Joelle
"STRIKE!" Harry screamed it out as though he had just won the lottery, and I cracked a smile at his excitement. Capris, the girl Harry had introduced as one of their new songwriters, was giving him a run for his money and it seemed to bring the extremely competitive side of him. My hand was tightly held in Zayn's, and he hadn't stopped glowing since I said that close friends and family could know about us. Not that I was completely okay with it, but it seemed to make him happy.
"So Joelle, how's it been going with Zayn?" Autumn asked as she watched Zayn go up to start his turn.
I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, because I knew that someone like her wouldn't understand the hesitancy to dating someone like Zayn. Maybe not necessarily because of his popstar status, but the guy was the fantasized version of what every girl wants. Sweet, caring, understanding, spoiling. No one could truly understand my need to not fall in love. "He's spectacular."
"I don't think she wants to talk about it, Autumn." Moni pulled on the girl's arm, forcing her back into her seat. The twenty-two year old then turned to me with a bright smile. "She's really nosy. Zayn's not one to have a lot of relationships, especially when he hasn't known the girl for a while. He learned to be careful because of Taryn. We're still all a little surprised by the two of you."
That's right. I'm not the first girl to be introduced to the group as Zayn's girlfriend; he'd gone through heartbreak before and this wasn't the first time he was doing this. Unlike me, where this was a new experience for me and trusting people wasn't one of my prominent characteristics.
"If you manage to beat Harry, we'll have to keep you around." The girl who had just been talking to me seemed to be more focused on the game, as she cheered on Capris who had just managed to match Harry's strike. The conversation drifted into a discussion on whether or not Louis beat Harry back on their last tour, each person taking a definite stand on their opinion.
"He won by like four points!" Autumn declared, arms crossed. I managed to sneak away from Zayn, who was also taking a personal interest in this story since he had been present and watched it take place. Noticing Capris' suddenly uncomfortable demeanor, I slid into the seat next to her.
"If it helps, I don't understand either." I kept my voice on the quieter side, since I didn't want to attract the others.
"I just don't feel I belong," she looked longingly at the group in front of us. I got the feeling from her that she wished she could understand and participate. "They're a family and I'm an awkward fourth cousin removed who they've never met before."
I couldn't help but smile at her description, too many times had I felt the same. "I know that feeling."
"How'd you get away?" Capris asked after a few moments of silence. Again, the smile was etched across my lips. She was a good watcher, since she had obviously caught on to Zayn's insistence in being around me.
"Quietly," I shrugged. We talked on, she asked questions on how long Zayn and I had been dating and I quickly diverted the attention to her. In all honesty, she was a beautiful girl. She was one of those girls that when I was eighteen, I would have done anything to be like her. A blonde beauty that had a well structured face and naturally pouty lips, with makeup bringing out her best features in a more smokey look.
