do & die [h.s]

t w e n t y - o n e

Harry.

I keep my head ducked in my hood as I make my way into the building. The intoxication and the neon lights blinding me even at a hazardous distance.

I hover around large crowds and cower around cluttered areas to the best of my ability in an urge to stay hidden, but for the first time tonight I'm more alone than I feel and it scares me.

"Hey mate," a smooth accent slurs over the music and I feel every muscle in my body twitch to its immediate flight reflex.

I nudge it aside, reminding myself yet again that I'm safe and sound as I turn to see the familiar sculpted face beaming back at me.

"Zayn, you scared me," I breathe out and he chuckles through his smile.

"Spliff?" He offers as he holds one out for me and I eye it before politely pushing his hand away.

"No thank you," I shake my head and he shrugs, taking out a matchbox.

"I gave some chick my lighter a few days back so I have to use matches till I get around to buying a new one," he explains.

"How do you even remember me? You were stoned when we met," I remark and a laugh rolls off his tongue.

"I remember everything," he smirks, pointing to his temple as he starts walking forward and I cautiously follow, "skills."

He tilts his head back to get a good look at me before continuing onward. "Anyway, who you lookin for, Luke?"

I sigh. This kid "remembers everything."   Ha-ha.

"For the love of God, Zayn, I'm not Luke. I don't even know a Luke. Who's Luke?"

"I'm just messin with ya," he pops the words before a soft giggle escapes his mouth. "Harry, right? It's just that you look a lot like Luke O'Riley, you know him?"

"O'Riley? As in..Jake O'Riley?"

"That's the one."

"What? Really? I look like his brother?" I ask with widened eyes and he nods.

"You sure you're not a long lost O'Riley or somethin? Cuz this is really fuckin weird," he says half jokingly as the smoke in his mouth capitulates its way to me.

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Both, I'd say. You get all the perks; VIP clubs, free drinks, girls, expensive cars, etcetera, but people like the O'Rileys have enemies so I gotta give props to you. It can't be easy being a look-a-like," he chuckles the last bit to ease my mood, but my stomach only churns.

"Why?"

"Jake and Luke are constantly getting themselves into all this shit, that's why," he scoffs, locking his arms over his chest, "in fact, they happen to be in a heated one with the biggest drug dealer in town right now. Luke gave up on his brother along with the whole thing and moved to Colorado last summer, but Jake just doesn't know when to call it quits. He's stubborn and persistent."

"Oh.."

"So is U," he shrugs and I raise an eyebrow at him, personally offended by the assumption.

"Come again?"

"Unknown?" Zayn frowns as if an epiphany is bound to hit me. "The drug dealer?" He clarifies when my face stays blank.

"He calls himself Unknown so no one knows what he looks like. Not even his own men. They all get instructions from behind this brick wall through this voice changing monitor thing. Jake calls him U," he explains as he leads me through the sweaty crowd to the lounge he was sitting at last time we spoke.