Labels || H.S. [#Wattys2020]

SIXTY-EIGHT

It was weird leaving to say the least. Reagan had never really traveled, even though she had the means to do so. She liked stability, liked routine and patterns. She was a creature of habit. So how she had survived the tumultuous and chaotic storm Harry had brought along with him into her life, she had no idea. But there she was, sitting on a plane next to Hailey, attempting to do some work while Hailey pretended to read a book of poetry Harry had lent her.

"Reagan?"

Reagan looked up to see Hailey staring right at her.

"Yes?"

"Is there some kind of way to get a summarized version of this book? I just know he's going to ask me about it, and I want him to think I read it."

"It's poetry, why not just read a few poems?"

"It's weird." She said, scrunching her face, "This Bukowski fellow was pretty twisted." She put the book down on the spacious arm rest between them, and suddenly Reagan was even more thankful about being placed in first class.

"Well, you know, I'd just read his favorite ones."

"How do you know which ones are his favorites?"

Reagan took the book from the arm rest and flipped through it, remembering all the times she'd seen this book underneath his arm, how she'd see him fold the corner of the page when he was lost deep within the words upon its page.

"Reagan?"

"Oh. Yeah." Reagan said looking up, "See, he marks them with a cross." She said, pointing to the lightly drawn cross next to the title of the poem.

"Ah." She said skeptically, "I see."

Reagan swore at herself, she knew she shouldn't have bothered helping Hailey.

"I just, you know, spend so much time with the boys I can tell you a bunch of things about all of them."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Reagan said, realizing she was digging herself into a deeper hole.

"Like what?"

"Um, well, Niall can't perform unless he has his four leaf clover key chain on him. His mom gave it to him before he went on the x-factor."

"That's endearing." Hailey replied, clearly not interested. "Anything else about Harry?"

"Um..."

"Like what is his favorite food? What does he like about a girl? Should I be changing the way that I'm dressed?" She said looking down at her unsurprisingly perfect outfit, her miniskirt and tall knee boots and a silk blouse without a wrinkle on it.

She was asking the wrong questions though. If this girl cared about him in the least she would ask if he sleeps enough at night, or if the traveling is starting to wear on him. If his heart still races when he's about to get on stage, or if he feels like he's finally found a home. Reagan couldn't help but ask these questions daily, she stupidly wondered if Harry had eaten well, if he had finally had his daily fucking banana. And she couldn't help but feel irratated at the fact that Hailey couldn't even cover up the fact that she was only interested in Harry for his exterior. For his fame and his fortune and his good looks.

Hailey ignored Reagan's judging stare, much too involved now in her own thought process,"Oh God, what if they photograph me with him? I should just take his hand right? I'm sure he won't mind. I mean, we look like we're meant to be together. Oh, I should make sure we coordinate outfits before we step out together...He seems to like black skinny jeans the most? I should try to find something that will make me look as thin as he is. I mean, I'm not fat, but he's pretty fit." She said looking down at her thighs, and then looking at Reagan's, "But then again, some of us are much worse off."

Reagan ignored the clear jab at her and instead changed the subject like the adult she was, "Management has given us all access to the concert stage. We're going to watch the show from the floor by security. Said they couldn't have us by the audience."

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want to be in the midst of all those screaming teenage girls anyway."

"Well, it is a concert."

Hailey looked at her pointedly, "Whatever. Do we have to stay the entire show? All those guitars and screaming girls give me a migraine."

"You don't want to stay the entire show?"

"God, no. I'll go at the beginning and then just come out at the end. Harry will understand right. I mean, I'm going to be a pretty high profile celebrity. What if someone tries to attack me or something?"

Reagan tried so hard not to respond to Hailey's stupid question, so hard.

Hailey continued nonetheless, obviously unaware of how incredibly infuriating she was, "I just can't believe all he does is read and write. It just seems like such a waste."

"Waste of what?"

"I mean, couldn't he be a model? An actor? Something that makes use of his gorgeous figure and bone structure, you know? People who are pretty should not be allowed to lock themselves inside. They have to share their beauty with the world. That's why pretty people are famous after all."

"Because they have to share their beauty with the world?"

"I mean, isn't that one of the only things famous people have to offer?"

"That's pretty superficial." Reagan said, she couldn't help herself after all.

"The reality of the world is that pretty people always win, Reagan. We get to be out in the public, showing the world what they should look like," She looked at Reagan, "No offense. But honestly, actors, models, singers, we all offer an escape from ugly realities. You can't escape reality only to be faced with someone who looks like your disgusting Aunt Susan." She said snarkily, "When people want out from their lives, they want to do it with people that look like they belong in fairy tales. Which is why Harry and I are perfect together, we look just like a prince and princess."

"Right."

"So when those articles came out about you and Harry, you broke that wall. You made it seem as if anyone could end up with someone like Harry, making him less desirable. You know that's why I was called in. When girls see me with him, his reputation will be back in tact. All girls will aspire to look like me to get the boy, all boys will be head over heals about me and will think that they have to be more sensitive like Harry. We make the perfect PR couple, and hopefully, we can drop the PR part soon enough."

Reagan was about to gag. Perhaps it was the plane ride, but she was pretty sure it was the toxic spew that was being regurgitated out of Hailey's plum colored mouth.

"Excuse me," Reagan muttered, undoing her seat belt and rushing through the aisle to the small airplane toilet. She could hear Hailey chuckling behind her.

As she reached the bathroom and threw the door close behind her, she leaned against the plastic door and breathed in and out. She had to stop letting Hailey get the best of her, but she didn't know how when everything she said was true.

All she had to hope for was the fact that within a few hours she'd hear Harry's voice again. Maybe then everything will be right again.