Forever and Always (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

CHAPTER 14: Then

Prom is something that practically every high school student looks forward to, but for me, the annual school dance wasn’t the most memorable part of that night. The actual event was lovely, but we were all looking forward to the after party. Jamie had returned from her promotional tour in Europe and rented out a large flat downtown to hold a large get-together. This wasn’t a normal teenager party; there were going to be celebrities at this elegant celebration, which meant it was definitely not the time to make a fool of myself.

“You don’t think it’s bad if I have one drink, do you?”

I looked up at Harry in his sophisticated suit and bowtie as he picked up a glass of wine from the platter of a server passing by us. I raised my eyebrows. “Harry, you’re underage.”

“Only by one year…” Harry said grinning. “Besides, I’ve had alcohol before back in England where I am considered a legal drinker.”

I looked at him dubiously. “Fine,” I finally said. “But just one.” I looked down at the red, floor-length gown I was wearing. “I think I’ll go change into something less… expensive,” I said. “I’m sure Jamie would be glad to have this back in safe hands. It’s a miracle that I’ve already spent three hours in this without completely destroying it.”

Harry laughed, taking a sip of his wine. “Don’t want to push your luck, huh?” he said with a grin as he handed me the change of clothes I had asked him to hang onto for me. “I’ll meet you in the living room later.”

I headed upstairs to one of the six bathrooms on the second floor. The apartment was absolutely massive. I wouldn’t even consider it an apartment since it covered two whole floors and was at least twice as large as my house. I was impressed by how far Jamie had gotten in her career in less than a year. She had already sold out two albums and had even gotten together with Ed Sheeran after performing a duet with him at one of her concerts. Not to mention being able to afford this gorgeous dress and outrageously expensive pair of heels she let me borrow, I thought admiringly, smoothing down the red satin.

I entered the large bathroom, with its porcelain tiles and a built in Jacuzzi, and locked the door behind me. Quickly, I changed out of the red gown and into my own, shorter and looser, blue dress. I kicked off the strappy heels and slipped into the ballet flats I had brought from home. Smiling at my reflection in the mirror, I felt much more comfortable in my own, less formal attire. My hair had been slightly curled and pulled back loosely, but I still felt more like myself. Carefully, I folded up the silky red gown and left the bathroom to find Jamie.

“Oh, hey Jenny, I see you’ve changed,” Sarah greeted me, smiling widely as she and Zayn walked towards me, arm in arm. Zayn was dressed in his tuxedo and Sarah was still wearing her green prom dress and high heels. Unlike me, Sarah could probably wear a dress made of paper clips and still look comfortable.

“Yeah,” I said, laughing sheepishly. “Have you seen Jamie?” I held up the clothes in my hands. “I need to return these to her.”

“She and Ed just passed us,” Zayn said, pointing down the hall behind me. “We’re going to head to the living room where the others are. See you and Harry later?” He flashed me a bright smile.

“Definitely,” I said. “Thanks!” I walked down the hallway, smiling at the guests passing by me. I still had a hard time believing I was at such a high status party. I could’ve sworn I saw Adele, and I nearly tripped when she glanced my way. Finally, I saw Jamie and Ed standing ahead of me.

“Jenny!” Jamie exclaimed when she saw me. “How are you?” She was wearing a knee-length midnight blue dress and lacy, black tights with heels.