Half Bad // Harry Styles

Chapter 31

♡ chapter 31 - Rose ♡

        Our joyous moment had ended sooner than any of us would've liked, but we each knew the risks at stake if we stayed in an area for a lengthy period of time. The Council would still be after us, even more vicious than before if expected. We had defeated them, and yet they wouldn't take defeat as an answer. Not from a group of people they despised most.

        My arms were still killing me, limply hanging by my sides as we walked through the - what seemed to be - endless forest. Daniel was singing to "help pass the time" while the rest of the boys picked up random stick and twigs to toss them his way. Daniel's spirits never broke, however, and he was currently singing a tune that seemed to aggravate everyone.

        "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes!" He raised his voice. "She'll be coming around mountain, she'll be coming around the mountain, oh she's coming around the mountain-"

        "Will you please?" Louis yelled, slapping him in the back of the head. "Sheesh, if I had a dollar for every time I felt like jabbing pens in my eyes, I'd be the next Bill Gates."

        I chuckled to myself, not realizing John had fallen into step with me, Harry chatting with Liam about what we would do if we came across any signs of civilization. He knew as well as everyone else that we couldn't walk forever without resources.

        Sensing John's presence, I tensed. My breath caught in my throat at his nearness. He had been this close only one time before, hands reaching to touch areas they shouldn't when Harry had intervened. But I wasn't go to call him to my rescue - I had done that enough already. I could handle John. After all, I know what I'm capable of now, even if I'm not sure how to ignite it.

        "Relax," he muttered under his breath. "I'm not here to flirt or anything again. Believe me, I've seen Harry pissed enough times already." He rolled his eyes, then glanced over at me. "If anything, I'm just saying I'm sorry. For being kind of an asshole."

        I rose an eyebrow. "Kind of?"

        He sighed. "Okay, okay. An asshole. Point being, I'm sorry and I shouldn't have tried anything. Believe it or not, I have more respect for people than that. You were just the first attractive person I had seen in a while and-"

        "Problem here?" Harry asked as he caught up, stepping between John and I.

        I laughed. "No, knight in shining armor. John was only apologizing."

        Harry hummed, looking John up and down. "I'm not buying it. But it'll have to do, I suppose. Unless he wanted to end up hanging dead from a tree branch."

        I slapped him in the shoulder. "Could you not be so demonic and gruesome all the time?"

        He slung his arm across my shoulders. "It's just my personality, babe. Don't get so girly on me."

        "Girly? So you'd like me to be a resemblance of a male? Should I get the whole genital surgery too?"

        He scrunched his nose up. "Damn, Rose. I was just trying to be comical, no need to take it to extreme levels."

        Laughing, I leaned into him. "You started it."

        Harry rolled his eyes, smiled, and kissed my temple.

        John shook his head. "This is getting awkward. You two make me want to puke." He nodded towards me. "Sorry again, Rose." And then he fell back in step to walk beside Max and Ryan.