Summertime & Butterflies

Thirty-One

Olivia didn't look at Glenne as the three girls squished into the back of the car. There was no question in Olivia's mind that Glenne was in on Jeff's sneaky plan, which made her as at fault as he was. Why Glenne didn't try to talk her idiot boyfriend out of his ridiculous plan was beyond her – Olivia would have never let Harry get away with a stunt like that. But Olivia's boyfriend wasn't selfish enough to dream up a scheme like that, so she didn't have a thing to worry about.

"Did that really just happen?" Gemma spat out, not getting Olivia's subliminal message about keeping quiet about Jeff. "Since when is Jeff more important than me? Or Olivia, for that matter?" she added, surprising Olivia. It was still odd to her that Gemma was now on her side.

Glenne wrung her hands together, looking up at Gemma with wide eyes. "I didn't think he was actually going to!" she exclaimed. "He said he wanted to, but..."

"But nothing!" Gemma retorted. "If my mother needed company on the red carpet – which she actually doesn't, by the way – what makes Jeff think he's the best person for the job? Weird, but maybe like, oh, I don't know... her daughter might be a better choice."

Glenne frowned at Gemma, her arms crossing over her chest in a huff. "It's not my fault," she pointed out. "I told him nobody would be on board with it, but Jeff never listens to me!"

"Maybe that's a problem!" Gemma countered back. "My boyfriend listens to me. Does yours?" she queried, turning her attention to Olivia, who did not want to be a part of the conversation at all.

Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes, I guess..." she answered. "Look, let's just forget about it, okay? Because... being pissed off at Jeff will only ruin Harry's day, and we are not about to ruin Harry's day. Got it?"

"Yeah," Glenne and Gemma answered, sighing in unison.

Olivia tried to make light of the situation and channelled her inner teacher. "Let's just look at it in a positive way. We get to have a fun girl's day with no boys cramping our style. And we can talk about sex without your mother recoiling in horror," Olivia added, directing her comment to Gemma.

Gemma snorted. "Well, I can," she corrected. "I don't want to hear about sex with you and my brother," she said, making a face.

Glenne sat quietly, her hands clasped in her lap, listening to the other two girls gently rib each other. "Glenne," Olivia stated, her tone urging the girl to look at her. When she did, Olivia reached across Gemma and touched Glenne's knee. "We're not mad at you," she told her, wondering when she got so level-headed and mature. "It's a frustrating situation for sure, but... I  wouldn't have wanted to be there with Harry and all the cameras and everything," she lied. She wanted nothing more than to be beside him, holding his hand and supporting him every step of the way. But vocalising that desire wouldn't help the Glenne's feelings.

"Speak for yourself..." Gemma muttered before looking at Glenne. She sighed. "I'm not mad at you either," she huffed out, her words far from believable. "And..." she sighed again, in typical dramatic Styles fashion. "I guess Olivia's right. We'll have a fun girl's day..." She trailed off, leaving her sarcastic comment hanging.

"Good," Olivia replied, ignoring the facetiousness in Gemma's words. "Now, let's take a selfie!" she suggested, rolling her eyes at just how basic she sounded. But she was desperate to make sure the day went over without a hitch, and if playing the part of irritating, bubbly girl was the way to do so, she would. "Smile!"

The rest of the drive to the theatre was quiet, but as the car rounded a corner near Leicester Square, Olivia's jaw dropped and she let out a loud gasp. "Holy shit."

There were more people piled around the theatre than Olivia could have ever imagined, and even more wedged in behind them. With every car that pulled up to the red carpet, the fans cheered and screeched louder each time. Olivia figured there were fans of Tom Hardy or Cillian Murphy in the crowd, but given the amounts of Harry and One Direction signs and posters in the crowd, she couldn't be certain.