Ignition [h.s]

11

HARRY STYLES

"Why did we have to leave the club with you guys? I wasn't finished drinking." Niall pouts as we retreat back to the hotel. Our feet move in synchrony, causing the gravel to crunch musically beneath our shoes.

"Mind your own business, Ni." I scowl back a bit too harshly. The boys look over at me with raised brows, I suppose that my business is their business too at this point. I pull a hand through my knotted hair, "The woman that spilled a drink on Elise has been following us through various states." I admit much to my embarrassment. I'm good at what I do, so the fact Elise happened to catch on to us being followed before I did is humiliating. Silence swallows the group and Elise diverts her eyes to the floor. The only thing that cuts the awkward silence is the continual chime of Niall's phone as we're walking through the hotel lobby. We slip into the elevator and all gravitate to different corners for some space, but I find myself inching closer to Elise, who wraps her arms around her body. 

Is she cold?

"What do you mean? They did what? Ah, fuck." We overhear Niall's aggravated phone call in the small elevator, his voice clipped and his features frustrated as he drops his head back against the grey wall. I cross my arms over my chest as soon as he puts the phone down, awaiting an explanation. He looks around at us with a careful blue glare and swallows thickly, "The Rivals broke into one of my places in Texas and vandalised the whole thing. Spray painted boxes everywhere, or some shit like that."

"Why would they do that?" Liam kicks up from off the wall.

"Probably a scare tactic—a weak one at that." I look at the ground.

Louis shuffles. "Right, well it's obviously too late for us to do anything about it now and it's too dangerous for us to leave the hotel."

"Can't trust anyone, we should stay together." Zayn chimes in as his eyes observe each of us, but stay on Elise for a moment longer than the rest of us. I don't know why he has a secret vendetta against her, I get she's new to this but the other guys have seemed to accept her with relative ease apart from Zayn, he was acting standoffish to her back at the club as well and it's confusing.

The elevator dings as we reach our floor and Elise leads the way to our room. She swipes the key card and as soon as the boys tumble into the small space, they start complaining.

"It's too fucking small in here for all of us!"

"I am not sleeping on the floor. I've got a back problem!"

"I don't want to sleep on top of Louis either, he stinks!"

I stick two fingers in my mouth and whistle loudly, as though they're all sheep dogs and I'm commanding them to run back to me across the planes of grassy fields. "Look, I know it's small, but we can't all go down to the reception to book more rooms. People will see we're together which will raise suspicion, especially because we're being followed right now." Everyone nods slowly in understanding, though are clearly less than pleased to be bunking with Elise and I.

I sigh, walking over to the small fridge to scan its contents: a few candy bars and water bottles. I take a water bottle out for everyone and pass them around, it's hot out and we all need to calm down if we're going to make it through a night together in this hotbox.

"Wait! I have an idea," Elise is looking reflectively at her water bottle, rubbing her thumb into the condensation before springing up suddenly from the edge of the bed. Immediate questions fill the air but she ignores all of us, unscrewing the cap of the bottle, wandering over to the AC unit on the wall. I hold my breath and hope she isn't about to do what I think she's going to do when she stands on her tip toes and pours the refreshment down into the AC unit.