Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 28

Once everyone is back on the bus safely, Jay Jay walks to the door and bangs on it. "Jacqueline Johanna Taylor, get your skinny ass out here right now. We have to travel with these guys for over a year and I'll be damned if I play referee for that damn long. Now come on so we can talk this out, whatever it is." He says, stepping back as Jacqueline opens the door.

"You won't have to play referee if I'm not talking to the son of a bitch." Jacqueline says.

"Wait, what the hell did I do this time?" Harry asks. "You were nowhere near me all evening."

Jacqueline stomps up to him, slamming both hand into his chest causing him to stumble back. "Mr. I haven't been with anyone in five years." She yells, cramming her hand in his pocket pulling the girls number out. "Yeah Niall told me what you told them all, more like the lie you told them, because I clearly saw you tell the girl that gave you this." She throws the paper at him. "That you'd call her when you're able to ditch us all. And everyone wonders why I haven't given in and talked to you yet, I don't trust you. You're nothing but a lying fucking cheat." Jacqueline screams. She then gasps, and steps back, placing her hand on her cheek, looking at Harry in horror.

At first Harry has no clue why Jacqueline is looking at him the way she is, holding her cheek like that. Then he feels the stinging in his hand and he realizes he slapped her. He Harry Styles hit a woman. "Oh God, Jack, I didn't."

"Don't." Jacqueline cries, slapping his hands away. "Dont touch me, don't come near me or ever talk to me again." She says shaking so hard she can barely walk. She then looks at Marco. "I don't care what you have to do, but I want our own bus, I can't be near him." She then walks back to the back room.

"I can't believe I just witnessed that." Mitch says softly. Having gotten to know Harry really well during his solo years Mitch knew how broken up this was over Jacqueline. How desperately tried to find her. But to hear he'd told his other friends he hadn't seen other girls in the past five years, what was he thinking, Harry knew there was pictures to prove that lie. "And dude why would you lie about the other girls, they're bound to eventually see the pictures. You were no monk these past five years."

Jacqueline could literally feel her heart shatter when she hears what Mitch said. She knew it was to good to be true, but she had hoped. Now she knows she's worthless, the kids in school let her know on a daily basis, now Harry would rather lie and cheat to keep from having a physical relationship with her. Now here she is, stuck with this contract, having to do these damn shows with him, unless..
____________

SIX MONTHS LATER, USA LEG OF THE CONCERT TOUR

Lottie frowns as she's doing Jacqueline's makeup. She's been working on this tour for about a month now, and Jacqueline is her favorite one to work on. But over the past few weeks she's been noticing how sunken her cheeks have gotten, even her eye sockets seem sunken in slightly, like she's loosing way too much weight. Her brother Louis told her all about the history between her and Harry, so she's beginning to wonder if it's affecting her more than she's letting on.
"Jackie, you okay?" Lottie decides to ask.

Jacqueline looks up. "Hmm, oh yeah, I'm fine. You about done? I still need to decide on what I want to wear tonight."

"Yeah, you're done." Lottie says stepping back.

"Thank you Lot, you do excellent work with what you have to work with." Jacqueline says. "You actually make me look pretty." She says before walking slowly out of the room. She doesn't see Harry standing off to one side.

Harry slips into the room now that Jacqueline's no longer in there, still not believing he heard what he did.

"Is that your fault?" Lottie asks grabbing one her makeup brushes.

"What?" Harry asks.

"Jackie thinking only the magic of makeup can make her look somewhat pretty? When she's gorgeous without it." Lottie says.

"Probably, but not on purpose." Harry says. "And trust me if I knew how to fix this I would, but I don't."

Lottie shakes her head. "You shouldn't have broke it to begin with." She says, then she leans down and whispers in a choked voice. "She's dying, I can see every time she comes in here. Her face is thinner, don't believe me? Ask Belynda, she takes care of her wardrobe, find out from her how often her clothes have to be taken in or smaller sizes brought in."

Harry thought about the way she looked when she left this room, how she trailed her hand along the wall like she needed something to keep her steady. He remembers back to the last few shows, Jacqueline has used, on several occasions, a stool to sit on for most of her slower songs, and her faster ones she never let's go of her mic stand or walks the catwalk anymore. Lottie is right, she's wasting away right in front of everyone's eyes and no one's noticed. Niall and Drew were in their own world with their new relationship, Ken has Amber, Liam met Sammie, Louis and Nat are an item now, JayJay's wife is here, so is Deen's and he's staying away from her as she's requested.
Harry decides he'll keep an eye on her tonight, then talk to everyone else tomorrow.
Unfortunately he never gets that chance. During Jacqueline third song she bends down to grab a bottle of water and passes out, causing the fans to scream and alert, not only, security, but everyone back stage. But by the time most of them got there to see what is happening, all they see is Harry carrying a lifeless Jacqueline off stage and straight to the closest paramedic.