

"Where is it?" Harry asks suddenly.

"On Lancaster and Mill Road," I answer.

"That's on the other side of town!" he states. I nod. "It takes ages to get there."

"Which is why I'm not going today," I conclude, putting my shoes on.

"Let me know next time you go, I'll drive you," he offers. I'm taken aback for a moment at his generosity.

"It's alright, you don't have to do that—"

"No, Aria it's probably a good idea. It's not very safe on that side of town," Julia adds. Harry nods in agreement.

"O-okay, thanks."

---

Harry, Niall and Louis have a small house just a few minutes off campus. It's a short walk there after my class on Monday. I knock at the front door with a plate of fresh cookies I whipped up at home before coming here. Harry actually loved my brownies more but he didn't know they were mine, he was under they impression that they were Julia's brownies.