leather journal / h.s

14

M A R Y

when i came venturing out of the bathroom and into the main room, i was shocked to see harry on top of louis. for what reason, i couldn't tell-- but from my point of view im sure you can understand how awkward this was for me.

"um... harry?" i chuckled nervously, wondering if i should have just taken a seat or continued to stand there.

he popped his head up, and the second his eyes met with mine he awkwardly laughed. "mary, meet louis." he said, and gestured down to the seemingly unconscious boy below him.

harry stepped away and it was true; louis was knocked out cold. i had no idea what to say to that.

"what happened?" i asked, though i already knew. i had heard the things that louis was saying to taunt harry. mary in the manger? seriously? as if i hadn't been called that enough. and to make it worse, that wasn't even historically correct. but okay.

still, harry shrugged. "he was getting on my nerves, as usual. he should wake up before his party."

my heart started beating faster. "party?"

i could tell that harry could detect my interest, because he sighed and kicked louis to see if he was awake.

"louis is throwing a wicked mad party tonight." a voice said from behind us, right after the sound of a door opening. harry and i both spun around quickly, only too see a handsome boy our age with raven hair. he was truly jaw-dropping, and for a second i almost forgot who i was standing next to.

it was zayn malik.

"oh my god!" i exclaimed, rushing up to him and bringing him in for a bone crushing hug. "you're zayn malik!"

in our really long hug, zayn's face was to harry's. "was she like this when she met you, too?"

i couldn't see his expression, but something told me that he was smiling. "no. but her friend was."

zayn pulled away and stared at me in astonishment. "friend?" he asked with a sigh, one of his bony hands floating to his forehead and staying there. "please don't tell me your friend is crazy, too."

too? i ignored that part and nodded my head. "in fact, she isn't just crazy- zayn. she's mental. she will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and i have no idea why she's even my friend."

zayn gave me a weird look and i turned around to see that harry was too, only that his face was filled with disappointment. he frowned at me. "i told you how much that i wish you two didn't talk about each other and then you go and do it again?"

i sighed. if only he knew that i was only telling the truth and nothing but the truth.

zayn chuckled. "so i'm guessing that the two of you are only pretending to be friends with each other."

i nodded. he was somewhat right, and i had to give him credit for that. but still, penny and i's relationship was solely complex-- too complex for even i to understand. "she has a crush on harry."

his eyes bulged out of his sockets. was he excited or disgusted? i hoped it was the latter. "is that why you don't like her anymore?" he asked me, "penny, i mean."

i raised an eyebrow. "what are you talking about?"

"harry thinks that you're jealous." zayn decoded for me, and if i had tea in my mouth i would have probably spit taken all over the two of them. even though that was true one hundred percent, i didn't want it to seem like that-- of course. harry could never know of my feelings for him. because then this leather journal i had in my possession would become a burden.

and that's never happened to something that i've stolen before.

"well, i'm not." i lied, and something in harry twinged before his expression returned back to normal. i gave him a funny look.

zayn whistled, his pointer finger tracing over the unique inkings on his exposed arm. "anyways..." he hummed, taking a glance at louis' unconscious body. "i'd never usually ask a fan this, but since louis is out cold for a good while-- can you and harry help me set up for the party?"

my head started to spin. but what about...

"no!" harry shouted, his hands firmly at his side. "mary and i were just about to go on a date."

zayn cocked his head sideways. "so that's her name?" he asked. "mary?"

i nodded, still thinking about having to clean a house rather than seeing a soppy cute movie with harry. i was sure of which i preferred to be doing.

"well, mary..." he started, staring at harry and i both. we didn't say a word.

"you and harry are going to help me set up for this party. and then the party can be your date. how about that, then?"

with a grunt, harry threw off his sunglasses. something told me that he knew he couldn't say no to zayn. "mary, kick off your shoes." he commanded, "because we're going to be here for quite some time."