Brutal | H.S

Chapter 8.

HARRY STYLES.
Murderer, murderer, murderer.

The same three words echoed in my mind as I stepped into the vacant bathroom. Seeing her was the one thing I expected to happen and the last thing I needed. I barely slept last night, whether it was to hold Florence while she slept or to keep my own self inducing paranoia at bay it was the least of my worries.

Getting into acting was the best and worst thing that's happened to me. I can easily support my friends and family financially but it was a job that wasn't going to stop because I didn't get a good nights sleep. It was a table read which meant I had to be there. No calling up my managers to make up a lie to get me out of it.

Having a one on one with Valerie was also the last thing I wanted to end my morning with. She wasn't a stranger, but it was prone to be a bit awkward when the whole movie is involved around two people falling in love and it ending before it could begin. It was even worse when the girl I was supposed to be on-screen falling in love with best friend hates me.

Not the childish stupid hatred. No, this was a 'I want you dead and I won't stop until you are' kind. It didn't help that I now knew she could go through with that. She was crazy, I wasn't obsessed with her in any way as she thought I was. Yeah, I enjoyed pissing her off but that was the only thing about it. Every time we've ran into each other it was a coincidence, excluding my last party.

Truth if she had been any other girl she would've been dropped after we fucked, but there was just something about her that pulled me towards her. I could try to say I'm better than that, but it would be a lie. There were reasons why I acted like I did all those years ago. Overly cocky, narcissistic, a grade A douchebag who didn't care of anything or anyone but the girl he was taking home that night. Florence was the one who helped me get over that. She was the only one who ever gave a shit about me after them.

It was all a façade.

And it was one I would like to keep up. My backstory frankly wasn't anyone's business but mine. I didn't need another sob story to appeal to the public's eye. That's what my public relations were for. I didn't care if I was going to be seen as a man-whore who couldn't stay out of a models bed. That's better than being known as a runaway Brit that left when shit blew up.

I decide to just walk inside the room and get this over with, seeing the majority of the cast from the first scene not even here. Taking the free seat next to Valerie I pull out my highlighted script, seeing she had already done the same with extra notes added in between lines.

"Glad to see I'm not the only overprepared freak here." She joked, pointed to her own highlighted lines in green. I let out a breath of humor, shrugging my shoulders. "Spent all night doing it but it was worth it. I remember how hectic it is while everyone is waiting for you to find your line." She nods her head in agreement, covering her laugh with her hand to not bring attention to us as people finally started coming in. "I'm Valerie Song, but I'm sure you know that already." She introduces, sticking her hand out to shake.

I grab her had, pressing a kiss to the back of it in my usual charming sense. "Harry Styles, how could I not know of the biggest up coming actress?" She rolls her eyes with a faint grin tainted on her face, placing her hand back in her lap. "Kissing up already? Filming doesn't start until another month or so." She teases just as the director walks in the room. I mutter something about finishing the conversation later, but she already had her full attention stuck on them.

To be honest, I was barely paying attention to the meeting. I said my lines when I needed to and listened in when it was important, but other than that my mind was completely blank. There were barely any critiques. The director only stopped us when he wanted to point something out, or give us insight on that one scene. After nearly two hours the meeting was over and people were bidding their goodbyes, leaving Valerie and I to be the last in the room sitting with the director.