"You're beautiful."
"You're beautiful."
"You're beautiful."
I haven't been able to stop playing those words in my head for the past three days. I don't know why, but I need to pull myself together before I walk into the dean's office. He emailed me last night and called me in today to 'collaborate'.
I take a deep breath and try to erase the words from my head, giving the wooden door a light knock as I straighten my coat.
"Come in." His voice speaks from the other side of the door.
I hesitantly turn the knob as I give the dean an unsure smile.
"You're Miss Noelle Benjamin, correct?" He intertwines his fingers together to rest on the desk.
"Yes sir." I nod.
He stands up, offering his hand. "I'm Dean Kumar. It's nice to finally meet you Miss Benjamin. Please, sit."
I take a seat in one of his lovely leather chairs. They smell like expensive cedar wood and essential oils. The essential oil scent explains itself because he has an air purifier sitting on the windowsill.
"So, Noelle. How is Columbia treating you?" His question almost makes me laugh. Now how do I answer this question for the dean?
I huff, "If I'm honest dean, my journey at Columbia is quite the work in progress. But I enjoy my classes very much, if that's what you're asking."
I dig my nails into my palm after I say that. Do I sound like a complete and utter loser to this guy?
"Yes, well I was asking a little bit of both. I'm especially glad you enjoy your classes Noelle, because your grades sure do prove it." He pulls out a sheet that has my name bolded on the top of it.
"You're excelling in your nursing labs. Your reports are nothing short of brilliant. I believe that deserves some appreciation." He slides the paper to me.
I barely scan my eyes over some of the old lab reports he's showing me. My heart sinks at the 90 in Sociology. I don't count 90s as A's. 90s are like the participation points you get for showing up.
"However, I've heard many stories about you Miss Benjamin. Which is why I'm guessing you feel make you stand out here." He clears his throat, linking his fingers together again.
Good God, even the dean knows. Will I ever be able to escape Lethal?
"Nonetheless, you've still been offered many nursing job opportunities at our programs, which as you know, you never accept. We have everything about you in our system but your postal address."
I gulp. "Yes sir."
I fear that if I speak any more, I'll choke on my words.
"One of the reasons I've brought you here is to sort that out," He slides me another piece of paper that has my date of birth, my full name, and an empty spot for my postal address.
"And the other, is to offer you an opportunity personally. Columbia has one of the best medical programs in the country, and I believe you belong there. With this kind of work and dedication, you're going places Miss Benjamin." He smiles at me.
Holy shit.
I part my lips, not knowing what to say. If I take this, I'll have to give my address to them. I'm not sure if that's a risk I'm willing to take. But if I don't, I'll lose yet another chance to make something of myself.
"What do you think? Would you like to take a spot in our program?" He raises his eyebrows.
I open my mouth to say something, but then I halt when my phone vibrates in my lap. I flip it over to read the notification and immediately pull my lips into a line.
New Message from Harry:
Hello. 12:37PM
I chew on my lip and pull my attention back to the dean. Right when I'm about to accept his offer, another buzz.
From Harry:
Where r u? 12:37PM
"Miss Benjamin? Did you hear me?" His voice makes me shove my phone into my pocket.
"Yes dean, I'm sorry, I heard you. I just—" I wet my bottom lip before another thought interjects my sentence.
"You're beautiful."
I clear my throat, "You know what? I'll take it. Where should I fill out my postal address?"
After giving it just an extra 15 seconds of thought, I realized that there's this empty lot of flats that no one uses. The landlord has been trying to get tenants ever since we moved here, and I doubt he'll get any anytime soon. I'll just have all my letters sent to one of those addresses. Plus, it's not too far from Columbia, so it's convenient.
"If you go to our head receptionist she'll be able to put your address in our system. She's out of town today, so pay her a visit any time after tomorrow." He spreads a toothy smile and hands me a sticky note with—I'm assuming— the receptionist's email.
"Good luck Miss Benjamin. Columbia is lucky to have you." He stands up as I make my way towards the door.
"Thank you for all your help dean." I give him a slight wave as I exit.
I shut the door and halt for a moment, feeling like this is all a dream. I knew I was keeping up with my classes, but I didn't think I was doing that exceptional. I place my hand over my mouth, smiling as I walk towards the exit. I push those double doors with a kind of content I haven't felt for a long time. I dig for my phone in my pocket and stare at Harry's texts again.
"You're beautiful."
I turn my phone off and begin to walk again before I feel a sudden tap on my shoulder. I feel alarmed for a moment before I recognize who it is.
"Hey." Harry moves from my side to in front of me.
"Oh my God, you scared me. What are you doing here?" I place my palm over my chest.
"More important question is, what are you doing here? What kind of loser goes to school on a day when they don't have classes?" He stares at me as we trail down the stairs.
"The dean called me in."
"What did you do?" He uses his left hand to cover the sun hitting his face.
I scoff. "I wasn't in trouble. He offered me a position at one of Columbia's nursing programs."
"Ah, I see." He creates an awkward pause. "So where are you going now?"
"I was going to head to the market, I have a few things I need to pick up." I clear my throat even though there's nothing to clear.
"I guess I'll join you then."
"Why? Do you not have anything better to do on a Tuesday evening?" I look at him briefly from the side of my eye.
"Unfortunately not." Is the last he says before we enter the grocery store.
For the next few minutes, wherever I go, he goes. I go into the produce aisle, he's there. I go into the dairy aisle, he's there. I go into the feminine toiletries aisle, he's in fact, still there. He doesn't touch anything or even speak to me as we wander through the store, he just watches me pick my items. He kind of feels like a little puppy following me around everywhere.
I slow down as I enter the frozen foods aisle, finding a familiar face.
"Astro?"
"Noelle! Hey." He immediately turns, smiling as soon as we make eye contact.
"What are you doing here?" I laugh through my nose, looping a piece of hair behind my ear.
"Just looking for some frozen pizza, how about yourself?" He acknowledges Harry when he appears from behind me.
"Oh, I needed some egg rolls." I pick up my usual brand of egg rolls and toss it in my cart.
We stand silent for a moment, staring at our frozen pizza and egg rolls until I hear another familiar voice from behind me.
"El? Is that you?" Harlow's voice urges me to turn, revealing that she's with Zayn and Niall.
"Great, the whole gang's here." Harry mumbles from over my shoulder.
I huff, "What are you doing here?"
"We just came for some egg rolls, we're out. But now I see that you beat me to it." She raises her eyebrows and tosses the second box of egg rolls back into the freezer.
"So Harry did you—" Astro gets cut off by Harry.
"Shut up." He leans in closer to the rest of us.
"What are—" Astro attempts to continue.
"I mean it, shut up." His voice turns into a whisper, and now we're all in a small circle.
I eye Harry, almost beginning an opposition to tell him to calm down. But once an ear-bleeding gunshot reaches my ears, Harry immediately urges me to duck. Loud male voices echo throughout the store as people scream, quick footsteps following. Another three gunshots. Bang. Bang. Bang. All of which cause me and Harlow to use our palms to cover our faces. Harry and Niall tower over the both of us, snapping to Zayn and Astro to send some sort of signal.
"Where are you asshat?" An older man projects to the opposite wall of the grocery store.
Harry winces as if he knows that the man is calling for him. He gestures for me to sit against the display shelves and puts his index finger to his lips.
"What's going on Harry?" My eyes fill with concern and my voice sounds shaky despite it being lowered to a whisper.
"I just need you to be quiet for now, okay? Give me a minute to think." He leans down to me, running his fingers through his hair.
"Zayn and Astro are covering the dairy aisle. We'll be good for another 5 minutes, but we need to get moving." Niall types a message on his phone and resumes, "Harlow. I need you to stay here with Noelle."
"Niall, I'm scared. Don't leave me." Harlow's eyes turn glossy and her lips begin to quiver.
"I'm not going any where without you. Just wait here." He strokes her head, kissing her on the forehead before tiptoeing to the dairy aisle.
"Look asshat, this is wasting my time. Either come out right now, or I shoot this sexy cashier on the count of three." His voice is husky, like gravel is being dragged down his esophagus.
"No!" I whisper shout and lean on my shoulder to take a look at the man.
I barely get to see even his shadow because as soon as I try to get a peek, Harry tugs at my shoulder and repeatedly shakes his head.
"One.." He starts.
"Harry, we have to do something!" I whisper shout again, in his face this time.
He doesn't even look at me, he just continues to toy with his lip and look at the dairy aisle back and forth. Harlow begins to cry into her arms, and I just keep hearing the cashier sob into the man's grip. She spills out things like, 'I have a family' and 'Please don't hurt me'.
"Two.."
His countdown sends my heartbeat into rapid thuds against the walls of my chest. I cannot let her die. She's not dying today.
"Harry!" My voice becomes a little louder.
Harlow's whole face is red and her tears seem to be melting into her skin. I can't think when she's crying like that and Harry's ignoring me.
"Three." That word sounds like a siren blaring in my mind.
I grunt, impulsively yank one of the pasta boxes down. I hear the male voice growl and push the cashier into the nearest wall. She whimpers and falls to the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" Harry whisper shouts back at me, Harlow's head perking up.
"Surviving." With that, I get up on my feet and pull Harlow up with me.
I assume that Harry will follow, but I have no idea what to do now. The man's heavy footsteps cause thunder on the floor, several steps following his as he grows closer and closer to the frozen foods aisle. Harry's eyes dart back and forth between me and the man.
I bend as I walk to avoid the man spotting me. His pace is still slow and steady, not making any sudden movements. But one of his other men start approaching the aisle I'm hiding in a little faster than appreciated. I lean against the display shelves and suck my lips into my mouth, not letting even the shortest of breaths escape my lips. An involuntary tear falls down my cheek and onto the floor.
My heart skips a beat when a hand cups over my mouth. My first instinct is to scream, but when I see it's Harry, my body relaxes. I swallow a hard gulp and squeeze my eyes so tight I'm afraid they'll start bleeding. More fast steps reach closer to my ears, but begin to drown out as I feel a thud to the floor. I dare to take a peek past the display shelves, revealing a man on the floor and Zayn with a peanut butter jar in his hand.
There's a little shuffling before the largest man yells, "I haven't come to play with your friends asshat."
Gunshots as I hear Niall and Zayn conquer two of the other men and the main man runs directly towards our aisle.
"Okay, Noelle. Take these keys and wait by the car. Take Harlow. You can't be here." He hands me Niall's car keys.
"What about you three?" I stare at him in disbelief. My heart feels like it's doing backflips right now.
"We'll be okay. I promise." He places a hand on my cheek. "Now go. Quickly."
I gaze at him for another few seconds and spit out, "C'mon Har."
We shift to the neighboring aisle, getting a front row seat to watch Zayn and Niall getting their asses kicked. She copies my squatted stance and waits for me to give the go signal. I pierce my nails deeper into my palms as the man enters our aisle and notices Harry. He laughs an ugly laugh and picks Harry up by his shirt collar, me and Harlow stealing a glance from the other aisle.
"Now." We both sprint across from aisle to aisle, praying to all the Gods to not get caught.
Luckily, none of these idiots were smart enough to fan out. We almost make it to the exit before I realize the cashier is being held at knifepoint by one of the men. I do a double take at the door and her. I shake my head, knowing this is the worst idea ever.
I grab a peanut butter jar off one of the shelves and squeeze it in my hand to try to convince myself to stop. But I launch the jar so that it falls two feet in front of the man and the cashier. I repeatedly tap Harlow on the shoulder to urge her to move to the neighboring aisle, which is another step further from the door.
"Why did you do that?!" She whisper yells straight into my ear.
I don't answer her, I just watch the man drop the girl on the floor and proceed towards us. He's much smaller than the guy Harry has to deal with, so I think I can take him.
I examine him closely when he picks up a shard of the jar and brings it to his nose, crouching. That's the moment I choose to grab a jar of marinara sauce and smash it onto his head with all the strength I've got. He plummets to the floor and pieces of the jar cut him everywhere on his body. I clench Harlow's hand in mine, running to the girl on the floor.
"Come on!" I shout through the havoc.
She hesitates for a brief moment, but then immediately finds safety in us. She has a big gash from her knee all the way down to her ankle, which leads me to ask.
"Can you walk?" I take a quick glance at the man I just attempted to knock out. He's recovering much faster than I expected.
"Yes, yes. Let's just get out of here." Her breaths are ragged.
We stumble outside and I direct her to Niall's car. Does he have to drive a flashy Tesla knock-off everywhere? This is not the best for our circumstances.
"Okay, okay, um. You guys get in the backseat and I'll drive." I feel out of breath.
They both nod quickly, Harlow offering the girl some water when they're both seated. My breaths are audible now. I pull on the car's door handle and toss the car keys into the cup holder. My arm leans on the door for a second as I weigh out my options. With the sounds of grunts and gunshots, I'm persuaded.
I groan, silently beating myself up for my empathy. He told me to wait in the car but I just couldn't listen, could I? I open the backseat door to speak to the two of them.
"I'll be back in two minutes okay? Har, use this if anyone comes." I hand her the knife I swiped while I was helping the girl.
"Noelle! No! You are not going back in there." She sounds stern.
I shake my head, "If I don't save them, who will?"
"I've called the police El! Get the fuck back in this car. You're going to get hurt and I'm not attending your funeral tonight. Not today." Tears well up in her eyes again as she scolds me like a child.
"I love you." I remove my long coat and hand it to the girl who appears to be shivering.
"No! No! Noelle! Get back in this fucking car right now!" She continues yelling across the empty parking lot.
Everyone fled and I can already hear the police sirens headed our way. The least I could do is get us out of this mess before we're involved in anything.
I reach the automatic doors, but hear the marinara sauce guy walk towards me. I hide in between some beach ball bins for the time being. I just need to get a good look at what I'm working with. He looks from side to side, spotting Niall's car. He scoffs and takes dense steps to Harlow and the girl.
I hesitantly stand up, shutting my eyes to convince myself to not do another stupid thing. But the stupider side of my brain has already prompted the rest of my mind. I shake my head as I gather momentum and jump on the guy covered in marinara sauce piggy back style.
He has a gun in his hand, which I try my level best to reach for, but of course he flexes his back muscles to try and make me fall. He shoots his gun and his bullet almost grazes my ear. I stay persistent, tearing a couple hundred hairs off of his scalp. He screams in pain and immediately drops the gun.
I fall to the concrete and use my fingertips to pick the gun up. He murmurs and faces me. It takes absolutely everything in me to not make him aware of how stupid he looks; he's covered head to toe in marinara sauce, there are shard cuts on his clothes near his dick, and now he's unarmed.
I muster up all the courage left in me and aim the gun towards him. He uses his index finger's knuckle to wipe some sauce of his cheek as he snorts.
"You think I'm scared of you?" He scoffs and licks his lips.
"H-Hands up." I clear my throat.
"In your dreams baby." His amusement continues as he begins to approach me. I don't need anymore marinara sauce on myself than I already do.
"I said," I shoot the gun just an inch past his leg. "Hands. Up."
He trips over his own feet, immediately falling to his knees and keeping his hands in the air. I've shot a gun before loads of times at the shooting range back in Cardiff, but I've never had to threaten someone with one. Plus, I used to wear those noise canceling headphones they give at the range, so the sound of it up close almost made me scream in unison with the man.
"Now, you're going to get your sorry ass back to wherever you came from, and leave me and my friends alone." I step a little closer to him.
He has the audacity to scorn. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, lady. We're not leaving without asshat and his friends."
"Oh, I'll find that you do. This is the last of Lethal." I play with our proximity, pointing the gun directly to his head.
At first, he looks at me with confusion and then just bursts out laughing. His hands fall to his knees as he slaps them, ridiculing my last sentence.
"Who?"
"Forget it. Just go back to where you came from." I relax my hands on the gun.
I carefully back away as he stands up slowly. I lower my gun, sighing as he begins to walk away. But he doesn't make it very far because of the bullet that pierces into his back. I feel myself ascending into heaven when he drops dead on the concrete. I certainly didn't shoot him, so who did?
I hesitantly turn around, my body loosening up when my eyes catch Astro aiming a gun directly at the man.
My lips part briefly to comment on what just happened, but I abruptly blend all of my thoughts together. He just killed someone.
I take a moment to observe his current state; he's covered in bruises, his lip is heavily bleeding, and so is his nose. He uses his upper arm to wipe away the nose blood that's merging with his mouth and lip blood. He shakes his head and quickly goes back through the automatic doors. As soon as he does, another man jumps on top of him and continues throwing hard punches to his lower jaw. Astro lies on the floor for a second, but returns to his standing stance when he shoots the guy in his stomach. He instantly starts bleeding all over the floor in front of Astro.
I take a deep breath and prepare myself to enter the store again. Right as I feel ¼ ready, Harry, Niall, and Zayn start charging to the doors from a distance. They frantically point at the car, leaving me to feel confused.
That's when Harry cries out, "Start the car!"
I nod in panic and it almost feels like I'm running in slow motion to the car. I pull the handle with all my might and get myself as situated as possible. But the realization hits me stupidly late.
I don't know how to drive an American car.
Harry, Zayn, Niall, and Astro shuffle into the car looking more red and purple than any plums to ever exist. I mumble words of affirmation to myself as they all stumble in one by one.
"What are you waiting for?!" Niall's eye is entirely red.
"I don't know how to drive an American car!" I yell back at him.
Harry groans in a mix of pain and indignation. "We don't have time for this Noelle!"
"Step on it!" Niall's words echo in my ears and throughout my mind.
I inhale deeply, screaming as I slam my foot on the accelerator and get the hell out of here. Continuous gunshots fire to the trunk, but all of them are drowned out by my shrieking. I watch the grocery store and all the men in it burst into flames within seconds of us driving away. The police cars pull in, quickly dialing the fire department. I almost crash into a telephone pole as I maneuver the car onto the road. I turn to my left, cursing at myself because I'm driving on the left side not the right. I turn to my right, searching for the gear shift.
"How am I supposed to switch gears?" My question sounds more like a call for help.
"The buttons! The buttons!" Niall points to the steering wheel.
"What buttons!" I scan the car up, down, and around the car for the buttons he's screaming about.
He sighs loudly, "The buttons on the steering wheel Noelle!"
I nod in sudden understanding, pulling the turn signal lever. All of us relax a bit after I understand the basic functions of the car. Why did they pick me to drive?
I notice a U-turn approaching way too late, slapping the steering wheel as I frantically rotate it in all directions. A few gasps and grunts are heard from the backseat. Harry looks like he's about to pass out, his head bobbing up and down as we hit a few bumps in the road. I stare through the rearview mirror, counting heads and realizing there's a couple missing.
"Wait! Where are Zayn and Astro?" Panic rises in my voice.
"It's okay, they're in the trunk," Niall rests his hand on the head of my seat. "Harry, get up. You're going to get a concussion."
He mumbles something through his groans, barely being to lift his own head. The sight of him just makes me wince. His eye is completely black and blue, there are cuts all over his face and body, and his lip is bleeding similar to Astro. I can't say the other two look any better.
"Noelle, you've got to pick up the pace." Niall's head keeps darting between me and the back of the car.
"Why? What happened?" The end of my sentence gets drowned in sirens wailing behind us.
My eyes shuffle back to the rearview mirror, watching two police cars appear on the same road as us. I'm going to go ahead and assume that's for us.
"Shit! What do I do?" I let my fear voice my thoughts.
"Just continue on this road!" Niall yells back.
I scoff, "Continue on this road?! Are you insane!"
"Trust me!"
I shake my head and reluctantly step on the accelerator. The police cars also pick up speed, switching lanes every 10 seconds. I feel like I'm driving with my eyes closed, I don't feel conscious.
"Okay, make a left turn here!" Niall points left.
"Here?" My question sounds like a cry for help. There's nowhere to turn, just an alleyway.
"Yes! Here! Now!" He screams in my ear.
This time, I actually squeeze my eyes shut and make a sharp left turn into the alley. I shriek as I profusely begin turning the steering wheel to the right in order to balance the car. I feel the thuds of Zayn and Astro in the trunk, chewing on my lip as we inevitably crash into a small shed in the alley. Smoke escape from the hood of the car and the smell of petroleum enters my nose quickly. My head falls forward and slams on the steering wheel with a large impact. The same happens to Harlow and Harry in the backseat.
I grunt, blinking my eyes a few times to get rid of the black and red dots flashing in my eyes. Only a couple seconds after the crash, I hear Harry opening the door and trudging towards a tree for support.
Everyone starts exiting, which convinces me to get out as well. I slam the car door shut, observing the dark alley. My heart jumps as I feel someone grab my ankles. A homeless man stares up at me through the dirt in his eyes.
"Just a cent. Do you have a cent? Only a cent." The gaps in his teeth are covered in some sort of fungi.
I kick him off my legs and dust myself off. I dig in my pockets for any kind of money, pulling out a $5 bill and a couple cents. I toss them to him and he catches them as if I've handed him three golden nuggets.
"Noelle. Forget him, c'mon." Zayn grabs my hand and begins pulling me away from the man. I pull my lips together in a line as the man cries tears of joy, yelling 'thank you' until he becomes ant-sized to me.
I let go of Zayn and catch up to Harlow, linking arms with her.
"Where are we going?" I turn to Niall and Harry.
Nobody answers my questions, we just continue aimlessly walking towards the end of the alley. I feel my eyes begin to close as I rest my head on Harlow's shoulder.
I can't tell if I'm breathing for the next five minutes. I'm asleep but I'm still walking. My eyes peel open, hearing Harry mumble a few words to Astro. I somehow manage to hold my own head up and notice that we're in front of a bed and breakfast.
"What are we doing here?" My voice sounds like gravel.
"Hiding." Astro approaches the bed and breakfast with great confidence.
Isn't this going to get us caught even quicker? We just abandoned Niall's car back there, which will eventually lead those guys to us. The house is secluded and secure, it's best if we stay there.
I place my hand on Harry's shoulder and pull him back. "I think we should go home."
"We can't." He chokes out.
"Why not?"
It's as if Niall knows Harry can't bare to speak another word due to the hundreds of cuts around his mouth.
Niall brings his voice to a whisper to avoid letting the girl hear, "We can't afford to risk our location to anyone. That house is the only place that we can find safety in. Why risk it for something as small as this?"
I widen my eyes and scoff. "Small? That was nothing near small. We just encountered Lethal after 3 weeks and you call that small?"
Leaves crunch underneath my boots, and I climb up the few stairs needed to access the door. Astro laughs as if I've just told him a knock knock joke.
"That wasn't Lethal Noelle."
"Then who the hell was that?" My voice increases in volume.
"Some old friends." Niall immediately stops talking as he opens the door for the rest of us to get inside.
His last sentence leaves all sorts of questions floating in my head. I move them aside for the time being, taking a moment to appreciate the warmth of the lobby. The bed and breakfast isn't too big, but it definitely looks cozy. There's a fireplace directly across from the receptionist's desk, an arrangement of seating wrapped around the fire. Astro leads the girl to a couch and offers her some water that's sitting on the table. Harlow and Niall join them, warming up close to the fire.
I follow Harry and Zayn to the desk and clear my throat when I realize they expect me to talk.
"Hi." I spit out.
"Hello." She speaks, still typing away at her computer.
I gaze at Zayn, darting my eyes back at the lady. "I need a room."
"Good."
I furrow my eyebrows. "Um, actually I need three. Can I—get those?"
"We have two rooms available on the second floor and one room on the first floor. Is that okay?" She speaks in such a monotone voice, I can feel my eyes closing.
"Right. That's fine. Do they have two beds or just one?"
"All include double beds with a bathroom and closet." She continues typing annoyingly loud.
I give her a fake smile, breathing through my nose. I turn to Harry, "How long are we going to stay here?"
"Mm. Five days?" His question makes me part my lips.
"Five days? That's way too long. I have classes on Thursday." I whip my head around to face Zayn, hoping he would understand.
"He's right Noelle. Five nights." He holds up a five with his fingers.
I clear my throat for what feels like the seventh time. "Okay then. Three rooms, double bed, five nights."
"I've marked you down." She writes on a piece of paper in red pen.
"Okay, and how much would that be?" I take the wallet Harry's handing to me and start reaching for his card.
She finally looks up. "Your total after three rooms with double beds for five nights comes to about $700."
I slowly turn back to Harry, clutching the card in my palm. I don't even know if there are $700 on this card to begin with. He lazily nods with his eyes closed and his head resting on his palm.
"O-kay. $700 it is." I click my tongue, swiping my card across the card reader and almost wincing when it says card approved.
She smiles as soon as she receives the transaction approval from her end. That bitch just wanted my money.
It's as if she's just taken this moment to acknowledge our current state. "Looks like you've been busy today. Can I offer you some first aid kits?"
"You sure can. We'll take three." I can't take it anymore. I need to sleep.
She pulls out three first aid boxes from the bottom cabinet, handing each one to me separately. Her eyes find judgement as the rest of us get up from their seats and start walking to the elevator. She hands me the three room keycards and returns to type aggressively at her computer.
---
We finally get to our rooms with three first aid boxes in hand, and a scent that could reach the noses of people staying on the third floor. Our finalized sleeping arrangement is Harlow and I on the first floor, Zayn and Astro in one room on the second floor, and Harry and Niall in the other. Zayn agreed to drop the girl off home if she promised not to tell anyone she was ever with us. She doesn't know anything else about us other than our first names, which I don't think she bothered to memorize given everything that's been happening in the past hour.
"Clothes are here." Niall announces, entering the room with the clean clothes he promised us ten minutes ago.
We've all been waiting to shower until we got fresh clothes. They have a gift shop downstairs with the same hotel logo printed on each and every shirt, but if wearing that logo for the next few days means clean clothes, so be it.
"Finally." Harlow jumps from the floor and grabs a shirt from the top of the pile, heading straight for the shower.
We've all been sitting in mine and Harlow's room for the past half hour, taking a breather and waiting for clothes.
"We have six people and three showers. Who's next?" Niall looks just as eager as the rest of us to shower.
"I'll go since I'm dropping her off." Zayn refers to the girl silently sitting in the corner. She hasn't said much, I think she's a bit shaken up from everything. We're all just praying she keeps her word and doesn't go to the police.
Suddenly, Harry opens the door with damp hair and a towel thrown over his shoulder. We all stare at him, realizing he's been gone for a while in unison.
"Where did you get those?" Astro points to Harry's clean clothes which do not have the hotel logo plastered all over them.
"It was in the drawer." He stares at us blankly, rubbing his head with the towel.
"Which drawer?"
"The one underneath the TV. They're complimentary." He still looks like he's about to pass out.
"For 700 bucks they better be complimentary." I sigh, leaning against the bed. "I'll go in our shower."
---
Once I'm out of the shower and step back inside the room, I notice everyone else has left. Except for Harry, who's sitting on the edge of my bed with a first aid kit.
"Where'd everyone go?" I toss my wet hair to one side of my head.
"Zayn went to drop that girl off, Harlow and Niall are showering, and I don't know where Astro is." Harry doesn't look up at me as he continues to observe the band-aid box.
I clear my throat, taking a seat next to Harry. I grab one of the antiseptic wipes from the box and start lightly touching one of my wounds, but notice a cut across Harry's cheek. I don't really know what urges me to do it, but I start treating his wound instead of mine.
He also seems surprised by this action, eventually sinking into it. He winces and pulls back a few times, opening his eyes slowly and observing me carefully. My cuts sting really bad, I don't know why I'm doing this. I blink a few times when his thumb comes to the side of my lip, swiping it over a slit. He picks up a cotton ball from the box and dips it in some healing alcohol. He taps the slit over and over, causing me to pull back just like he did. He holds the back of my head and continues treating it.
I suck air in through my mouth, chewing on my lip to avoid reacting to the pain.
He pushes himself closer to me, continuing to tap on the wound. I squeeze my eyes shut through the pain and let hot air escape from me. Something arises in me and I can start to feel my lower half tighten. I clench my fists along with the bed sheets, avoiding eye contact with Harry.
"Are you okay?" He suddenly speaks.
I half-heartedly mumble, "Mhm."
I don't know why I'm acting like this. It's like something shifted in me in the past three minutes. My hands are sweaty, my throat is dry, and my underwear is crawling up my ass.
"Do you want me to stop?"
I almost groan when he says that. Why does he have to say it like that?
"Yeah, I think I have it from here." I finally open my eyes and stumble into the bathroom.
I pull my shirt over my head, leaving me in just my bra and shorts. I yank on the sink handle and profusely launch water onto my face. This is insane. I'm getting nervous around Harry for a reason I'm not even allowing myself to think about.
I let the water fall into my eyes and mouth to wake me up from my insanity. I brush my hair back with both my hands, noticing another cut on my waist. I take an annoyed deep breath and go to put my shirt back on, but realize there's a small piece of glass pierced through my skin. I look around for another first aid kit but the only one we have is out there with Harry.
"Hey, I think I'm—" Harry abruptly pushes the bathroom door open, immediately stepping back out when he notices my choice of clothing.
"Jesus!" I slam the door closed and quickly pull the shirt over my head.
I open the door and storm out to him. "Don't you ever knock?"
"What's the matter with you?" He apparently noticed my change in behavior.
I huff, "Nothing is the matter with me."
"Then why are you acting like that?" He urges an attitude.
"Like what?" I push the tone back.
"All flustered!"
I groan. "I really don't want to do this with you right now Harry. There's a stupid piece of glass wedged in my stomach and I'm really fucking hungry."
His eyes instantly soften and he rushes over to me. "Let me see."
"What? No." I raise my eyebrows.
"Noelle."
"Harry."
"I can help." His voice is hushed.
"I can do it on my own."
"Please."
My hands get sweaty again. My throat turns dry. And my underwear is yet again crawling up my butt.
I clear my throat, "Fine."
---
"See it wasn't so bad." Harry throws away the last of the bloody towels as I run my fingers over the huge bandaid.
"I guess so." My sentence barely finishes before Astro comes bursting through the door.
"I brought pizza. Thank me later." He carries three of the five pizza boxes to Harlow's bed and starts shoving slices into his mouth.
Harry and I exchange a smile across the room, knowing we're both starving too. We approach Astro and his pizza boxes as Zayn comes in.
"Oh thank God. I was just thinking of grabbing something to eat." Zayn joins me, Harry, and Astro on the bed.
"Where are Niall and Harlow?" Zayn asks, taking in a mouthful of margherita pizza.
"Don't know. Haven't seen them for the past few hours." Harry chews on his share.
Our brief chatter faded and the room was just filled with our annoyingly loud chewing noises. They all continue staring at their pizzas as if that's the only food in the world left. But I allow myself a sly glance at Harry. And in the corner of my eye, I think he allows himself that peace too.
//
author's note: hiiii. i know it's been a loooong while. exams are stressful LOL. lots of updates to come, hope you enjoyed this unnecessarily long chapter. :) see u soon. (i pinky promise it'll ACTUALLY be soon this time.)