Snapshot » l.t.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18


Louis' POV


Renee showed me her bum side. Yay. But truthfully, it wasn't all that bad. Her football jersey was cool, and she has good chocolate and soda taste. She was pretty good at video games, and she was still pretty without makeup on.

I was so glad she forgave me. I meant everything I said. I didn't hate Renee for "giving me a hard time". It was understandable. I probably would've acted the same way she did, just less... girly-like.

I didn't know what to wear. I wanted to hang out with Renee again, but I wasn't sure if we were going out in public or staying inside again. She had obviously enjoyed herself, and I had, too. I really do believe that if I hadn't caused any of this, we would actually be friends.

I didn't want to seem too dressy, but I didn't want to look like a total hobo, either. Wait, since when did I care about what Renee thought of me?

I grinned at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I always got that crazy look on my face when I saw my reflection. I had been in there for quite a while, and I felt a bit like Zayn.

"Louis!" someone yelled from the outside. "You've been in there all morning! What are you doing in there?!"

"Staring at the sexiness that is me," I replied.

"Oh, stop it," my reflection said modestly.

"It's true!"

"Louis!" another voice shouted. "Stop Zayning and get out here!"

"Offensive!" Zayn, the first voice, cried and I heard the sounds of what could be a wrestling match outside.

"Gotta go, hot stuff," I smirked, and laughed at myself.

"Be back soon."

"Of course I will."

Then I left the bathroom.

I stared at Harry and Zayn on the floor. "Finally!" Zayn sighed and pushed Harry off of him. "Now I can go shower!" He hopped up and sprinted inside, slamming and locking the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Harry and I asked at the same time. I shrugged. "Who knows with Zayn?" I said.

"I wasn't talking about Zayn. I was talking about you talking to yourself."

"What?" I asked defensively. "Zayn does it all the time. Why can't I?"

"Because you're you," he retorted, and I rolled my eyes. "So, care to finally explain why you were out late last night?"

I avoided Harry's patronizing gaze. The truth was, I hadn't told the boys why I was out so late. I didn't really want to tell them, either. They--especially Harry--would tease me and go on and on about how they told me so. And I wasn't really up for that.

"Um," I muttered, trying to think of something fast. "I was just out... shopping?" It sounded like a question.

"Shopping?" Harry echoed doubtfully. He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, shopping," I insisted.

"What did you buy?"

"Nothing. I didn't see anything I fancied. Then I had some dinner at some restaurant and came back here."

"You're not much of a shopper, Louis," Harry said. I rolled my eyes again. "I think I already know that," I said. "I was just bored, and I didn't want you guys pestering me anymore."

"So I take it Renee rejected you again?"

I bit my lip. I wanted to blurt out "No!" really excitedly, but I didn't. I wasn't lying to them, I was just... holding off the truth. I would tell them soon enough.

"Yeah," I forced out. Harry smirked at me. "Well, keep trying," he said. "Or #LouisIsAPrettyLittleLover will be trending on Twitter."

"I hate you," I scowled. Harry chuckled and patted my head. "You know you love me," he said. I brushed his hand away.

"I have a very important question to ask you," I said solemnly. Harry straightened. "It could make or break my future."

"What is it?" Harry asked, a serious look on his face. It looked so out of place. Haha, that rhymed! I am soo good!

"Do you think I should be wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants instead?" I asked.

Harry blinked, then stared at me. Then he burst out laughing. "What kind of stupid question is that?" he shouted. I thought over my question. Yeah, I guess it did sound kind of stupid.

"It's not funny, Harry!" I said sharply. "This is a serious question!"

"Oh, yeah, totally!" he gasped out. "Sweatpants could really ruin your life! What do you plan on doing today, hang out with the hobos?"

"Offensive," I muttered, and pouted until Harry stopped laughing. "Ah, sorry, mate," he sighed. "Does my boobear need a hug?" He hugged me without waiting for my permission.

"But seriously, what's so important about that stupid question?" Harry asked. I couldn't very well tell him without ruining my secret-ish friendship-ish relationship with Renee. So I just mumbled, "Forget it. I'm going out."

"With who?" he immediately asked, and I face-palmed. "Nobody," I sighed. "I'm just going out in public for a day. Don't wait up."

"You're going out in public like that?" Harry asked, gesturing to my outfit.

"And you tell me to stop being gay," I smirked, and he punched my shoulder.

"I look fine. Bye, boobear!" I shouted over my shoulder as I ran out of the flat.

"Bye! Be sure to stop by--" I slammed the door shut before he could finish. Bwahaha.


*~*~*~*


As I pulled up to park at Renee's flat, I suddenly thought of something she said. She had said that no way in hell would she ever give me her number. Well, why not? It would be better than me showing up unexpectedly. Which I was doing all the time. And look at how that turned out.

I went inside the elevator and one minute and thirty seconds later I was standing outside Renee's door. I knocked.

"Who is it?" she called. I noticed she never did that. She either looked through the peephole or swung the door open. Well, lesson learned.

"It's Elise," I called in a high-pitched voice.

"Elise doesn't sound constipated. I'm coming, Louis."

I rolled my eyes and waited patiently. Ten seconds later Renee finally opened the door.

She had cleaned up. I don't know how she was doing it, but her clothes were matching again. She was wearing a pink sweater with blue skinny jeans and flats. Her hair was brushed and drawn over one shoulder. She even had a small amount of makeup on. She looked stunning. Whoa, did I just call Renee stunning?

"Um, Earth to Louis!" Renee said loudly and snapped her fingers in my face. I jumped a little. "Uh?" I asked, blinking. She smirked. "You were staring off into space," she said. "Are you gonna come in or what?"

"You know, I never would have thought those words would come out of your mouth," I told her as I walked past.

"Me neither," she admitted. "Strange what a violent video game can do to two people who hate each other, huh?" I chuckled.

But then I frowned. "Wait, I don't hate you," I reminded her. "And you forgave me. Do you still hate me?"

Renee looked confused for a moment, then she seemed to realize what I was talking about. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Not... really. In all honestly, I don't think I can say that I like you. So far, you're just... a person I know."

I nodded. Good choice of words. That sounded about right.

"So what's up, Tomlinson?" Renee asked. I also noticed that she liked to say my last name. At least, that was twice now.

"What's your last name?" I asked, probably sounding out of the blue to her. Her brow creased. "Um, I'm not telling you," she retorted.

"But you use my last name all the time."

"It's a formality. What's wrong with calling me Renee?"

"Nothing."

"Then stick with it."

She's weird, I immediately thought. But then again, so am I. I shouldn't be one to judge people.

"So," she persisted. "What's up?"

"You do remember what I said yesterday," I prompted. It wasn't really a question.

"Of course," she replied. "That one thing about getting to know each other better. What about it?"

I rolled my eyes and she laughed. "I'm kidding," she said. "The only requirement is we don't stay in my flat all day like last time. And we don't spend much money."

"Um, okay?" I said in confusion. "So then we are going out in pubic?" She nodded. At that moment I felt relieved about what I was wearing.

"Where to?" Renee asked as we left her flat. I shrugged. "I dunno," I said. "Somewhere... fun?"

"Thanks for the help," she said sarcastically.

"Well, what do you do for fun?" I asked her. She looked thoughtful. "I don't really know," she said. "I usually took photos but not...." Her voice faded away, and I looked away from her. I felt the old guilt returning. It was easy to forget that Renee was color-blind.

She cleared her throat. "Um, I do like to go swimming," she listed off. "And listen to music." She frowned. "But I think I'm going deaf in my left ear," she added nervously.

"Listening to music late at night does that to you," I said. "So does listening to thousands of fans screaming at you and music booming from speakers. I feel like I'm going deaf sometimes."

"It's terrifying, isn't it?" Renee murmured. I nodded. "I reckon by the time I'm fifty I'll be completely deaf," I said.

"Me too," she said. "But it's not my fault my earbuds are practically my life-saver!" I cracked a small smile.

"So, I'm guessing music won't be an option," I said. "And not swimming, either. I really don't feel like running back to my flat to grab my swimming trunks."

"Agreed," Renee said. "This is your one shot. Don't blow it." Well, that didn't add pressure at all.

"We should just walk around and see what we find," Renee suggested. I shrugged. "Good enough for me," I said.

We walked down the sidewalk and turned right, towards the city. "What sorts of music do you like?" I asked Renee as an attempt to start a conversation.

"Kelly Clarkson and The Fray," she replied. "What about you?"

"I like Ed Sheeran and The Fray," I said. "I haven't listened to Kelly Clarkson much, so I can't say that I like her. Do you like Ed?"

To my surprise, she wrinkled her nose slightly and shook her head. "Call me a hater," she said. "But I feel like the only girl in this world who doesn't like Ed Sheeran."

"Course you are!" I exclaimed. "You're a crazy bitch! How do you not like Ed Sheeran?"

She laughed, once again surprising me. "I just don't," she said. "His music's not my type. Although I have to say his lyrics are pretty sweet."

"They are," I agreed.

Renee pulled out her iPod and a pair of earbuds. "Tuning me out already?" I joked. She shook her head. "I've already listened to Ed's music," she said. "And The Fray, quite obviously. But I'm going to make you listen to Kelly and bow down to her heavenliness."

"Uh huh," I said, as she plugged in her earbuds. "Is heavenliness even a word?"

"Yep," she chirped. "Look it up." She shoved the earbuds in my ears and I readjusted them. "There's a little volume control thingy attached to the cord if it's too loud," she told me. "Prepare yourself."

Music flooded into my ears. I didn't need to adjust the volume. I listened to it. After a while I figured the name of the song was called "Stronger". I had to admit, this Kelly person wasn't totally awful.

"So?" Renee asked eagerly after I took the earbuds out. "How'd you like it?"

"Not bad," I said. "But not great."

She gasped. "You take that back!" she cried. "Kelly's a music goddess!"

I smirked at her. "Make me!" I laughed and ran off.

"Louis!" she screamed, and when I glanced back she was sprinting after me.

I had to take a break soon, though. I wasn't fit like Harry. Renee pushed into me on purpose and I stumbled. "That's what you get," she huffed.

"I didn't try to kill you when you told me you didn't like Ed Sheeran," I pointed out.

"That's different."

I rolled my eyes. Sure it is. We went back to walking.

"I also like to draw and paint," Renee said. "I just remembered that." She shot me a look that was close to a glare. "But I can't do either of those anymore also."

"Okay," I said, stopping and facing her. "You say you forgive me, but it seems to me you still hold a grudge. So, what's up?"

She looked indignant for a moment before sighing in consent. "I don't know," she admitted. "I had fun not hating on you for once. But you wanna know the real reason why I invited you into my flat?"

"What reason?"

"Truth is, I just wanted to punch your avatar to oblivion."

I stared at her. "Violent much?" I scowled.

"I'm not a violent person!" Renee exclaimed. "I don't usually hold grudges either, but this is different! It's like going deaf: once it's gone, you can never get it back. Same with my eyes. I'm color-blind, Louis. I won't be able to see color ever again."

"And I know that," I said weakly. "And I get that it's probably hard for you to move on--"

"Move on?" she shrilled. "How am I supposed to move on from that? Here, let me give you an example: Let's say you've suddenly gone deaf from all of your booming speakers and screaming fans, yeah? Now this means you won't be able to perform ever again. You have to give up what you love doing most. How would you be able to move on from that?"

I winced. My worst nightmare. It's occurred to me before.

"Now imagine that it's my fault you're deaf," Renee continued. "Somehow I managed to explode your eardrums. How would that make you feel?"

I didn't want to answer. Both Renee and I knew the answer to that one.

"Exactly," she hissed. "So you're lucky I had fun with you. You're lucky I invited you into my flat without using my crowbar on you. You had your chance, Louis, and now guess what? You've just blown it." She stomped off.

I felt a little weak from her words. They hurt. And were surprisingly true. I would never be able to forgive Renee if she took my career away from me.

But what she went through was different! She wasn't famous. She wasn't all that important like I was.

I froze. Oh my gosh, I sounded so selfish.

"Renee, wait!" I called but she ignored me. Her earbuds swung from her fist. Her shoulders were hunched. She was pissed.

I caught up to her and spun her around. "What?" she spat, and I saw that her eyes were glassy. She was struggling not to cry. I instantly felt bad.

"I'm truly, really, very sorry for what happened," I said. "I regret everything. I wish it had never happened. I wish I could do something about it."

"But you can't change the past," she said harshly. "There's nothing you can do. It doesn't change anything."

I searched Renee's green eyes. They were usually bright emeralds, like Harry's, but now they were dark.

I don't know what I was thinking at that point, but I hugged her.

Renee resisted at first, but gradually she gave in. She didn't exactly hug me back, but I felt her relax. After a while she pushed me away. I thought she was going to run, screaming, but instead she said, "Let go of me before I start crying." I stifled a smile of amusement.

She rubbed her eyes, which were dry. "Well, thanks, I guess," she muttered.

"You feel oh so thankful, don't you?" I teased her. She nodded. "Oh, definitely," she agreed sarcastically.

"Is our day back on?" I asked. Renee hesitated, but then she sighed. "Yeah, I suppose so," she said, and she allowed me to take her arm as I dragged her forward a bit.

I was wrong to judge Renee. I have had no idea what she was going through. I was incredibly lucky that she was giving me a second chance. And this time, I had better not blow it.


*~*~*~*


Renee and I walked downtown together. I had an arm swung around her shoulders (in a friendly way, of course), and she was looking me in the eyes again. We couldn't find anywhere fun to hang out.

Now, before you start freaking out, yes, I was disguised. It was a freakingly simple disguise that consisted of a hoodie, sunglasses, and a fake mustache I found on the ground. The mustache itched.

And yes, I am fully aware that "freakingly" is not a word. YOLO.

"Hey, check it out," Renee said, and I looked up.

"What?" I asked.

"It's the gelato store. I haven't been there in forever. Let's go check it out!"

She detached herself from me and looked like she was about to run into the street. "Renee, wait!" I said, and held her back. She shot me a questioning look. "You were about to run across the street without looking," I told her. "You have to be careful." She rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything.

The walk sign flashed and Renee and I crossed the street. "Look, I'm a jaywalker," she sang as she ignored the crosswalk. I sighed. "Say that in public, will you," I muttered under my breath, and Renee pushed me playfully. "Geez, what's up with you?" she asked. "You're no fun."

"Now that's an insult!" I cried. "I'm amazingly fun."

"Uh huh," she said doubtfully. "You haven't said a single joke since we began this walk. You haven't made me laugh once. You're not funny, either."

"Excuse me, I am damn hilarious," I said, and this time she did laugh. "Ha! You see! You are laughing!" I said, pointing at her.

"Shout that in public, will you," she mocked me. I glanced around. We were getting a lot of stares. Yeah, well, YOLO. Why did I use that word so much if I hated it?

We went into the gelato store. "Wow," Renee and I said at the same time. It wasn't the design or decor that amazed us, it was the many flavors on display.

"Awesome," Renee breathed as she stared. To the cashier, she added, "I'll have the grande cup with the flavors passion fruit, lemon, wild berry, and chocolate supreme."

I stared at her as he scooped her flavors. "What's with the fruity flavors and then the random chocolate one?" I asked.

"What?" she retorted defensively. "I'm an eccentric person." I rolled my eyes.

I got a varied degree of chocolate flavors, and we paid. It was expensive, but worth it. At least, in my opinion.

"Oh, dang it!" Renee and I yelled at the same time. We glanced at each other. "Okay, we've seriously got to stop doing that," we said. We glared at each other. "Stop!" we shouted. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Renee finally covered my mouth. She sighed. "I'll go first," she said. "Dang it, I forgot a napkin. Now your turn."

"Dang it, we spent money," I said. She frowned. "For a millionaire you sure are a cheapskate," she said.

"Not like that," I protested. "I just remembered you saying that we shouldn't spend that much money."

"Oh, right!" she exclaimed. "No, this doesn't count. I meant more like objects and clothing."

"Oh, okay," I said, relieved. I was probably a bit more relieved than I should've been. I just didn't want Renee killing me in real life.

"So, how does your gelato taste?" she asked me.

"Chocolatey," I replied. "What about yours?"

"Fruity and sour with a hint of chocolate. Delicious."

"Let me try," I said and scooped some up before she could stop me.

"Ew!" she shrieked. "I've got Louis germs in my gelato! Thanks a lot, Louis!" She started to hit me with her tiny sample spoon, and, surprisingly, it hurt.

"You know you wanted some," I smirked.

"Now that's just gross," she said, raising her eyebrows at me. I considered what I said, and managed not to face-palm. "Not like that!" I cried, but she laughed. "Oh, forget it," she said, but she had a small smile on her face.

I tried her gelato. It was fruity, until I got to the chocolate part. I spit a little in surprise, and Renee laughed at me. "Your face!" she snickered, and I glared at her. "Sorry, sorry," she said, grinning. But then she whispered, "Sorry not sorry."

"Hey!" I yelled at her and she laughed again.

"Okay, okay, I'm kidding," she said. "Now let's continue."

We finished our gelato and threw it in a nearby trash can. We went back to our walk.

We hadn't really gone far when my phone rang. "Um, sorry," I said hastily. "I better take this."

"Sure," Renee said, and took a step back. She sat on a bench.

I walked away a distance and answered. "Hello?" I asked.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!! LIAM IS SO PISSED--"

"Hey!" I somehow managed to yell over him. "Harry, calm down! What are you talking about?"

I heard Harry sigh. "Where are you?" he demanded, sounding a bit angry. "Nobody knows where you are, and Liam is freaking out--"

"Well, why is Liam freaking out?" I asked. Just to bother him I'd probably stay out longer.

"He thinks you've been kidnapped and raped by a thousand fangirls."

I had to laugh. "That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"That's good. NOW WHERE ARE YOU--"

"Harry!" I shouted over him again. "I can hear you fine without you screaming. Our connection's perfect."

I could literally hear the scowl on Harry's face. I grinned. "I'm downtown, if you must know," I said.

"Great. Where downtown?"

"Why does it matter to you? Just tell Liam I'm fine and still a virgin. Gotta go, bye."

"LOU--"

I hung up.

Renee was staring at me weirdly when I walked back to her. "What?" I asked.

"You're a virgin?"

I laughed. "Oh, no," I said. "I'm just a virgin from rapists."

"You make no sense."

I winked at her. "Exactly," I said, and pulled her up.

"What were you guys talking about?" she asked. "It sounded pretty serious."

"No, everything's okay. It's just that the boys think they need to check up on me all the time. They don't trust me."

"I wonder why," Renee muttered sarcastically, and I shoved her lightly. She grinned at me. "Let's go," she said.

It just occurred to me how thankful I was Renee liked me. I felt like we were sort of friends, a friend that the boys didn't know about. I kind of wanted to keep it that way. I could just have some private time with Renee and get away from the fame. Celebrities do need to take a break every once in a while, you know.

"Hey," Renee said, and nudged me, breaking me away from my thoughts. "You were off in LouLou Land again. What's going on in your crazy head, Tomlinson?"

"Nothing," I sang.

"Weirdo."

"Don't you know it."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Author's Note:


I stand corrected. You people DO read my author's notes! You really do care! I feel so touched. :')

I almost ended the chapter at the second *~*~*~* but I didn't. You totally thought that was the end of the chapter, didn't you? I know I did. But I continued it! You can thank me later. Jk.

The 1D movie came out this weekend, and I am so psyched! My dad promised he would take me, but there's no WAY he's gonna see the movie with me. WOOHOO MY FIRST MOVIE BY MYSELF BITCHES!! I'M SO GROWN UP!!

I think I'm going deaf. Three pixels on my iPod (for the volume control) is too much for me to listen to, and that's practically on my quietest song. CURSE YOU GOOD MUSIC!!

I lead a sad life.

SHOUTOUT to @HeyItsMe143_, my braces buddy. We will suffer together, girl.


Stay Beautiful,
-Sammi <3