Practice

Chapter 6

The rest of the week was much like the first for Tyler. She was still working on landing a solid spot in Eleanor's group, although there seemed to be a bit of a rivalry between her and Perrie. The blonde didn't seem overly fond of the brunette, and all the boys in the group seemed to egg them on. Tyler wasn't falling for it, though - she needed everyone on side if she was going to end the year well. 

Tyler found herself becoming closer to Eleanor, which was a massive advantage in terms of strategy. Eleanor was the leader, the queen bee - being on side with her was like walking a red carpet to popularity, and to Harry. Speaking of Harry, Tyler had managed to control herself all week. 

In homeroom, Harry told Tyler that she reminded him of a new born giraffe who couldn't walk. Deep down she was horrified; did she really look like that? She felt her face heating up but quickly fired back, telling him that he was pigeon toed and couldn't walk in converse - at least Tyler could manage to walk normally in heels. Zayn laughed and high fived Tyler, which she found incredibly uncomfortable. 

The whole week had been taken up by the party. Everyone was discussing outfits, hook ups and alcohol. At lunch, Perrie came with an array of photos, all of her in different items of clothing. Eleanor did the same thing on her phone, giving Tyler an idea of what she should wear. Perrie decided on a matching skirt and top with a cartoon print - it totally suited her. Eleanor chose a little black dress with a white collar, and Tyler was left with nothing. 

She came home Friday afternoon in a panic. What was she going to wear? Her mum was taking her to Eleanor's in 10 minutes and she had no idea. Throwing pairs of jeans, cropped tops and dresses into a big bag, she hurled mismatched heels in hope that something in there would match. "We're leaving, Tyler," Her mother called from the front door, her key tapping the thin wood. 

The brunette picked up the bag and carried it with both arms to the car, throwing it in the back seat. "Thanks for dropping me, mum. I know it's on the other side of town but it's really important." 

"That's fine," She hummed, starting the car. The trip was awkward at first, neither of them saying anything. The radio in their car was broken, and so they sat there in utter silence. Tyler took what little comfort she could from the radiator, thankful that the car was old; at least something was making noise. 

Tyler still hadn't apologised to her mother for her outburst on Monday night, and the tension caused from that one sentence was thick. Finally, her mother broke the drought. "So, are you drinking tonight?"

Tyler laughed, admitting that she'd be having a little. Her mother was okay with it, surprisingly. Sometimes, Tyler wondered if she'd been too hard on her mum. She was trying, she really was. She contemplated whether her mother wanted to be the friend or the mum - she was always trying to get the gossip from Tyler, pushing for every little detail. She tried to be the 'cool mum', and this was another perfect example. 

"Just don't get sloppy," She joked, turning to her daughter at the red light. 

Tyler felt her face flushing at the mere thought of 'getting sloppy' while drunk. This time last week changed Tyler's life. This exact situation fucked her over. Maybe she shouldn't be going tonight.

No.

She had to. This was her ultimate test - if she could withstand this, she could control anything that life permitted. "I'll be fine," She declared, trying to convince herself as much as her mother. 

**

"So, I was thinking this," Tyler explained, holding her fitted black top against her chest, "With these jeans would be really good with those shoes." She pointed to her black stilettos, chunky and oversized leaning against Eleanor's white wall. 

Eleanor nodded slowly, standing up. "We'd both be in black, that'd be cute!" She exclaimed, "Put the top on and I'll see." Tyler did as she was told, quickly pulling it on over her bra. She twirled for Eleanor, who clapped and smiled. "We have a winner." 

Tyler was in all black, and she felt amazing. Sleek, yet elegant and completely confident. Mix the confidence already brewing in her stomach with a few shots of vodka and you've got the queen of confidence. 

After a few minutes in a cab the pair were apparently outside of Harry's house. Tyler was in complete shock - the house was a mansion. It stood on the top of a small hill, a victorian style wrought iron gate was wedged in between hedges, slightly ajar.

Tyler followed her friend through the gates and up the gravel drive. The music was loud - the pair could hear it on the street. Screams and laughter could be heard with every step closer they got to the door. Nearly every light in the house was on. "How're we going to find Harry and Zayn?" Tyler asked, yelling over the music as they walked through the wooden double doors. 

"We don't," Eleanor shrugged, "They find us."

Tyler nodded, chewing her red stained lip as she made her way to the kitchen. Parties weren't like this where she was from. Sure, they were loud, there was alcohol and all that stuff, but this was crazy. No one had a house like this over there, and if they did, they surely wouldn't let unruly teenagers run wild while they were piss drunk.

Tyler could feel the nerves bubbling in the pit of her stomach - this was all bringing back vicious memories. Louis wasn't here, no one that knew about that night was here. No one knew her secret. Grabbing a glass bottle full of vodka, she bought it to her lips and took a few large gulps. It burnt her throat and almost instantly she felt her gag reflex kick in, desperate to push the liquid back out. She held it down as she passed the bottle to Eleanor, who followed Tyler's lead. 

The alcohol felt good pumping through her veins, relaxing her slightly. She felt buzzed. "I'll be back in a bit," Eleanor screamed as she walked away, fumbling in her heels over to a group of older looking boys. 

Tyler left the kitchen, the bottle still firmly in her hand. She spotted Harry's wayward hair through the crowd of people in what looked to be a sitting room, and sauntered over. "Harry," She said, smiling as she waved the bottle. "Sick party," She complimented, holding the bottle out to him. 

He laughed, his eyelids dropping a couple times. "I've had enough of that," He slurred. "Actually, here," He took the bottle and drank the liquid like water, smiling proudly as he handed it back to her. Tyler almost threw up watching him gulp the liquid down, barely flinching. "I'm glad you could come," He added as he grabbed her hand, pulling her through a massive arch way and onto a decked area. "This is my backyard," He announced, letting her hand drop as he held both of his out.

"Wow." Tyler was almost speechless. The massive grassed area was covered in people, all with glow sticks or torches. The fences were all covered in fairy lights; even the pool had flashing colours in it. "This is amazing." 

"I know, right?" He looked like a little kid on Christmas. His eyes were wild and his smile was massive. She never even noticed he had a dimple - it must come out when he's really smiling. 

She took another swig of the bottle, her nerves getting lost amongst each ounce, drowning. "Your parents should go away more often," She laughed, nudging him. 

"They do, I just get sick of all these people ruining my grass," Harry laughed, flailing his arms as he spoke. "I wanna show you something," He stated matter-of-factly as he grabbed her hand, pulling her down the stairs and onto the grass.