Baby Doll (Harry Styles)

Chapter 33 - Cold

"For a rich girl, you look quite normal." Chuckles were exchanged among the group. One of them, a tall flame-haired man, inched toward me and I flinched. My instinct told me to run. I took gradual steps back and I felt someone fence me from behind.


"Yeah, you people usually have beehives for hair and thick-ass moustaches. I've seen old guys with blue highlights in them." They roared with laughter once more.

"You're pretty hot, though." The guy behind me murmured near my ear and I gasped, turning to him. He wore a baseball cap and had dark sideburns. A silver ring pierced through his lower lip. It gleamed under the street light when he smiled.

"Calm your hormones, guys." The girl intervened, chucking her cigarette to the ground before crushing it under her combat boot. "I'm Ali, with an 'I'." She held out her hand to me.

"That's nice," I stuttered, refusing to shake her hand. "But I think I should get going now. I just remembered that a friend would be waiting to pick me up." I acted, palming my forehead. "Thank you, though." I darted for the space between Ali and the red-haired man but it was closed immediately.

"Rude rich girl." Ali muttered, crossing her arms. "We were offering you help."

"I-I know that and I appreciate it, but someone really is waiting for me. And I think he might be growing a little impatient."

"You're a terrible liar." She wagged her head.

"Well, I'm not lying. So if you'll excuse me." I said, attempting to hold up a bravado. I couldn't be seen as weak. They would take advantage of me.

"Who's waiting? Your boyfriend?" The man with the sideburns pouted at me.

"Maybe." I replied firmly.

"Is he a Meadowcliff kid?" Ali mocked with a snarky grin but it quickly disappeared. "Wait. You wouldn't happen to know that Harry guy, would you?"

They knew Harry. My eyes widened at her question. "So you do know him." She assumed. "You're not the girl that's getting engaged to him, are you?"

I weakly shook my head, surprised that she knew so much about him. "You are!" She concluded. "Explains why I haven't seen you around before."

"I really need to get going so if you don't mind-"

"Your boyfriend is a stuck-up asshole." She interrupted me. "Give this to him." I was taken aback when she spat at my shoe, inciting laughter among her friends once again.

That was it. I was hungry, cold and lost. I had spent hours wandering about this place, completely clueless as to where I was and where I had come from. My nerves were already strained as they were and I did not need someone to intensify it.

I suck in a sharp breath and put all my strength into shoving through Ali and the red head. The push caused them to stumble apart, bewildered expressions masking their faces. Then I ran from them. I took a glance back to see Ali and all three of her friends rushing after me. They were chasing me.

I ran even faster, my heart working hard to keep up with me. I panted hard as my feet slowly grew numb but I forced them to keep going. The gang shouted vulgar words at me and made those disgusting kissing sounds. And to make matters worse, it began to drizzle.

As I advanced further down the street, the lights grew dimmer and it became more deserted. The surface of the street was rough. Pieces of scrap metal and plastic bottles littered the isolated avenue. Cars should not be driven here.