Still at Behren's Cove--about midnight
The alcohol was finally relaxing me a little, but I was still concerned about Wheeler. So, I did the natural and probably stupid thing: I followed her like a father would follow his unruly teenage daughter, but I made sure she couldn't see me. Once she stopped to talk to someone I hid behind a bush, and I observed several problems.
1) She's sipping on a beer. She shouldn't be drinking beer.
2) She has shed the large coat she wore to my house, and underneath is a midriff bearing shirt that probably shouldn't even be called a shirt--it's waaaay too sexy, I mean, revealing.
3) Whoever this guy is that she's talking to, he's all over her, and she seems to love it. Didn't she tell me she never kissed anyone? They aren't kissing yet...but it sure looks like they will be.
While I'm thinking about these issues and watching this guy treat Wheeler like a piece of meat, I get angrier and angrier inside my mind until it feels like the contents of my stomach are boiling. The hot feeling goes throughout my body and into my head, until I practically see red.
All of a sudden he's leaning in....and she's leaning back...and their lips are about to touch...and then I completely lose it.
"HEEEEEEEY JUVIE!" I pop out from behind the bush, causing both of them to turn as red as beets and move to opposite corners of the area we're in.
"Hey." she glares at me, and suddenly it's like my mind catches up to the stupid thing I've done.
"Sooo, who's this?" I offer nervously.
"I'm Niall, nice to meet you, lad," the boy reaches out to shake my hand. He has a strange accent, and he's blonde. I immediately don't like him.
"Nice to meet you, too. I was just coming to see how Wheeler's doing." I'd never called her Wheeler outside of in my head, and it felt wrong. She didn't seem to notice, though, because she was still glaring at me.
"Well, I'm going to head off," Niall looked around awkwardly before handing Wheeler a piece of paper.
"That's my number...if you'd like to hang out sometime," once again, they were both turning red. It made me sick.
The minute Niall was a few feet away, Wheeler smacked me on the shoulder and glared at me with even more intensity.
"I'm so--" before I can say much of anything, Wheeler cuts me off.
"No, you're going to listen to me. You're the only friend I have, and I care about you a lot, but you're going to have to realize that I'm not a child. I'm seventeen years old, only four years younger than you, and that's really NOT much. Even if I was ten years younger than you, you're NOT my father, and you can't keep treating me like a daughter, or a sister, or whatever the hell you think I am. We're friends. Just friends. Okay?"
I am completely dumbfounded, and I've never seen Wheeler so frustrated...but for once, I completely understand where she's coming from. We are four years apart...but that really isn't much. In fact, until my birthday, she's seventeen and I'm twenty, and that's only three years. Hell, Niall looks like he's my age. Why have I been acting this way?
"I'm--I'm so sorry Juvie," I stutter, moving towards her.
"It's Wheeler, and don't. I can find my own ride home."
"No, no please don't, are you really that mad at me? I can take you."
"I'm not that mad, but you're a little bit drunk-- so either I get the keys, or I don't go with you."
Sighing heavily, I hand her the keys.
"Thank you. Now, how about we stand here and talk like adults for a few minutes before I take your drunk ass home," she giggles, trying to look at me seriously.
"Fine. So are you enjoying this?" I can hear myself slurring a bit, but there's nothing I can really do about it.
"I'm enjoying laughing at you."
"You're being unpleasantly mean. May I have some more tequila?"
"Only one more shot, Mr. Responsible."
I find the table and take my last shot, feeling it's warm tingle all the way down.
"I'm sorry I tried to be your father."
"It's okay, as long as you make it up to me somehow."
"Really, you couldn't possibly be my daughter. My daughter will be sweet," I ramble, chuckling.
"Are you saying I'm not sweet?" she looks taken aback.
"You're sour as can be."
"I thought I was 'The Creme de la Creme,'" she points to her necklace, pouting.
"That you are, Wheeler. That you are." I admit, too drunk to even know what I'm saying anyway.
"Yep, you're drunk. Let's go home, buddy!" smiling, she takes my hand and leads me off into the night.
*A/N: I'm completely amazed that I already have 200 reads. Thank you guys so much! This chapter goes to My_two_Harrys, thanks so much for commenting on just about everything, it really means a lot to me! Lastly, I hope you guys are happy that Niall appeared. ;) Should anyone else in One Direction make an appearance? Will Harry and Wheeler always be "just friends"? Please tell me what you think! Thanks again! :)
