I Hate Everything About You

“Natalie,” A hushed voice called from above me. I chose to ignore it, pulling the blanket over my head and shutting my eyes harder. I then realized the blanket I’d pulled over my head was not my own.

My eyes shot open and I took in the curly head hovering above me.

“What the hell,” I choked out, sitting up quickly. Harry moved fast enough that our heads didn’t collide, thank god.

“You fell asleep on the couch last night so Lacey and your brother just decided to stay here.” He explained, gesturing to the two motionless bodies on the ground wrapped in blankets, and underneath the blankets they looked to be wrapped around each other.

“Oh,” was all I could say. Someone shifted under the blankets, groaned, and then was silent once more. I laughed a little, knowing it was James. “What time is it?”

“It’s just past ten. You want some breakfast?” Harry asked, walking into the kitchen. I nodded and began to follow. The house was already mostly cleaned from the night before; the only evidence of the party was the backyard, which was still yet to be cleared.

Memories of last night and what happened in the backyard flashed through my mind and a deep blush grew in my cheeks. I looked down at my feet, feeling Harry’s eyes on me.

“What would you like to eat?” He asked, turning away quickly when I looked up.

“Um, whatever. It doesn’t really matter. I’m not picky.” I pulled out a chair at the counter and sat down, putting my head in my hands.

“So if I made you asparagus and brussell sprouts you’d happily eat it?” He mused, opening the refrigerator and pulling out the previously mentioned veggies to prove he could.

I scrunched up my face in disgust. “You know what I mean.” I laughed.

He threw back the vegetables and grabbed a few eggs instead, setting them on the counter and diving back in the fridge. He emerged with a thawed out pack of bacon and some breakfast sausage.

“All American breakfast,” He sang in the accent that contrasted his words. My only reply was the smirk that stretched across my face.

As he was cooking I thought about what was going on. Last night me and Harry had a very intimate moment. I went from loathing him with all my heart and then some, to watching him cook breakfast for me.

It didn’t make sense in my own head, but for some reason it seemed now that everything that’d happened between us didn’t matter. None of it was a problem. Like nothing ever happened. All the times that we’d butted heads seemed to disappear.

“Hey guys!” I heard a bright and happy voice call.

“Hey Gage.” Harry smiled slightly, concentrating on not breaking the yolks as he fried up the eggs.

“How are you not dead on the bathroom floor right now?” I asked, spinning around and seeing Gage a lot closer than I expected. My bent knees hit his thigh, and he smiled, touching my shoulder.

“Practice, young grasshopper.”

“He just holds his liquor well,” Harry almost sneered, flipping the bacon that was in a separate pan cooking with the sausage.

“O-kay,” I said thoughtfully, turning back around on my chair and faced Harry. His hands were working skillfully, wielding the spatula and expertly flipping the egg. I couldn’t help myself from staring at him, and Gage shifted awkwardly in the seat he’d taken next to me.

“Do you want help, Harry?” I asked, surprising myself. To be honest I’d probably just screw everything up, but the awkward silence was terrible.

“You can put some toast in the toaster and then butter it once it’s done?” He suggested. I hopped out of my seat, grateful for something to do, before realizing I had no clue where the bread was stored.

“Over there,” Harry laughed, pointing towards the pantry to my left. I opened the door and grabbed the bread quickly, popping a few pieces in the toaster and depressing the button.
Harry and I worked easily around each other in the kitchen to prepare breakfast; whenever I didn’t know where something was he pointed it out, already knowing I was going to ask. When I turned around to ask him where I could find a butter knife there was already one being handed to me. I smiled widely and took it, laughing.

“You guys look like a married couple cooking breakfast together.” Gage mused, laughing at his joke. I stiffened up a little, remembering again what happened last night. I silently wished Gage didn’t hold alcohol well and was upstairs puking up everything he’d consumed.

Harry just laughed, like Gage was missing out on some big joke he’d never understand. There was a lot Gage didn’t know, and if things stayed nice like this between Harry and me, he’d never know about it.

Lacey stumbled in the room then, dressed in what I assumed to be Harry’s clothes. Harry’s eyebrows shot up, a confused look on his face.

“What? I wasn’t comfortable and I was tired, sue me.” She shrugged, knowing he was questioning her about wearing his clothes. “Besides, you’re the one who put me in your room and left me there,” She accused. He just chuckled, looking at me as I blushed, knowing he was recalling what happened while she was asleep in his bed.



“First of all, how were you even able to throw this party?” James asked Harry later, when we were all crowded around the table eating the breakfast Harry and I had prepared.

“I’m Harry god-damned Styles, I can do whatever the hell I want,” He shrugged, shoving a piece of bacon through his perfect lips.

Everyone laughed at the table, me included.

“No seriously though.” He laughed “The rest of the family went to London to visit family and stuff, and my parents don’t really mind if I throw a party, as long as everything is cleaned up and stuff before they’re back.” He explained.

A shrill sound rang through the house, someone’s phone ringing incessantly.

“That’s mine, shit.” James muttered, jogging into the living room and answering with a short “Hello”.

A few minutes later he bounded back in and announced that the three of us needed to get back to my house, or my mom was going to kill us all.

“Bye guys,” I blurted quickly as we gathered all our stuff, Lacey not mentioning Harry’s clothes. I imagined she wanted to keep them so she could sleep in them every night.

“Bye!” Gage and Harry called simultaneously, as the door shut behind us. We all but ran the far distance to James’ car, and James sped home.

My mom ranted a little bit about not calling and how worried she’d been all night before she dismissed us to do whatever we pleased. She was normally not the type to forgive us so easily, but I wasn’t going to question it. Lacey made her way home, promising she’d call me later so we could talk.

“Oh, Natalie.” My mom called as I attempted to make my escape with the others. I cursed under my breath but turned around with an apologetic smile on my face nonetheless. “You need to stay here for a while, no plans today.”

My mouth popped open to form an ‘o’ and my eyes were wide. “Why?”

“Just because you need to,” She shrugged, cocking an eyebrow daring me to test her further.

“Fine.” I groaned, halfway stomping up the stairs. I plopped on my bed and rolled over, still kind of exhausted from the night before. Plus I had a lot to think about.

What did I feel towards Harry? My immediate thought should be hate, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. That was the problem; I didn’t know what to think. Obviously things were better between the two of us, maybe we’d even become friends. But the thing that had happened in the pool house – that could never happen again.

I couldn’t start to have feelings for Harry Styles, the boy who made my childhood a living hell.



A sharp bang on my door interrupted my Teen Wolf marathon. Granted I had just started, but it was going to be a marathon..

“Yes?” I groaned, guessing it was my mom coming to lecture me again.

“BABY!” Hannah yelled, bounding in my room and jumping up and down on my bed. I paused the TV and squealed.

“What are you doing here!?” I stood on the bed too, locking fingers with her and jumping up and down.

“Came to visit, duh!” She laughed, throwing her hair over her shoulder. “Surprise!”

“I’m so happy!” I plopped back down onto my bed, and she followed suit.

“We need to go shopping,” Hannah looked at me hopefully, knowing most of the time I didn’t enjoy shopping with her, for many reasons.

“Okay,” I agreed much easier than I would have on any other occasion. I needed to talk to her. And I knew she was going to flip.



Twenty minutes later we were both dressed and ready to go, my mom having explained that she was in on the surprise and this was why she told me I couldn’t make plans.

“Works for me.” I laughed, hugging her tightly. “Love you, mom.”

“Love you too,” She smiled, hugging Hannah also before we made our way out the door.

We decided to just go to the mall – it would definitely be where we’d have the most luck shopping and it was big enough that we could roam around aimlessly and it wouldn’t be weird.

“So, what’s been going on lately?” Hannah asked as we walked through the doors to the mall. Well here goes, now or never.

“Everything. Very confusing things.” I looked down at my phone as I spoke; only looking up at her silence.

“What the hell did you do?”

“Okay I’m thinking you’re gonna want to sit down for this one.” I turned towards the food court and sat at the closest empty table.

“What the hell did you do?” She repeated herself, leaning forward on the table with her elbows.

“Um alright so you remember that party that I was going to?”

She sat up straighter, a smile growing on her lips. She was thinking I was gonna tell her I hooked up with Gage.

“Of course I do. You made out with Gage, didn’t you?” She smirked, smacking my hand. “Why didn’t you tell me before!? Oh my god, what was it like? He looks like he’d be a fantastic-”

“Hannah - it wasn’t Gage, it was Harry.” I cut her off, spitting it all out at once. I covered my face, not wanting to see her reaction. I was surprised when I was met with a laugh.

“What?” She asked, staring at me. She thought I was kidding.

“I’m not kidding,”

“How did that even happen?”

“Well, Lacey got really drunk and then Harry was there and he helped me take her upstairs and she fell asleep and Gage was really drunk too but you know I don’t really like to drink so I was still sober and then everyone that was still at the party went outside and this blonde bimbo put our names in a hat and everyone was in a circle and there was a pool house and it was seven minutes in heaven and I got called and I really wanted it to be Gage but then he walked in and I wasn’t gonna do anything but stand there at first but then he told me to mess up his hair and then he pulled me on top of him and kissed me and-” My hands were flying in the air in confusion when Hannah cut me off.

“Okay I think you just summed up the whole night in about twenty seconds and that’s all I need to know right now, I don’t want details.” She paused. “Yet.”

I laughed, thankful that she wasn’t screaming at me. She’d always been like my overprotective big sister, and it terrified me sometimes to tell her things.

“What do you think?” I raised my eyebrows.

“I think you must be really confused.” She shrugged. My eyebrows furrowed together and I frowned.

“Why would you think I’d be confused?” There was something she was getting at, I knew her too well.

“Harry, obviously. He’s gorgeous.” She looked at her manicure and I busted out laughing.

“Are you serious?” I clutched at my stomach as I tried to stop my laughter.

“Yeah, I just never said anything because he was such a douche. But he’s seriously like extremely hot.”

“I know, Hannah. And I think I like him.” I threw my face in my hands and she reached over the table to pat my back.

“If he’s changed, I think you should give him a chance. Definitely be apprehensive, but see how he does being friends before you decide to do anything outrageous like start dating Harry Styles.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” I groaned into my hands, thinking about what it would be like to date Harry. The new Harry, not the old one. Waking up to his bright green eyes staring into mine, a tired smile plastered across his face as dimples carved valleys into his cheeks. He’d give me a good morning kiss and then the take me into the kitchen and we could make breakfast together – like we had the day after the party. Things could be amazing – he could drive me around in his fancy convertible I still didn’t know the make or model of and take me on adorable dates where he’d bring along a bouquet of roses just to make me smile. He’d constantly have an arm around my shoulders, my waist, his fingers laced with mine, making sure everyone knew I was his and no one else’s.

“What are you doing!?” Hannah brought me back to my senses, and I realized I was staring at the empty table in front of me, my hands folded in my lap and my mouth hanging wide, my eyebrows smushed together in longing.

“Making myself sad. I never thought I’d want to date him. He made my life so horrible.” I looked at Hannah once more, who just sat back in her chair again and shrugged.

“The heart wants what the heart wants, baby girl.” She laughed. I rolled my eyes and stood up. Hannah did the same, looking at me with a confused look.

“Let’s go freaking shop.” I set off towards the stores, Hannah catching up quickly. She slung an arm around my shoulders and smiled.

“That’s the spirit!”