{Chapter 4}
"Are you sure you're up to going?" Andrea said, staring at her best friend in the mirror who applied mascara to her upper eyelashes.
"Uh yeah?" Katie said bluntly. She admired herself in the mirror one last time before popping her lips with her new lipgloss. "I'm excited!"
Before Andrea could voice her concerns, Katie turned to her and grabbed the side of her arms.
The girl was truly beautiful, Andrea thought as Katie looked at her. She had gotten dressed up for tonight and it was the first time in a long time that she looked like the old Katie again.
The Katie who used to wear mascara and eyeliner everyday and dressed in skinny jeans and expensive shoes.
Katie wore a tiny black dress that showed off her long legs. Her eyes were dark with makeup and her hair was loosely curled. She looked beautiful.
"I want to soak as much out of this as I can, Andrea." She said, chocolate eyes focusing on Andrea's blue ones. "You only live once, right?"
Andrea couldn't help but smile as Katie let her go and looked back at the mirror. Andrea remembered the days where she had always felt so plain when standing next to Katie.
Katie's beauty out shined hers in every way and Andrea had always felt so insignificant standing next to the beautiful brunette. She would always have the feeling when she was around her best friend.
"Girls!" One of the boys screamed from somewhere down the stairs. "Are you ready?"
Katie and Andrea panicked and added any last additions to their make up before shouting back. "Coming!"
Katie grabbed a leather jacket from the closet and threw on an old pair of Toms. Andrea slipped on a cotton jumper that worked with her black skinny jeans and tight white tank top. She couldn't deny that she was excited for tonight.
The girls walked down the stairs and towards the front door, where all the boys stood around, waiting for them.
When they walked in, all eyes travelled to them.
Zayn's eyes were only for Andrea, she realized as a slight blush crept up her neck. All the boys stared at them in a daze, taking in their change of appearance, and the last person she noticed was Harry, who leaned against the wall in a pair of dark jeans and a Ramones shirt.
His green orbs didn't pry away from Katie once.
"You ladies look-" Louis started, but Harry's husky voice cut him off immediately.
"Great."
Andrea turned to look at her best friend with a smug smile on her face, Katie's eyes were glued to Harry's and Andrea couldn't help the overwhelming pride she felt.
"Is that a compliment, Curly?" Katie smirked at Harry, who played if off cooly. He stayed leaning against the wall and crossed his arms, tilting his head to flash her a smug smile.
"I haven't decided yet."
Katie chuckled and shook her head as Andrea clapped her hands loudly beside the brunette.
"So, let's get out of here!" She squealed heading towards the door, only to have Zayn follow behind her. All the boys stood up and followed her out, chanting and conversing excitedly about the evening.
-
The responsible, adult part of Andrea's brain regretted the shot's of Vodka she had taken before arriving at the bar. Ever since she had arrived, she had only drank more.
Andrea swayed her hips back and forth in the middle of the dance floor, letting the music move her. Sweaty bodies pushed up against her as she stayed placed in the middle of the dance floor, with a protective hand around her waist.
"Are you okay, babes?" An angelic voice whispered in her ear, close enough she could feel his lips tickle it.
She giggled even more and she pressed her backside closer to his body. She turned around, wrapping her arms around Zayn's neck and smiling up at him lazily.
"Are you okay, babes?" She asked in return, a beautiful pearly white smile formed on his lips as he looked down at her. She began pulling herself closer to him until there was no space between them at all.
Katie was at the other end of the room, laughing at her best friend as she watched her drunkenly seduce Zayn.
"I can't remember the last time she was so drunk." Katie said out loud to Niall, who had been sitting beside her at the bar, laughing and talking with her.
"Who are you talking to?"
The voice wasn't Niall's though and Katie turned to look at the boy who stood beside her now. His hair was swept perfectly to the side and his eyes were a dark green as he leaned with one elbow against the bar, looking at her in confusion and mockery.
"Oh." She looked around flustered and somewhat embarrassed. Where had Niall gone? She couldn't find him anywhere as she turned back to Harry.
"Niall was here a second ago." She said, defensively. "I swear!"
He chuckled and turned towards the bar, taking in the different kind of brews they had on tap.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"I'm trying to order an apple martini!" She huffed turning around to glare at the bartender she had been trying to flag down.
When Zayn had called it a 'Bar' she thought of a simple pub at the corner of the town. She was wrong. The bar he was referring to had been a dance Club, that none of the boys could refuse to enter.
All around her, bodies were pressing up against each other in ecstasy as the music pounded and shook the floor. The bar was crowded and there was only one tender.
"He's ignored me every time!"
Beside her, Harry chuckled and raised a hand. It was almost like, immediately, the bar tender caught his attention and made his way over.
"Can I help you Mr. Styles?" Katie rolled her eyes. It wasn't fair that he got such treatment for being so famous, but he couldn't contain the smirk that formed on his lips as he drawled his words.
"Can I please have a beer and an extra strong apple martini."
Katie looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow, which he noticed from the corner of his eye. He could help his chuckle of amusement.
The bar tended nodded and walked away. Katie turned to Harry now, with a small smile creeping onto her lips.
"Well, I guess I should say thank you."
Under the neon lights of the club, Harry's green eyes looked darker and more alluring. He smiled and she could feel herself melt under his heavy stare.
"That's normally what people say when someone does something nice for them." He said deeply. His voice was husky and she could tell he was already on his fourth beer of the night.
To her surprise, Harry was the first one to pull away his gaze and Katie stumbled out of the trance.
"Looks like Zayn and Andrea are getting on well, eh?" Harry laughed, taking a sip from his beer.
Katie followed Harry's gaze to the dance floor where Zayn and Andrea were dancing dangerously close. Katie laughed and played with her straw.
"Looks like it."
Harry looked at her and grinned. "Should make the next month more interesting, I suppose."
Katie laughed as Harry suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone. A small silence overcame them as Harry tapped away on his phone and Katie twirled her straw some more.
"Listen Harry." She finally spoke up. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, during 'Never have I ever.' It wasn't my place and I don't know you and I had no right to say that, I'm sorry." She looked down at her cup.
She noticed Harry look up at her from his phone but she didn't make eye contact with him just yet.
"Oh." He said awkwardly, and she looked up now, confused. Oh? He looked almost confused as she did.
"What?" She asked.
"Oh, you actually mean it?" He snickered suddenly. "I thought you were joking. Well thanks I guess." He mumbled. "I'm not mad, you obviously know about my personal life considering it's all over the tabloids."
Katie stared up at him, wondering if this could turn into a real heart touching moment. He looked up at her, his eyes cool and green. Orbs staring into her own, and suddenly that goddamned smirk crossed his face again as he smiled down at her.
"But it's not like it wasn't true, just like you not wanting to fuck one of us isn't true." And with that, Katie's jaw dropped a bit as she stared at the cocky curly haired boy in front of her.
"You're impossible." She muttered, taking a sip of her drink.
"But you love it." He smiled. He tapped her thigh enthusiastically before brushing past her towards the rest of the boys who he had spotted on the dance floor.
Katie sighed and threw back the last of her drink before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and following Harry towards the boys.
This was going to be a long night.
-
"Can't we just- Can't we- I just want to sit." Katie slurred, sticking her hands out to her sides and crouching down towards the sidewalk.
Beside her, Niall howled in laughter. "Careful Kat, we can see your cooch!"
All the boys burst out into laughter as Andrea grabbed Katie by the arm and tried to pull her upright.
"No you can't!" Katie slurred back, finally standing up but falling into Liam as he walked beside her.
"Careful, drunko." He smiled down at her as she used his arm to steady her balance.
Who's idea had it been to walk to the bar? Much less, walk homefrom the bar?
Katie groaned as her vision blurred and everything spun around her. Andrea held her supportively by the arm as Liam helped her keep her balance.
"Are you drunk too?" Katie whispered to Andrea, who laughed and shook her head. Beside Andrea, Katie realized Zayn was smiling and holding tight to the blondes waist.
"Not as bad off as you are, Kat." She laughed.
In front of her, Harry and Louis walked together, talking amongst themselves. Both of the boys were laughing and conversing. With her arms wrapped around Liam's and Andrea's shoulder, Katie yelled to the boys up ahead.
"Secrets don't make friends, you know!"
Harry and Louis both turned around, smirking at her. Harry's eyes shined deviously and in her drunken state, she just wanted to walk over to him and run her hands through his hair.
"Relax there, drunky." Louis laughed. They slowed down their pace so the rest of the group could catch up. "At least this was a great ice breaker, you know?"
Niall laughed. "Yeah, I mean Harry and Katie already act like an old married couple, Zayn and Andrea won't leave each others side and I've already seen Katie's cooch!"
Liam and Louis bursted out into laughter as Katie shrieked and hit Niall playfully in the arm.
"We're almost home." Zayn said thoughtfully. Katie had no idea where she was. Suddenly she felt even more drunk than she had been when she had left the bar.
"I can't walk anymore." She sighed, unraveling her arms from behind Liam and Andrea's heads. With that, she sank to the sidewalk.
"Katie." Andrea whined. "Come on, we're almost home."
But Katie wouldn't budge.
Katie watched as a pair of white converse walked up to her. She looked up to find Harry hovering over her. He had probably drank the same she had, but he wasn't as drunk as she was.
"Katie, let's go." He said, offering his hand to her her up. She pouted and crossed her arms across her chest.
"No."
"Katie-"
"No."
Harry groaned, looking around at everyone else who stood tiredly around the brunette who refused to move.
"That's it." Harry sighed, reaching down towards Katie. To her surprise she felt his big arms wrap around her torso and before she knew it she was being flung over his shoulder.
"Harry Styles, put me down!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. She was hanging upside down and had the perfect view of his ass in her face. "Harry I'm wearing a dress!"
He huffed as everyone kept walking. "It's not like everyone isn't going to see what's hidden under there by the end of the month anyway."
With that, she hit him hard on the back, but he didn't even flinch.
The whole walk back was silent as Katie's eyes grew heavy and finally gave into the unconsciousness that engulfed her.
-
Katie woke up dazed.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the bedroom as she took in the unfamiliar bed she was lying in. Her head spun as she sat up straight and a flood of memories came back from the night before.
The moon shone through the window of her bedroom which made her aware that she must have only passed out for a few hours.
With a sudden jolt of energy and clarity from her hazy state, she jumped out of bed, realizing she was still wearing her dress from the bar. She could smell the alcohol that seemed to cling to the dress as she stripped it off and searched through her suitcase for a pair of clean clothes.
She grabbed a plain black t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts and slid them on before opening her bedroom door and peaking outside in the hallway.
It was obvious that everyone was already in bed. The hallway was dark and silent as Katie tip toed down the hall and towards the stairs, where she tried to be as silent as she could.
Her bare feet padded across the stone tile and into the kitchen, where she searched the cupboard for her prescription pills. Even in the haziest of states, Katie knew she always had to take her pills. It had been a constant routine since she was 15.
She grabbed two of the bottles that she had put away in the cupboard this morning. She picked up the orange bottle and unscrewed the lid and shaking out 2 round tablets into her hand.
"Katie?"
Out of surprise Katie gasped and whipped around in spot to find a very tired looking Louis leaning against the kitchen table, staring at her in confusion.
"Lou!" She huffed, a hand clutching her chest. "You scared me!"
He gave her an apologetic smile before his eyes landed on the bottle and pills in her hand. "What are you doing?"
Katie's eyes dropped to the tablets in her hand. "Oh, I just uh-"
Louis laughed and walked towards her, taking a look at the horse-pills she held in her palm. "Those aren't Tylenol." He chuckled. "What are they for?"
Katie didn't know what to say. She couldn't just come out and say 'Oh well, Louis, you see, these are the pills that keep me from not throwing up blood every hour and keep my bones from buckling from under me. That's what they're for!'
She knew she had to lie to him.
"They're uh- They're just these pills I take for my head." She shrugged it off, playing it cool. "I get these- bad migraines and stuff."
Louis gave her a small smile, and she wondered if he believed her. The way he looked at her didn't say much but he didn't press it.
"Anyway, I'm going to bed." He murmured, turning around with a water bottle in his hands. "Just came to grab this."
She nodded and watched him as he turned to walk towards the stairs. "Louis, how did we get home? I don't remember going to bed." She chuckled gently.
He smirked at her from over his shoulder. "Yeah, you wouldn't. You passed out on Harry's shoulder and he put you to bed."
"Harry?!" Katie asked with wide eyes. Louis' smile grew larger.
"Yeah, the kid needed to make sure you were safe and sound I guess."
And with that Louis turned and left the room, leaving Katie alone with her pills in her hand and a swarm of aggressive butterflies knocking around in her stomach.