Someone Different [Zayn Malik Romance]

16. Goodbyes

                On a Saturday afternoon a few days later, I was sitting at the kitchen table on my laptop. I was scrolling down Perez Hilton's website after already had checked People magazine, the boys' tweets, and other social media websites that could clue me in on Zayn. I still didn't know what was going on with him – if he told someone, if he didn't – and I was scared.

            So far, there was nothing wrong. No hint of gossip circling around the boys on the magazine or any of the websites, and it looked like he was keeping his mouth closed. Obviously, I couldn't help but be thankful, knowing the consequences if he had told. Perrie would deny, and I could probably end up in prison.

            But a ring from the doorbell interrupted my moderate stalking, and I groaned before getting up and making my way there. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see the one person who had brought this all on me – Perrie Edwards.

            "What are you doing here?" I asked, confused and surprised.

            She scoffed, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

            I didn't have to, because she pushed past me anyway. I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind her, thinking, I don't remember her being this rude when we first met. She walked further into my dad's house, obviously judging every small detail in her head, scrutinizing it.

            When we reached the kitchen, she turned and looked at me. "I didn't think you'd be able to do it, kid. You have more guts than I thought."

            I flinched, the memory pouring back and nervously saying, "Yeah."

            Would she be mad? Would she accuse me of identity theft and try to ruin my life? I didn't know how to react now that she knew I had told, but the fact she referred to it as me having 'guts' meant that it couldn't be that bad.

            "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything," She said, examining her nails nonchalantly. "It actually makes my job easier now that he knows."

            I dared to ask: "Why didn't you tell him in the beginning? Or just leave?"

            She looked up at me. "Bad press."

            Ah, one of the little celebrity things that I would never know about, and that she spoke about so easily. Even if we had similar faces, our lives would always be completely different.

            "So, what now? Are you back for good?" I asked, and then revised: "Or, like, for the summer?"

            "Yes, your job is done – I'm back for the rest of the summer." Perrie said, as if it were such a burden to be at one place at a time. "This is yours, and I'll be going."

            She handed me another envelope and showed herself the door. I sat there for a few minutes before going up to my room and digging in my drawers to find the first envelope she had given me, the one I never opened. Sitting on my bed, I opened it up, and pulled out a check for five thousand American dollars.

            My eyes were wide as I stared at the check, unable to believe what I was looking at. Five thousand dollars?! Just for the first time? Putting it down with a shaky hand, I ripped open the second envelope and pulled out its' contents. First, there was a tiny paper with all of the boys' personal phone numbers scribbled down on it.

            The next thing I pulled out was the London equivalent to five thousand American dollars, with a post-it note on top saying: get some decent clothes!