bare [h.s.]

Followed

"Sawyer," Harry says, bringing
my attention from the passing scenery to him.

"Hmm?" I hum, lightly tapping
my fingernails against the glass window.

"What are you hungry for?"
He asks, looking at me in the
backseat through the overhead mirror.

"Nachos," Niall cuts in,
sitting in the passenger's seat
with his legs impatiently crossed.

"Are you Sawyer?" Harry frowns
toward him, annoyance clear
in his tone.

"For you, baby, I could be," Niall
teases, making kissing noises
as he leans into Harry,
who quickly pushes him back
in his chair.

"Nachos sound great," I laugh,
but Harry shoots me a warning look, telling me not to laugh at Niall's ill-humored jokes.

I think I hear Niall insult Harry
by calling him part of the male
anatomy, but the constant buzzing
in my pocket takes me away
from the conversation.
The screen lights up as I slide
it out from my jeans:
four missed calls, all from Elijah.
With each phone call missed,
there are lengthy voicemails
that wait for my ear.

"You were supposed to meet
me after school for coffee."

"Why are you in his car?
Where is he taking you?"

"I swear if he makes
a move on you,
I'll kick his head in."

"I'm following you,
to take you home with me.
I don't appreciate your little stunt,
Sawyer."

With trembling hands,
I slowly remove the phone from
my ear and set it down on my lap.
I completely forgot our plans,
and I'll pay for my mistake.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asks,
his eyes must have been locked
on me this whole time.
I nod, turning around to peer
out the back window.
Sure enough, Elijah's car
is riding close behind the bumper.

"Harry," I begin, pulling my
gaze away from the furious Elijah.
"Promise me you won't
do anything drastic."

"What do you mean?" He narrows
his eyes, adjusting the mirror
with one hand to see what caught
my attention.

"Promise me," I raise my voice,
digging my nails into the leather
that coats the backseat.

"That asshole," He curses,
pressing his foot harder against
the pedal.
The car abruptly lurches forward,
causing Niall to almost
hit the windshield.

"What the--" Niall yells,
both palms pressed against
the dashboard.

"I'm going to fight him,"
Harry says firmly through clenched teeth;
his knuckles white
around the steering wheel.
In a swift motion,
Niall buckles the seatbelt around
himself and stares out the sideview mirror with wide eyes.

"What's he doing?" Niall yells
back to me over the loud roar
of the engine.

"He's coming for me," I say,
closing my eyes to picture
what will go down in a matter
of minutes.
The car makes a sharp right turn,
and we skid across the concrete;
the rubber wheels squealing
in response.
Elijah doesn't miss a beat
as he trails shortly behind.

Harry angrily shakes his head,
cautiously watching the car
that stays even with him.
"He'll have to go through me first."

//////////////////////////////

niall wear a seatbelt at all times cmon man.
im like so pumped lets start a chant. fight! fight! fight!