Deception

Chapter 1

I remember watching the smile fade from his face and the color drain from his bright blue eyes as they filled with tears. Everything seemed far away; the laughing, the snide remarks from my friends. "Aw you made him cry!" "Poor baby!" they had all laughed. No one was on his side as I watched him fall apart. I tried to explain, apologizing in every sentence as he shook his head in disbelief. I had never made anyone cry, my sister excluded, but that was usually over a toy or some harsh words. This was much worse. I had never wanted to take anything back more. And the worst thing was I regretted everything but I couldn't tell him I loved him, I couldn't prove him wrong as he stood up, whispering "I thought you actually loved me".  And I couldn't say anything as I stood there, frozen, the sounds of mocking laughter echoing around me as he stormed out. I wanted to tell him that I wanted him to stay, that I loved him, but I owed it to him not to lie anymore. It all started the first day, and I wish I could take it back but I will never be able to.

97 days before

I could barely contain my happiness as I pushed my way through the crowds. I had always been considered popular but this was my ticket to the in-crowd. It was my first actual party and the best thing is it was the best kind you could go to. Tomlinson parties were always the best kind. He was a rebel and that automatically made him “cool”, but you couldn’t say he wasn’t good-looking either. I saw him from across the room, laughing with his friends. I don’t know what it was, maybe his “I don’t care” attitude about everything except parties or the way he looked. His torso was covered, from his neck to his wrists, with hundreds of tattoos and his eyebrow ring somehow made his perfect blue eyes shine. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it but I was completely and utterly attracted to him. I could’ve spent all night naming every one of his perfections but I was interrupted by snapping in front of me.

“Anna? Are you still here?” a voice chuckled. I laughed.

“Oh hi, Louis. I was just…thinking.” I smiled.

“Maybe you’ve had a little too much to drink…but another couldn’t hurt.” He laughed and handed me a red cup. I was about to tell him that I didn’t drink but I couldn’t ruin my reputation before anyone even knew about it. I put the cup to my lips and pretended to swallow. I could smell the disgusting liquid that was trying to force its way into my mouth.

“You’re taking really long there.” He grinned and I smiled, forgetting all about the cup between my lips, letting it spill all over the front of my dress. The liquid began to seep into the pink material.

“Um, is there a bathroom?” I asked, hoping it wouldn’t stain.

“Just go upstairs, it’s the first door on the left.” He instructed. “Don’t take too long, I’ll be waiting.”

I smiled and hurried up the stairs. By the time I reached the top I couldn’t remember if he had said right or left and I wasn’t going back to ask, so I went right. Instead of opening the door to a bathroom, I saw a boy about my age splayed out on his bed in a Pink Floyd shirt with his nose buried in a book. Before I could back out, he noticed me and sat up.

“This room is occupied, try the one next door.” He sighed, as if he had said it a hundred times before. It took me a while to realize what he was saying. He ran his hand over his blonde hair before he placed his book next to him, waiting for me to leave. The Graveyard Book, one of my favorites.

“Oh, um, no. I was actually looking for a bathroom.” I said, noticing his eyes behind his glasses. They looked similar to Louis’, except darker.

“Oh, it’s the first door on the left, just down the hall there.” He said and I nodded a “thank you”. Before I closed the door, I ducked back in, curious.