"That was bloody awesome, cousin! Where'd you learn to do that?!" Louis yells very gleefully as we are walking down the hallways.
"Eh, watched a fair couple of movies and documentaries with court cases so, yeah," Madz says. "Thanks for backing me up in there, Taylor."
"Oh so, you're not going to thank me?" Isabelli asks.
Madz giggles, "Thank you."
"Thanks for getting us out of trouble," Runner says. "I really love you kitties!"
"This calls for a celebration!" Louis raises his voice loud enough for us to hear. "Who's up for arcade games tonight?!"
Cheers, whoops and chatters of excitement fills our group in agreement for Lou's idea. It's a cause for celebration, it's quite enough as we really got out trouble for that one. I know Madz was just desperate to pay them back because a suspension of a week when there's an upcoming game would really kill their playing mood.
Since we've been in the principal's office for far too long, it's already our dismissal time so we can easily just make our way out. We change into normal clothes at first but unlike them, I have no extra clothes so I just cover my uniform with my coat. Madz does the same thing as she doesn't bring extra clothes herself.
I notice that Harry has a black band around his right wrist and I think it's the band from the same restaurant. The print is a little unreadable but I think it's still the same one with the word "badass." I'm wondering why he's wearing it around his arm though.
I ride with Runner and so does Isabelli because our cars are our service so we don't actually drive them. Madz is with her cousin while Micha takes a ride with Harry.
Seriously, I'm surprised that Harry isn't the first to arrive at the mall where we agreed to meet up but I figure maybe he just doesn't want to show off.
The arcade place is wildly noisy with all the kids and the music playing around. The lights were a little too much like the disco but the place is still packed with games for me to actually mind the thing I hate.
The moment we got a heap load of tokens from the trading counter, we all meet up.
"Basketball, ladies versus gentlemen?" Louis offers with a grin at us.
"Deal," Madz agrees immediately as we all rush to the basketball arcade games.
Three, two, one. . .
We start shooting –really, throwing the balls I'm hopes to shoot it at the ring. I have no idea if the boys are good at basketball but they're boys, most probably, they are. They even cut us some slack as Runner and Louis distanced themselves by a meter away from the games and shoot from there while Harry passes the the balls.
And they won.
"We won, we pick the next game," Runner says.
Later, they agreed to pick the shooting game, two versus two from either side.
So it went on by Runner and Louis versus Madz and Micha. I half expect Harry to be really good at that because he's a control freak and has a great eye for speed when times come but I can't say Madz can't go against him because she can definitely be at things if she wants to.
I observe very quietly from the sidelines. Harry wasn't the most accurate but he is fast in his response so Micha had already used three magazines to kill his character. . . still counting.
Again, the boys win.
"Anyone up for racing?" Louis asks and the rest of the girls squeal. Racing. . . not the next thing they'd want to play if they don't want the boys to singlehandedly kill us.
When we get to the racing corner, there's only one game left with two players so. . .
"Which one of you ladies want to race?" Runner asks while grinning.
As far as they know, I've never driven a day in my life.
"How 'bout Madz?" Micha suggests and Isabelli and I agree.
"Alright." Madz sighs as she sits on the first seat.
"Well then, cousin, you choose your opponent," Louis says with a sly grin.
She purses her lips for a moment as she stares at the boys, one by one.
Don't pick Harry. Do not pick Harry. . .
"Harry," she answers and I have to hold myself back from either groaning or swearing out loud. I just mutter some indecent Italian swear under my breath. "You haven't been playing that much, the games are being taken over those two. Your turn."
She picked the worst choice! I mean, I agree that Harry wasn't playing like Louis or Runner but this is actually the worst time to pick Harry to play.
"Erm, alright." Harry scratches the side of his head as he walks towards the other seat. He smirks at me as he passes by.
"Wrong choice," I mumble under my breath.
The game starts and we watch closely as to what is happening. I remember Harry's pointers to me and that's what he's doing, very different from Madz who is a normal car driver.
His hands are in the position of nine and three o clock and his eyes are merely focused at the upper part of the screen.
"I think Madz can win it," Micha says. "I mean, Harry drove a bit too slowly earlier."
I almost scoff. Seriously. It's been months and I'm still the only one who knows about it.
"Yeah," Isabelli mutters and agreement whereas I am thinking, I highly doubt that.
Runner comes up from behind me and puts an arm over me. I laugh a little and fix my hair.
"So who do you think will win?" Runner asks.
"My money is on Harry," I tell him very honestly.
He laughs, "Well then, my money is on Madz." After a moment, he says, "You haven't been playing as well, Tay."
"I'll play later, just choosing the right game." Lie. Honestly, I don't want to play that much.
We keep watching the game between Harry and Madz. It's easy to tell which side is more focused because since the very start of the game, Harry didn't talk, he just stares at the screen while Madz kept laughing and talking.
If I were her, I wouldn't be taking the game so lightly.
It sort of reminds me of the time when I was playing that racing game in Harry's bedroom with him. There's a slight difference of how he plays from when he was playing with me and when he is Madz. I know because during the second from the last lap, Harry starts letting go of nine and three. Suddenly, he's just driving like a normal person, the same way he did when he was driving towards the clearing.
The game finishes with Harry losing. Victory for the ladies but I wasn't exactly celebrating.
Harry flashes me an innocent smile while I keep staring down at him, my arms crossed. "That's very gentleman-like of you."
As far as I'm concerned, he never let me win a game of racing.
He laughs a bit, "That's just between us," he flashes a wink and then walks away.
Micha walks in beside me and says, "Well, that's really something. Am I still wrong to think that his crush from you never disappeared?"
I look around and I'm just so glad Runner isn't around. "Come on, Micha, want to head to the claw machines?"
She claps, "Yes!"
We lost an x limit of tokens trying to get those stuffed toys so the boys had to pull us away. Technically, it isn't a game so we still get to choose the next game.
Micha had her way.
"Just dance," she says with an insanely evil smirk. "Harry, will you please play with me?"
Micha is a goddess at dancing, along with everything relating to it and I've never known if Harry is a talent in it.
The game is simply easy, they choose a fast song and just follow the arrows showed onscreen. It's different from the ones wherein you follow the steps.
"Me again?" Harry whines. "Can't it be just Runner?"
"Hoho, fuck no, dude!" Runner says immediately. "I'm not going against Micha."
I wouldn't go against Micha either. Basically, she's the tallest among the rest of us girls, being the six-footer she is so she's got long legs and she's an excellent dancer.
"I think it would be nice for two six-footers to go against each other, don't you think?" Micha says sweetly with a smile.
"I am insulted," Louis mutters, being the shortest among the boys.
Harry steps up to his place, "I don't even know how to play this."
"Just follow the arrow keys. If they show, step on it," Micha instructs as she starts choosing the song. "Low."
The music starts playing and I can say Harry is totally making a fool out of himself. He keeps missing the steps, not that he's not good at that, he's good with the controls but he can't be good at everything so he lost at the first game. I figure, he's probably still observing.
We laugh a lot about how they play because Micha is obviously taking it easy on Harry but then the next song comes around, she's suddenly serious because Harry is taking his game up a little.
Micha still wins and Harry walks down, scratching his head. He sighs, "If I'd have known it would end up like this, I would have taken the racing seriously."
"That's an all two, ain't it?" Louis asks with a grin. "So majority would be the next game."
"Mehh, I'm sort of bored, can't we just like, head to the movies?" Micha asks since the movies are in the same floor.
No way.
"Yeah, I'm totally down with that," Runner says and these cats are movie-goers so, I've got nothing to fight for.
They choose this superhero movie, which, doesn't interest me that much but still I keep watching.
"Who's doing that?!" Madz turns her head with a glare, looking at the boys.
Louis, Runner and Harry are all seemingly focused on watching the movie so Madz turns around and continue munching through the popcorn Isabelli bought.
She groans and turns her head again, scratching her ear, "Who the bloody hell did that?!"
Again, the three boys that are behind us are still too focused on the movie to be suspected but I know one of them has got to be the suspect because that's exactly what I'd do if I'm poking someone's back.
The one right behind her is Louis, at his left side is Harry while Runner is at his right.
I almost jump from my seat when Isabelli is the on who turned around because I'm the one right beside her.
"I'm gonna let this slide for once. One more time, and whoever did it is suspended!" She warns like a teacher.
No one turned their heads for a while, give or take ten minutes. . .
Until Micha does, "Screw you, toms. Which one of you did that?!"
"Huh?" Louis asks, looking at Micha.
Micha rolls her eyes and turn around again. I lean back so my peripheral vision can take a look at whoever is doing it. . . his arm, at the least.
Before Madz turns around, I saw whose arm it is who had been poking them. There's a black band around his wrist so. . .
I smirk and partly laugh, Harry.
After the small victory celebration, Runner drops me off at the school, alone. Harry is nowhere to be found but I really don't mind. I think he took both Isabelli and Micha home.
Of course, we took our chance to celebrate because we might be in knee-deep trouble tomorrow.
When Robbie asks me how my day was, I tell him everything since he's pretty trustworthy and I've always told him everything about the best days of my life.
"How was your day, sweetie?" Mom asks as I get home. She's really been spending a load of time with me now and she's getting quite used to my attitude.
I smile a little, "It was great. I didn't get in trouble, there was no calls from principal, right?" I ask that on purpose for her to suspect something.
"What do you mean?"
"I did not do anything illegal," I say and laugh. "Nothing, just messing with you, mom."
Mom heaves a sigh of relief. "Are you already tired?" She asks.
I shrug, "N-No, not really. Why? Do you have any plans?"
"After dinner, we could watch a movie," mom offers.
Movie. . . again!
"Mom, you know, I don't really like movies." I put my hands in my coat pocket before walking towards her.
"You don't?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. "I thought that boy, Runner, takes you out for movies almost every date."
I bite the insides of my lower lip and smile innocently, "I uh, he doesn't know. I don't let him know. I'm sorry," I say. "But on the other hand, we could call dad if you want."
Mom takes a while to respond but she smiles and ends up nodding along. She boots her laptop on and we sit in the living room.
As soon as dad's face appears on screen, I start, "Hey, dad! Are you somewhere in the North Atlantic?"
Dad laughs, "No, I'm in the United Kingdom, thanks for asking."
"Ah," I mutter, "The Styles territory."
"That is correct," dad says with a laugh. "But I hear the young Styles is your friend, right?"
"That's right. Enough of them, though. How are you, daddy?" I ask.
"I'm fine."
"Taylor wanted to know when you're coming home," mom says and, well, she read my mind. Even at eighteen, I still love it when my parents are home.
"Maybe two weeks from now, after a seal a deal, that okay with you?" Dad asks.
I nod, "Okay."
Mom and dad talks for a while and then they end the call. At eighteen, I still don't understand why dad keeps on insisting on expanding. They have reached over the limits of financial stability yet he continues forging through.
Honestly, if I were him, I'd rather let the Styles stay in Europe while we rule America, that seems just fair. But then again, my mind doesn't work like his. I'm just a teenager who is still trying to enjoy life and he's the businessman here.
"Taylor," Mom trails on as I look over to her. As of now, we're both seated on the couch both of us holding a bowl of icecream, watching the news.
"Hmm?" I ask, licking the icecream off my lips. God, cookies and cream tastes so good.
"You told me once that you spend every afternoon with the Styles boy," mom says.
"Harry? Yeah, I do," I reply, taking a spoonful of icecream, letting the spoon stay in my mouth for a while.
"Isn't your boyfriend bothered?" She asks.
I take the spoon from my mouth and swallow, "I guess not. He haven't said anything and it's been going on for months now."
"Sweetie, he is probably bothered," mom says.
I raise an eyebrow. "Why would he be? Harry is like his best friend now."
"Yes, but he's a boy, Taylor. The way their mind works is far more complex you and I can comprehend. It's just not normal."
"Runner trusts me," I say, pursing my lips together. I take another spoonful.
"I know he does, but Taylor even so, boys get jealous. You shouldn't take it lightly."
I blink a few times, "Okay."
I haven't really thought of it that way. If Runner really is getting jealous, he doesn't show it. But I highly doubt he is.
"Was dad the jealous type?" I ask, out of nowhere as I remember my parents never really talk about their love story. But then, I remember that they're arranged.
Mom's eyes start going down and I start blaming myself for letting it slip out. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't — I forgot, for a moment. Sorry."
I feel awful for reminding mom of it. I feel awful because I'm the outcome of some inhumane agreement.
"I'm sorry, mom, I didn't mean to remind you of it. I'm sorry."
I stand up and make my way upstairs, just thinking. Will I end up that way? Will I end up like my mom? Dad promised me I won't. But then again, grandpa promised my mom that she'll marry the man she loves. She learned to love dad after but it's really not the same.
I don't just feel upset for my mom now, for me too. I might end up like that.
I lie on my bed with a sigh, staring at the ceiling. What if I did end up like that? It doesn't seem so bad at all. I mean, look and my mom and my dad. They learned to love each other after.
Then mom knocks on my door, judging on how gentle the knocks were.
"It's unlocked," I say and the door opens with mom walking inside. I sit up and give her a faint smile. "I'm sorry."
She sits beside me, "That won't happen to you."
"You don't really know that, it's okay," I reply, my tone quite the opposite of my mood. It's just bouncy and cheery. "I've learned not to have a dream, fairytale life."
True, it's why I don't really like movies or host Disney stories with happy endings, the princess falling I'm love and living happily ever after and such. I don't believe in it because non of those happen on real life.
"That's ridiculous. Taylor, that won't happen to you. You're going to marry the man you love, okay? You're father and I will do the best we can," mom assures me and I smile.
I love the effort but I somehow sense the lie.
Truth is, I've never seen my life ending up with someone. I don't make plans that far. I'm leaving space for the unknown future and I'm fine with the way things are.
"Mom, d-did you have someone? I mean, b-before dad that's sort of like a, a broken love story?" I ask because I've never heard stories like that from my mom.
Mom smiles, "In fact, I did. Would you like to hear it?"
That's why I asked for it. I really want to hear it.
I hug my pillow, "Yep. I'd rather hear and read stories than watch them, you know."
"Okay."