Behind the Scenes

Chapter 25

KATE

Her eyes found me quickly, both of us surprised to find the other, until her lips curved into a grin.

She sauntered towards me casually, as if it was the most natural thing for her to be leaving Harry's room at this time of night. Pausing in front of me, she ran her fingers through her hair a few times, straightening the tousled waves.

"Well hi," she said in her cheery, skin crawling drawl. "Fancy meeting you here."

I said nothing in reply, my eyes flickering towards Harry's closed door, before returning to Madison. She ran her thumb over the edge of her lower lip, adjusting her makeup.

"Sorry you had to see me like this," she exclaimed, straightening her dress. "Harry sure has a wild side."

My stomach dropped to the floor, emotions spilling out onto the carpet like my heart had cracked and could no longer contain them. I knew it was evident on my face; the surprise, the hurt, the confusion, as Madison again shook out her hair.

"You wont tell anyone, right?" she asked, lowering her voice. "I mean, I'm sure people will find out eventually that Harry and I have been...you know. But we kind of want to keep it quiet for now. It's so nice to finally have a private relationship without the world prying into it." Reaching out, she patted me on the arm like a child. "You understand, don't you?"

I stepped back from her touch, jerking away from her hand. She tilted her head in confusion, brows knitting together.

"What's wrong, Kate?" she asked, concern laced through her tone. Slowly, her eyes widened, mouth circling as she brought a hand to her lips. "Oh no. Please tell me he didn't go through with it."

Even through the pain in my heart, her words were enough to startle me.

"What?"

She tisked, shaking her head. "I mean, I know Harry has this thing about his ego. It's so stupid really, boys and their pride. But I never thought he would actually follow through. I asked him not to, because it is just so wrong. Ugh, I am so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice shaking.

Pouting her full lips, Madison reached into her purse, pulling out her phone. I watched as her perfectly manicured fingers tapped on the screen for a moment, before she turned it to me.

"I'm sorry to be the one to have to show you this," she said softly.

My eyes were slow to adjust, as if they were rejected what they were seeing. But eventually, I read through the text, my entire body becoming numb.

Markus: So she gave it up? Come on man. You're not backing out of this without a reason.

Harry: We fooled around last night.

Markus: Finally! Wow, I never thought you would pull this one off. The girl practically hated you.

Harry: yeah, well

Markus: I guess you win, you prick. Don't expect me to bow at your feet or anything

Bile rose in my throat, my feet carrying me away from Madison and the deplorable evidence on her phone. My chest heaved, unable to breathe, my heart constricting painfully as humiliation colored my features. I couldn't bring myself to look at Madison's pity laced face, as I turned and ran towards the stairs.

If she called after me, I didn't hear it. All I could hear were my feet on the cement stairs, my pulse in my ears, and my sobs. I broke out onto my floor, stumbling towards the door, before banging on it frantically. Ashley pulled it open within seconds, concern already on her face.