Sneaker

Chapter 18

Harry POV

She gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I'm seriously so happy right now. I rode a wave and got a kiss from Sneaker, I'm getting better at this game called Life.

"We should probably be getting back," I say reluctantly. She grabs my hand and I hold my board in the other as we run together back to our hotel. We walk through the doors, dripping wet with sand in our hair, and are greeted by the boys when we walk through the doors. 

"ZAYN! YOU OWE ME 20 BUCKS!" Louis yells.Z

"Ow. I'm right here, okay, sheesh." he replies. 

"Were you betting on us getting together? Because I haven't asked her yet." I say, "I was planning on asking her at dinner, but I might as well do it now, Sneaker?" she gasps  "Will you be my girlfriend?" I ask as I run my hand through my wet curls.

"Well..I don't know, let me think about it," she says and then laughs, "who am I kidding? Of course!" she says and I give her a big hug and a peck on the lips. We celebrate with our sandwiches and Baby Lux celebrates with gourmet baby mashed carrots that Louis insists she eats. All too soon, 5;00 comes and Lou comes to pick up Lux, which means Sneaker goes home. She grabs her stuff and gives everyone hugs and a kiss on the cheek for Lux. Lucky baby. We hop into my car and she sits in the front seat with me. 

"Today was awesome, when do you leave for your next part of the tour?" she asks me. 

"I'd rather not think about that, but we have to leave next Wednesday, at least I'll be here for your birthday, right? I give her a small smile.

"I'm going to miss you all so much, the boys, you, Lou, Baby Lux! Heck, I'll even miss Todd! Promise me you'll Keep in touch with me?" 

"Promise," but I already had a plan formulating in my head, so that we'd never have to be apart. 

She says, "Turn left up here," at the next corner.

We pull up to a big blue house with white shingles. She gets out and I follow her. 

"Oh, you don't have to walk me in," she says. 

"But I want to meet your dad."

She scoffs, "believe me, you don't."

"why is that?" I ask.

She motions for me to get back in the car and takes a deep breath, "After my brother and mom passed away, my dad went into a depression. He wouldn't talk to me, feed me, or take me to school for months, I had to learn how to take care of myself. Charlie would give me rides to and from school, and I'd buy all the groceries, paying with the little money I ear Ed working as a busboy at a resturaunt after school, every day for about 4 hours. I sometimes wish he stayed that way, I sure was better off without him. But then he changed. Something snapped inside him. He started telling me that it should have been me in the car, not my brother, he was always the favorite child. And I stated believing it too. My dad started abusing me," she wipes away a lone tear, "I would get home from school and he'd slap me across the face and tell me that I was too dumb for school, that no one could make me any smarter. It started to get better for a while though, only things like missing my curfew sets him off now, that's what this is from," she pulls my towel off from her shoulder and shows me a large greenish yellow bruise, "Now do you want to meet my father?" she asks.

"Yeah even more now, to give him a taste of his own medicine," I say, I'm fuming and gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles are turning white. 

She laughs sarcastically and lays a hand on my own, so I grab hers on hold on tightly.

"It's okay, I'm going to leave just next Sunday, he won't be able to stop me. I've raised all my college money myself. I've gotten multiple scholarships so it almost payed for itself. Charlie's family is helping some too. I'll be fine."

I should tell her my idea before it's too late, "Um, I don't know If your up to it, but would you want to maybe, work with us? Or just tour with us? I mean, of course you wouldn't have to work, but you could, if you felt the need to be productive. You could intern with Lou, or Todd," I'm rambling now, "you could even be a nanny for Lux!" 

"Oh Harry, I'd love to! That'd be a dream come true!"

"Really?! I was going to tell you for your birthday, but I figured I should tell you now, the boys all think you should too. It would look great on a resume too! I'm so glad you said yes, I'll start talking to Todd about it!"

She's grinning and leans over to kiss me. "Thank you Harry Styles," she whispers, "you've officially changed my life."