Storm [H.S.]

chapter 8

Do I know the storm? He has no idea.

"Yeah...he's my volleyball coach." I tell Eric looking down at my sandwich.

"Your volleyball coach?" He sounds like he doesn't believe me. "Harry Styles is your volleyball coach?"

I look up at him. "Yeah he is...why is that so shocking?"

"I don't know I just didn't know he also played volleyball. I guess it's not that surprising, he's probably great at every sport." He comments while rolling his eyes.

Why is he rolling his eyes? I know Harry has a reputation but I thought it was a good one. Everyone seems to be obsessed with him around here.

"So you don't like him?" I guess while Eric takes another bite of his turkey sub.

He exhales a laugh. "No I don't like him. He's a jackass."

Woah. Okay so I guess not everyone is obsessed with him. I glance over at Harry's table and meet his stare. Can he stop looking at me? I feel like I'm under a microscope.

I turn back to Eric. "How do you know him?"

I'm curious, does he not like him just because he's a football god or because he actually did something bad? Eric seems like a nice guy so he probably has a good reason for not liking him.

"Not personally but I used to come visit here all the time when I was in high school because my friend Lucas went here." He starts. "I knew who storm Styles was because everyone in this town does, even though I never met him. I mean basically everyone in California does, he's a legend."

"So I've heard." I interject.

"One night me and Lucas went to a party and he was there. Everything was fine for most of the night but near the end, all hell broke loose."

I listen to Eric, hanging on to every word he's saying.

"I was getting another drink when I heard screaming and commotion coming from the hallway of the house we were in. I ran out and saw a big group of people blocking the hallway so I pushed through everyone to see what was happening." He explains and his face changes, turning angry. "Harry was on top of Lucas punching him in the face over and over again."

I gasp. "Oh my god why?"

"It turns out he walked in on Lucas hooking up with a girl that was all over him earlier in the night. Can you believe that? He literally beat his face bloody just because of a girl that wasn't even his."

What? I thought Harry went through a lot of women. Why would he care if one hooked up with another guy?

"Are you sure that's why he hit him?" I speculate. "I mean I don't see Harry attacking someone just because they were with some random girl."

Eric looks at me baffled. "You don't think he would do that?" He laughs. "You must not really know him then. They don't call him the storm just because of football."

I guess I don't really know him. I mean it's really only been four days since I met him that night at Sam's. For some reason I feel like I've known him forever though.

I peek over at Harry's table again but he's not looking at me anymore. He's telling one of his friends something and he looks annoyed. Then he turns his head and our eyes connect. He looks surprised that I was already staring at him but then gives me the same look he always does...longing. Do his friends not think it's weird that he's starting at another table this whole time? Is he even eating a sandwich?

I turn away to see Eric finishing his sub. "I guess I don't know him that well." I confess. "He's only my coach."

"It literally took three of his football guys to pull him off of Lucas." He continues the story. "I've never seen anything like it. Lucas had to go to the hospital and he never came back to UOC after that."