Code of Ethics

Harry Styles Has His Eye on Someone New?!

The headline stared back at me, taunting me. I had no idea what information it contained, but my mind immediately wanted to think the worst.

But how could the reporters have figured it out in such a short time? It was eight o’clock in the morning the day after I’d been spotted with Harry at the restaurant, and there was no way they could have the resources to find out the truth so quickly.

So bracing myself, I clicked on the link and sat back, gnawing at my lower lip. The page loaded somewhat slowly, which just made my stomach twist more. If so many people were reading the article that it had to appear a strip at a time, like pictures used to download back when the internet first started, then whatever news was being released was public knowledge.

The second it finished, my eyes roamed the page, looking for any keywords that might ruin my reputation. But instead, it just said I was a girl who Harry was starting to see. They didn’t know my name. They didn’t know anything about me, besides what I’d ordered for dinner. Which was, granted, creepy, but whatever.

So that was it. Nothing major. Yet, for whatever reason, I thought the news was monumental enough to give Harry a ring, putting my mobile up against my ear.

“Tara?” Harry answered with a whisper. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s perfect,” I agreed. “It’s all still a secret.”

“Glad to hear it,” he replied, and he actually sounded like he meant it, instead of just patronizing me. “Alright, I have an interview right now, so I’ll ring you later, yeah?”

“Okay,” I agreed, immediately pulling the phone away from my ear and hanging up. I felt awful that I’d distracted him and interrupted what he was doing, but there was no way to take that back then.

Instead of dwelling on it and making myself feel worse about what an idiot I was, I turned my attention back to my paper I was behind on writing, knowing that if I didn’t finish it that afternoon, then I would never get around to it.



I had my eyes focused on the wall in front of me, music pounding in my ears, forcing myself to make my breathing regular. Sweat covered my face and neck, the massive fan over my head doing very little toward keeping me cool.

My heart was pounding so quickly in my chest that I was afraid I could keel over at any second, but I knew it was just a mental block. Thirty more seconds, I whispered to myself in my head. Thirty more seconds, and the interval’s over.

And then, I hit the zone. All thoughts were blocked out as I focused on making it through. Finishing difficult workouts always made me feel strong, like I could do absolutely anything in the world, and in a time where my future was so uncertain, I needed it more than ever.

Although, granted, I was starting to feel a little more comfortable about the whole Harry situation. Over a week had passed since we’d first been spotted with one another, and the media storm over the event had calmed down dramatically. Reporters probably figured that I had been a one-date thing, even though the truth was that Harry had merely been too busy to go out on another date.
Not that it bothered me. Going out on dates constantly would mean that we’d get sick of each other, and that certainly wasn’t what I wanted.

I finally finished the interval and slowed down the speed on the treadmill to a speed-walk, taking in deep breaths to try to calm down my heart a little bit. My workout was nearly over, and I felt accomplished that I was able to make it to the gym, despite the fact that my mind had originally wanted nothing to do with it.

And just as I started to kick the treadmill back into gear for my final burst of running, my phone started to ring, Harry’s name and picture flashing across the screen.

Taking in a deep breath and hoping I wouldn’t pant in his ear, I picked it up. “Hello?” I gasped out. So much for that wish.

“Um…” Harry burst out laughing. “What are you doing?”

“Running, pervert,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Why would I answer if I were having sex with someone?”

“Well, I hope if you were having sex with anyone, it would be me.” I could almost see the cheeky smile on his face, and it took everything I had not to say anything demeaning. “But I guess you have a point.”

“Of course I do.” My eyes flicked down to the time on the machine, and I saw that I’d been running longer than I was supposed to. Grinning to myself, I put the speed back to the walking pace, ready to do my cool down. “So did you just call because you were consumed by how much you missed me?"

“Yeah, originally.” The second the words left his mouth, it resonated that his tone sounded concerned. Which immediately made every muscle in my body tense in anticipation.

“What happened? Is everything okay with the band and all?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” He cleared his throat, and there was a long pause. “Okay, I have an article here, and I’m just going to read it to you.”

“Why don’t you just give me a summary? That would be way easier for both of us.”

“Because this is…you’ll want to know what it says.”

I let out a long sigh to show my discontent, but I held back any cutting words that I could use.

“‘It’s no secret to anyone obsessed with One Direction that he’s been spotted around London with a new girl on his arm. Fans have been desperate to know who the mystery girl is, and finally, we’ve been able to get an answer.

“‘An anonymous source has informed us at The Mirror that the girl’s name is Tara Pace. She’s a pre-law student at a university in the area, and she has a job that might make the mothers of most One Direction fans drop their jaws with shock.

“‘That’s right, fans! Harry’s new girlfriend is a stripper at a fairly upscale gentlemen’s club in the heart of London!”

I should have known it was coming. It’s always when people get the most comfortable that shit like that happens. But, for some reason, it took me completely by surprise, and I was so distracted that the treadmill dragged my backwards and threw me to the ground, my tailbone connecting solidly with the hard floor.

“Oh, fuck,” I hissed, both from pain and the realization that everyone would know about me. “Fuck The Mirror. Honestly. They’re just a bunch of lowlifes.”

“Sure you don’t want to turn back?” Harry questioned.

“The secret’s already out,” I told him. “It doesn’t matter now. We’ll make it work.”

“I have nothing tonight, so do you want to hang out? You might need a little comforting.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was fine, that I’d deal with it, but once I realized what he meant, a smile pulled up the corners of my mouth. “Moving a little fast, are you, Harry? People might worry that you’re a whore.”

“Oh, please. People already know that I’m a whore.”

I snorted out a laugh, and a couple of the people around me sent curious looks my way. “I’ll be over at seven,” I informed him quickly before hanging up my mobile and getting ready to go home and shower.