Hitlist | h.s

Four

What the fuck did he mean “don’t make me sorry.” First off, I’d do whatever the fuck I wanted to do.  I’m really the defiant type and I’d never taken orders from people so why start? Secondly, he had my knife and I really wanted that back. Lastly, and the most bothersome to me, he was absolutely and utterly terrifying, yet undeniably intriguing.

I wanted him to be as sorry as sorry could be, and I was willing do whatever it took to make sure that happened.

“What does that even mean?” The blue-eyed girl across from me pummeled me with questions, her voice laced with a tenacious curiosity as if I would actually know the answer.

“How would I have any fucking clue?” I puffed out smoke. The toxic substance polluted the air, lingering and sluggishly crawling throughout until it dissipated like magic. I really needed a damn smoke after the past day’s events. I felt an annoyance in the atmosphere as Melissa’s eyes rolled towards the back of her skull.

“Stop swearing,” she remarked, her hand nervously tugging at the tips of her dark hair.

“Stop touching your damn hair.”

“Seriously?” she groaned at my word choice, obediently placing her hands in her lap and looking down as her cheeks illuminated a light shade of red. I smirked as another smoky breath spilled from between my swollen lips. I knew just how to push her buttons, but it was all in good fun anyway.

As I opened my mouth to let more foul words tumble out, the appalling sound of the screen door screeching open distracted me. The sound was as bad as unfiled nails agonizingly run down a chalk board. In walked Niall’s sister, Sabrina, with Luke and Calum following behind her. The boys playfully slapped at each other as the harmonious sounds of their laughter echoed off the enclosed space. Sabrina chuckled lowly to herself in amusement.

She had a friendly face with bright blue eyes and a plethora of sand-colored hair that cascaded halfway down her back. She was average height and quite the opposite of Melissa, who was short with dark hair resting at her shoulders. She always looked down on me for the fun Zayn and I would have, but to that I would always say tough shit.

I was an adult, and I could do whatever, and whoever, I wanted.

And to be quiet honest, I wouldn’t mind doing Luke or Calum.

Her lips tugged up at the edges as she pulled a chair out, the black legs effortlessly sliding across the waxed tile floor before she placed herself into it, leaning intently over the table. Luke sat directly across from my place as Cal slid into the seat at the table’s short end.

“Brina!” Mel smiled. I tried to think of some words to say to any of them, but my mind aimlessly and, mind you, uncontrollably traveled back to Harry as I crashed my cigarette into an ash tray, destroying the flimsy stick with ease.

How could he be so mesmerizing to me, but it be so easy for me to hate him so intensely? I couldn’t stand the way he dominated over me, the way his touch burned into me. He was so corrupt, and it irked me on a cellular level.

And he still had my knife.

“Arielle…” Luke’s deep voice hummed, the sound soothing and distracting. I looked up to meet the pacific blue of his eyes, a small smile creeping over his lips. I had always been attracted to Luke. It might’ve been the lip piercing that coiled around his plump bottom lip, or the way he always listened so intently -- come to think of it, Calum was pretty similar, but was probably the more talkative of the two, which didn’t bother me in any way.

When I didn’t reply, an exasperated sigh departed from Luke’s mouth. Calum shook his head enthusiastically, a smile gracing over his tanned face as he watched me clumsily fumble with the hem of my shirt.

“We heard you had a run in with Styles,” Calum piped in, randomly clicking a pen off the table, the displeasing sound reverberating in my ears. I froze immediately, the mere mention of his name causing hatred to violently wash over me like a tsunami as my head shot up. 

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat as hard to choke down as dry bread.

“Please do tell,” Sabrina chirped as she raised her eyebrows in eagerness, her peppy voice ringing in my ears as I tried to compose myself. I felt their intent stares on me, as I let out a grunt. Luke’s cheeks flushed as I connected my eyes to his. He was acting stranger than usual, and I didn’t have the brain capacity to comprehend why.

I told them all about how he heard me enter his house, how he pinned me to a wall and threatened me, and more specifically how he told me not to come back in order to keep him from being sorry, instead of the problem being mine. I was still trying to piece the parts of the crazy encounter together myself.

“He touched you?” Calum inquired grimacing. Luke’s eye widened, as Sabrina closely watched his face, her blue eyes ablaze with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

I bitterly nodded, watching Luke’s teeth gnaw at the pink of his lips as his brow furrowed in angst. Luke, Calum, and Niall had always been rather protective of me, whereas the rest of the boys in the gang would hand around other people’s houses. We didn’t interact much, but I knew everyone by name.

“I’ll fuck him up,” Cal added, noticeably stiffening as his arms tensed. I watched as the muscle of his bicep tightened from beneath his dark tee. I grinned teasingly, flashing a mocking smile to the boys both gaping at me, Sabrina and Melissa distracted by something on their phones.

“Like I need your help,” I retorted, a sarcastic laugh fell from my lips.

“Don’t pretend you don’t want it though, Arielle,” Luke sneered. A mischievous smile lurked across his face while my lips curled into a smirk. As fast as a tornado, Sabrina’s eyes directed towards him, her now red cheeks making her eyes look as blue as a summer sky.

Luke turned towards the embarrassed girl as his expression pinched in curiosity matching my own questions as to why she was acting so jittery. Sabrina was a very relaxed person and to see her fidgety was a rare occurrence. Just as quick as she had looked at him seconds ago, she turned her face away and continued looking nonchalantly at the nonsense on her hellish looking phone. It had enough cracks in the screen to cut your fingers like daggers, but it never had hurt her.

I casually eyed Luke, his shoulders coolly rising before the fell into a shrug. I shook off the awkwardness of the situation as I contemplated within myself as to what I was going to do about Styles. It was always a possibility to get help from one of the boys, minus Zayn, but that would make me look weak. Plus, where’s the fun in that?

My pondering was interrupted by a kick swiftly colliding to my leg under the table, sending tinges of pain throughout my shin.

“Ow-“ I began, only to stop as everyone’s faces shot up  to glower at me. My cheeks shined a soft crimson as I avoided their gazes and looked back to wherever my eyes were directed before. That was gonna be a bruise.

“Cramps..?” I poorly lied, my tone clothed in confusion. I almost burst into laughter at my sad excuse at trying to be sneaky, but the pain distracted me long enough to suppress it.

Repetitive like the motion of a pendulum, the foot slammed into me again. I held back my shrill as I looked up to find Luke’s eyes glued to me. He tilted his head towards the screen doors, his quiff bouncing lightly from the movement.

My face scrunched in confusion as he sat, head cocked to the right. He nodded once more and I got the message. My eyes squinted in response as the sizable boy rose from the chair, darting out of the silence as fast as light. Sabrina watched as he exited the room, her expression dulling as she tried to continuing looking natural to no avail.

I sulked out of the room after him with my head down.