south carolina
june 1990
***
Vada
//
Juliet drives us to the beach and seashore is packed. The air smells like salt, and sunblock, and the humidity is suffocating in the best way. We were already almost a month into summer vacation, and I never wanted it to end.
The last few weeks were spent front row at the band's concerts, next to my best friend as we were always the ones cheering loudest. It became a regular occurrence that wherever the four rockstars were, Li and I weren't too far behind.
The beach party was gathered with teens and young adults, music was playing loudly and people were enjoying the hot summer day.
Zayn and Louis are standing in front of Juliet and I as we set our towels down and kick off our flip flops.
"Where is everyone?" Juliet asks, taking her tank top off and pulling her shorts down her legs.
"I don't know, kinda everywhere I guess." Louis shrugs, opening up the blue cooler and taking a sweating beer bottle out of it.
I spot curls down by the water right away because he's hard to miss, and we haven't spoken since he drove me home, and secretly crashed at the motel. The situation was never brought up again, and I didn't dwell on it for too long because it was only a one time thing anyway.
He wasn't really around when I would hang out with the band. He seemed to be busy doing his own thing, and because no one ever brought up his absence, I didn't question it either.
If he was around, we never spoke only a few glances here and there but that's it. I didn't mind though, I wasn't worried about not having some sort of friendship after all of that.
I knew what kind of person he was, I knew he was troubled and I knew I should stay away. I was too smart for things like that to completely ruin my life, and I knew Harry Styles would do just that.
He wasn't safe, no matter how much he made me feel when he was around.
And just as I look up, the mop of brown curls comes into view. Harry walks over to us now, but he's not alone. Walking next to him, is a tall, skinny, and not to mention beautiful, raven haired girl. The two walk over laughing at something, looking like the perfect pair.
"Hey mate, where've you been?" Zayn asks.
All eyes on him, the troubled misfit shrugs carelessly and I notice how good he looks.
No shirt and just blue swim trunks, his torso shows off his tan, smooth skin with tattoos covering spots on his chest and down his arms. His long hair is messy, and his eyes are covered with black sunglasses. I specifically notice his butterfly tattoo in the middle of his chest, and wonder what it means.
"Down by the water." he says carelessly and opens the cooler, taking out two beers, handing it to the girl next to him. "You guys remember, Rayna right?"
Harry takes a drink out of his sweating beer bottle as Zayn, and Louis says hello to the girl.
"How's the music coming guys?" Rayna asks curiously as she sits down on one of the chairs next to Zayn.
The perfect girl has all three boys' attention as they talk about their band but I'm curious on who she is and how they know her.
"Enjoying the hot weather, strawberry blonde?"
Looking over I see Harry standing in front of me now, blocking the sun and then proceeds to sit on the beach chair underneath the umbrella.
He leans back, getting comfortable with his beer bottle in one hand, as his other pushes up his sunglasses on top of his head. Dilated and red eyes meet mine as his cheeks are red from the heat, and I see a sprinkle of light freckles across his nose.
"You're asking me about the weather?" I ask which makes him snicker.
All the other times I've seen him he never bothered sparking up a conversation, so why was he now?
"Yeah, I guess I am." he says "I just mean you look like you're gonna roast with all of those clothes on." He looks down at my large t-shirt and then back into my eyes.
"I'm fine, thanks." I refuse to look in his wandering eyes and instead at my rings on my fingers.
Everyone was too caught up in their conversation to hear what's going on two feet away from them, so when Harry speaks up again no one pays attention.
"What's wrong, Vada?" he drawls out and that makes me look at him. "Scared if someone actually might like what they see?" he smirks, taking a swig out of his beer bottle with his eyes still on mine.
His words make me squirm in my seat, and I know he just wants to get a reaction out of me, so instead of answering him, I ignore his comment.
I look over to see Juliet now talking with the rest of the group, and just because I would do anything to get away from the green eyed devil, I suggest going in the water.
Juliet nods and stands up from Zayn's lap, following I stand up from my spot. When I do though, I forget Harry is sitting so close, and it takes me by surprise. So of course my clumsy self trips over my own two feet and I fall forward.
Straight into Harry's lap.
Catching me with two arms, Harry's hands grab onto my hips, and I grab onto his shoulders with a gasp as my wide eyes look at him. Our faces are close, his breath fans my face, and I feel his hands tingling on my bare skin.
I had a problem with people touching me, I literally felt my skin crawl with goosebumps and felt super uncomfortable when people tried to even hug me. So this took me by surprise that I actually enjoyed his touch, it felt nice.
Okay snap out of it, this guy is the actual devil.
I quickly get up pushing myself off of him, with red cheeks from embarrassment I apologize.
"I'm so sorry."
"No worries," Harry laughs like it's nothing, and he's completely unbothered as he takes another drink from his beer, eyes still on mine.
"You okay?" Juliet laughs from next to me.
I look over and see the rest of the group look at me with humorous grins, and I know that they all saw what just happened.
"Yeah, just clumsy." I try to laugh it off.
I pull my shirt over my head revealing the red bikini top underneath and unbutton my jean shorts letting them fall down my legs into the sand. Throwing my clothes by my towel I avoid green eyes staring at me as I stand in just my bikini now feeling more exposed than ever.
As Juliet sprays sunscreen on the both of us, I completely forget about the three horny guys as they all watch closely with wide eyes. With Zayn's eyes specifically on his girlfriend I see Louis' eyes on both of us not so secretly checking us out. Then I carefully bring my eyes over to trouble.
Still sat back in his chair, Harry's eyes are on me. Rayna is talking to him sitting close by on the sand. He seems to be pretending to listen as he shamelessly ranks his dark eyes over me.
Like he doesn't care I noticed his stare he meets eyes with me again and when he does his lips curl into a slight smirk making my stomach flip.
Louis cat calls loudly making the other boys snicker, my cheeks redden, and Juliet throws sand at him playfully which just makes him laugh more.
"Perv's." she scoffs, grabbing my hand pulling me away from the boys and their wandering eyes.
We walk across the burning sand and to the ocean. Standing by the water line, we dip our feet in, it's a little cold surprising my warmed skin, but eventually we both walk in so it's up to our hips.
Just getting used to the water, Niall runs from the shore and tackles Juliet, splashing me in the process. I can't hold a scream back.
They both go under and when they come back up Juliet's shouting about lost sunglasses and a nipple slip.
"You saw my areola!!" she laughs loving Niall's flushed cheeks and wide eyes.
"Shut up." Niall grumbles and I've never seen him so squeamish.
"Fine, but help me find my sunglasses and go get an inner tube for me and Vada."
I glide my hands on top of the water line and slowly sink my chest down under. I'm starting to like watching these two go at it.
"Get your own tube, short shit." Niall scoffs backing out of the water.
"Zayn!" Juliet shouts "Niall saw my-"
Tweedledum dives under water, beginning his all afternoon hunt for heart shaped sunglasses.
With shades over her eyes and a plastic cup filled with rum and coke between us Juliet and I sit side by side in a huge yellow inner tube.
The music is getting louder and the commotion rougher. The sun is low in the sky and I'm loving every heat ray. I dip my toes in the water and lean back, letting the ends of my hair salt soak.
"So, who exactly is Rayna?" I ask curiously.
Tilting her head back up to take a drink out of her cup, Juliet answers. "She's a year older than us and goes to the state university, pretty sure she's from Florida or something." she explains.
"The boys met her, and Sabrina at a frat party or something last year."
"Who?" I questioned.
"Sabrina. She's like their leader and a total cliche of popular mean girls." she rolls her eyes. "She's kind of weirdly obsessed with all four of them." she says looking across the beach.
"I'm pretty sure she's gotten with Louis and Niall," she curls her lip as she then says "like, at the same time."
My eyes widened. "That's a sick joke, right?" I'm in shock.
Juliet shrugs laughing. "I wish. The boys are unfortunately very unfiltered when it comes to their sex lives." she rolls her eyes.
"Okay, yeah I'm not even that surprised honestly.." I laugh.
"Yeah, I can't stand her." Juliet curls her upper lip in disgust. "Her and her minions are everywhere."
My eyebrows crease "Are Rayna and Harry dating?" I ask because I'm curious.
Juliet shakes her head with a laugh. "Hell if I know. Harry never tells anyone about his 'relationships'. But as far as I know, I'm pretty sure he just fucks them and dumps them."
I roll my eyes. "He seems like a dick."
Juliet shrugs. "That's just Harry. Don't take what he says too personal, I know I don't." she says like she's used to him.
I think about telling her what happened between us. Starting with me walking in on his orgy at the party. But I decided against it, not wanting to play into a situation that was done and over with. But I still remained curious about the lead singer.
"Why's he like that anyways? He always seems so..."
"Guarded?" Juliet finishes for me and I nod.
She shrugs. "Again, it's just how he is." she explains twisting her mouth.
"I mean, we've all got shit from the past you know? But according to Zayn, Harry's been through shit that no one ever talks about because it's just that touchy with him."
"Zayn's never told you what exactly happened?" I wonder. Juliet shakes her head.
"All four boys seem to be on oath about the past. I barely know about Zayn's home life, he doesn't like to talk about it." she shrugs.
I watch curiously as she takes a sip out of her rum and my eyes tilts towards the guarded boy on the sand.
I don't understand how she does it. How she keeps questions to herself or how she doesn't have any at all. A year ago, the four of them seemed to pop out of nowhere and everyone just went along with it. Not questioning anything about them.
I wanted to ask her these things but I didn't wanna pry either.
"I'm warning you though V, don't do it." Juliet suddenly says and my eyes go back to her.
My eyebrows crease downwards in confusion. "Do what?" I questioned.
Her cherry stained lips twitch in a knowing smirk. "Harry's relentless, he wouldn't care for you or your feelings. He takes what he wants and leaves." she says because she knows about my curiosity towards trouble.
"He'll leave you with no remorse. The kid can't feel, I've never seen him care."
Can't feel or felt too much? I raise an eyebrow at my thought.
"So don't do it." she confirms again. Her brown eyes determined on mine. Determined to keep me out of troubles hold.
I laugh. Because it seemed ridiculous that she even thought I would try anything. "Wasn't planning on it," I tell her truthfully.
Niall secures Juliet and me to the shore so we won't float away, which is a problem when Louis runs towards the water with a girl I've never seen before in his arms. Like she weighs nothing at all he launches her into the waves, and she screams until breaking the surface.
A huge splash soaks me and Li, and the girl resurfaces still screaming.
Juliet's drink is ruined, and there are water spots all over my sunnies. The girl who's name I still don't know, rings water from her blonde hair and looks over her skinny shoulder. She laughs at us, and so does everyone else. Including Rayna, who's being carried on Harry's back.
Soaked and pissed off, Juliet and I drag the inner tube back to shore and drop it in the sand. Water drips from the ends of my red-blonde hair, sand kicks behind my feet and I wrap a towel around myself as I watch Juliet raid Zayn's cooler. I drop to my knees and sit in the sand as Juliet sits down next to me handing me a fresh can of beer.
"Talk about someone who desperately needs attention." I am annoyed at the random girl.
With a slight laugh, Li opens up her can and cold bubbles leak onto her fingers. "That's Sabrina." she says, sipping the liquid off of her fingers.
I raise my eyebrows and look to my left and notice her, and Rayna standing next to Harry and Louis. The two laugh at something Louis says as Harry looks uninterested in the conversation. With his sunglasses over his eyes, his face turns towards me but I can't tell if he's looking back at me.
I turn towards Juliet again. "I could've guessed that."
"They're so predictable it hurts," Juliet snorted, cheering her beer can with mine. "Drink up baby V, it's gonna be a long ass night."
***