I Dare You

Nineteen

Harry was sweeping and wiping down the counters in the bakery, closing time was in 15 minuets and Harry felt as if his shift would never end.

The bell on the door jingled and Harry looked up to see who had entered the bakery.

Louis.

Shit.

Harry took his place behind the counter, wiping down the register area before Louis made his way to the front, standing in front of Harry.

"Hi." Harry said sheepishly. Louis didn't look too pleased to see Harry and he could sense that.

"I'll have a lemon drop cupcake please." Louis said cooly. Harry nodded and opened up the sliding door, putting on his rubber gloves as he got out a container for the cupcake.

"So- plans for prom?" Louis smirked. Harry's eyes widened before he casually nodded his head, setting the cupcake inside the container he got out.

"Yea. You?" Harry asked.

"Get me another lemon cupcake please." Louis said. Harry nodded and got out another container, reaching for the Lemmon cupcake.

"And no. I do not have any plans for prom. I went last year, that was good enough for me." Louis said.

"You're nominated for prom king." Harry mentioned to Louis.

"I am very well aware. But why would I go to prom if I don't have a date?"

Shit.

Harry gulped, meeting the gaze of Louis' cold grey eyes as Louis smirked at Harry.

"You can always go with friends. I am." Harry said.

"Oh. I wasn't aware that you and Novelly were going as friends." Louis smirked.

"Yeah. We uh- we are." Harry shrugged. He tried to act tough, tried to act like he wasn't scared shitless, but it was rather hopeless. Louis could see right through him.

"That's not what everyone else is saying." Louis' glare became more evident.

Harry placed the two containers on the counter, getting ready to ring Louis up when he grabbed Harry's collar, pulling his torso over the counter.

"Listen you little prick-" Louis started.

"Novelly deserves someone better. Not a worthless nerd like you. I promise you, if you make any move on her- if you even think about making a move on her. I will end you." Louis threatened him. Harry couldn't breath, his heart had stopped but yet it was beating at a million miles per hour.

"I didn't- it's not like that." Harry protested. Louis shoved him backwards, making Harry land against the back counter, spilling a bowl full of flour.

"Don't fucking lie to me! She was the only good thing in my life and you fucking ruined it! You think I'm gonna let her leave me for someone like you? You think you have a chance with her? Who the fuck do you think you are? You're nothing but a pathetic looser!" Louis yelled. Harry was trying to clean up the mess, but he was simply to startled to move.

"We're just friends!"

"Bullshit! Everyone knows you've got a crush on little miss Novelly, Harry. You'd have to be blind to not see it! And even the blind can see it!"

"That's not true!" Harry yelled back.

"The only person who is dumb enough to not see it is her." Louis spit.

"We're just-"

"Don't!" Louis yelled, cutting him off.

"I don't want you fucking near her, Harry. You got it?" Louis pointed a finger at Harry, his cold grey eyes burning a whole through Harry's green ones.

"Got it." Harry mumbled.

"What?" Louis said sarcastically.

Harry sighed, he wasn't going to let people bully him like this any longer. This was it.

"No. I'm taking Novelly to prom and you can't stop me."

"So help me god Harry if I see-"

"You will see me at prom with her because we are going together." Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Get out Louis." He said.

"This isn't over. If I see you with her you're dead." He spit.

Louis left the bakery, slamming the door and making Harry jump for he thought it would break the large glass windows. After he left, Harry quietly and quickly cleaned up the mess from the flour he had spilt, paid for the two cupcakes, locked everything up and went home.

Harry thought about eating the damn cupcakes for dinner and saying fuck it and going to sleep in the junk yard, but that was on Louis' street.

***

"You're home. Where have you been?" Anne asked as Harry walked through the door at 9 pm at night.

"My shift is over at 8. I had to clean up and then I walked home." Harry explained, closing the door and kicking his shoes off so he wouldn't track in anything.

"What you got in your hand?" Josh asked from the couch beside Harry's mother.

Harry gulped, as long as Anne was in the room, Josh wouldn't beat the living shit out of him.

"Cupcakes. Um- someone forgot them at the bakery so I just took them home since we can't resell them." Harry said. Josh nodded and stood from the couch, and as he reached for the boxes in Harry's hands, Harry automatically flinched.

"Why so jumpy?" Josh gave Harry a look only Harry could see.

"No reason." Harry gulped.

Josh opened up one of the containers and looked inside, pulling out the cupcake and examining it before he took a bite.

"You only brought two home?" Anne asked.

"The guy who left them there only bought two."

"Well you should have bought another one. Now there isn't enough for your sister." Anne scowled Harry.

"Sorry- I uh- I didn't think about that."

"Because you don't think at all." Josh said with a mouth full of the lemon cupcake, licking frosting away from his big, swollen fingers.

"I'll split this cupcake with Gem." Anne said as she grabbed the second box from Harry.

"But- I was kind of hoping maybe I could-"

"If you wanted a cupcake maybe you should have bought one." Josh cut Harry off.

"Right. Um- is there any left overs from dinner?" Harry asked, making his way towards the kitchen.

"We went out to dinner, sweetie. But there are some frozen corn dogs in the freezer." Anne smiled at her son.

"Okay." Harry mumbled.