Cliché || H.S.

Chapter 12

I went to bed last night feeling like I was floating, so when I wake up to my phone ringing early in the morning I don't even mind. The lightness that I felt last night is still there, and I feel jittery to start my day. I answer my phone before checking who it is and sit up right away when I hear the voice. Why is my publicist calling me at 5am?

"I'm sorry to call you this early but we need to get this under control quickly. I'm already working on getting anything with your name taken down but I can't help with any articles that exclude your name or face. People will assume what they want but we're doing everything we can over here." My heart drops. What is she talking about?

"Wait Lizzie, slow down. What happened?" I immediately start thinking of everything I've done the past week that could create scandal but come up blank. All I've done is hang out with my alleged boyfriend but that is the kind of press we want.

"Oh you haven't seen," Lizzie starts, "I think it's best you see for yourself. Just know that we're doing everything we can over here. I promise."

I hang up the phone and pull up twitter, my body buzzing with nerves. The second I see the first headline I can't help but gasp. My stomach drops and tears threaten my eyes, HARRY STYLES CHEATING ON LILIAN O'BRIEN?

There are more that follow:

HARRY STYLES SPOTTED ON ROMANTIC DINNER WITH EX GIRLFRIEND CAMILLE ROWE.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE? HARRY STYLES SEEN WITH EX AFTER GOING PUBLIC WITH LILIAN O'BRIEN.

There are pictures of them together, Harry in the same clothes he wore when he picked me up later that night. So it wasn't Sarah's perfume. Camille looks absolutely stunning. She touches his arm affectionately, like her hand belongs there. I am fuming.

I think back to the day I found out that he got the concert tickets from Kendall. I had thought that if he wasn't careful this would happen, and I would be seen as the poor girl who wasn't good enough. And that's the exact picture he's painting right now by going in public with Camille.

I tear into my closet and grab the first clothes I see, not caring what it is. I quickly brush my teeth and go straight to my car not caring if I'm showing up too early to set. I need to get out of this house, I need to move. I need to murder Harry Styles.

I take a calming breath before I exit my car. Actually, fuck that. I deserve to be angry right now. I don't care if he ruins his reputation by being a two timer, but to slander my name in the process? And to think that I let him into my home? That I actually opened up to him?

I pace back and forth while I wait for Harry to come in, ready to tear him apart. The crew is milling around, but nobody dares to try and talk to me. I hear the traitor before I see him, "She told me her name was Lily Jean, as she caused a scene," he sings happily. So either he doesn't know, or he doesn't care.

When I turn to him the happy look on his face instantly disappears, replaced with confusion. "Lily, what happened?" he asks innocently. He sounds concerned and it makes me even angrier. He sets his hand on my arm but I immediately pull back. My hand twitches and it takes every ounce of self control to not slap him across the face. Before I can completely let go, a loud voice booms through the set.

"Lilian and Harry, into my office! NOW!" Nina sounds furious and I'm glad. Nina is great when she's happy but terrifying when she's mad.

Harry slowly lowers himself into the seat next to me in Nina's office, clearly unsure of why he's being summoned like this. I don't bother to answer any of his questions, I just stare straight ahead at Nina who's hunched at her desk, eyebrows furrowed.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" She points the words at Harry, and he looks at me for answers, but I keep my gaze forward.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did I do?"

"Hmm let's just pull this up," Nina starts before pulling up an article on her desktop, "Pop sensation Harry Styles was spotted during a candlelit dinner last night with his alleged ex girlfriend Camille Rowe, more than two years after the two split. Does this mean that him and actress Lilian O'Brien have split just three weeks after confirming their relationship? Or does this rockstar have two women on his arm? While we can't be sure yet, it seems Styles has some explaining to do," Nina reads.

Harry sits with his mouth agape, at a loss for words. He doesn't try to explain, he doesn't try to apologize, he just sits in shock. As much as I don't care what his reason is for being out with her, I wish he would at least give us something, anything. Nina has run out of patience.

"I couldn't care less who you're hanging out with in your freetime, but I thought you were smarter than this. How could you be so careless? Taking this girl out in public? We don't have room for mistakes like this."

"I'm- I'm sorry... I didn't think anyone would see," he stutters his apology, but all I hear is how disingenuous it is. He didn't say he was sorry that he did it, he said he was sorry that he got caught.

"I don't need some stupid apology, I need you to be better. I don't want you guys to be seen together for the next twenty four hours or so while this blows itself over. But later this week I need you guys out there looking like nothing is wrong. We need people so excited about you guys that they forget this was ever a thing. Got it?" Nina is forceful and I know there's no room for negotiation, no matter how badly I want to tell her that I'm not hanging out with this guy.

Harry nods his head eagerly, "yes, I understand. It won't happen again."

"It better not. Now get out of here, you have a movie to film," Nina dismisses us. I stand from my chair and walk towards the door as fast as I can. Harry picks up his pace to match mine but I keep my face forward, desperate to get out of the room. Once we enter the hallway I feel his hand on my elbow, forcing me to stop my stride. This will be rich.

"Lilian, I'm so sorry, I-" Harry starts his apology, but I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything he has to say until I get my words out first.

"No you aren't. That apology back there was pathetic. I'm sorry that you can't seem to keep your dick in your pants, but the fact that you had to bring me into this too? I've told you repeatedly how important this all is to me and you don't even care. And the fact that I thought you were my friend? If you had actually cared about me at all you wouldn't have been so thoughtless." I spit the words at him, hoping he can see the anger on my face. He stares at me in shock of my outburst. I turn on my heel to keep walking, leaving him standing in the hallway, his mouth hanging open. He doesn't try to chase after me this time either.