Note: If you're a Taylor Swift fan, don't read this chapter. I don't want to offend anyone. Just skip to the next chapter. You can still make sense of the story without reading this part. But if you decide to read, please finish the whole chapter first before you judge. Okay? Thank you! xx
Copyright © zylgnagnaba 2013
When I hear those words slip from her mouth, something inside me click. It’s like I am switched on to a different emotion, a strong one. Rage is surging to every vein in my body, surfacing to my façade. I am trying to hold my grudge but it just doubles when the camera focused on Harry, applauding her while the look on his face looks awkwardly careless. Why do people have to be stupid and make things even worse? For a moment, I admire him for staying cool despite the awkward situation.
I am fully aware that I look at her sternly as she goes back to her seat, still grinning stupidly. Is she even aware that I am also here? She’s lucky we’re in a freaking crowded place, or else I might have her beautiful face crashed and rearranged. Oh yeah, I can do that. I have done even worse.
What?! No, no, no… Valerie, you’re through that. You’ve done a lot of progress, you can’t go back now. What the heck are you thinking?
I shake my head aggressively to throw the thoughts at the bin. I have long tied the villain, controlling her from escaping inside me. And there’s no way I am letting her win now, and let her laugh at me for being so weak. I have been controlling myself for years now, and every time there are people or situations provoking my anger, I do my best to stay still, breathe out and calm down. But when that witch dissed Harry, I know I was turning to a beast once again, but thankfully, I have collected myself. I never knew I could be this affected when it comes to him.
The look on my face washes out when Rhianna turns around to face us saying, “It’s alright, you don’t need that wh*** anyway.” She rolls her eyes, and smiles at the both of us at the end.
I only let out a little smirk at her and I realize that she’s actually recognizing my presence, so my smile grows a little wider. We all return to our seat and look forward for the next performance, but the struggle I have in my chest still doesn’t seem to budge. I am still disturbed. I don’t know how much longer I can handle this anger, that I know would leave me dissatisfied without lashing out on anyone or anything. But I am fighting hard to keep it in. I know I can handle this one.
The rapid rising and falling of my emotion confuses me too. I just hope that I can distract myself so I can focus on something not connected to the anger I am feeling inside. It feels like I am standing in a very thin line. Once something pushes me to either side, it will trigger me to explode and I wouldn’t be able to keep everything in my hands anymore, rather, in the villain’s hands.
Fortunately for me, Harry reaches for my hand and rubs it tenderly. I gaze at him and our eyes meet. His look is as if he knows me and the battle occurring on my chest. He smiles in an ‘it’s okay’ way, and I reciprocated one nicely. He bumps my shoulder playfully with his and I couldn’t help but chuckle – so I guess this is my distraction. I lean in his shoulder for a little while and I let him lay his hand on my waist in a very comforting way. We stay like that for more minutes. The way we hold on to each other and the performances on stage make me forget about the struggle of keeping my anger at bay.
“I think I need to go to the washroom,” I say out of the blue while still snuggled up with him. He tilts his head to look down on me and kiss the side of my forehead.
“Okay, want me to go with you?” He asks me thoughtfully. The smile on my face makes him grow one of his own but I quickly cut it off by saying, “Nah… I can go with Sophia instead.” I just know what’s going on in his coconut of a brain.
The idea of going to the restroom with Sophia is a little bit improbable for me, but it’s acceptable at the same time. I’d rather go with her, than with Harry.
“Hey Sophia?” I call her; she’s sitting beside Liam who’s just two seats away from me. Niall, Liam, and she turn their head upon the mention of her name and look at me quizzically. I dismiss the other two lads and focus my gaze on Sophia’s eyes, “Mind coming to the restroom with me?”
Without any hesitation, she says “Yeah,” She breathes out nodding, “Sure.”
I smile at her and she smiles back. It’s kind of weird for a little while but then I realize that she’s really nice. I have been nothing but rude to her and I feel a bit guilty, but something inside tells me that I feel this way because my anger is focused on somebody else at the moment. But I dismiss it right away and stand up as soon as she gathers her purse and stands up as well.
She excuses herself from the lads and so did I. I have to lift my skirt up from the floor a bit as I walk up the aisle ahead of her and she follows me. Soon as we reach the hallway, I spot the arrows from the walls leading to the direction of the restrooms.
We walk beside each other this time, and we smile at each other trying to ease up the awkward silence. But obviously, we’re failing. It’s still awkward being with her, considering the behaviour I displayed from the first time we met.
“You know, I’ve always admire your photos in the magazines,” She starts a conversation while we walk along the hallway, and I am so much more eager to find the restroom now. There was sincerity in her voice when she says that, making me feel guiltier than I already was.
“Hmm, really?” I ask as that’s the only thing I could muster at the moment.
“Well, yeah… Even before I knew you were dating Harry,” and that’s when I melt. I look at her, arching my brows in utter surprise. She catches my expression and she nods at me genuinely. Okay, so what now?
I smile at the ground saying, “Thank you,” It took many considerations in my mind before I can admit to myself that I really mean them.
She only smiles and shake her head a bit, “Oh here you are,” She raises her voice softly and I trail her sight to the narrow passageway leading to the restroom. She seems to be intimidated by the cold air as well because I sense her relief when we reached the room finally. It was probably the longest 35-meter walk of my entire life.
Once I get out of the stall after doing something in privacy, I trot to the big rectangular mirror by the sink. Sophia is still in one of them so I start retouching while waiting for her. As I dab a light foundation on my cheek, one door opens and a tall blonde girl emerges from one stall. I couldn’t be more exasperated by anyone’s presence in the small room. Even Sophia’s couldn’t match as the cause of my annoyance when she starts to walk towards my direction.
Taylor.
She lifts the skirt of her blue bodycon dress from the floor with one hand, and the other hand holds a purse. I try to seem unaffected by her presence, but my annoyance just increases as she goes straight to the mirror and opens her purse there.
She doesn’t seem to recognize me for a while; maybe she doesn’t even recognize me at all. She opens the little tube that contains her lipstick, roll it up and lather it on her lips. She pops her lips curtly, and smiles at herself after. I just stand there doing my own thing, while my subconscious observes her actions.
“Oh hey!” I jump a little when she calls out someone’s attention. I look to my other side but there’s no one, there’s actually no one else– except Sophia whose still inside a stall and God knows what she is still doing there – in the room. Could she be talking to me? With utter confusion, I turn my face to her anyway and gaze at her awkwardly.
Look. Just when you try to avoid something from happening, fate plays with you and takes you closer to that something and tests you. This time, I am really trying to be at my best behaviour. But this monster inside me is fighting so hard to be unleashed once she smiles at me, not genuinely I can tell. She seems to be irritated by my existence – so do I – but she stills smile. Fake witch!
“You’re Valerie, right?” she almost squeals, the fake excited tone of her voice makes me twitch. I want to puke at her and give her more reasons to squeal, so that she can completely show me how she hates my whole existence. I hate fake people! I learned my lessons after trusting that Dana. Are all blondes like this? B*tchy? I guess I need to conduct a global research about this.
I nod at her, half-confidently. She smiles even wider at my confirmation.
“Well, hi! I’m Taylor. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She sticks out her hand and waits for me to shake it. Part of me wants to grab her hand calmly, take her off-guard by suddenly pulling her and slam her to the wall. But no, I won’t do that, not just yet. Not until necessary.
“Yeah,” I say through a breath and shake her hand anyway. I wouldn’t say the feeling is mutual. I’d be lying if I do, because obviously, I am so damn trying my hardest to contain myself from laying my hands on her beautiful skin.
“Ugh,” She sighs after pulling her hands and she rolls her eyes, not actually aiming at me but it is quite annoying how she does that. “I would really love to chat with you, but I really have to go,” She tells me in a whiney tone which is more unbelievable. She needs to take acting classes to be more convincing. “See you around, Valerie.” She chants as she walks pass me and waves her hand slowly. As soon as she goes out of the restroom, I sigh and roll my eyes agitatedly.
“See you around, Valerie!” I imitate her last statement, more excessively than necessary, while I look at myself in the mirror. “Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh! Blaahh! Fake arse witch!” I grimace and curse under my breath, my eyes are in its furious state and I know that just by one push of a button, I will completely lose myself. Just let me leave this place without seeing her again, and then I’ll be fine. And I will even dance in victory for defeating my inner villain.
Ugh, finally! I mentally sigh when Sophia steps out of one of the stalls inside. Seriously, what did she do in there? Why did it take her longer? Hmm.
I don’t even have to turn for our eyes to meet as I we gaze at each other at the mirror.
“Who was that?” She asks me as she approaches the mirror.
I look down to the sink where my purse is and shake my head a bit, “No one.” I tell her with a low voice. I don’t want to lash out on her out of anger that is actually aimed for that witch, not when she just admitted she admires my photos.
She washes her hands on the sink, and shakes her hand. She reaches for the napkins at the corner and dries her hands with them. I can see her carefully observing my facial expression from the corner of my eye while I dab a light lipstick on, but she gently pulls her eyes away when I glance back at her. She just checks herself in the mirror and runs her hand to the tip of her brown hair, and that’s it.
We step out of the room after just few minutes and walk down the hallway once again. It doesn’t take a moment when my eyes dart to that blonde witch once again, standing by the hallway and talking to some other girls – two other girls actually, namely Selena and other one whom I couldn’t recognize by name.
The hallway is so quiet not to hear them whisper at each other, with Taylor’s voice being the one that stands out. She is rambling words that I couldn’t make a word out of, so I try to ignore them and pass them as quietly and unnoticeably as possible – despite the rush of the idea of pulling her hair and dragging her to the floor. I am really trying my best here, but then again, just one push of a button…
“How could he possibly like her? She’s obviously stupid!” I hear her whisper with a demeaning tone when Sophia and I get closer to them as we walk. Could she possibly be talking about me and Harry?
“What did you talk about inside exactly?” The girl whom I couldn’t recognize by name asks her cautiously. Selena just listens at them, not really engrossed with the conversation.
“I told you, I didn’t waste the time chit-chatting with her. She’s so stupid. She couldn’t even look me in the eyes, she just keeps looking down. I only heard one word from her the whole time,” She ventures and I see her roll her eyes.
The other girl chuckles snidely at her story, “And what is it?”
Taylor rolls her eyes once again, straightens her body and look down saying, “Yeah, and that’s it.” She motions her open palms on either side of her, shrugging her shoulders. She arches her brows and they laugh together.
Then it hits me, they are talking about me!
“Sophia, don’t you think it’s a little pathetic that you’re still dissing your ex-boyfriend after breaking up nine months ago, when you only been together like, for how long? One, two months?” It doesn’t take long for me to think of a comeback. I spoke the words much too louder to gain their attention. They quickly turn their heads to our direction, their sight following us as we walk pass them. Sophia just looks at me puzzled, and I speak again once we’re a meters away from them in the hallway.
I ignore them as I venture, “I mean, why be bitter, right? It’s not like this girl hasn’t gone through several break-ups before? Hmm, maybe like hundreds?”
Sophia looks at me intently, completely clueless of what I am talking about, and the reason why am I being loud. She answers herself when she leans back to stare at the three girls who were huddled together by the wall. She widens her eyes in realization, and surprisingly, she goes with it.
“Yeah, I mean… That’s really pathetic, right?” Really, Sophia? That’s the best you can come up with? But anyway, I appreciate her effort; she was just taken off-guard by the sudden change in the atmosphere.
“Yeah, I wonder how many break-up songs she is going to compose until she finally stops. Unfortunately, people are so tired with her dramas.” I giggle loudly, intending to annoy the crap out of her— for her to push my buttons and I can finally scratch her with a valid reason.
Sure enough, I hear clanks of footsteps approaching us from behind.
“Excuse me…” I turn around with a smug smirk on my face, and Sophia and I pull to a stop. I look at Taylor from head to toe, and then back to her face, the arrogance in my face doesn’t wear off when I look at her quizzically. I like myself right now. “… Are you talking about me?” She asks me. The disdain in her voice is clear.
She’s a few inch taller than me so I have to look up at her when we come face to face.
I hold the smile in my face and replace it with a conceited one, “Ha? Me?” I tip my back a bit and pat my chest, “Talk about you?” I shake my head a bit melodramatically, oh she’s pissed and I haven’t even started yet. “No, I wasn’t talking about you.”
She looks down at me with her lips pursed in a tight line, her jaw clenched and her fists are rolled up on her sides. She’s angry and nothing more can satisfy me now.
“But hey, if the shoe fits… then wear it.” I tell her and I chuckle, she arches her brows even more this time and gusts of air rushed out of her nose. She looks like a bull taunted with a red flag. Oh wait, red flag? That rings a bell. I don’t know why but the image of the bull attacking a red flag suits her.
Re-e-e-e-e-ed!
Re-e-e-e-e-ed!
Re-e-e-e-e-ed!
Oh yeah, her song. So that’s why.
“What?” She hisses. I am so happy looking at her like this. First meet up with first confrontation. Nothing can make this day even better for me. This time, Selena and her other dog walk towards us and stand behind her.
“Oh nothing…” I wave my hand evasively in front of her, “And by the way, really nice speech. I hope the guy who that was for gets it. I am sure everyone’s confused who you were referring to. Maybe next time, you should put names on every other song…” I spill out every word just like I was just talking about the weather. And expectedly, Taylor takes it as insults as she gasps for air, and before she can open her awful mouth, I interrupt her, “… Oh wait! You do mention some of their names on few of your songs. Let me tell you, they’re clever.” I chuckle again, pointing her playfully and she lets go of the breath she was holding.
“I don’t think whoever that speech was for would get it,” Oh, she speaks! I thought she turned mute. I peer at her this time, anticipating for the next words to fall out, “He wouldn’t get it because he’s busy snuggling up with her dumb girlfriend,” She speaks, this time she has this smug smile on her face. She even smiles proudly when I widen my eyes a bit.
Her words do not even hurt me, it does not hit even just an inch. It’s like I am punching her, and she avenges only with a poke, “Actually…” I nod and look down at the ground momentarily, and then I look back up to her, smiling now, “So I guess that makes you stupid too. Well, whoever that guy is must have a pattern in dating. Maybe he dates stupid girls.”
She doesn’t answer this time and she looks away for a while. Anger is clear, boiling in her blood. But she’s controlling herself, and it’s going to be hard for me to let her channel her frustrations at me. So I provoke her more, I just want her to hit me.
“At least this stupid girl he’s dating now is much more productive than just someone who composes break-up songs to gain sympathy from the public. Do you really have to talk about your personal experiences just for your songs to sell? Ruining someone’s reputation, telling they were trouble, and they’re worthless, as if you never really enjoyed their company once? I mean, at least in bed.” I shrug theatrically and holding out the last two words, making a point. I actually have a point, right?
At the last two words, she looks even more pissed and fuming with anger. Her eyes are beginning to tear up, but she fights it back.
“Well I know for a fact that Harry is great in bed, right? Tell me, do you agree?” She doesn’t answer; this is harder than I thought. “Oh my gosh,” I gasp and cover my mouth with wide eyes at her. It seems to catch her attention when her expression dwindles into a curious one, “Is that why you’re mad at Harry? Is it because you broke up without even experiencing him? Oh shocks! I’m really sor-“ I get cut off with a slap. I hear gasps of the girls around us, surprised by what she did to me.
My face stays still on my left side and I can still feel the print of her hand on my face, feeling the sore. A smile rises in my face when I meet her eyes once again. I can tell she is surprised by what she did as well because her eyes are even wider now and she covers her mouth.
“Oooh, you shouldn’t have done that.” I spit and smugly smile at her. Just what I was waiting for.
Slam! I push her so she stumbles down to the floor. She’s surprised even more when she looks up at me differently now from minutes ago. She’s scared and rattling, her hips are slumped on the floor while her arms are supporting her to sit up. Before her two friends grab her to stand up, I hastily bend down to her. I’m glad my skirt is flowy so I freely straddle on her hips as I pull her hair ‘round and ‘round.
“You feisty witch!” I shrill at her. She fights back but she’s too caught off-guard to even budge. I hear yells in the hallway—from the girls, I don’t know.
“Stop!” She cries out, pushing me away from her but my grip on her hair is too tight, only making it more painful for her.
I hear other sounds in the hallway, telling me that there are already other people in there.
I only laugh at her sadistically. She pushes my stomach, but I fight and grab both her arms and gather them in one hand. My free hand slaps her several times and still she couldn’t fight back.
I feel someone pull my body up, a strong force but I am still fighting to be free. I am not yet even finished!
“Let go of me!” I yell at the guy who is handling me. I look at another big guy wearing black shirt helping Taylor to get up; she’s weak and I am still fuming with anger. She looks at me still scared with her bloodshot eyes. I didn’t know she starts to cry already. But that do not make me pity her.
“I said, let go of me, you pig!” I shuffle my body from the arms of the big guy, but his grip is even tighter than my grip on Taylor’s hair earlier. I realize it’s hopeless. I don’t know what’s happening around us, I am only focused on strangling Taylor right now, “When you say stuff, you better be prepared to back your sh*t up! You don’t know how many girls want so badly to do this to you! Don’t you realize that?!” I yell and pointing my finger on her, while I still wriggle from the grip of the guy. There are whispers all around but I am only conscious of my own sound, and Taylor’s sniffles.
“Hey! What’s happening here?” I hear a familiar voice sift through the crowd. I look to my right side and there he is, Harry, with the other boys following him from behind. Our eyes meet in a very odd way, his is a more worried one but mine still fumes with anger.
“Miss, if you promise not to attack Miss Swift this time, I’ll let you go now.” The guy behind me speaks, I do not turn to look up at him to see his face and I just nod. “Okay, then…” He whispers and slowly let go of me.
My instinct is to run towards Taylor and attack her once again, but Harry who’s approaching now tells me to do otherwise. I reluctantly run towards him and he gladly takes me in his arms, securing me. My body lowers on his chest so my head is on the crook of his neck. He rubs the small of my back and sways the hair behind my ear. He kisses the side of my forehead, “What happened, Valerie? Tell me what happened?” He whispers while swinging me.
“Your girlfriend attacked Taylor. That’s what happened!” The dog – Taylor’s friend—barks. I don’t even need to look at her to know that it was her that was talking. Her voice is too screechy and pestering not to be recognized quickly.
“No she didn’t!” Is that Sophia? My face adjusts in Harry’s shoulder; my head tilts so I could get a clearer view on my side. I can see Taylor now held by Selena and the dog. She looks exhausted and dreary. Her hair is a mess, and the chest that she was proud flaunting earlier, is covered now with her arms.
“Taylor slapped Valerie. She just defended herself! You better get your facts straight!” That voice travels through the walls of the hallway. When I look at my other side, there I see Sophia scowling at the dog, Liam’s arms are in her shoulders. Wow, Sophia is defending me.
Harry turns around to face Liam and Sophia, my back on them. I look over Harry’s shoulder as he keeps me in his arms. Now my eyes are on Taylor again, and she looks at me with dread. I nuzzle on Harry’s shoulder comfortably, and sniff his perfume, and then my eyes snake on Taylor again, completely taunting her. I look sternly at her again in a ‘you envy?’ way. And she pushes through the crowd to completely disappear.
“Valerie?”
“Val?”
“Hey, Valerie? You okay?”
My view is shaken a bit… My eyes are focused in a blank space—a hazy image, my head is light and my body is numb for a while. I couldn’t hear a thing, except the voice that spoke to me a while ago.
The shaking still comes into view as I hear the last voice speak again, “Geez! Valerie…” my eyes gently repels from in front of me and I turn my head to the side. His green eyes look at me with worry and he’s frowning at me. “Are you okay?” Harry speaks again.
Then everything comes back to normal—the crowd inside the Barclays Center, the sparkling lights all around, the cheering of the audiences, everything.
“Thank you so much!” That voice, that voice… I look to the front, at the stage. And there she is, standing proudly, grinning stupidly with the Moonman in her hand that she raises to the air. I blink a little more, only then I realize that she’s still in one piece. Her hair still looks gorgeous. Her dress isn’t ripped, not a scratch—none at all.
I tremble a little when she starts to walk down from the stage to proceed back to her seat.
“It’s alright, you don’t need that wh*** anyway.” My eyes trail to source of the sound, I look down and it’s Rhianna, smiling at the both of us. Harry nods and smirk at her while I couldn’t even manage to smile back, her smile dwindles and she turns her head back.
“Valerie?” Harry whispers as he rubs my hand oh so gently, “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head slowly, still can’t believe everything that has happened. I look down to my lap, with his hand in mine. “I guess… I guess I had a day dream…”
******
Bwahahahahah xD
So who’s more evil? VALERIE or ME?! Nyahahah
And you thought Sophia and Valerie will be friends already. NO! BIG NO!
It was just a daydream. LMAO
I would like to encourage everyone who’s reading this to please comment longer ones. No, I’m not forcing you, but I would really love to read longer ones. I need you guys to be critical on what I give you so I can do better in the proceeding chapters. I know there are still things I need to adjust to. So please, I would love to know if there are doubts in your minds, you know. Ask questions, or something. Hahah
So this chapter is a bit bloody, but next chapter I promise you the usual happy one. So you can recover from this chapter. Hehe
Thanks for everyone who’s voting and for the comments.
They sure keep my spirits up! Love you loads.
Love,
Glyz
PS: This chapter is dedicated to ibanglouis_ thanks for voting for each chapter. I hope I can hear from you though. Hahahah love youuu xx