Scrabble | Harry Styles

1

"He's cute."

My eyes shifted upwards from the transparent contents of my glass, my face breaking into a grin as they landed on the focus of her gaze.

"Sure," I scoffed into my glass, "if you're looking for someone to kneel beside you in the nursing home."

My best friend, Vic, turned to look at me, her jaw dropping in mock-surprise, "That's shallow. So what, then? What are you looking for?"

I raised my eyebrow, "What makes you think I'm looking, hm?"

"S'a nice dress you're wearing-"

"Bought it for me," I told her with the roll of my eyes, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric covering my thighs and reaching my knees. She raised her hands in submission, shaking her head. 

"S'not a crime to like anyone, is it?"

"It is when we've known them all since we were, like, five," I pointed out, and she shrugged as if to say 'fair enough'. "Plus, I swear you do this every year: New Year's party, searching for appeal in people with none."

I didn't love parties, but I didn't hate them either. I'd never seen much harm in gatherings of people, especially the routine New Year's Party.

It was a tiny town. We called it 'Splodge', because that's all it was. On the map, it was a splodge of ink; tiny - right above Brighton and just below Stanmer, and it was nowhere special. With only 1500 occupants in total - and every December 31st, each and every single person - students, teachers, parents and all - gathered in one place, for a night full of laughter, light drinks and music.

"Harsh, Blair, excuse me for being optimistic" she replied with a laugh, "it's whatever. You're right - same shit, different year."

"1989," I nodded, pursing my lips, raising my glass of water teasingly, "let's have it."

I stood up, setting the glass down. "I need to pee. Give me a sec."

"You're leaving me?" Vic groaned, standing up as well.

"For a sec," I repeated, a giggle leaving my lips, "I should probably find my parents too. It's probably gonna take some convincing to get them to even stay til' midnight."

"Fine, then I'm gonna go spread my optimism elsewhere," Vic said, sticking her tongue out at me. "Come find me when you're done socialising with the other has-beens."

"You mean my parents?" I laughed, folding my arms.

"The point of that sentence was that you, Blair Winters, are becoming a has-been!" she declared, a smug grin on her lips.

"Oh yeah? And what are you?" I countered, "I'd rather be a has-been then have never been at all." I poked a final teasing dagger at my best friend, before edging away from the table and chairs we'd claimed only twenty or so minutes previous to find the bathroom.

I pushed through the crowd, smiling in faces and politely responding with 'hello!'s when greeted. In such a small town - everybody knows everybody; which also has its downsides, I suppose: there isn't an inch of privacy, but that's okay, too, I suppose. There isn't much to hide here.

Bathroom.. bathroom, where on earth is the bathroom?

I turned the corner, leading into empty hallways - contrasting greatly to the compact space I'd just been in. The music faded away as I moved further from it, the only sound to be heard being my shoes against the polished wooden floor.