Know Your Enemy

The air outside was cold, but I felt warm inside as I followed Harry onto the front lawn. He stopped and sat down, patting the patch of grass next to him. I held my skirt down so I wouldn’t mistakenly flash him and kind of plopped down onto the hard surface, a little tipsy from the beer I consumed. He laughed a little, and I blushed. Everything was kind of fuzzy. I hadn’t felt like that in a while, and it felt good.

“You look dazed,” he commented. I looked at him and could barely make out his face. There were no lights outside the house, and the moon was hidden behind a cloud.

“You can see me?” I asked, and he laughed again. God, did I love hearing that sound.

“Barely, but I can see you. Your eyes can’t focus on me, and you have a cute little blush going on.” I giggled, then mentally slapped myself for acting so weak and girly.

“Why’d you make me come out here?”

He looked around, and then looked me straight in the eyes. My heart seemed to stop for a beat. “Because I wouldn’t have been able to do this in front of everyone.”

And he started to lean into me slowly, his lips hovering right over mine. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I tried to show restraint and not just grab his curly hair to crash his lips to mine.

But before our lips connected, I heard a crash come from inside and chanting start to erupt. I pulled away and stood up suddenly, causing me to stumble slightly, but Harry also got up and steadied me.

I ran towards the house, or the closest thing to running I could do, and threw the door open. I was dumbstruck at the scene before me. Lana was on top of Clara, trying to punch her, and Clara just tried to claw her way out of her embrace. Both girls were screeching, and no one was doing a damn thing to stop them.

“MOVE!” I yelled, tearing the crowd apart trying to get to the center where both girls were still fighting. “What the fuck is going on here?!” I screeched at the two girls.They both looked up, then back at each other, and then back to me.

“If you never brought this bitch, none of this would have happened,” Lana spat, getting off of Clara, who just glared at her.

“I would have never come if I knew you were going to be here,” she spat back just as venomously, rubbing her chin, which was now starting to become bruised.

“Both of you, shut the fuck up,” I yelled, and they both just kind of stared at me, while the crowd still watched on. “I am sick of this bullshit, and I’ve been here, what, a couple days? I try to befriend both of you guys, and I get stuck with this? A feud that I never even wanted to be part of. So both of you, stay the fuck away from me.” With that, I turned on my heel and walked towards the door. I was fuming. If I knew that is what I was going to deal with when I moved to Georgia, I would have convinced my mom otherwise. I almost reached the door when I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

“Harlow.” I turned around and looked up to see Harry. By then, my slight drunken stupor was gone, and I could see him straight. “Let me drive you home.”

I nodded, and we walked out towards his car, and he opened my passenger door. I slid in and sunk into the seat. It felt like my whole body was just deflated.

He got in and started the car, driving aimlessly, since I hadn’t told him my address yet. The ride was silent, and I enjoyed it. I wasn’t in the mood to talk, anyway.

“Fuck,” I yelled suddenly, and he stopped short, looking over at me, worried.

“What?!” he yelled back, panicked, and I looked at his face and laughed. He glared at me, which just made me laugh harder, so he smiled and laughed back. “For God’s sake, don’t do that to me,” he said and started to drive the car again.

I smiled and looked out the window, drawing smiley faces on the condensation. Suddenly, he pulled over, and I looked at him.

“You stopped,” I stated, and he rolled his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked the question I was waiting to hear.

“Pissed off, angry, upset, stupid for even bringing her…”

He interrupted me. “Oh stop that. It was nice of you, and I give you credit for trying to end that stupid feud they have.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly. “I just don’t get it,” I started, “what is their problem? I have never seen two people hate each other as much as they do.”

“No one really knows. They just have, since I can’t even remember.”

We sat in silence for a while, and I fiddled with the leather fraying on the end of the seat. “Well, where do you live?” he asked finally.

“215 Meadow Road,” I said simply, and he nodded, putting the car in drive. I felt bad; Harry didn’t have to deal with me. I mean, it wasn’t like he went to the party with me, so he didn’t have to take care of me. The rest of the ride home was in silence, and when he finally stopped in front of my house, I didn’t want to leave.

“So,” he started.

“Sooo,” I dragged on. There was yet another one of our infamous awkward silences.

“Well, goodnight,” he said, and I looked at him.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, just kiss me.”

And with that I pulled his face to mine, and when our lips touched, cheesy as this sounds, I felt sparks. I felt him smile, and he kissed me back hard.

How long we sat in his car like that, I couldn’t tell you, but it felt like hours, and I was content with that. We pulled back for air, and our breaths were labored as we just stared at each other.

“Goodnight,” I whispered as I pecked him one last time and got out of the car. I shut the door and turned towards my house, a slow smile creeping onto my face. I heard his car idling, still by the curb, and when I turned around slightly, I saw him staring at his steering wheel, smiling. I turned back around quickly and ran the rest of the way up the walk.

I opened the front door and closed it, leaning against it and squealing in delight. Suddenly, the light in the living room turned on.

“Care to tell me where you’ve been?” Shit.