“I’ll see you Monday night,” I said indifferently as Dad handed me my bag. He was never really happy when I went to go stay with Adam, he liked to know what I was doing at all times, epscially since Adam is two years older than me.
“I love you honey,” he said as he kissed me on the cheek. He stared at me for a second and I nodded, getting into Mason's car. He wasn’t spending the night, but he wanted to see Adam too. He half paid attention to the road and half observed me.
“Why are you such a bitch to him?” Mason asked.
I shrugged. “I’m just a bitch.”
He rolled rolled eyes.
“I know he can be an asshole sometimes, but he means well.”
“I know, but I just…. I don’t know Mason. I need a weekend away. Adam calms me, besides, you know who is in town.” He turned his attention to the road.
We were silent for the rest of the ride to Adam’s apartment. He lived in Carytown, close enough to walk to Maymont and Byrd Park, in a mini house that had four small apartments in it. At nighttime, there were twinkling lights on his porch (his neighbors put them up) and cats roaming all around on the road. We bounded up the white wooden stairs and walked in the door, which awkwardly lead right into Adam’s bedroom. It was dark, so we went all the way through and saw the boys sitting on the couch playing PlayStation.
“Sup Bri,” Jake said, and I nodded. Despite being underage, my brother of course went straight for the fridge and grabbed a beer. I sat on Adam’s lap and hugged him, messing his curls. He smiled.
“Hey, Bri! Will and Seth are coming over later, and we were going to party for a little bit… I know that’s not really your thing……” I took the hint and nodded. “No worries, I’ll go to the Byrd and catch a film, or find somewhere to go. Can I have some money?” He rolled his eyes and stuffed 40 bucks into the back pocket of my torn jeans. I kissed him on the cheek and bounded out the door as Mason tossed him a beer. I stuffed my earphones in and wandered into Carytown, not really caring how ridiculous I looked. Hell it’s not as if anybody was looking anyway.
Adam knew he wasn’t supposed to let me walk around the city by myself (especially at night) but I didn’t really mind. He knew I was smart enough to not get raped or mugged, and I liked the lights. Richmond was great for me, there were never too many people around, but it still had a city feel. I walked down to Cary Street and sat down at Bev’s, my favorite ice cream place. It was right across the street from the Byrd Theater, but also right next door to a Ben and Jerry’s so it was never packed. It was convenient. I kicked back and slurped up my root beer float, wondering what I could blow the rest of Adam’s money on. Oh the possibilities….
I picked up my Iphone off the table and walked out of Bev’s. Mom was always talking about this place near the Byrd, so I crossed the street and started to head in that direction. As I stepped onto the curb, my phone vibrated, and I started to read the text from Brielle, all disappointed because they’d gotten there too late to see Zayn. Oh silly. I started to text her back, nose buried in my phone, when I crashed into a hard body.
I went tumbling down, my phone flying out of my hands, landing straight on my belly. I groaned and observed my hands. They were trickling with blood from a tiny scrape, but other than that, I was unscathed. Well, if you didn’t count my pride. I felt a pair of hands around my waist and another on my shoulders, working together to help me up. I looked up, my face crimson, getting ready to apologize to the people that I’d so rudely collided with. That was, until I saw them.
“You okay, love?” one of the boys that had helped me said with a British accent, his slightly high and happy voice ringing through my ears. No way. No fucking way. I’d just walked in Louis Tomlinson? I frantically blinked as I observed him and the other boys staring at me, along with their big bodyguard. Oh my god…. This was not real, there was NO WAY this was real! They continued to stare at me expectantly, waiting for an answer or an apology. My actual response probably surprised them. I looked to them, opening my mouth, but no words came out. Instead, my nerves got the best of me and I turned on my heel and ran.
I kept going all the way until I was back to Adam’s apartment, but I didn’t go in. I needed to gather myself and calm down for a second before I went to go face my drunk and potentially high brother and friends. Even if they were at their most normal state, they wouldn’t understand how much I was freaking out. One Direction. ONE DIRECTION! I’d been expecting a disappointing weekend hearing about my friends going to see the boys wherever they were, but I had just seen them with my own eyes, in the flesh. I’d touched Louis, and two of them had touched me too! I knew it wasn’t a lot, but it was more than I had expected to see of them in my entire life.
I had to tell Brielle. She would be so jealous, I just had to. I tried to stuff my hand into my front pocket, until I remembered that I was in jeggings and didn’t have one. Oh shit, I didn’t….. I patted down my body, trying to find my phone, and silently cursed myself. I’d left my phone at the Byrd after the fall. I was too tired from my game and the sudden running to go back and find it, so I considered my phone as good as gone and ran up the stairs and into the apartment.
“Oh, here she is now!” Adam slurred, clearly having had a few too many. He gestured for me to come closer and handed me his tiny piece of crap phone. I gave him and confused look, and he shrugged, “Some guy named Larry, he called wanting to talk to you.” I put the phone to my ear, puzzled. I didn’t know anybody named Larry. “Hello?”
“You forgot something,” Harry Styles’ raspy voice sounded from the other end.
