Snapshot » l.t.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19


Renee's POV


Did I forgive Louis? I assumed so. I mean, we were hanging out and having a fine time. I had to admit, grudges aside, I kinda liked Louis.

I felt like I could be... myself around him. Well, not totally myself. There's a part of me that's shy, and another part of me that's outgoing. Louis brought that part out in me. And I liked being outgoing.

But at the same time, I had to give him an example of what it was like to be me. He had stolen my life away from me. He made me color-blind. I could never be a photographer again.

If he was deaf, he wouldn't be able to continue his dream, either. But I wouldn't just be ruining his life, I would be ruining hundreds of lives. No, not hundreds, thousands. Millions.

So, in a way, his situation would be different from mine.

I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I saw a girl that couldn't move on. I saw a girl that was being held back. I didn't like that girl. But I didn't know how to change her.

Why couldn't I be someone important? Why couldn't I be famous with millions of supporters? I knew the famous life was tough, but it was worth every bit of it. Right?

I had straightened my hair and put it into a side ponytail, so that it was drawn over my shoulder like yesterday. I was wearing a t-shirt that I couldn't decide whether it was yellow or tan, along with old blue jeans and my favorite TOMS. I was ready to go out again.

I found myself expecting Louis to come. Was that wrong? It felt like it. I didn't quite want to admit to myself that I liked him and we could be good friends. I felt like I wasn't ready for that. But that was just one step closer to moving on. I could do that. Couldn't I?

I turned away from the mirror and went to the kitchen. I made myself a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. I took out my phone and scrolled through my many text messages as I ate.

Many were from my parents and friends. I ignored about half of them. They never really expected me to reply, anyway.

I sent my mother and father a text saying I was fine and having the time of my life. That was a complete and total lie. But if I told them the truth, they would come and send me right home. And I didn't want to go just yet.

I sent Elise an angry text demanding where she was and that I missed her. I sent Lacy a text asking what she wanted for her birthday. I typically got gift cards for all of my friends, but hey, it never hurt to check.

I got a new message almost immediately after I sent them, and it was a reply from Lacy. I opened it and read it eagerly.


You know me. Just make sure it's big, shiny, and really entertaining ;)
-LacyBoo <3


Just so you know, I didn't come up with the contact name. Lacy did when we exchanged phone numbers. I didn't change it at the time because I thought it was cute. Now I think it's just plain weird.

I sent back a reply.


So... your car keys? XD
-Rainy


I smirked. My phone dinged.


No, not like that. It has to be... new. You know what I mean.
-LacyBoo <3


I did get what she meant. Well, a gift card could be big, shiny, and entertaining. She could get whatever she wanted with it.


Alright. How is it over at Toys R Us?
-Rainy


Lacy worked at Toys R Us, if you hadn't figured that out already. She didn't really like her job, but she didn't hate it, either.


Okay, I guess. I'm not supposed to be texting during work hours, but ya know, YOLO.
-LacyBoo <3


I laughed. It randomly crossed my mind that Louis would love her. They were similar to each other.

I paused. They were similar. I suddenly scowled. That wasn't fair! Why did Louis and Lacy have to be so alike? It's no wonder I liked Louis a bit. Even their names sounded similar!

I didn't really know how to reply, so I just sent:


Lulz
-Rainy


I grinned. I love "lulz" instead of "lol". It's just my touch.


How's your life?
-LacyBoo <3


Crazy.
-Rainy


Just one word could really depict what's been going on in the last week. That's crazy.


How so? Not as crazy as me, I'll bet.
-LacyBoo <3


I half-smiled, and relayed my life over the past few days to her. My fingers were sore by the time I was done tapping.


Wow. Just... wow. How did your date with Louis go? ;)
-LacyBoo <3


I nearly did a spit take when I read the message. The only problem was I wasn't drinking anything, so thank goodness for that.

Date?! Was she looney? It wasn't a date! We were just hanging out as... people-we-knew.


IT WASN'T A DATE. We're not dating, we're not friends, we're just people-we-know. And if you must know, I did have a good time.
-Rainy


I nearly sent it, but then I rethought my last sentence. I deleted it, then sent the message.


Whatever you say, playa gurl *whistling* XD
-LacyBoo <3


I rolled my eyes. Lacy was weird, but I loved her anyway.


I have to go. Bye-bye, Lace.
-Rainy


LEMME KISS YOU. MWAH MWAH
-LacyBoo <3


I rolled my eyes again. Seriously, "mwah mwah"? This girl gets weirder every day.

There was a knock on my door. Speaking of weird, it's the devil himself.

"Who is it?" I called, but I didn't wait for an answer. "It's the pizza guy! I've been expecting you! Jk, everybody, it's--"

I swung the door open.

"Louis Tomlinson!" we sung at the same time. Now, that was not planned, just so you know. I never expected him to say anything.

Now I felt weird, but in a good way.

"See, we know each other so well, we even have our own greeting," Louis said as he collapsed on my couch.

He was wearing a Marvel super heroes t-shirt and ripped blue jeans. He tossed his cap to the side as he rested his arms behind his head. I bit my lip and looked away. What was wrong with me? Stupid hormones.

"What're the plans for today?" Louis asked as he kicked off his shoes. I wrinkled my nose and used my toe to nudge one of them to the side. "Make yourself at home, why don't ya," I muttered.

"Gladly," he smirked at me. "So, what are they?"

"You can't just expect me to have plans as soon as you walk through the door. I mean, we just got on each other's good sides yesterday--I think we should go bowling."

I said the last part bluntly, and Louis laughed.

He clapped his hands together. "Alright, fine by me," he said. "Hand me my shoes." I got a disgusted look on my face. "I'd rather eat shit off the ground," I said, and he laughed again. "Fine, fine," he said and picked up one of them.

He glanced at me and grinned. "Louis, don't even--" I started to say but then he shoved his shoe in my face. I shrieked and smacked it away. "Ew!" I cried. "Your feet STINK!!"

He winked at me. "That's what they say," he said, and pulled his shoes back on.

"And don't walk in here like you just own the place," I told him as I leaned against the wall impatiently. "I paid for everything here, so it's mine." Louis nodded carelessly. "Mmhmm," he hummed. I could tell he wasn't really listening. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay!" he shouted, standing. "Leggo!"

"Why don't you say that just a bit louder?" I suggested. "I don't think the whole building heard you!"

He made a face at me. I made a face back.

Wow, what was happening to us? Only a couple days ago I wanted nothing to do with him, but now I was letting him come inside my flat. I was actually starting to like him.

Well, I suppose the past is the past, and there's nothing relevant there anymore. Other than the fact I'm color-blind, and he caused it.

I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind. I wouldn't allow them to ruin my day.

"Do you even know where the bowling alley is?" Louis asked me as we left.

"Um," I mused. "I don't think so. But people invented the GPS for a reason, so we're saved."

We stopped in the parking lot. "Your car, or mine?" we asked at the same time. "Yours." We did it again.

"We should do yours because your car is nicer and I'm trying to save gas because I'm poor," I said all in one breath. I grabbed Louis' arm and dragged him along. "So let's--"

"Leggo!" Louis yelled again, and I let him go, thinking that's what he wanted.

"What the heck does that mean?" I demanded when he didn't bolt. I was kind of expecting that when I let go of him.

He stared at me. "You don't--you know what, just forget it," he sighed. "Fine, we'll take my car."

He lead me over to it. I sat in the passenger seat, duh, and Louis sat in the driver's seat, double duh. As soon as he turned on the car I started flipping through music stations.

"There's nothing good on here," I grumbled as we went. I tried again.

"Stop!" Louis cried, and batted my hand away. "This is a good song!"

I listened to it for a bit, but I didn't recognize it. Louis, on the other hand, was belting out the lyrics at the top of his lungs.

The song finally ended, and my ears gradually stopped ringing. "You're louder than any other fangirl on this planet," I said as I tenderly held my ears. He stuck his tongue out at me.

"Do you have any CDs in here?" I asked.

"Duh."

He helped me get to them, and I started skimming through those. The best thing I could find was a Justin Bieber CD. "Your taste of music sucks," I told him.

"Does not," he protested. "You just don't know what good music is."

"Justin Bieber's alright, I guess, and...."

"And what?" he prompted.

"That's it," I said with a shrug, leaning back. I crossed my arms behind my head and closed my eyes. I made myself at home in his car.

This thing was worth more than my entire flat. The guy next to me was worth millions, and I was worth about a nickel. It's those calm moments when everything catches up to you. Those calm moments when you want to scream out, "I'M NOT WORTHY!!"

But I didn't. I didn't entirely feel it. I didn't care that Louis was famous. He wasn't Louis Tomlinson, that guy from One Direction, to me. He was Louis, the guy that made me color-blind and then became my friend.

That last sentence sounded so ridiculous I had to laugh out loud. So then Louis started laughing for no reason. And for two minutes we just laughed. We're eccentric.

"What's so funny?" Louis asked me when I was finished. I smiled and shook my head. "Just the fact that you destroyed my life and now you're my friend," I said. "What are the odds, huh?"

Louis didn't laugh along with me this time. Instead, when we stopped at a light, he stared at me curiously. I frowned back. "What?" I asked.

"You called me your friend," he said, and I realized my mistake too late.

Or was it a mistake? Who even cares anymore!

"Sure," I said with another shrug. "Why not?"

Louis' face broke out into the hugest grin I'd ever seen. "Thanks, Renee," he said, and he squeezed my arm. He probably would've hugged me if not for the fact we were sitting in a car.

"Yeah, well," I said, looking away. I suddenly felt self-conscious.

I glanced up and my eyes widened. "Step on it, Tomlinson!" I yelped, and he literally floored it. We shot forward like a rocket, and we both freaked out.

When that was over with, we both had another laughing fit. We were so weird.


*~*~*~*


We stopped outside the bowling alley. Turned out we didn't need the GPS after all. We helped each other out.

We grinned at each other and got out of the car. We entered the building.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. It smelled like cigarette smoke, which was odd because of the "no smoking" sign on the door.

We walked down the hall to the renting counter. I bit my lip staring at the prices. It was a bit much, but not totally expensive. But still I worried.

I took a step back. Louis noticed. "What's up?" he asked.

"I just remembered my policy of not spending any money," I said.

"It still counts for today? And you call me the cheapskate."

"No, you don't understand," I objected. I sat down on a nearby bench, and Louis sat next to me. "Okay, what's the real problem?" he asked. He sounded genuinely concerned.

I sighed. "I don't want to spend too much money, because...." I hesitated. I didn't want his charity.

Louis shook me gently. "Because?" he urged.

"Because I'm poor!" I blurted out. "I wasn't lying. Ever since I lost my job, I've been losing money. I maybe have about two more weeks in my flat before I'm kicked out. I should be looking for a job, but instead I'm using that time to mess around with you. Are you happy now?"

I looked away from him. Louis didn't say anything for a moment. "Okay, I have a plan," he finally said. "Well, it's not really a plan, but you know what I mean."

I looked up to stare at him. No, I had no idea what he meant.

"How about I just pay for everything today," he offered. "And tomorrow you can look for a job, and I'll leave you alone. How's that?"

"No," I protested. "I don't want your charity. I can pay for myself, I just--"

"I'm serious," Louis interrupted. "Trust me on this."

He looked at me so intently, with those shining grey eyes of his, I couldn't really say no. But at the same time, I felt my pride shrink. I was getting help from him. My ex-enemy. And I didn't quite want him to leave me alone. I liked being outgoing.

But in the end, I sighed, "Fine, we'll do it your way." Louis grinned. "Great," he said. "Now just pretend that conversation never happened. Let's go have fun!"

He stood up abruptly, and I extended my hand towards him. I was too lazy to get up myself. He rolled his eyes, took my tiny hand in his large ones, and hauled me up.

"Thanks," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"No prob," he replied cheerfully. "Now come on! The best lanes will be reserved before long!"

I wondered how he could tell.


*~*~*~*


"They see me rollin', they hatin'," I sang as my bowling ball rolled down the lane. It knocked down a mere few pins. I wasn't very good at bowling, but it was fun all the same.

Louis smirked at me. "You throw like a girl," he told me as I waited for my ball to return.

"At least I don't throw like an old guy!" I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him. "You're so competitive!"

"No one ever said this was a just for fun game," he defended himself.

My ball returned and I tossed it once more. Amazingly, I knocked down the last pins. "Nice spare!" I shouted, and high-fived myself. I was reminded of the guy's voice saying that when Wii bowling.

"My turn!" Louis announced, and pushed me out of the way. I shoved him back and sat down.

I thought it was mind-blowing that Louis hadn't been discovered yet. He wasn't wearing a disguise. And yes, I know we were in a small bowling alley with only old people surrounding us, but I would've thought someone would've alerted the press by now.

Of course, Louis got his spare as usual, and he made sure to bump into me when he sat down next to me. "Suck on that," he said smugly. I ignored him.

It was my turn, but I didn't really feel like going at the moment. I looked around.

"Oh, look! A jukebox!" I cried and pointed. Those things were everywhere in bowling alleys.

"Yeah," Louis said, glancing over.

"Let's play a song!"

I fished a quarter out of my pocket somehow and raced over. It turned out I needed a whole dollar, so I switched my silver for a piece of paper. I pushed it into the slot. I selected one of my favorite songs.

I skipped back to Louis as it began to play. "We come into this world unknown," I sang along with her ominously. "But know that we are not alone. That you can knock us down.... But change is coming, and it's our time now."

"What song is this?" Louis asked me.

"'People Like Us' by Kelly Clarkson," I replied quickly, motioning for him to shut up. I wanted to listen to the song.

"Of course," Louis sighed, and I covered his mouth. He rolled his eyes and licked my hand. I immediately removed it and wiped it on his shirt.

I had to burst into song. "People like us, we've gotta stick together," I sang. "Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever. Here's to the damned, to the lost, and forgotten. It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom."

"Did you choose this song on purpose?" Louis asked randomly. I frowned and gave him an odd look. "No, why?" I asked. He didn't answer, just bit his lip and wouldn't look me in the eye.

I thought of the music video, and my heartiness faltered a little. It was about black-and-white people interrogating the colorful people. In other words, normal destroying creativity.

It wasn't fair that the whole video was in black-and-white for me. And it was my favorite music video, too.

"Good song," Louis commented when the song was over.

"Yep," I agreed, popping the "p".

"My turn," he said, suddenly grinning. He ran over to the jukebox.

Once he chose his song, he walked back over to me with a huge smirk on his face. I listened, but nobody was singing. "Is this one of your lousy songs?" I asked when he came within earshot. He didn't reply, other than holding a finger to his lips.

About a second later, there was singing. "Who sings this?" I started to ask, when I identified the singer. My jaw dropped. "That's you!" I cried, pointing at him. He grinned again and nodded.

"The end of the night,

"We should say goodbye,

"But we carry on,

"While everyone's gone."

"This is Zayn," Louis told me as someone else started singing.

"Never felt like this before,

"Are we friends, or are we more?

"As I'm walking towards the door,

"I'm not sure."

"He sounds sexy," I commented, and Louis laughed. "He is," he agreed. I shot him a look, but he didn't notice.

"This is Liam," he added as another voice started singing. There were five of them, weren't there?

"But baby if you say you want me to stay,

"I'll change my mind.

"I don't wanna know as I'm walking away,

"That you'll be mine.

"Won't go, won't go.

"So baby if you say you want me to stay,

"Stay for the night,

"I'll change my mind."

Louis went on to tell me who Niall and Harry were, adding that Harry was his "best mate". Harry sounded pretty sexy, too. But I didn't say that out loud.

"So, what did you think?" Louis asked once the song was over.

"That was you guys?" I confirmed.

"Yep."

"Not bad, not bad," I admitted. A question itched at me, but I didn't exactly know how to ask it. I settled with, "Was there any reason that you picked that song?"

Louis raised his eyebrows slightly. "No," he replied, but didn't elaborate. But that was all I needed.


*~*~*~*


When we were finished with our bowling tournament, we went for a walk wherever. We talked a bit, but most of the time we were occupied with looking for something to do.

"Louis, look!" I cried. I grabbed his arm so he stopped walking. "A movie rental place! I have to go in, I haven't seen a movie in forever!" I didn't say the reason why.

Louis shrugged, my hands rising and falling with his arm. "Okay, fine with me," he said and we entered.

I acted like a little girl on Christmas Day in there. I love movies. I don't why, but there's just something about them that I... love. I especially like the movie theaters. They just excite me.

"Oooh," I breathed as I picked one movie up. "'The Hulk'. My favorite Avenger. I've never seen this movie."

"Seriously?" Louis exclaimed. "I've seen it like a gazillion times! Let's rent it!"

I hesitated and glanced up at him. "'Let's'?" I echoed. "As in, 'let us'?"

Louis frowned at me. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?" he asked.

"Um...." I faltered. "Nothing, I guess."

Louis snatched the movie away from me and ran to the counter. I knew he was going to pay for it and I would have to allow it, but still it irked me.

"Do you have popcorn and candy at your house?" he asked me as we left the rental place.

"Is One Direction famous but annoying?"

"I'll take that as a yes."


.....


Before long I was putting the movie into the DVD player and Louis was popping the popcorn.

"Mayday! Mayday! Abort mission!" he yelled from the kitchen. I dropped the movie case and raced to the counter.

"Louis, if you break my microwave I'm going to banish you from this place!" I shouted at him as he pushed the "stop" button.

He sighed in relief. "False alarm," he said, taking out the popcorn. I watched him carefully, making sure he wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Ow! Ow! Hot! Hot!" he yelped suddenly, tossing the popcorn bag between his hands, like hot potato. I laughed at him until he put the popcorn into a large bowl. He scowled at me. "Thanks for the help," he muttered sarcastically. I smiled back at him prettily.

I went back to the movie and inserted it. I switched the TV to the right setting and picked up the DVD remote. Stupid technology makes me have three separate remotes to work the TV. I don't understand these fancy gadgets these days.

Louis plopped down on the couch with the popcorn bowl and a handful of candy bars. "Sugar rush?" I pointed out as I took one.

"Hey, I like my candy," he said defensively.

I wouldn't let Louis skip the previews. "Nobody likes previews!" he protested.

"I do!"

"Well, you don't count. You're only like half-human."

"Prove it."

"I'd rather not."

I smirked at him.

The movie began. It was late by that time, and it was a long movie. Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining, but my eyelids started to droop anyway.

My head tilted and rested on Louis' shoulder. I felt him tense, then relax. "Tired?" he murmured into my ear.

"Exhausted," I replied, swallowing back a yawn. I wasn't too successful. "You sucked my energy right out of me."

I was kind of surprised he didn't reply. But I didn't care about it for too long. Instead, I closed my eyes. I only meant it to be for about five minutes, but I fell asleep. Oops.


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


Author's Note:


I saw "This Is Us" on Labor Day, and it was the most amazing movie I'd ever seen. The only thing that sucked was that my dad came with me after all, but in the end he actually became a Directioner himself! His favorite's Niall. Awkwarrrd.

I also had my first day of high school on Tuesday, the day after. It stunk in a few ways, but all in all I kinda like high school. That doesn't mean I'm looking forward to it tomorrow, though.

I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm starting to extend the chapters more. I don't know why, I just do. Oh well.

Are you still reading my author's notes? Do you like my story? I mean, you don't have to comment on every single chapter, it's just that I like hearing from you guys. It makes me feel special :)

So please vote, comment (if you want), fan (that's always an option), but most important of all, enjoy the story!


Stay Beautiful,
-Sammi <3