Salute » Harry Styles

Chapter 13

∞ Chapter 13 ∞

"I'm going to shit myself."

"No, you won't. You'll be fine!"

"Oh please, everyone will make fun of me and I will humiliate myself."

"Oh shut the fuck up and get your ass up there!"

"But what if people can recognize me? Do you know what your brother would do to me if he saw this?"

"That's why you have to wear this," Gemma says, pulling out five masks. They have intricate patterns on them and they are wooden as well. I think it's called a tribal mask. I'm not sure. "I brought one for Perrie if–"

"She's not coming so we don't need it," I snap. "You should wear it just in case anyone recognizes you."

"May be," she says with a shrug. She grabs the other four, before grabbing my hand. The city is humongous. There are skyscrapers everywhere, cars rushing in the streets. There are millions of people walking along the sidewalk.

"Lindsay said that she and Lucy are with all of the women in an alleyway. Your friends are there as well. They're waiting for us so we have to get there and then we can start," Gemma explains.

"God, I'm going to die before this even starts," I say, putting the band of the mask around my head and bringing the mask to my face so it covers it. The last thing I want is for someone to notice me and babble about it to the Curly Haired Bitch.

"Jade, how many times do I have to tell you? You're going to be fine! Just let all of the emotions you bottled up for so many years go and put it into the little performance you're going to put on," Gemma says, smiling as we continue to walk.

I sigh. Nothing could convince me right now. "I just don't know, Gemma. I mean I could slip up, my mask could fall off and everyone could see my face. Anything is possible right now. I know I'm going to fuck up any second."

Gemma nods, agreeing with me surprisingly. "You're right, anything can happen. And that anything could be a positive outcome from this. You could end this Society! You can get these women free from the SI! You can do anything, Jade! But you need to do one more thing before all of this: Believe in yourself."

"How can I believe in myself? All of my life people have told me that I am worthless, that I am just scum from the streets. How am I supposed to all of a sudden believe that I can magically believe in myself and everything will be okay? Something negative could come out of this, Gemma. And I am too afraid to risk it," I say with a small sigh.

Gemma stops abruptly, pulling me to a stop as well. "So how about we just stop then, Jade? If you're too afraid to risk this, why don't we just stop?"

Her sudden mood change appalls me. "I–"

"Because you won't stop. You can't stop. You know that this is the chance for women to come out into the limelight and break free. And you're not alone! You have me, Eleanor, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and all of the women in that fucking SI to support you. We can do this. You can do this," she says, letting both of us to continue and walk.

"Thanks, Gemma. For everything. From letting me stay at your house to right now. Just thanks," I say, looking at her with a smile.

"Why don't you throw a ring in and propose to me, goddamn," she says with a smirk and I laugh.

"And there she is. I thought you were replaced by a therapist or something, Gemma," I tease and she rolls her eyes.

"Whatever," she mumbles and I chuckle. We continue to walk through the city, getting a few shoves from the passing men –which infuriates me –and some men giving Gemma and I odd looks. Gemma had put her mask on as well during our walk to the alleyway which was the cause of the odd looks.