Royalty

Forty Nine

a/n: ^^ summary manip :) thank you so much for the 5M reads and 100K votes!! this is a really long chapter because i don't think i'll have another update for a little while

"Okay, how do I look?"

I stepped out from the hallway and into the main living area of the apartment. Both Xander and Isabella were sitting on the couch, looking back at me. 

Xander drew his brows together as he gave me a skeptical expression, "Is that mine?"

I held onto the leopard printed jacket and shrugged, "Yeah."

"How does that fit you?" Isabella laughed. She stood up from the couch and walked over to me. She examined me from head to toe before she fixed the collar of my shirt. "You look good."

There was a mirror that hung up on the wall, and I stood in front of it to give myself one last look. I finally washed my dark jeans, so they looked brand new. This was only the second time I've worn my black button up shirt. Xander's leopard printed jacket fit well enough to look like my own. My hair was a little messy, but I did my best with it to make it look presentable.

I had to call Niall to ask about this event since he gave me very little information. Turns out that this charity thing is a lot nicer than I was thinking. It's not formal attire, it's apparently cocktail or something. I wasn't really sure. Although, I think I'm supposed to be wearing a suit or other along those lines, and seeing as I really don't own one, I'm taking it into my own interpretation. Black on black and hopefully this jacket isn't too crazy.

It probably is, but I'm wearing it anyways. The color isn't too bright.

"You better get going before you show up to Summer's place late," Xander suggested as Isabella sat back down with him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned herself into his body.

"Have fun!" The two of them spoke in unison.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my keys and left the apartment.

The walk all the way to Summer's building was hot. Of course the summer time and being dressed in all black was not a smart combination, but there I was. Leave it to me to be the worst outfit picker.

I was basically sweating by the time I reached the building. Albert was standing outside, his hands behind his back as he waited for someone to walk inside. The moment he spotted me coming near, he smiled brightly and opened the door for me.

"Good evening, Harry! You're dressed up tonight."

"Oh yeah, how's it look? Is the jacket ridiculous?" I nervously asked him as I held my arms out to the side.

Albert shook his head, making subtle gestures with his hands, "No, no. It looks good. There's a nice balance." 

"Well that's good to know," I sighed in relief before I looked around the lobby.

I saw that Carson guy at the front desk. That ugly blonde hair of his was neatly combed, and everything about him annoyed me. I don't even know why. He looked up from the computer screen and briefly made eye contact with me. I could see he looked surprised before he flashed me a subtle glare, going back to whatever he was working on. 

"Going up?" Albert asked, already pulling out the key card on the inside of his jacket pocket.

"Yes, please."

He swiped the card once I stepped into the elevator, and soon enough I was on my way up to Summer's place. The ride felt a lot shorter than the last time.

The car came to a stop and the doors opened up to the hallway. Suddenly I had this thought that her parents might be here. I mean, they're going to the event, so maybe they thought that they'd arrive with Summer. Fuck, if they were already here, I had a strong feeling the night wasn't going to be off to a good start.