Last Girl Standing

"I think you're a really nice girl from our first date, Haley." Niall spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. Haley wanted to barf. She was being nice for his own sake that first night. "But you seem a bit reserved. That being said, I'd love for you to stay here with us. But if your attitude don' change soon, you'll lose me vote."

Louis spoke up next, eying her up and down. "Yeah, you do seem like a charming girl, and hopefully you will give us the chance to get to know you better."

"I don't think she's going to open up," Harry said with a frown, studying the girl's rigid posture.

Zayn cleared his throat after a while. "I can't really say anything based on what any of the other lads have said. I don't know you, and to be quite honest, I didn't even see you around."

"I agree with Zayn," Liam said thoughtfully.

Haley caught the curly haired boy rolling his eyes. She hoped he was some kind of ESP as she started shouting at him in her mind. Do it, I fucking dare you! Send me home.

That'd teach Shea. It was just a shame she wasn't kicked out the first round. She hadn't even been up for elimination.

Liam flipped some pages on a clipboard. "Can you send in the next girl, please? Elizabeth?"

Haley nodded and walked out the door without another word.

Four other pairs of eyes looked up to meet hers expectantly. Some were nervous, bordering on fear, others just looked crushed.

Haley scoffed, wanting to tell the girls that it wasn't the end of the world. Hell, she could have probably gone back to her hometown and found five decently attractive dudes that had better personalities than these European idiots.

But like always, she held her tongue and called for Elizabeth as she sat next to a slightly bigger girl with copper hair.

"What'd they say about you?"

Haley found herself giving the girl the once-over, comparing clothing, face, and that copper hair of hers before sighing.

"Nothing too harsh. I make myself scarce most of the time so the only one really saying anything was Niall. I'm Haley."

The girl smiled. "Aurora."

"Pretty, I like it."

"Thanks."

Haley made small talk with Aurora the rest of the time as they waited for the other girls to be called.

Aurora was last to be interviewed, and when she finally came out a full five minutes later, she was smiling like a fool.

"They'd like to see everyone please."

"What happened?" Haley asked curiously as she passed by Aurora.

The girl merely shrugged, smirking like a fox.

"Hello again, loves," Harry stated once all the girls were in a line facing the boys. "Since all of you girls are new to the elimination, here's how it'll work."

The boys each took turns describing the different steps of the elimination process, Haley keeping her eyes on Harry the whole time. She knew she had his vote, but the others? One could only hope.

"I'm very sorry, but me vote's goin' to Elizabeth," the blond said sheepishly, earning a strangled sob.

Zayn nodded in agreement. "Me as well."

Haley rolled her eyes. Of course. There went her chances of going home. Her eyes met the cameraman and his equipment with a glare, knowing that her sister was going to be watching this after everything was said and done with a snarky grin as she watched Haley suffer through staying another week.

Louis agreed with Zayn and Niall, shooting a quick glance in Haley's direction as all the other girls' eyes rested on Liam.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree," Liam said, calling the name of a girl with a black pixie cut.

Haley could feel a pair of frustrated green eyes burning two holes into her head, and couldn't help but smirk.

"I would have said Haley, but I guess it really doesn't matter, now does it?" She could hear the pout in Harry's voice loud and clear. "I'm sorry Elizabeth."

The teary platinum blond left without another word, slamming the door as she left.

"You girls can go back to the house now," Louis said quietly after a brief beat of silence. "Get some rest."

It was well past dark when the four remaining girls started walking back to the guest house. Haley was quite content walking back on her own, until Aurora caught up with her.

"What the hell did you do to get on Harry Styles' bad side?" She laughed easily.

Haley smiled, shrugging. Aurora's all around general happiness was contagious. "He likes the easy ones."

The redhead giggled in response.

"Hey, you didn't get any votes," Haley suddenly offered. "And it didn't seem like they tore you a new one in your interview. What happened?"

Aurora simply shrugged. "I like to make people laugh."

"Humor, huh?" Haley mused to herself. "That's your strategy?"

"Yep. I'm gunning for Niall, it seemed like the best option. What's yours?"

Haley let out a cynical laugh. "I don't have one."

"Don't have one what?" A third voice entered the conversation.

Both girls looked back to see Louis Tomlinson loitering behind them.

A cheshire cat's grin spread across Aurora's lips as she started to walk ahead.

"Meet you back at the house, Haley!"

Haley clenched her fists as Louis took Aurora's spot beside her, dipping his hands into his pockets.

"Hey." He looked up from the ground at her, smiling a small smile.

Haley gritted her teeth, wondering how long it would take for her to speed walk back to the house.

"I'm really sorry about Haz back there," Louis cleared his throat awkwardly at her stony silence. "He gets a little... whiney when things don't go his way, you know?"

Haley forced a smile. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"No it's not, I mean, I don't want anyone to feel unwelcome here and-"

"Why the fuck are you trying to be nice to me?" Haley finally snapped, turning around to face Louis.

Suddenly, she understood why about half the girls in the house admired his eyes, and the other half agreed.

"I just-"

"Well don't. I don't want to be here as much as that curly haired asshole doesn't want me here."

Louis just stared for a good few moments at the small girl, blinking in shock.

"I was just trying to be nice, get to know you a bit," Louis finally said after the rest of the girls passed, the light, pleasant tone he had, completely gone. "Excuse me for trying," he snapped back sarcastically.

"Yeah well, guess what? Thanks, but no thanks."

Angry green eyes broke away from frustrated blue ones as Haley stomped off, leaving Louis to run his hands through his hair.

So maybe Harry wasn't far off the mark when he called her a bitch after all the girls left. But that didn't mean Louis would ignore the faint glimmer of promise he saw that Haley offered.

He stood there, watching the dark brunette go with a frown on his lips before turning back to meet up with the rest of the lads before they started asking him where he ran off to.