Strings and Schemes

Chapter 40

Niall cheers like a football match just ended. "I second that!"

Harry stretches, already checking his phone for options. "I know a place."

Olivia, standing beside me, raises an eyebrow. "You always know a place."

Harry winks. "That's why I'm everyone's favourite."

I steal a glance at Zayn. He hasn't agreed. But he hasn't walked away either. Which means he's coming.

We find a bar that looks like it's been through several decades of poor decisions. The neon sign flickers weakly, the door creaks, and the bartender looks at us like we've personally ruined his night.

Perfect.

"This," Niall says, gesturing wildly to the grimy booths and broken jukebox, "is my church."

The bartender doesn't bother with a menu. He just eyes us all warily.

"You break anything, you're paying for it."

"Mate, I don't even pay my taxes," Harry says cheerfully.

Liam physically drags him away.

We find a booth in the back, already a mess before we even start drinking.

Niall, being Niall, decides to speed run alcohol poisoning by ordering a round of tequila before anyone has a chance to think about it.

"Are we sure about this?" Olivia asks, watching him line up the shots.

Zayn shrugs. "It's happening either way."

"I don't even want to look at alcohol," Liam mutters.

Harry grins. "That's the spirit!"

Liam glares. "That's literally the opposite of the spirit."

Louis raises his glass. "To bad decisions."

We drink.

And then the night spirals into beautiful, ridiculous disaster.

The moment Olivia spots the pool table in the back corner, something in her eyes sharpens. I know that look. It's the same one Raina gets when she's about to absolutely destroy someone.

A group of finance bros in Patagonia vests are already there, talking too loudly about stocks and bonuses, knocking their cues against the floor like they're practicing for some imaginary tournament.

Olivia, drink in hand, leans casually against the table. "Who's winning?"

The tallest of them—let's call him Chad, because obviously—smirks. "That'd be me."

Olivia eyes the table. "I don't know... looks like your friend was about to clean up."

Chad's smirk widens. "Oh, you play?"

She tilts her head. "A little."

Ten minutes later, she's run the table twice, and Chad looks like his entire worldview has been shattered.

"Double or nothing," he says, gripping his cue too tight.

Olivia pretends to consider it. Then, she finishes her drink, grabs the next cue—

And absolutely annihilates them again.

Louis claps proudly from the sidelines. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, love."

She grins, handing him a shot. "Too late for that."

Meanwhile, across the bar, Harry has somehow acquired an entire group of elderly tourists.