With the curtains drawn, I sat alone in my dark room. I didn't know what I was doing anymore. It felt like my conscience was gone.
I needed to be on my own for one whole day. No going out, no texting... no social interaction. Just me. I needed to figure out what exactly I was doing.
I'd survived half of the day without talking to anyone. Well, I slept for most of the hours. My parents were probably thinking that I'd turned into a zombie or something.
I bit my fingernails as I curled up in my blanket.
Should I really go on the trip? How do I tell Harry? Would I be cheating on Daniel if I did that?
I was so confused. I really do want to go to Vixenham. But at what cost? These thoughts ran around in circles in my head. I couldn't get them out.
My phone vibrated below my bed for the twentieth time. I'd kept it away the whole day. My fingers twitched as they slowly advanced towards the side of the bed. I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed to know what was happening in the outside world.
Staying in isolation to figure things out wasn't my thing.
My arm stretched down to the bottom of my bed and grabbed the phone.
Twenty three new messages.
Most of them were from Lindsey and Polly.
After Lindsey, Polly was my closest friend. She went out of town for months and she'd arrived back in Gripleville just the day before. I talked to her through the phone but I still hadn't met her because of all the... mental disturbances. I'm such a bad friend, I know.
She'd sent me several messages urging me to hang out with her and Lindsey at Humming's Coffee, a cafe/arcade centre.
And Lindsey sent me messages asking if I were dead. She told me to meet her at the cafe if I wasn't dead so we can discuss things for our trip. Ah, the trip. The root of all my problems. Well, sort of.
And there was one message that really woke me up. It was a message from Harry.
'cant wait for our trip!!! :)' It read.
How in Davy Jones' locker did he know about the trip? How did he know that I was going? That meant that he already knew about my newest lie. I hadn't even really made up my mind that I was going. It would have such a big impact on my relationship with Daniel.
I didn't reply to his message. I just got dressed up and made myself look presentable enough to meet Polly.
"Finally! Helena, your father and I were so worried. What were you doing in your room?" My mum exclaimed when I went downstairs.
"Mum you don't have to worry about every little thing. I mean, a lorry isn't going to come crashing into my bedroom window." I told her.
"I know, dear." She chuckled. "Where are you off to?"
"Polly's back in town, remember? I'm going to go meet her." I answered.
"Right. I was just on the phone with her mother last night. Tell her I said 'hi'."
"Yes, mum." I kissed her on the cheek before heading out the door.
___________________________________________
My eyes were strained. They couldn't properly adjust to the sunlight beaming down on me as I walked to Humming's coffee. That's what I got for staying under a rock the whole morning.
When I entered the cafe, I felt a forceful tug on my blouse. I turned to see my crimson-haired friend, Polly. Nothing about her really changed. She was still petite in size and her figure never fails to fit beautifully into any kind of outfit.
"Remember me?" She said in her usual high pitched voice.
I squealed and hugged her. "How are you? How are things?"
"Everything's great! You need to update me on what's been happening in your life though."
"Sure thing. I'm so happy you're back, Pols! Oh and I'm so sorry for not replying to your messages. I've just... been occupied with things."
"No worries. Let's sit. Lindsey's here as well."
"You bi-atch!" Lindsey hugged me. "I thought you were dead!"
"As you can see, I'm quite the opposite." I said, sitting down.
"I haven't seen you since the music festival. What's up?" She asked, pushing a cup of caramel latte towards me.
"Well... there's a lot to tell. It's all so complicated." I said, stirring the hot drink.
"It's about Daniel, isn't it?" She asked.
"Daniel?" Polly questioned.
"Her boyfriend!" Lindsey answered for me.
"Yes. But it's more about -" I froze for a moment.
Right through the rotating door entered the curly haired boy. Harry. Three other boys tagged along with him. Niall, Liam and Louis. Great, I wanted to avoid him and there he was, waltzing right into the cafe.
I totally forgot that the cafe was his 'hangout place'. Heck, the cafe was the whole school's hangout place during the weekends. I knew almost every customer there.
"Oh God..." I said as I cupped my face in my hands, hoping he wouldn't notice me.
"I'm guessing Harry's involved as well?" Lindsey smirked. "Oh Hel, what have you gotten yourself into?"
"Which one are you guys talking about?" Polly asked. "They're all pretty cute."
"The boy with the curly, brown hair." Lindsey told her. "That's Harry."
"Oh my... he's the cutest, I must say. Good job!" Polly fanned herself with her hands.
"Stop it, guys! Look away!" I told them. "Stop ogling!"
"Fine, fine. But tell us everything." Lindsey said and sipped her iced chocolate drink and looked at me intently.
I let out a deep sigh before I started telling them the whole story - from the day Daniel arrived, up until today. They didn't say a word and just marvelled with wide eyes at how complicated and twisted my life is.
"Guys. Swear to secrecy that none of this gets out. It cannot." I extended my pinky finger, making them promise that they won't tell anyone.
Both of them nodded and our pinkies intertwined.
"Okay, if Harry's only your fake boyfriend and you absolutely have no feelings for him, do you think you can hook us up?" Polly asked.
"Pols, you serious?" Lindsey raised an eyebrow at her. "We're supposed to be helping Hel out here."
"I just think he's really handsome. He looks like a lot of fun... but only if you don't mind, of course." Polly replied, stealing quiet glances at Harry, who was joking around with his friends.
Before I could say anything, Niall saw us and started waving. He alerted his friends that he'd seen me by patting them one by one on their shoulders and pointing at me.
"Oh God, no..." I said. I faked a weak smile as they started walking toward us, Harry flashing a dangerous smirk.
