The Story of us

Chapter Nine: Party Plights

"Who is she?"

"Surely Miss Grande didn't invite someone like that..."

You'd have thought, after all the public ridicule I'd already endured in the past few weeks, I would be numb to any snide whispers that came my way. But I wasn't. As people glanced over in disapproval, laughing at me behind their hands, my face burned like a beacon and I dearly wished for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

"Oh, Layla! Good to see you - but what are you wearing?"

Positively glowing with malice, Perrie came gliding over with Taylor and Caroline, all three of them arrayed in a different colour of the same flowy, strapless dress. Despite being terrible and plain mean, there was no denying the triplets were beautiful - in a shallow sort of way.

The sight of their laughing faces only heaped insult on injury.

"I thought - I thought you said jeans would be fine," I uttered in mortification. Caroline let out a shrill giggle.

"Why, that was just a joke. A casual homecoming party for Ariana Grande - the very idea!" she scorned, "We didn't realise poor people would be so gullible... but this is just embarrassing, Layla Hennessy. The moment Niall Horan sees you he'll probably die of humiliation."

I stared at them, still too horrified to be indignant - and then there was a shout that took the attention away from me completely.

"It's 1D!"

Just like that, the triplets vanished from my sight and the other guests hurried to the front of the hall. I felt a fleeting stab of panic as I looked over and saw four heads moving towards us; a curly one, two brown one and a jet-black one. Cheers and applause filled the air, and before Zayn could even have a chance of spotting me, I ducked behind a couple and escaped out to the courtyard.

The cool night air was soothing on my flushed face and I took a deep, mournful breath, internally beating myself up about coming here at all. Really, what was I thinking? This was one of those high-society parties that I could never fit into. I just didn't belong.

Slightly depressed, I sat on a bench and glanced around the courtyard. It was a beautiful little area; a perfect square perimeter of sparkling aqua pool water with a cross pathway intersecting it. Flowers and ferns framed the sides of the courtyard and there were little candles along the ground, flickering daintily.

It was like something straight out of a movie. Or a fairy tale. Or a movie about a fairy tale.

Listen to yourself. You're incoherent.

Fifteen minutes later, when the feminine fawning over 1D had died down to the usual party chatter and laughter, I was still in my courtyard refuge but with a plate of desserts that a kind waiter had handed me. Probably taking pity on the strange girl sitting outside, half hidden in the shadows.

Happily devouring a chocolate éclair, I was suddenly conscious of someone watching me.

I looked up through the glass walls, scrutinising the party scene that was happening inside the brightly lit hall. There were still people on the dance floor, some dancing while others stood in clusters and chatted. Sitting on the leather sofas were four familiar figures, and with a jolt, as my gaze slid over them, Zayn Malik's eyes bore into mine.

I choked on my bit of éclair as I hastily looked away, shrinking back into the shadows. Gah! He's found me. I need a new hiding place -

"Excuse me, are you okay?"