Smile for the Camera (Harry Styles x OC)

Two Thousand Dollars

"Hailey, what the hell." I scrub a hand over my face, trying to dispel the grogginess. "It's three o'clock in the morning. What the bloody hell?"

"Oh, sssorry," she slurs. Yeah, she's definitely drunk. "It'sss only tennn here. What...um...what time isss yours?"

"Again, it's three in the morning. Good night." I pull the phone away from my face and blink at the bright light it emits.

"No! Wait...I wanned to tell you sssumpin." There's loud music with a heavy beat in the background and several shouts and screams.

I pull my covers up, snuggle down, and yawn widely. "Well, what is it? Tell me before I fall back asleep, Hailey."

"Okay, okay, okay. I, um..." There's a pause. "I forgot."

"Alright, you need to go home, Hailey. Go home, get some sleep, drink lots of water, and we can talk tomorrow. I'm going back to bed now." I move my phone away from my ear again and my thumb hovers over the end call button when Hailey calls out again.

"No! I 'member now. I jusss spent...two thousand moneys on Harry Styles concert tickets."

My jaw drops. "Hailey! If by 'moneys' you mean dollars and if dollars are anything like pounds, then you are the biggest twit I have ever met. Are you daft?! Why would you do that?! How many drinks have you had tonight?!"

"About ssseven."

"Hailey..."

"Teen. Seventeen. I have dranken seventeen drinks." I bolt upright in my bed.

"Hailey, you need to get a refund on those tickets. You don't have enough money to be doing that, you work on a bagel truck! Get your money back!" Why would she do that?!

"I can't. They're front...um...front row. And I lovesss the Directions." She's not getting herself a refund, is she? I roll my eyes.

"What are you talking about, Hailey?"

"Harry! And his band!" I can hear the attitude in her voice. The sounds change and things become muted. The music dulls and the voices are fewer. I don't know where she went, hopefully out of whatever club or bar she's in, but there aren't as many people here.

"Look, I don't know anything about this 'Harry' character. Do you seriously expect me to know about his band?" There is no response on her end except for a small bang. A second later, I hear wretching and some splashing. Gross.

"Sorry. I vomited."

"I know." I sigh heavily. "Okay, so you wasted two thousand dollars on dumb concert tickets. Why did you call me?"

"Half of that was spent for you. I got you a ticket too." Oh, drunk Hailey is an idiot.

"Where and when is the concert?"

"In New York, thisss weekend" Now she's an even bigger idiot.

"I'm being as patient as I can be right now, do you understand that? There are three problems with this. One, I am in bloody England! Two, I have absolutely no interest in Harry Styles! And three, there is no way I am flying a quarter of the way around the world to see some musical hippie!"

"But he's British. You don't want to support him? God save the Queen!"

"No one says that. And no, I don't want to support him. I don't care that he's British. I'm still not flying to America to go to this concert." I hear footsteps on the other end and the music and voices get louder. When she speaks again, it is a shout.

"But I needsss you to comes with me. Pecause...pecause nobody else will," she says, her voice wavering. She begins sobbing obnoxiously and sniffles loudly right into the reciever. Gross. I roll my eyes. She cries louder, and I hear shouting and a small scuffle. She doesn't talk for two minutes, and I'm much too awake to fall back asleep. I turn my bedside lamp on and wait for her to either hang up or speak again.

"I got thrown out."

"I know." Oh, she is so drunk.

"So will you come?" Let me fill you in on the situation. Hailey Turner is a twenty-four year old girl that I met when she went on vacation here in London about two years ago. We exchanged numbers and have kept pretty close in touch ever since. We formed an instant bond, there are just some people you are meant to have in your life. She's the person I want to talk to when something happens, good or bad, and apparently, I'm the person she wants to go to a Harry Styles concert with. Her obsession with him transmits itself loud and clear across the ocean, as does her tendency to get a little wasted at night, but I still try to ignore his existence simply because I refuse to follow the herd. Her wastedness though, that's something I really can't ignore.

"Hailey, are you with somebody right now?"

"Nope. All by my lonesome, my lonesome, my sad and weary lonesome," she sings. I can just imagine her walking down a dark street, about to be mugged.

"How far are you from your apartment?"

"About half a block now."

"Go straight home, we will deal with this tomorrow, alright?"

"No." I hear her footsteps stop. "I'm standing in front of my building, but I'm not going in until you say you'll go with me to the concert in two days." Oh, drunk Hailey is good. She knows how to get what she wants. Remind me to never negotiate with her again.

I hear footsteps again. "Please tell me you're going in."

"No, that's sssomeone else. He's wearing a big coat with the hood down and sunglasses on. He's coming my way." My heart rate picks up.

"Hailey, go inside and lock the door behind you!" I begin to pace my bedroom floor.

"Are you coming with me to the concert?" The footsteps get louder and I am starting to hear heavy breathing.

"Yes! Yes, fine. I will go with you. Now go inside!" Silence. "Hailey?"

"Yup!" She's so loud I almost drop the phone. "Still here, and you're going to be too in two days. Yay!"

"Yes, yay," I respond sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"I'm home." There's a beat. "Where are my shoesss?"

"I don't know." I hear some light thumping and wriggling as I imagine her trying to shimmy out of her dress.

"I'm tired." There's a thump and I'm sure she just fell into bed.

"I know." I'm not entirely sure she ever put on pajamas, but as long as she's safe in bed, then I'm not complaining.

"Good night, Gale." I hear the phone hit her pillow and know she's out like a light.

"Good night, Hailey."

Harry is coming! Don't worry, there's plenty of time for that, I just had to set up the situation. Thank you so much for reading! You are awesome! Don't forget to vote and comment on your favorite parts so I can keep it up. I might take suggestions, so speak your mind!
xoxo, Tilly