Rewrite the Stars (A Harry Wells x Reader Insert)

Chapter 1

~Her~

"You've got to be shitting me!"

I couldn't even have a damned drink of water in my own home? Well, 'home' was a generous term for where I lived. I was pretty sure I had just downgraded to 'slum' because apparently the water had been shut off.

"Laurie, I thought you paid the water bill?" I shouted. When my friend didn't reply with a shrill comeback about how she thought I had, I assumed she was already out. That was the thing about Laurie and her work - the first one on the job, the last one off. And yet, with that much diligence, why was our water being shut off?

I ran my hand over my face and through my hair before heading back to my room to try and find the spare money I now needed. I examined my bank account on my phone and, after seeing it horribly close to empty, I went to check my stash I kept in a box disguised as a book on the shelf. I always kept enough cash in it for a rainy day such as this, enough for a month's rent and other necessities.

Except when I opened it, there was less than forty dollars in it when there should have been nearly four-hundred. Where the hell has my money gone?

"Laurie, I'm going to kill you..." I murmured under my breath. I put my box back and made my way to my closet to find my jacket and heels for this evening if I was going to locate my roommate and potentially earn back the money I was going to need for rent as well as the water.

Better my little slum than out on the street.

Luckily, I was already in my 'work clothes' and not the sweatpants I wished I was wearing. I checked my reflection in the mirror and applied my red lipstick before adjusting the plunging neckline of my black dress. I hoped I'd be able to catch Laurie out on the street to give her a piece of my mind.

I scrambled out of our tiny and somewhat sketchy balcony and descended the fire escape. I slipped my black platform heels on once I hit the pavement and some dude standing next to me got a good look down my dress.

"See something you like, buddy?"

Uncomfortably, he shifted when I stood up and avoided eye contact. I could have teased him some more, but I didn't have time for that. I needed to track down Laurie so I could shake her down for my cash.

I strutted down the street a couple of blocks to where we usually tried to hit up guys. A few horns honked at me on the way. I waved. It was like I was clocking in for my shift.

I spotted up ahead a woman leaning into someone's vehicle window. She wore the shortest purple dress I'd ever seen - sequinned and sparkling in the light of the neon bar sign behind her. She had her legs on show, her platform heels making her legs even longer than they already were. I'd know those legs anywhere.

"Laurie!"

My friend turned coolly at me shouting her name, and she wiggled her fingers hello.

I mouthed 'get over here!' to her in a way that she knew I wasn't messing around and I heard her say something to the potential client about waiting 'just a sec' before she came over to me.

"You know you're probably going to cost me this guy, right?"

"Well, you've cost me a hell of a lot more! What could you possibly need three-hundred-and-fifty dollars for?" I exclaimed in a half whisper, gesturing with my hands.

"You don't like it?" she asked with a pout, and for a second I was perplexed until she motioned to the purple dress clinging to her body. I was suddenly even more outraged.

"You spent over three-hundred dollars on that? What are you? Crazy?"

"Not just this, I needed new underwear and some shoes too," she tried to reason as I looked around trying to comprehend this information.