Impact | h.s | complete

4. Lunch Break

The weekend flew by, Tori soaking in the time that she had with Tanner. He left late Sunday night, as he needed to catch a flight out to New York to promote his father's newest movie. Monday morning came quickly and before she knew it, she found herself back at her desk at Impact. She wished that she could forget about her massive new commitment for just a moment and be normal again. Since Tanner's father had reached a certain level of success, she was used to the odd photographer or paparazzo snapping a picture of them unloading groceries at the store, or walking Tanner's golden retriever, Charlie, along the beach. It had been weird at first but she had grown used to it. Tori had seen and heard stories of Harry and the boys being mobbed by fans and cameramen on their way to the airport or into a hotel, but she had never experienced it first hand.

What if she hadn’t thought this through carefully enough? She needed her mother’s advice and made another mental note to ask her uncle whether her mother could be an exception to the confidentiality agreement. The boys were in for a meeting and some studio time again today, but she secretly hoped they would not need her. She could use a day of normalcy, just a typical workday. At 12:00 she logged off her computer, picking up her purse as the boys exited the elevator, sauntering down the hall towards her desk. They were so cohesive, walking in unison as if practiced thousands of time. She smiled as they approached her desk. What could they want? She tensed as Zayn placed his palms on the glass of the counter. Her eyes darted between the boys.

“What’re you up to?” Zayn asked, awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

“I was going to go take a walk for my lunch break,” she said, hugging her purse to her chest. Why was it that she felt bullied by these boys? Pop stars hardly any older than her. “Why, did you need something?” she asked icily, although she did not intend to take on such a tone.

“Li-” Liam nudged Louis arm as he began to speak, he shot him a look and rolled his blue-grey eyes dramatically. “We,” he began again, “were wondering if you’d like to join us on our lunch break.”

“We were thinking of just picking up some food, spending a little time cruising.” Niall said, the boys exchanging timid and mischievous glances.

“Um,” she glanced at her calendar. There wouldn’t be any clients in other than the boys for the day. “Sure, sounds good.” She smiled, following the boys out the front doors, glancing back at her desk one last time before it was out of sight.

The boys clambered into Harry’s black Range Rover, Niall calling shotgun and jogging to the passenger seat.

“Seatbelts on everyone,” Harry said in a falsetto, his gawky shoulders rising and falling in an animated gesture. Tori giggled at his sudden resemblance to a cartoon camp counselor. As they pulled out of the driveway, Tori watched Harry make eye contact with Zayn who, in the far back of the SUV, pulled out a fat roll of white paper. Niall searched through his phone’s music library, intently looking for a certain song. The sun streamed through the open windows and sunroof, shining off Harry’s brown waves, held back in a thick dark burgundy headband. A slow melody swelled from the speakersas smoke filled the car before leaking out the windows as Tori realized Zayn had lit a fat joint and was puffing on it. He passed it to Louis, who took a long drag, holding the smoke in his mouth for a while before releasing it slowly. Tori's heart plummeted as she watched the boys, but she tried to remain cool, she didnt want to seem like a nark. The beat dropped on a remix of Snoop Dogg’s Smoke Weed Everyday as Louis passed the joint to Liam, who passed it immediately to Niall in front of him without a thought. Niall took a small puff, releasing it quickly, coughing. Zayn and Louis laughed hysterically from the back. Harry took the joint from Niall.

“Are you sure?” Niall leaned across the central console, narrowing his eyes at Harry.

“The car’s full of smoke anyway, may as well join the fun.” Harry said taking an even longer drag than Louis, who whooped, encouraging him from the back. Harry seemed to take a secondary inhale after the joint had left his lips, passing it backwards to Liam who, again, passed it on to the next person without a second glance. Tori watched as Harry’s chest fell, but it took a moment for the smoke to leak from his nose and parted lips, the smoke being retrieved from deep in his lungs. He slowly let his head fall back against the headrest, pressing down on the pedal, accelerating as Zayn tapped Tori’s shoulder. She turned to see the joint, lit, beside her face.