Grade 8

Harry sat at the hotel bar nursing a drink he wasn't legally allowed to have. The bartender didn't seem to mind as long as Harry kept over tipping him, by a few hundreds. There was too much going on in his head to be completely sober.

He sat at the bar drinking as many drinks as he could before the bar closed. He didn't talk to anyone just sat there getting drunker and drunker. When the bar closed he was not in the shape to make his way up to the fifth floor alone. Some how he managed to make it to the elevators without falling over and making an ass of himself.

He was past the point of caring about his actions. Stumbling back to his room was a nightmare he kept bumping into walls and stumbling forward. He was lucky no one called the front desk with all the noise he was making. He thought ever trip of his feet and every wall he ran into was just hilarious his laughter loud in the silent halls. He tripped on a rug on his floor and instead of getting up and continuing his trek to his room he stayed on the ground sprawled out. It would only be a matter of time before someone found him there.

He was contemplating his next move when a thought hit him. Harry was never one to be trusted with his phone once he started drinking, he was the worst drunk about calling and texting people when he was intoxicated. He needed to talk to someone and there was only one person he could think of at this time. She was the one who always answered his calls.

With his blurry vision it took him longer to find her number then usual, she was right at the top of his contacts. He sat up against the wall phone pressed to his ear listening to the ringing with a woozy head.

"Hello?" She sounded out of breath loud music playing in the background, a few people laughing next to her. Even with all the noise Harry's heart stopped beating at the sound of her voice. He had always wanted to bottle her voice up and listen to it when he was lonely.

"Alexis." He breathed her name his lungs unable to take in any air.

"Harry?" She asked on the other end of the phone. Wherever she was it was loud. "Hold on."

Harry waited his body swaying slightly as he listened to the music coming from the phone. The alcohol was still going strong in his system.

"Are you still there?" She asked without any background noise now. "Harry?"

"I'm here." They were silent for a moment neither of them knowing what to say. "I miss you." Harry finally slurred his heart rate speeding up.

"I miss you too." Alexis said her voice soft. "Are you alright?"

"No." Harry groaned hitting his head on the wall behind him.

"What's going on?" There was a panic in her voice that made Harry smile. She still cared.

"I miss you." He slurred again. "Fuck. I just miss you."

His fingers pulled at his hair, he was biting down on his bottom lip hard enough it almost hurt too much, all in an effort to keep it together. He shouldn't have called her he was realizing that now. His emotions were all over the place and he was too drunk to think properly.

"I miss you too, you don't even know how bad I miss you."

"Why'd you have to pick him?" Harry asked his eyes shutting tight. "Why wasn't I good enough?"

"Harry, don't do this."

"I don't even care anymore." Harry mumbled.

"Don't be like that."

"You know what I don't think I miss you at all." Harry said his depression turning into anger. "I'm so pissed off by everything you do. Fuck, why am I even talking to you."

"Harry-"

"What are you doing?"

Harry looked up missing whatever Alexis was saying to him now. Lou stood in her door looking at Harry with a mix of amusement and concern. Her hair was in a ponytail on top of her head she was wearing one of Tom's shirts and a pair of shorts. He had fell outside her door and probably woke her up with his drunk antics.

"Who are you talkin' too?" Lou asked her head turning to the side.

"Uh-no one." Harry held his phone protectively to his chest.

Lou thought for a moment her eyebrows pulling together. Harry saw the lightbulb turn on over her head at the same time her eyes narrowed on him. "Give me that phone."

"No." Harry attempted to stand ready to run from her but he just fell back down. "Leave me alone."

"Harry Styles you better give me that phone right this second!"

"Who do you think you are, my mother?" Harry asked incredulously. "I'm a man you can't tell me what to do!"

"Harry, if you don't give me that phone I will call your mum." Lou threatened.

Harry put the phone to his ear in time to hear Alexis say his name. "I have to go." Were his final words hitting the end button as soon as he said the last word.

"Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Lou deadpanned. "Come on."

She helped him off the floor and brought him to her room sitting him down on the bed. He fell back against the mattress his body relaxing instantly.

"Off with the shoes." Lou said kicking at his feet. "Might as well get comfortable before I yell at you."

"Why do you have to yell at me?" Harry asked lifting his foot up trying to reach it without getting up.

"One for getting this shitfaced." Lou said grabbing his foot and undoing his boots. "Two, for making me take these fucking things off; three, for being a wanker to Zayn; and lastly for calling Alexis."

"You don't know who I was talking to." Harry mumbled.

Lou let his foot drop with a satisfied smirk when his foot hit the floor. "I'm not an idiot."

"Ha!" Harry sat up onhis elbows watching Lou take off his other boot.

"Don't be an arse." Lou gave him a threatening look. "I am not in the mood for it."

Lou sat down next to him on the bed. She rubbed at her tired eyes silently cursing Harry for waking her up. "What were you doin' calling her?"

"I don't know." Harry laid back on the bed again. "I wasn't thinking?"

"I'll say." Lou laid down next to him. "You gotta let her go Harry."

"I can't."

Lou looked at Harry his eyes were trained on the ceiling. She felt like a terrible friend for not stoping Alexis from hurting him, Lou had known from the start how it would end. She knew the type of person Alexis was and knew both Zayn and Harry would end up hurt.

"She isn't good for you." Lou tried against. "She isn't good for, Zayn either, but he's as bad as you about listening to me."

"I don't want to talk about this." Harry groaned rolling on to his side.

"I get that you have strong feelings for her." Lou kept going. "But she's with Zayn, Harry, you need to accept that. You deserve so much better then a girl who can't see how amazing you are."

Harry was silent, Lou almost thought he fell asleep, but then his deep voice spoke a heartbreaking sadness in his words. "I miss her."

"Harry." Lou sat up looking down at him. "Harry look at me."

Reluctantly Harry turned back around. There were already tears sliding down the side of his face. When they locked eyes he let out a sob that made Lou instantly hug him close to her. She rubbed his back as he sobbed wishing she could take away his pain. She hated seeing him this broken, and the fact that a girl who didn't deserve to even look at him did it just made it that much worse.

"You're an amazing person H." Lou said as Harry's sobs died down. "I hate seeing you this way. It kills me that you're this way because of that slag."

"Don't call her names." Harry said into her shirt.

"Harry." Lou dropped her arms from around him. She looked at his blood shot eyes and disheveled hair and realized now was not the time to talk to him about this. "Let's just go to sleep, yeah?"

"Yeah alright." Harry re-situated himself further up the bed. Lou climbed in next to him turning the light off next to her.

The room was blanketed in darkness but neither of them could close their eyes just yet. Lou wanted to say more to Harry, tell him what an idiot he was for still wanting to be with Alexis.

"I think you're pretty amazing too." Harry whispered unsure if Lou was even awake to hear him.

"Goodnight, Harry." She whispered back. "I love you."



"Fuck." Harry groaned hand flying to cover his eyes. "It's too fucking bright."

"Oh shut it you baby." Lou called from the bathroom.

"Don't call me a baby when I'm in need, you knob." Harry sat up slowly not wanting to make his headache worse. "What time is it?"

"Half eleven." Lou answered walking into the room pinning the last piece of her hair up. "How are you doing?"

"I feel like proper shit."

"You look it too."

"Thanks Louise." Harry glared at her not wanting to deal with her at the moment.

"Well it's the truth Harold."

Harry pushed the sheet off his body throwing his long legs over the edge of the bed. He stretched trying to get his muscles to stop aching so much.

"Wanna talk about last night?" Lou asked pulling on her shoes.

"No." Harry looked over at her. "But I know I don't have a choice."

"Good. Now spill." Lou sat back arms crossing in front of her.

"I don't know what you want me to say." Harry started his lips set in a thin line. "I was upset last night, got pissed and called Alexis."

"What were you upset about?" Lou asked wanting to get to the bottom of things. The more he talked the easier it would be for her to help him get back on track.

"The fight with Zayn." He said shutting his eyes. "I..I hate the look he got when I said...when I said those things."

"I talked to him." Lou said knowing she had to tell Harry what he said. "He isn't mad just hurt. You guys are like brothers and to have you throw something like that in his face killed him."

"I know." Harry pushed his hair out of his face needing a moment. "I shouldn't have said that. I regretted it the second it came out of my stupid mouth."

"So you thought getting drunk was a good idea to make you feel better?"

"No. I just had nothing else to do." Harry shrugged. "I shouldn't have called Alexis. I don't know why I did it honestly."

"She called this morning to check on you." Harry's head turned so fast Lou was sure he'd gotten whiplash. "She sounded about as drunk as you had last night."

"What did she say?"

"Asked to talk to you. I told her to kindly fuck off and that was the end of it." Lou looked proud of herself.

"You can't do that!" Harry stood up, he was still a little unsteady on his feet, bracing himself with the wall. "Give me my phone."

Lou reached into the pocket of her jeans pulling out the iPhone and handing it to him. "I know you won't listen but I'm going to say it anyway. Do not call her. It will only lead to bad things."

"Thanks for the advice but I don't need it."

Harry left the room checking his phone to see if he had missed anything else while he was out. After his quick goodbye to Alexis she had sent not one but six texts after to see how he was and for him to call her as soon as possible. The last one made him stop in his tracks.

I made a mistake. Please call me.

Harry deleted the text fast. He had been hoping for something like that from her since he walked out her door, but now it felt different, wrong, for him to say anything. Zayn was his best friend and bandmate. It wouldn't go well if Zayn found out about Alexis saying something like that to Harry. He was conflicted not knowing the right thing to do.