Tale of Two

Chapter 8

If Liam thought the girls were pissed around 6 pm, he had another thing coming. It was currently around ten and they were sitting at a wooden table, eating cheap hot dogs and pizzas. Emma, Zayn and Nate were absent as they got lost somewhere in the crowd after lighting up their third joint and trying to find a less obvious place to smoke it, but the rest managed to stick together. It was really dark, no stars visible on the sky and if they'd wandered into the woods, they wouldn't have been able to find their way out. But they were at the edge of the meadow where the red, purple and blue lights were hitting them from every angle and it was really nice, really uplifting. They didn't pay attention to all the intoxicated people, they only heard the thumping of the drums and the soft melodies of the guitars. It was mainly indie folk, Harry's latest obsession, and it was bloody good for the soul.

Liam and Cora were in a very deep conversation about life that would surely be an awkward embarrassment the next day, but these drunken talks were the most illuminating, the strongest basis of a solid friendship. Jade and Niall were making out, occasionally laughing at Harry who was the drunkest of all. He picked up a sunny Brazilian lad at some point and they were chatting like no tomorrow, although the Brazilian didn't speak anything but Portuguese. It was beyond amusing.

But it was time to get up and watch the concert they'd been waiting for, it was time to dance and shout, and that was exactly what they were doing. There were plastic cups lying everywhere under their feet as they were jumping around, laughing into the crisp September night. It was one of those moments when they didn't need anything tangible to feel infinitely happy. No money, no clothes or cars could have made them feel more alive, because standing in a circle, watching their friends' joyful faces meant everything. It was so much more than materialistic goods could ever bring.

Cora was on cloud nine, feeling the whole universe in her body and despite feeling so whole, she was ignorant towards everything, maybe the first time since Will had broken up with her, maybe the first time ever. Nothing mattered. She didn't spare time to think about the poor, the ill, the old, the unfortunate, she didn't give a thought to her pointless education, to her uncertain future. She was breathing, and it was different from every kind of freedom she'd ever felt before. If Harry hadn't invited her, she would have probably been scooped up in her bedroom, reading shitty modern literature, trying to figure out what's the meaning of life in this strange new world, where there are no traditions anymore, but there are endless opportunities messing with your head, making you incapable to decide what to do. You can do whatever you want, yet nothing really makes sense.

But she was here, the fast rhythm of the guitars and drums were pumping the blood in her veins and she barely felt her feet. Liam was much the same, enjoying the music in his own way with his silly hip hop moves in the middle of an indie party, Jade and Niall melted together in a soft embrace, the place was full of beautiful people.

But the most fascinating of them all was Harry. The veins were popping on his neck and in spite of the autumn chill, he was sweating a little bit, dancing crazily in the middle of their little circle. The day before he'd told Cora that Hope Valley was breathtaking, but anyone who was watching him would have thought that he was the breathtaking one, belting out the lyrics with eyes tightly closed, fists punching the air. Cora couldn't take her eyes off of him. In that moment she believed that there really wasn't more to life than going for what makes you happy, whether what you did was being a saint who saves the lives of thousands, or a sinner with guilty desires and a shallow mind. Harry was both, a dashing rogue with so much energy that it made Cora's legs go weak for a second, but then she remembered the time they'd spent together in the blind bliss of their childhood, and it all went away.

The truth was they were only a bunch of very drunk students, staggering through the trees and bushes towards their tents. Cora led the way, shouting unnecessary orders into the silent night, waking up those who had already went to sleep. Harry was behind her, dragging Liam's body who was technically unconscious, showing that the break up with Sophia had really taken its toll on him.