Songbird [H.S]

SIX

It wasn't until she was no longer speaking to Harry that Marley realised how much her life revolved around him. She'd known him for about two months and in such a short time the teenage boy had wheedled his way into her everyday life. Barely an hour went by where Harry and Marley were not together, they even took turns to sleep around each other's houses. It was a friendship she didn't see coming but she adored Harry. He loved with his whole heart and he'd shown that the entire time they were friends. At every chance he got, he comforted Marley, made her smile and was a shoulder for her to cry on. At every chance, she did the same.

It was now, after a stupid argument, that she realised how important Harry was to her. She loved him as much as he loved her. Harry fucking Styles was the best friend she'd always wanted which was why she felt so empty now they were insistent on ignoring each other.

The day after their little argument, Marley regretted everything she'd said to Harry. Truth be told, she let her jealousy get the better of her in her drunken state. It wasn't one of her most flattering traits but it had been that way since she was a child. She used to hate it when Louis would choose to play dinosaurs with a friend his age instead of helping her with her princess tea party - she would scream and cry all the time when Louis spent time away from her and it wasn't until she reached sixteen that she'd begun to realise jealousy was not an attractive trait. She tried to control it more and it usually worked, but when she saw Harry talking to the girl at the bar, the green-eyed monster living inside her reared its ugly head.

It was pathetic and she knew it. Her stubbornness, however, meant she refused to admit it to Harry. She also knew how pathetic that was. She really didn't deserve Harry, it was unfair on him to have his kindness wasted on an idiot like her.

Usually, after classes are done for the day, Marley would go straight to the art studio to meet Harry who was usually hanging around with Zayn as they pretended to do their art assignments. From there they would either go to either one of their houses and chill out the rest of the afternoon or find a secluded area to smoke before causing some trouble in town. Either way, they would be having fun together. Now though, Marley had found a new routine. The past few days have been miserable without Harry, she'd find herself wanting to tell him about the stupid things she's heard that day - knowing it would make him laugh - only to remember they weren't speaking.

Whenever she felt down, the teenager always treated herself to one of the sweet banana milkshakes with whipped cream their town's diner sold. Since she was little, her Mum always took her to get a milkshake to cheer her up and it worked pretty much every time. Although, at this current moment, Marley was missing Harry too much to really enjoy her favourite milkshake. Every day this week, the teenager had sat alone in a booth, chewing on the end of her straw as she watched an influx of teenagers filter through the swinging doors to meet their friends. She watched as idiotic boys flung chips at each other from across the room, girls gossiped with their friends and guys teased their crushes while she tried to find the words to admit to Harry she was wrong.

Today started off no different. Marley's large banana milkshake with extra whipped cream and a cherry on top was sat in front of her on the table barely touched. She sat in her usual booth alone, staring at the other teenagers her age having fun with their friends while she thought back to Friday night.

She'd left to speak to her brother's friend, the lead singer of the Rogues, as they had just finished their set and she wanted to congratulate them. She'd known Theo since he was ten, he was Louis's best friend and the boy had always boasted about how he was going to make it as a rockstar one day. Their gig at the Cherry was a big deal to the band so obviously, Marley would show her support. Theo liked to tease her and to anyone who didn't know his playful personality, it would look as if he was trying to flirt with her but Marley knew it was harmless. He was like another brother to her and knew Theo would never see her as nothing more than a sister figure to him. Harry always did have a pretty active imagination.