Butterfly Keeper // h.s. au

Chapter Forty Four

"Yea, I was passed out for over twelve hours and Zayn was seriously worried about me. Thought I was dead or something..." Courtney sighs into the line, a hint of awkward tension to her voice.

My newly evened out hair whips around my face while I try to shield my speaker from the wind. Harry had found too much pleasure in watching me squirm in the stylist chair. It was actually his idea for me to get bangs. I didn't think I would like them at first but now they've begun to grow on me with each time I catch my new appearance in a reflective surface. They're shaggy and show off my dark roots, 'the new trend' as my hairdresser put it.

"It was the water you took from my backpack, it was drugged." I explain while shuffling my bangs from my eyes. They may be cute but damn do they itch.

"What the f-"

"It was my fault, Angela's been on this crazy revenge scheme against me and I never meant for you to be pulled into the middle of it."

"Charlotte, what the hell? How come you didn't tell me about any of this? You were going to give her drugged water??"

"No, no, no! She was the one giving me drugged water." I shake my head to myself, stopping at a crosswalk as a yellow Mustang crosses my path going much faster than the campus speed limit signs advise. Here goes nothing.

"And because Courtney, you're always the first person to throw me under the bus when I'm going through something hard. I know you've been there for me through some difficult situations but when it comes to Harry you never seem to have my back. So how can I trust you with anything else?"

There's a prolonged, shocked, silence that fills the speaker for a good while. It's hard for me to believe that I was going to apologize to her after the Christmas party for the fight between Zayn and Harry. She broke my trust, defended Zayn when she knew it was his fault, and made me feel terrible for the whole thing. I'm tired of the one way street between me and her, if she wants to still be friends then she can be the one to make amends.

"This is about Harry?" She asks slowly.

"This is about how you only have my back when it's convenient for you." I state.

"I... Listen, I think this is something we should talk about in person. There's a lot to discuss that a phone call won't really cut."

I reach into the pocket of my wool poncho, the place where my thank you letter should be coming up empty. I hold back a huff of frustration while holding the phone between my cheek and shoulder, searching my pockets and small satchel for the object while passing the campus coffee shop.

"Alright," I mutter, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk while I turn my poncho inside out.

"I miss you, Lott's. I think we can work this out." Courtney's voice lowers, tugging at my hardened heart strings.

"I miss you too." I admit in a softened tone, hanging up shortly after.

My fingers furiously type out a text to Harry asking him to look for a thank you note on one of the counters, tucking the phone in my satchel once it's sent. I keep my pace quick, my destination being my only thought. I can't allow myself to think about Courtney or 'talking things out' right now. Maybe I'm finally done being the quiet girl who never speaks her mind.

A chime on the door of the coffee shop sounds from behind me, only half lost to the wind. A rush of footsteps is followed by a hand on my arm making me stop in my plow across campus. I turn to see the flushed cheeks and blue murky eyes of-

"Louis?" I ask, unsure if I'm getting the name right.

A grateful smile pulls across his lips, something about him seeming unsettled from the last time we met. His eyes have shadowed circles under their blue murk while his hair seems unshelved from it's usual gelled masterpiece.