Hollywood and Vines (A One Direction Fanfic)

Chapter 4 - Zayn for Harry

The night of June 18

As if last night wasn't exhausting enough. I had been checking my email all day since then to see if the manager of Westwood grocery store had replied to my job recomendation. I became completely discouraged to discover they were in no need of a new employee.

I'd been searching deep and wide for any place in Malibu that was hiring. It's been almost a week, and every single place I've asked has turned her down. Eliza must have had a dozen interviews since then, yet no one was willing to hire her. Eventually I'd gone to places that weren't even asking for new employees. I was desperate. It was a better solution to find a job for Eliza than risk facing her unpredictable and overwelming wrath.

I couldn't take it. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to get away from Mom, from the pressure to find a job, and breath in the fresh, salty air of Malibu. I grabbed my purse and stuffed inside of it a bag of cigarettes. Though it was ten o'clock at night, I didn't bother telling Mom I was leaving the house. She may have not let me go. And quite honestly. I needed to go.

Shoving my feet into my flip-flops, I pulled the front door open and exited my house and found myself greeted with somewhat of a breeze that tugged on my hair slightly. I drove to the beach front and trudged across the sand until I arrived at a picnik table. Lighting my cigarette, I puffed rings of smoke from my lips as I stared at the endless horizon in the distance. Dim stars speckled the sky as the water rippled gently on the shore.

"Thought I might find you here."

I turned around slowly to find Eliza standing with her arms crossed against her chest as she stared at me unblinkingly.

"What, you follow me?"

"No. I came here with some friends and I saw you, so shut up."

I actually laughed, realizing that the way she exclaimed this statement resembled the way she spoke to me when we were still friends. I expected her to scold me, but instead she took a seat beside me at the picnick table.

"Find me a job yet?"

"Nope. I've looked everywhere. I promise."

When I inhaled, a cool, velvety trail lingered in my throat and lungs. I was in love with this feeling that I experienced with every breath. Eliza just coughed and waved her hand in front of her nose.

"You know that's disgusting, right? I made Zayn promise to never smoke in front of me."

"Zayn smokes?" I didn't know much about One Direction, considering I was not nearly the hardcore fan she was. I've barely heard any of their music.

"Yeah."

"I'd like to have a smoke with him one day."

"I know you would, slut. But you'd better back off. Your other boyfriend already got me fired," she hissed.

"Right, and you're not a slut, too, for dating Zayn to get to Harry," I retorted, leaning back in my chair to shoot her a provoking glare.

"I'm not dating Zayn to torture you. Number one, you have someone else, and number too, me dating Zayn isn't going to get anyone fired from their job!" She leaned near me and stared coldly at me with her mean, clouded eyes.

"I didn't say you were torturing me. If I was mad at you for dating Zayn I wouldn't even be your friend. I don't care about Zayn. I don't friggin know Zayn."

"You could've known Zayn if you met him while he was in Malibu."

"I was visting colleges, and you know that. It doesn't even matter. I'm meeting him on Tuesday." I didn't actually know if this last statement was true. Telling Ethan's daughter that her dad was getting married didn't require that we meet One Direction, but maybe if I was lucky . . ..

She spun to me incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. My mom is getting married to a man whose daughter is on tour with One Direction."

"No," she declared in disbelief.

"Um . . . yeah," I replied in response to Eliza's random denial.

"Is her name Allie? Allie Watson?"

"Yeah. You know her?"

"She goes to my school . . . I hate her."

"How'd you know?"

"I see it online."

"Oh yeah, because you stalk them."

"Hey, I have an excuse if I'm dating one of them."

"Whatever."

"She's dating Harry." I watched as an indent appeared above her brows. She grasped the handles of her Juicey Counture purse so tightly, that her danty hands paled. "I saw it online earlier."

"Who cares?" I made spirals of smoke as I waved my cigarette in circles mindlessly.

"I care."

"Yeah. I noticed."

"I honestly don't believe you."

"What?"

"First, you cause me to loose my job because you're too scared to admit to sleeping with Tim. And now you don't even care that I have feelings for someone. Seriously, I don't even know why I was ever your friend. You're just jealous that I'm dating Zayn and your not."

"You know I don't actually like Zayn that much, right? He's hot, but . . .."

"Yeah, you say that, but when you meet him, you'll probably try to steal him from me."

"Why does it matter if you want Harry?"

"I'm just saying."

"Right . . .."

"If you could convice Harry to break up with Allie, then I'd call it even."

"What?" I swivled to my right, tossed my cig in the sand, then spun to Eliza again.

"And then get Harry to date me."

"Are you serious?"

"I am dead serious."

"I'll only be in LA for a day. That's not gonna work."

Eliza brushed her glossy black hair off her face and smoothed it over. "I know how it's going to work."

"Oh, really? How? How's it gonna work, Fields."

Eliza eyes were glued on the horizon as she contemplated her master scheme. "Get to know Allie. Then lie and tell the press that Allie cheated on Harry with Niall."

"I'll be there for one day. I can't get to know her that fast. The press wouldn't believe me." I expelled another ring of smoke from my mouth.

"Yeah, okay, but isn't your mom getting married? Wouldn't you ever go visit her or something? Harry would probably hang around a lot. The press would believe you."

I withdrew a breath. "All so you can have Harry."

"Yep. You did this to yourself."

"Yeah, right."

"Just do it." Eliza turned to me ferociously and glared. "You do not even want to know what's gonna happen if you don't do it."

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Hello! hope you like this chapter (: thanks for reading! well anyway. The next HAV chapter will be up on Sunday (;

Byyyee!!