Limitless

Chapter 7

Harry wasn’t at school the next day.  Last night, he got a shower after our food-fight and then just locked himself in his room.  Liam told me that he knocked and knocked on Harry’s door this morning, but Harry wouldn’t wake up to even tell Liam to go away.

“You sure he’s not dead?” Emma asked.

My eyes widened and so did Liam’s.

“I mean, I’m kidding… kind of.” She stopped and reached into Liam’s pocket, pulled out his phone, and rapidly texted Harry.  He replied in an instant. “He said he’s fine.”

I tried not to worry about Harry for the rest of the day, but he just kept invading my thoughts.  Why did he suddenly get so weird last night?  We were having a fantastic time… more fun than I had in a while, and all of a sudden he just shut down. To my dismay, Harry didn’t show up to lacrosse practice either.  I pulled out a bottle of black nail polish and began to paint my nails.

“That’s like, the fifth time you’ve painted your nails this week,” Emma pointed out.

I nodded. “It keeps my mind off of smoking.”  I glanced down the field and began to blow on my nails.  Josh ran out of the locker room next to Liam, who was laughing hysterically.  When they saw us sprawled out on the bleachers, Liam just began to laugh harder and pointed at me.  Josh nodded, turned and gave me the stink eye, and then ran off to be with the rest of the team.

Apparently, Josh had spread the word that I was a lunatic.  I couldn’t help but notice that for the last couple of days, guys and girls alike would look at me strangely from the hallways or from across the classrooms.  I was so preoccupied with thoughts of Harry that it didn’t even occur to me that Josh had stopped coming near me.  He didn’t even eat at the same lunch table with us anymore.  I was used to being hit on my pervy guys in the halls too, but that stopped as well.  Liam told Emma and I as we drove to his apartment that Josh told everyone about what I had done a the restaurant – brushing my teeth and throwing food – but made a few additions to the story to make me sound worse.  According to him, I burned his hand with a hot knife (which he must have done on accident at home because he actually had a burn on his hand) (but also, where the hell would I get a hot knife from?), punched the hostess in the face when she tried to tell me to get out (I wouldn’t have done that even if she was rude), poured a huge bowl of guacamole on my head (gross), and tore my shirt in half before actually leaving the restaurant.  That’s why Liam was laughing so hard.

“I thought he saw us at one point but he told me the story like I wasn’t there!” He said as he opened the door to the apartment.  I laughed and shook my head.  I was a little humiliated… I mean, what girl wouldn’t be when a rumor like that was spread about her?  But I was also slightly thankful.  Maybe now, stupid guys in the hall or in my classes wouldn’t be so anxious to flirt with me or slap my butt.  Obviously it had already worked a little bit.

Harry stayed locked in his room when we got to the house and even as more and more people began to arrive for the party.  When Isabella and Nora arrived, the three of us plus Emma snuck out onto the roof and started the fire.  A few minutes later, Niall stepped onto the roof with a load of assorted snacks and drinks, which he spread out on the table before setting out more chairs and hanging up hammocks on the posts that Liam and Harry had cemented to the top of the roof.  Louis, Zayn, and Liam all joined us as well after a while.  Niall strummed his guitar and the other three boys sang along to whatever song Niall was playing, and we all had a great time laughing as the boys would do impressive but weird things with their voices.  We talked about things we had seen on TV, like movie trailers or sad new stories.  We discussed the new iPhone and the iOS 7 which was taking forever to be released.  We shared stories about things that had happened to us that week - especially my dare to go on a date with Josh and all that happened.  Emma whipped out her phone and showed everyone in the circle photos and videos of me spitting out toothpaste and throwing food.  They all laughed as they replayed the videos over and over again.  I was a little surprised when everyone seemed appreciative that I scared Josh away.  I guess he wasn’t as much as a part of the group as I thought he was.  I was glad when Liam, Emma, and Louis all forgot to mention Harry’s and my food fight in the kitchen, let alone our little moment.