Dedicated to... @tanvi116 for voting and commenting on so many chapters! <3 thank you beautiful.
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Chapter 20 *Before: April 23, 2012*
-Hallie-
My bedroom door is flung open and a startled shriek slips out from between my lips. Eyeing my mother's tightly pursed lips and narrowed eyes, I sigh, instantly predicting why she's barged in. "What do I need to clean?"
Ignoring my sarcasm, she plants a hand on her hip and runs the other through her tidily clipped brown locks. "Don't get that tone of voice with me, young lady. Your bathroom is filthy," she declares.
Barely managing not to roll my eyes, I lazily roll off my flowered comforter and walk briskly to the bathroom, careful not to stomp so I won't get shouted at. Although it's painful to admit, Mum has a point. The counter has more hair and facial products than I can count scattered across it. Piles of dirty clothes coat the floors, and the mirror is dotted with toothpaste spit and powders. I chew on my lip, staring down the difficult task. Exactly how I was planning to spend my sunny, sultry summer day.
Just as I bend over and drape some clothes on my arm, I catch the distant chime of the doorbell. "CAN YOU GET THAT?" Mum asks loudly, although it's more a statement than a question. Obviously, she's too lazy to stroll from the living room to the front door, which is no more than twenty feet away. I assume she'll have to get a maid when I move out to attend Oxford.
Not bothering to hide my irritated eye-roll, I storm downstairs and twist the knob. Arabella's tearful, mascara-coated face peers hopefully at me and with a sob, she throws herself into my arms. I stagger backwards, nearly ramming into the banister. I mean, Ar is thin, not weightless. With a few encouraging words, I coax her upstairs.
She sniffles as I softly shut my door, snapping on my pink lamp and settling onto the floor. "Are you all right?" I question softly, wrapping my arms around her shoulders in a gentle hug. I'm actually shocked- in all our years of friendship, I've never seen her so upset.
She shakes her head, gulping and choking uncontrollably, and shuddering with tears. "No," she spits out, squeezing her eyes closed and trembling. "Harry..." Her tear-filled eyes are ringed with red and snot dribbles down her lip. She's seemingly in complete shock, possibly speechless.
The tiniest fraction inside me dances with excitement, but my face betrays nothing. I continue comforting her, pretending the words had no effect on me. "Harry what?" I ask kindly, weaving my strands of hair into a quick braid and eyeing her nonchalantly. My heart pounds and I sit perfectly still, unwavering. Oh God, oh God.
"Harry cheated on me."
I gasp, not because Harry isn't the type to ever consider doing such a thing (he is a flirt), but because he loves Ara so much that I can't even imagine it. For whatever reason, she makes him complete, and his face lights up just looking at her. I'm not sure if it’s infatuation or actual love, but she's his sunshine. It's shocking to think that he'd risk losing her. "What?"
"I know," she replies sharply, swiping at the smeary mascara under her eyes. "His... his excuse is 'he was drunk and she reminded him of me'." She snorts, adding a disbelieving eye roll. "Like that isn't the typical get-out-of-jail-free card. Plus, she so didn't remind him of me. I'm like a billion times prettier."
"How?" It appears my brain is only functioning enough to create one-word questions.
"He..." she chokes up and coughs daintily, and I quietly offer her a tissue. "He was snogging an American model, Emma Ostilly or something like that. It's all over the papers."
I allow that to soak in, shuddering slightly in disgust, but still feelings hopeful pounding at the bottom of my heart. Is it possible? Could they be over? Ar, sniffling furiously, gazes at me expectantly, and I realize she wants a response.
"What are you going to do?" I wonder, sympathetically shaking my head.
Her eyes narrow into slits as she dabs at the thin dribble of snot beneath her nose. Ara jerks her head to face me and I recognize blazing anger and betrayal in her expression. Her face is cold, her lipsticked mouth in a flat line, her slim arms crossed firmly against her chest. "I have to end it."
It's an instant split reaction inside me- half my heart screams 'YES!', the other part trembles, on the verge of shattering. Not for me, but for Harry. A section of me pleads, 'Encourage her, encourage it'. But somehow, I can't.
I'd love Harry to be mine one day, to be held in his warm arms, to feel sparks shoot through my veins during a good-night kiss, to have him whisper the words, "I love you." I'd love to burst into laughter with him on our first date, for him to tuck a wisp of hair behind my ear, to feel his long fingers wound through mine. But not like this.
It takes no effort to conjure up the look on Harry's face if she broke things off between them. He'd be utterly devastated, his heart in pieces, his normally sparkling eyes dull with pain. He'd be broken. One day, maybe, I'll replace Arabella and become the only one he loves. Right now, though, he won't be able to bear losing his sunshine.
I breathe in shakily, mentally preparing myself for what I'm about to do. I've always been referred to as a people-pleaser, preferring to satisfy other people's needs over my own. And now, I'm about to sacrifice Harry's heart for mine. Maybe that's true love, though, not romantic dates or tender kisses or labels of boyfriend-girlfriend. Maybe it's just caring more about the other person than you care about yourself.
"Arabella," I murmur earnestly. "I know you're hurt, right now. Anyone would be. But... you can't end it. Harry loves you more than life itself." The words physically hurt, and I wince just saying them, but it's right. It's true.
"If he loved me, he wouldn't have cheated," Ar snaps bitterly. She winds a strand of hair around her finger and raises her flawlessly waxed eyebrows.
"Unless he truly didn't mean to."
"How can he not mean to?"
I raise my brow, proving that her comment doesn't justify a response. With all the times she's cheated on innocent boys, she has absolutely no room to talk. "You need to think about forgiving him, Ara. You know as well as I do that it's easy to make mistakes."
"He can't just get away with this," she spits out, looking on the verge of wailing once more. "It's not right. Why should I forgive him?"
"How many times has he apologized?"
She sighs, flopping backwards onto the carpet. "Well, twelve, today."
The fact that he's begged for her forgiveness twelve times when she's deliberately ignoring him causes my stomach to plunge sadly. "See, Arabella? He adores you. Don't lose that," I urge her convincingly, a melancholy smile spreading across my face. My own heart is about to burst from the pressure but something inside me is warm, fuzzy, hopeful. I feel... good.
-Arabella- *6 Days Later*
I smirk smugly down at the plain brown package resting on my doorstep and lug it inside to join the numerous other boxes I've received, all containing unbelievably valuable items. A shimmering diamond necklace, matching earrings, a gorgeous red leather purse, several fashionable dresses and endless bouquets of roses. Harry really took my 'If you love me, prove it' text to the extremes.
I rip open my most recent package to expose a stunning Tiffany&Co bracelet, set with rubies and glistening in the dim light. My jaw drops and I clasp it around my arm, grinning delightedly. Really, having a wealthy boyfriend cheat on you is better than Christmas.
My stomach clenches furiously, remembering the horror that flooded me when I first discovered the news. The simple fact that he actually cheated on me makes my blood boil. Especially with a pathetic, slutty American who wasn't half as pretty as I am? Harry was unbelievably lucky to earn my affection in the first place, and he had to go put it all on the line.
The fact is, I probably wouldn't have broken up with him anyways, even without these gifts. Let’s face it, One Direction has become unbelievably famous, and chances are that'll only increase. I mean, there are Twitter fan pages for me, simply because I'm dating him. I've spent more on clothes in the past two years of my relationship with Harry than I did for the first fifteen years of my life. I'm constantly invited to celebrity-level parties, and accompany him to places like the Brits. Sacrificing all of that would be the most foolish mistake of my life. And I don't make mistakes.
Luckily, Hallie's my best friend. She, unlike all those idiot reporters, recognizes how much Harry cares about me, that it was just a misunderstanding, a screw-up on Harry's part. She, thank God, convinced me that it was best to stay with him.
Because when I first saw the article, the blaring headline that stated, "HARRY STYLES' NEW LOVE INTEREST?", I wasn't considering how much I'd be losing. I wasn't considering that I depend entirely on Harry, that he supports me and loves me and lavishes me with everything I could possibly desire. I was simply furious. And I wanted to make him pay. Now, he has. And everything's practically back to normal.
Gazing into the bathroom mirror, I brush a wisp of hair from my flawless cheek, beaming into the mirror. It's incredible to think that I transformed from a bawling, pitiful wreck in Hallie's bedroom back to my gorgeous, confident self in a matter of hours.
'Arabella, darling, I hope you're doing okay. I miss you loads, and I can't wait to see you. Lots of love.' I smirk at Harry's most recent text, which is desperate for a response. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite earned it. I tuck the cell phone into my purse and slip my stunning new bracelet onto my slender wrist.
I can't claim that I'm the perfect girlfriend, and God knows I could be more loving with Harry. Sometimes I slip up, sometimes I'm snappy, and on occasion I overreact. I can't even pretend to be completely innocent. But I'm not stupid enough to be caught cheating. And if Harry's willing to spend loads of money in order to convince me to forgive him, who's to blame? Him.
With that simple, comforting thought in mind, I feel... good.
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So, not the most perfect chapter, I know. But awww, Hallie is such a sweetheart.
You guys don't understand how excited I am about the next few chapters. THEY'RE SO LONG AND DRAMATIC. So, if you're ready for long and dramatic, you know what to do. And if you don't know what to do, VOTE AND COMMENT. <3 Love you beautifuls!