Chapter 7

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     "Mrs. Cox and Gemma were released from the hospital late last night.  No real damage was done, and both of them are doing fine," I finished my spiel, and flashed the reporters a happy smile.  Harry stood behind me, slightly to the left and his real publicist, Boni, stood next to him.  Boni was a tall African-American lady who I had just met this morning.  She had congratulated me on my "brilliant save" the night before, and she seemed like a genuinely nice person. I didn't really know if we could get along, but hey, I was willing to try.

      See, publicists and managers generally have a very tense relationship.  A publicist takes care of their celebrity's image and how the public perceives them.  A manager does sort of the same thing, but more things, such as making their schedule,  booking them interviews and appearences, and basically making sure every aspect of their life is in control. Anyway, sometimes publicists and managers butt heads about what's right for the celebrity, so they don't usually get along.  But Boni didn't really seem to be that kind of person, and I was sort of looking forward to working with her.

     As soon as I had finished speaking, the room erupted into a roar of "Ms. Winter!'s"  I stood behind the podium, one hand gripping the edge and the other toying with my locket.  There were way more journalists here than I expected, though I don't know why I was surprised.  The video of me and Harry had gone viral overnight, and now everyone wanted to know if his family was okay.

      I gestured to one reporter off to the side, and the others immediately quieted so that he could speak.  "Ms. Winter, what hospital were they at?"

     "That information cannot be disclosed at the moment," I answered smoothly.  The room again exploded with shouts of my name.  I pointed to another journalist in the back, and just like before, it got silent.

     "Will Harry still be singing at the Video Music Awards on Firday?" he asked.  My breath hitched, and suddenly, I wasn't in the conference room anymore.

     "And, I think the question on everyone's mind is, will newbie Harry Styles make an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards?" the radio DJ blared through my speakers, but I was hardly listening.  I yanked the key out of the ignition and bolted out of the car.  I kept redialing Lily's number, but she still wasn't answering.  And that absolutely terrified me. 

     I sprinted through the campus to our dorm room, but I felt as if I were walking in slow motion.  I had to get there in time.  She couldn't do this.

     Finally, I reached the dorm building.  I was barely able to unlock the door with my key card because my hands were shaking so badly.  Tears were already streaking down my face.

     "Come on, Lily.  Come on," I kept muttering to myself.  I raced up the three flights of stairs to get up to our room.  "Just a little bit longer.  Just hold on a little bit longer.  I'm almost there." 

     Panting, I made it to our room.  I tried sliding the card in, but I just couldn't.  I screamed her name once, my voice cracking, and pounded on the door.  No response.  There wasn't a single noise coming from the other side of that door.

     And that's the moment I knew, I think.  I mean, up to that point, I had thought maybe there was a way I could stop her or do something.  It just hadn't felt real in the car, as if it were a cruel prank or false alarm.  But at that moment, when she didn't respond, I think I knew.  Deep down in my heart, I knew.

    "Um, Ms. Winter?" the reporter yanked me out of my memory.  My palms were sweating, and I was shaking uncontrollably.  My breath came in short gasps.  I couldn't formulate a response.  To my surprise, Harry stepped forward and leaned into the microphone.

     "Um, yes, I will be.  Don't worry, you'll get your fair share of Harry," he said cheekily, winking at the sea of journalists, who laughed politely.  Harry turned back to me and dropped his voice.  "You okay?"

     I nodded quickly, smoothing my shirt down and taking a deep breath.  I faced the reporters again, smiling.  Despite the fact that I just wanted to run away and hide in the corner for the rest of my life, I had to finish this press conference.  "Alright, any more questions?"

     I slid into the plush chair and took a big gulp of my coffee.  Somehow, I was able to get through the conference without any more hiccups, although my hand never left the comfort of my locket.  Now, as we sat behind the conference room waiting for the reporters to leave, I mentally face-palmed myself.  I should've known better than to get distracted that easily.  Harry had saved my ass, which is something I never would've thought would happen.

     "Hey . . . uh, thanks for that.  You know, saving me up there," I said to Harry, and I scolded myself for the shakiness in my voice.

     Harry shrugged.  "Now we're even."  He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through it.  I nodded.

     "So, um, you've gotta get back to the studio in about an hour to finish up the music video.  You're planning to release that, like, a week after your new album drops, right?"  Harry nodded, not looking up from his phone.  "Okay, good.  How many songs have you recorded for it?"

     "I don't know.  Two?"  Harry mumbled, not really paying attention to me.

     "Shit, we need to get you into a recording studio, like, now," I said, whipping out my phone to find a studio.  "Speaking of your new album, we're gonna need to talk about tour dates sometime soon."

     Harry's head snapped up, and his green eyes sparkled with excitement.  "Alright, yeah.  Is it just North America or world?"

      Now it was my turn to shrug.  "Well, that's kinda what we need to talk about.  It depends on how much you're willing to take on."

     "Okay, we'll meet up today after I finish the music video," Harry responded, a grin spreading on his lips.  "I'll grab some takeout and we'll meet at my house, yeah?"

     I looked at him warily.  "Is that really the smartest thing, Mr. Styles?  Can't we just meet at the studio and talk about it there?"

     Harry wasn't even paying any attention to me.  He was too jacked about the tour.  "Chinese! I'll get Chinese.  Do you like Chinese?" He gasped.  "What if I get to go to China again?  I had so much fun in China last time.  There are some sexy girls there."

     I rolled my eyes and chuckled slightly.  I was nervous about going to Harry's house, but it didn't really look like I had a choice.  I sighed.  "Just text me when you're done with your shoot and I'll head over to your house."

     "Okay!"  Harry nodded, enthusiastically.

      "This is not a date, though.  You know that, right?" I asked, cautiously.

      Harry waved me off, giving me a sly smile.  "Whatever you say, Ash."

    A/N: Wow, a thousand reads in six days? You guys absolutely rock!

     Anyway, the hell-hole they call school has started back up again for me, so I might not be able to update as much as I have been, especially since my mid-terms are coming.  Sorry:/  But please keep reading, voting, and commenting! You guys are the best! <3

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