Until We Meet Again // H.S. AU

XXVI. Gold Digger

(song: monte carlo by girl friend)

I stand still in shock. Where did he get that from?

"So, Florence..." He says my name in emphasis with disgust. It's so unlike how Alex says my name, with adoration and as if he's proud of who I've become.

"I hear that you've been making...new friends, let's say, lately."

Does he mean Harry?

"What do you mean?"

He lifts up the newspaper and I flinch back, closing my eyes. Nothing happens. I open one eye, then the other. He skims an article and then turns it around so I can see what he's looking at. Surprisingly, there's a small and slightly blurry picture of Harry and me at Good Tunes, sitting on the couch and laughing. It's a pretty cute picture, if I'm being honest. I look at the article beside it and skim through as quickly as I can. It talks about how Harry Styles, "one of the top five richest kids in this town," has been recently caught getting closer to a girl--me. It states that we've been seen together on numerous accounts and it seems like he's pretty serious about our relationship and very happy to be in it.

I look back up at Alec. Why does he seem so angry about this? He takes my silence as a cue to speak.

"So you've been walking around town, holding hands and cuddling up with the richest kid in this town?" He angrily mutters out.

"I--I, I guess, yeah," the words barely tumble out of my mouth.

"'I guess so, yeah,'" he mocks me in a high tone, then hits my arm with the newspaper. I flinch back and hold my arm.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're dating this guy? Huh?" His voice remains alarmingly calm.

"I didn't think you would care..."

"Yeah? You didn't think I would care?" His eyes squint at me and I feel like I'm shrinking with every word he says.

"What are you trying to pull?"

"I--I'm sorry, what?" What does he even mean by that?

"There's no way you both like each other. I think even you would be able to tell that he's not interested in you. So what do you gain from this relationship?"

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to me every once in a while."

He completely ignores me, getting lost in his own crazy ideas about Harry and me.

"You're trying to get his money, aren't you? And all these years I thought you were an idiot," the hint of a smile forms on his face, "you're actually a genius! Look at you, taking the easy way out and getting with a rich guy. You know, I was starting to wonder how you've been getting all those new clothes lately. And those earrings! I would never buy you diamond earrings! They're real, aren't they?" He touches my earrings as if he can tell the difference between real and fake diamonds.

"You, you have really got the right idea here."

"Stop it!"

Alec stops talking for a second.

"I am not using him!"

"Ooh, that's good! If anyone else asks you about it you have to be able to deny that you're a gold digger. I didn't know you were an actress too!"

"No! I am not a gold digger! Did it ever occur to you that we both actually care about each other?"

"I should meet his parents, we have to get close so we can get double the money!"