What You Know (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

chapter 1

Getting to the airport was always a complete mess.

Finding your ride, taking the exit for the right terminal, taking the right exit within that terminal, finding the airline's section in the terminal, and then figuring out how to get out of your friend's car without the police pulling them over for stopping for more than two seconds.

For me, there was a different stressor for wanting to get out of my friend's car. Sure, I didn't want Cecilia to get a ticket, but if I had to spend one more second around her, she would have seen a very unpleasant side of me.

The scenery wasn't all that soothing either,  not with all the Newark smoke stacks hoarding any available part of the landscape. Watching the driving outside the window wasn't much help either, it just made my stomach turn, watching Jersey drivers creep past 80 to get in your face for passing them.

I turned over to my best friend, who bore a determined, heroesque expression on her face as she wove in and out of traffic and glared at anyone who looked her way. She had a sweet face, but her short choppy haircut definitely said she wasn't afraid to take risks which was becoming more and more of a concern on this car ride. I didn't trust her 15 year old Camry too much either since it shuddered every time we drive over a pothole the size of the car itself. I wasn't sure if my fear of my overheating friend that was making me sick, or if it was just the fact that I was bouncing just as the classy fuzzy dice she had hanging over the dash. My fear of my determined friend was confirmed when she finally pulled up to the terminal and looked over at me and my stomach twisted up.

She pursed her lips before saying, "Ok, so before I go Ell, I just have to ask girl to girl, because I have spent months invested in yours and Dylan's breakup drama, you blocked the kid, right?" She sighed at the end and pointed her chin down to give me one of those over the sunglasses look-overs, sans the sunglasses. As caring as she obviously was, I grumbled internally at her question, trying not to ball my fists while I was still in her car.

"Cec. I'm going away because I don't want to have anything to do with him, or anyone else in my life, for at least two weeks. Okay?" I gave her a pointed look and raised my eyebrows in reason before quickly glancing away to fiddle with my bags and belongings that had been tossed into her car earlier.

"Yeah, yeah, just watch it ok, you're still in my car, right? But you didn't actually answer the question regardless of how much you hate all us. So did you block him, or what?"

"I don't have to block him to ignore him, ok?"

"Yeah, but I'm just saying, if you're top priority was actually loving yourself on this trip, you would not think twice about blocking his ass."

"And I'm just saying Cecilia, I'm fine and I was even fucking worried about Dylan until you brought him up, ok? I'm fine. Can we just end this on a good note.

Cecilia crossed her arms and rearranged herself on the seat still giving me her strong glare.

"Sure hun. I love you, even though you hate me for whatever reason that's made you have to go on this dumb trip."

Despite the bite she was trying to put into her words, I could tell she was trying to lighten up so I smiled.

"Thanks for giving me a ride, Cec. I love you too. I really need this, ok? I just need to do something for myself."

She rolled her eyes and smirked every so slightly, "Yeah, yeah I get it, just get the hell out of my car already, jeez." I took that as my cue and got up, gathering my things and stepping out of the car.

"Don't start too much trouble with those TSA guys, I know you can't resist a man in uniform, especially on Valentine's Day you fool." I gave her an amused look and rolled my eyes at her dumb comment.

"I'll try my hardest, love you!" I shouted as I slammed the car door shut and she tried to scream her reply glaring at me for silencing her.

I laughed as I finally started walking away from her car and towards the door. I felt eyes on me from all the security standing at the entry points and tried not to make eye contact. 

I never had a reason to be scared, but I was always paranoid and felt like security guards or police officers were going to go after for no reason at all. Today it felt different, like it wasn't just my paranoia telling me they were watching, but that they actually were keeping an eye on me. Either way, it wasn't rational so I just chalked it up to nerves from traveling.

As I strode through the airport, I quickly forgot about Cecilia and the weird security guards. I was jostled through the crowds of people which was mostly made up of couples jetting away on romantic vacations. Being that I was alone, I managed to get my boarding pass and make it into the TSA line in good time since I wasn't wasting my time being lovey dovey with my nonexistent boyfriend.

I groaned internally though because the line was still insanely long and hadn't moved in several minutes.

A man right in front of me turned and laughed, "I didn't think they actually took people into those secret rooms and held up the line but I guess today is that day, huh?" I looked over at him and gave him a somewhat nervous laugh hoping he'd just turn around. Unfortunately he didn't, and he scooted a little closer so he could continue talking to me.

"I mean, look at these assholes. What makes the so much better that they can just skip the whole line?" He tapped me on the shoulder and gestured with his other hand at the second line that was sectioned off where expensive-looking business men with their briefcases breezed through the checkpoint. 

"Yeah, how annoying I said," shaking his crusty hand off of my shoulder. Please just leave me alone, I begged, closing my eyes.

Suddenly my entire body was shoved to the side causing me to lose my balance and drop both of my bags.

"Come on, asshole! Just leave me be!" thinking that the same creep in front of me had just body slammed me for no apparent reason. Once I grasped my bearing, I realized that the man was standing a few feet away from me, looking concerned and glancing between me and one of the first class business men in the other line, who was already walking away. I groaned realizing that some rich guy had shoved, probably in a hurry even though he had no reason to be.

"Here, let me help you," the other man offered, holding his hand out.

I glared at his hand and then up at him. "No thanks," I said before I heaved myself up and rearranged myself and my belongings. With a sad and offended look, the man finally turned around and left me alone, just in time as the line finally started picking up.

In less than a minute, the line had finally moved and I was about to go through the checkpoint. I unloaded all of my stuff into those gross gray bins and got my shoes off and got ready to walk through the body scanning machine. I stood there uncomfortably and made eye contact with one of the TSA agents who looked at me, annoyed and bored.

"Phone?" he said, in a sassy voice. I quirked my head, confused, before realizing he was telling me I'd forgotten to take my phone out of my back pocket. I gave him an apologetic look as I pulled it out of my pocket. I started to walk over to the bin when it vibrated and I saw a text notification from Dylan. Why now? I sighed at my phone, annoyed and was about to open the message when the same agent gave me another sassy look and said, "Ma'am, it's your turn, your phone can wait." I grumbled and tossed my phone into the bin before walking over to the scan machine.

After making it through I walked over to the end of the conveyer belt and grabbed my shoes and began tying them back on. I put on my jacket and grabbed my suitcase and stood waiting for my back pack to come through the check point. I reached to my back pocket looking for my phone, and signed realizing it was in the same bin as my back pack. I looked back over at the agent manning the machine with my bag and noticed he looked quite perplexed. He looked over at me and narrowed his eyes and I glanced around, starting to get confused and a little worried. When I looked back up at him, he was calling over his colleagues and pointing at the screen. After a few moments, they all looked over at me, with serious expressions.

I took a step back, subconsciously, their eyes on me making me uneasy. One of them picked up on my movement and immediately walked over to me.

"Ma'am," he took a breathe as if he had never done this before, "I think you're going to have to come with us. Please remove all of your belongings and then follow me this way."