Captured

I hated their stupid devious faces.

They all stopped eating their steaks, even Niall, who ten seconds ago was devouring on his dinner like a baby tyrannosaurus rex. They waited silently for an answer, staring at me with their Machiavellian looks.

"Why would I be jealous?" I whispered, a little bit anxious that Harry might come any second and hear it, "I don't even know who Gemma is."

"Why do you care who Gemma is?" Liam butted in, and I swear I wanted to throw my steak at his face for saying that out loud.

"I don't care who she is. I'm just...concerned of Gemma. She's probably a very nice girl with a beautiful future ahead of her. But now it's all ruined because she met Harry. Does she even know he's got unfinished business here. What a jerk. If Gemma calls again, tell her I'm very sorry for her."

Niall laughed. "Green-eyed monster alert."

I just rolled my eyes and retreated to focusing at my steak. And with that, Harry returned from wherever he went. Everyone still had their sly faces on, and I crossed every finger I had, hoping none of them would bring it up.

But of course Louis can't resist to tease me. "Why did Gemma call?"

"She asked if I was okay, and said that she misses me," Harry answered, straight and without even looking up from his plate.

It was very annoying, because each one of them were trying their best to upset me with their mischievous grins, even Zayn. I expected him to rescue me or something, but he was on this as well.

I was fiddling with my fork, trying my very best not to look annoyed, and at the same time waiting for everyone to finish their meals. "Lots of pretty girls in California, eh?" I said.

"Oh yeah," Louis replied immediately, "But what are pretty girls when you've got a pretty girlfriend."

"You've got a girlfriend?"

Louis almost said something but he was stopped by Harry, much to my surprise. "Yeah, Lou's got a girlfriend. Very nice and lovely lady."

"I..I didn't know."

I honestly didn't know. Bridget probably does, but it's as if she tells me everything. She may have mentioned about the boys' personal lives in the past when she was just a screaming fan-girl, not Niall's girlfriend, but I never really pay attention. Bad friend.

"Of course you didn't know," Harry had that raging mood in his voice, just like when I lied about the Valentine's Ball dress, "You don't know everything. So don't go around making judgmental statements when you don't even know anything."

Are we seriously back to the beach house incident?

"What the hell is your problem?" I raised my voice.

"What the hell is your problem?" he repeated, with a matching loud thud on the table with his fist that recoiled throughout the room and startled everyone.

I inhaled as long as I could, trying to keep my composure, "Oh. My. God. You have no right to be mad at me. I asked a very simple coherent question. To Louis. Not you. I'm so sorry if I don't know everything about One Direction. God, some things just never change."

"Yeah, some things just never change. You're still judgmental."

"Fuck you, Harry. You're still a jerk." I stood up from my seat, making very loud exasperated sounds to give effect to my enraged mood, then walked out of the room.

"Austin, where are you going?" Zayn called back.

I didn't even turn around. Not for Zayn, not for Bridget, not for anyone else who would try to stop me. "Away from him."

***

I have never yelled at more than five people in my life in one day, but I made world record today. It's an understatement to say that I'm in a terrible mood. Today, I'm a very bitter blend of fiery, irritated, sullen and pissed.

On the way to Everson Prep, I screamed at my driver for driving slowly, although I knew that I wasn't going to be late. Petty excuse, yes, but I needed an outlet for my withheld fits, and my driver seemed the right guy at that moment. I apologized anyways, so I guess we're okay now.

Our English Literature and Art teachers decided to make a joint project: film an Edgar Allan Poe story. Our class was divided into two, and I was stuck with the people besides Harry who I can't stand to breathe the same air with.

We were given the rest of English lit class to talk about which story to film, and basically, I just sulked in one corner, listening to Piper Barr, the younger and blonder version of Cinderella's evil stepmother, talk about a story that was clearly not authored by Edgar Allan Poe.

When I've had enough, and was sure that it was only two minutes before the bell rings for lunch time, I stood up and said to all of my group mates, "Heathcliff is from Wuthering Heights. And Wuthering Heights is not by Poe. But I have a brilliant idea. Let's do The Cask of Amontillado. I volunteer to be Montresor, while you portray Fortunato's role, so I can bury you alive. That's just a suggestion, okay. Unless you already have the right Edgar Allan Poe story, please, do yourselves the favor of not talking to me."

My driver, plus my twenty-two group mates, are the ones who got the taste of my crabby personality today.

Zayn is twenty-fourth.

"Why did you send my driver away?" I snapped at him as I entered the familiar black town car.

"So I can talk to you without you trying to ignore me. I've been calling, Austin." he sounded like the same calm Zayn, which made me feel guilty because he's still trying to be nice to me despite my attitude.

I put my hand on my forehead and for the first time today, regained my cool, "Okay, I'm really sorry for being like this. But I hope Harry's happy that he's done it again."

"Done what?"

"Pissing me off?" I swallowed hard, because the next four words, as I have admitted to myself last night after what happened at their house, were true, "Getting under my skin."

Zayn simply smiled, like he understood. "You know why Harry decided to leave?"

"Because he's a coward."

Zayn shook his head, "No, Austin. Not really. He wanted to leave because of me. He said it wasn't right that we're going after the same girl. Haz didn't want to get between us, said that you seemed happy with me. He told me the morning after the ball, about what happened between the two of you. After that he asked our tour manager if he could go to California ahead of us."

It wasn't making any sense.

"So I told Paul we should leave together, and I asked Lou to go to you and tell you a white lie. That's why I didn't go to you that day. And remember when I said we'd try to talk some sense into him. We did."

Zayn took my hands and looked at me intently. "You're a very pretty girl, Austin. You're down-to-earth and not like the other girls. But as much as I'd like to pursue my feelings for you, I won't. Because I can see the way you look at Harry. You're different when you're around him. And you have the same effect on him. I told him the same thing while we were away, and he promised he'd do his best to deserve you."

"Well, so far he's doing a very poor job at trying to do his best to deserve me," I replied, because I really had nothing better to reply.

"I know, I know. He started on the wrong foot last night. He said he got scared, but mostly that was our fault. We did try to set you up so you could talk. You both didn't anticipate all that, so you probably didn't know what to do. We're very sorry, Austin."

I simply nodded. Surprisingly, I wasn't mad. I can't stay mad at someone like Zayn. Yes, he lied to me, and he admitted their evil scheme last night which turned out real bad. But I still cannot find a way to hate him. From the start, he's been nice and understandable. So I hugged him. "Thank you, Zayn."

The ride was silent for a long time. I had no idea where he was taking me, until the car pulled up at a familiar brick road.

"Zayn, what are you doing?" I asked as he opened the car door for me.

"Setting you up again."

***

When he welcomed me into their house, he had this uncertain look. I walked slowly, following him into the empty living room. He stopped at the center of the saxony carpet, then turned to look at me. For a moment I realized how I missed those green eyes. "First of all, Gemma is my sister."

"What?"

He put his index finger over my lips. "Let me speak. I'm the one trying to explain. I heard what you said about her. I actually heard about everything. And I'm sorry if that, and my attitude, pissed you off. And I'm sorry I left. That was probably the greatest jerk-move someone's ever pulled and you don't deserve that. I suddenly got scared that I'd get hurt. I'm really really sorry."

There was a thick silence.

"Now it's your turn," he said.

I waited for him to say something else, because I didn't know I had some explaining to do too.

"I'm sorry if I have been judgmental again," I started, "And that I said such things about your sister."

Harry laughed. I missed that laugh too. "So they're right?"

"Right about what?"

"That you were jealous of my sister," his infamous smirk was back on his face, plus the adorable dimples.

"I didn't even know Gemma was your sister. And it's not like you were never jealous."

"Okay fine. You want to play this game? I was jealous on the beach house when were playing Snakes and Ladders and Zayn won and got to kiss you. I was jealous when he was your date during the Valentine's Ball. I get jealous whenever you call each other because he gets to hear your voice and I don't. And I was jealous a while ago because he picked you up at school and spent the ride home alone with you."

Some parts of me protested against it. Wrong wrong wrong, Austin. But I had been lying to myself for such a long time. Louis was right. Marcus was right. Zayn was right. And I was the one who spurned the truth because I myself is scared of what it might do to me. What Harry might do to me.

But you'll never know how cold the water is if you don't make the plunge right? So when I couldn't respond to Harry, I allowed my actions take the course.

I tugged on Harry's black shirt and pulled him closer, taking him by surprise. And when I was 100% sure of what's going to happen next, I crashed my lips unto his.