Luck

“Do you like it?” Lou asked. She stood behind me, playing with loose strands of my hair. She modeled it as if it was in a ponytail, before letting it fall down again, “I can still change it if you don’t like it.”

My hair was shorter than it had been in years. I bit my lip, trying to decide what I thought about it. I felt different - lighter, maybe slightly empty - but it was a good different. Lydia and Lou looked expectantly at me.

Lou had invited me and Lydia, Liam’s girlfriend, to her house for haircuts. It was admittedly a much better than going to some cheap hair salon (those were all I could afford) and making awkward small talk with the hair stylist. I was comfortable with both Lou and Lydia, and I liked talking to both of them. Lux was out with Tom for the day, and it was nice to get to know Lydia and spend time with Lou in a responsibility free environment.

“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. I ran my own hand through it, still trying to decide what to think.

Lou laughed, not at all offended by my comment, “Just give it some time!”

"I think it looks good!" Lydia told me encouragingly, "I really like it."

"Thanks." I blushed slightly. I was never good with accepting compliments.

“It’s so much shorter.” As I stood up, I ran my hand through it one more time, “I feel naked.”

They both laughed at my comment, their smiling faces echoing the mirror as I took a good look at myself. My hair was shorter, the long dead ends that had plagued were now gone. It looked better, I had to admit that. But still, I missed the cape of my old hair. It was a much needed change, but change didn’t always come easy.

“You’ll be used to it in no time!” Lydia promised.

Lydia had been the brave one and had gone first, just getting her hair trimmed. As Lou swept our fallen locks of hair from the floor, Lydia and I served some cake that Lou had left over on plates, before moving to the living room of Lou and Tom’s house. I took one arm chair, while Lydia took the other.

“Your birthday is coming up soon, Savannah,” Lou commented, settling in on the couch, “Do you have anything planned?”

“Uh, no, I don’t, actually,” I admitted, "I haven't thought about it too much."

“You should throw a party!” Lydia suggested excitedly.

“I’m not sure about that.” I licked the frosting off my fork as I considered her suggestion, "Who would I invite?"

“Me, Liam, Niall, Harry, Louis, Amelie - hey, why didn’t she come today?”

“She had class,” Lou shrugged. She took a bite of her cake, and then placed the plate down.

“Oh, bummer,” Lydia made a face of disgust, “Just invite the boys and that roommate of yours. And any other friends you may have!”

“I hate parties,” I said quietly., “And birthday parties are the worst - especially my own birthday parties.”

My parents had always been the type to insist on throwing me birthday parties, even when I grew up and didn’t like them as much. They were fun and grand when I was younger; I had them in cool places like the local paint your own pottery studio or once even the aquarium. But when I was in seventh grade, nobody bothered to show up to my birthday party, claiming excuses ranging from soccer games to visits from grandparents. I had been pretty turned off ever since.

“Why?” Lydia seemed shocked, “You get presents!”

“Because you have to worry about getting the perfect gift and then if you host you have to worry about what everyone’s thinking and how everyone’s doing,” I explained, “Also, I don’t really care about presents. My birthday’s twelve days before Christmas. I’ll get presents soon enough.”

“You’re such a downer, Savannah,” Lou rolled her eyes, “You should at least try to think of something fun to do.”

I shrugged, “I’ll figure something out. I still have some time.”

“How old are you turning?” Lydia asked. She was the only one of us with any cake left, and she stuffed a big piece of it in her mouth. Lou made a face of feigned disgust at her, but Lydia dismissed Lou’s glared and rolled her eyes.

“Nineteen,” I told her.

“You should go to tea then, if you don’t like parties! Go to a fancy tea at the Ritz or Fortnum and Mason’s or something,” Lydia suggested, swallowing quickly, “That’s what I did for my eighteenth, one of those champagne ones with my mum, nan and cousins.”

“To celebrate being able to legally drink?” I teased.

“I went out clubbing with some friends later on,” Lydia shifted in the chair, “But my mum wanted to celebrate with me, regardless.”

I had never had a birthday without my family. Even though I knew my eighteenth would probably be my last at home, my parents had promised they would drive up to Amherst and have dinner with me, and drag Michael along as well. I wasn’t expecting much from this birthday. Nineteen wasn’t an important one, and I knew presents would be too much to hope for, even from my grandparents. They had given me an abundance of opportunities these last few months, those were presents enough.

“I like that idea,” I admitted, after considering it for a moment or two. I had never been to a traditional British high tea, “But aren’t those crazy expensive?”

“Well, there’s plenty of cheap ones around,” Lou assured me, “But you may want to splurge for your birthday. It is a special occasion, after all.”

Our conversation drifted after that, as Lydia finally finished the last of her cake. Lou told us about her parent’s retirement plans, and Lux’s latest antics (I was able to add to that topic). Lydia and I talked about our various classes, our professors and general class work. Finally, the topic landed on the boy’s upcoming trip to The States for promotion for their new album.

“When do you leave?” Lydia asked Lou, “I’m surprised you’re not out there already. Liam left yesterday.”

“So did Niall and Harry,” Lou responded, “The other boys and I are flying out tonight. Gonna bring Lux with me.”

I had known that Lou was taking Lux to LA with her, and I knew that they leaving late tonight, but I didn’t know that Harry had already flown out. It was just past noon; I still was hoping I would have some sort of a run-in with Harry before he left. Our paths always seemed to be colliding.

“Why?” I blurted it out before I registered that I was even thinking about it.

“They had work to do,” Lou’s tone told me that she didn’t know what type of work it was, or else didn’t care, “Work that didn’t involve me, thank goodness. I’m gone enough as it is.”

“They’ll be back in no time.” Lydia shot me a knowing smile, “Just a few days this time.”

The front door jingled before I could respond, and Tom entered carrying Lux in his hands. Lydia and I immediately stood up, Lou not far behind us. Giving us a quick wave, Tom headed straight up the stairs, several bags from Tesco in his arms.

Lux came toddling in with a little mini backpack on her back, looking happy, "Mumma!"
Lou immediately picked her up and placed Lux in her lap, unzipping her little backpack.

"Hi, Luxy," I greeted her. It was my intention to distract her from Lou’s meddling. I knew she would be upset if Lou confiscated too much from her, even if it was for her own good.

She looked up at me, eyes wide, "Savvy!"

"Whatcha doin’, Miss Lux?" Lydia asked her, "Are you going to school with the backpack of yours?"

“No! Goin’ on plane,” Lux told us proudly.

“Are you?” I asked, and she nodded happily.

“With mumma,” she added. Although it had been a short distraction, Lux had now remembered about her bag and had taken it back. She reached in to pull out a candy bar.

“Yes, mumma’s coming too,” Lou hummed, “Did you get some stuff for our trip?”

Without an answer, Lou looked through the little backpack Lux had on. She pulled out several items, including some candy, and a doll.

Lou sighed as she pulled out a third Bueno bar, “Do you need all of this, Lux?”

“Yes,” Lux said earnestly, “Need.”

“We’ll have to talk to your father about this,” Lou raised her eyebrows, taking the candy bar out of Lux’s hands. Lydia and I shot each other knowing glances.

"We should get going," I said on behalf of Lydia and myself.

Lydia nodded in agreement, and after a goodbyes and wishes for safe travels, Lydia and I were on our way. We walked together, both headed towards the bus stop, where we would then catch the Tube.

“Where are you headed?” Lydia asked, as we boarded the bus.

“Caledonian Road.” I scanned my Oyster card, thankful that it was accepted it right away. I didn’t know if I could deal with the embarrassment of having it rejected.

Lydia’s eyes grew wide, “That’s quite a journey.”

I shrugged, “Only like 45 minutes, if you include the bus and the walk. I like it, gives me time to think and read or whatever.”

“That’s true,” she allowed, “I’m going to Lambeth North. I’ll ride with you for a while, though!”

We boarded the Tube with few problems. My Oyster card made it through that test, as well, although I wasn’t sure if it would let me out at Caledonian. It wasn’t yet rush hour, so we were able to get two seats together without any problems.

“Have you gotten to see much of London yet?” Lydia asked me.

“I haven’t done anything touristy, not really. I took Louis’ sisters to the Harry Potter thing, but I haven’t toured the Tower of London or the London Eye or anything.” I had made a list of all the things I would do in London after deciding to come to school here. That list had only grown, and nothing had been crossed off yet.

“We should take a weekend to do that!” Lydia offered, “I’ve done some of that, but I haven’t ridden the London Eye. And the last time I went to the Tower of London it was on a Year Eight trip!”

That led to Lydia telling me about the disaster of a trip that she took to London in Year Eight. It was a weekend trip, through her school, and it was her first real time being away from Swindon without her parents. Even though London was a mere hour and a half away, they still spent the weekend there, and Lydia ended up in a fight with her three roommates and being terribly, terribly homesick.

“I was so happy to be home,” Lydia told me, a gleam in her eye. It was a joke to her now, at least, “I cried when my mum picked me up from the bus, I swear. Oh! Piccadilly Circus! This is my stop! Bye, Savannah!”

“Bye!” I echoed, but it was already too late. Lydia had hopped of the train quicker than I could have imagined.

I arrived home to the roar of the vacuum cleaner, something I was sure I had never come back to the flat to. The conditions breed by two teenage girls living together were not immaculate ones, that’s for sure.

“Hi, Eva,” I said tentatively as I stepped in. She saw me, but I wasn’t sure if she heard me.

“Savannah! I’m having a game night!” she yelled over the roar of the vacuum cleaner.

“When?!” I yelled right back, although I motioned for her to turn off the machine. She did, much to my relief.

“Tonight!” Eva grinned wildly at me.

“Here!?” I asked, somewhat in disbelief.

“Yes, here!”

“Eva, you’ve got to give me some sort of warning about these things!” I cried, slightly exasperated. I had plans to study for my class tomorrow in my pajamas. Socializing with Lydia and Lou was enough for one day for me, and I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Eva and her friends. I fell down on the couch with little fanfare, exhausted from my day’s activities. Not that I had done much. But still.

“Well, where else would I have it?” Eva shot back, “Don’t make such a stink about these sorts of things, Savannah. I could be throwing parties every weekend.”

I ignored her comment and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before responding, “Well, who’s coming?”

“Brody, and he said he’d bring a friend or two. And my friends Lucia and Molly! You’ve met them, haven’t you?” Eva crossed her arms, and stared down squarely at me.

“I’ve met Molly once or twice,” I told Eva tiredly, “Not sure about Lucia, though.”

“She’s nice, you’ll like her,” Eva assured me, going to back to her usual flailing, “You should invite Harry! Then you’d know somebody, too!”

“He’s out of town,” I reminded her, “With Lou and Lux. That’s why I don’t have to work for a few days.”

“Oh, right. Well, you should still invite him. It’s always nice to be invited places.” Eva set the vacuum down and began to use her own sleeve as a duster.

“You’re like my mother,” I pouted, ignoring her choice of cleaning supplies.

“I’ve never met your mum, but I’m sure I’m nothing like her,” Eva ticked.

“What in the world makes you say that?”

“Well, for one thing I’m black."

I threw a cushion at her, “Shut up.”

“I’m just pointing out the obvious, Savannah!” Eva cried as she tossed the pillow back to me, before storming off to the kitchen, presumably to clean that, as well.

[&&&]

Brody didn’t bother to show up with any friends, something I could tell annoyed Eva. I had a feeling that she liked him, or was at least fond of him, and that she was hoping this could be like a group date. Lucia and Molly, Eva’s friends, came, and they seemed nice enough. It didn’t take too much for me to roped into their card game in our living room.

“You got your hair cut!” Brody exclaimed. We had been playing for a little while, but this was the first comment he made about it.

“Yeah, I did.” I touched again, still not used to the lightness. I also liked how soft it was. I made a note to ask Lou what sort of product she used.

“I didn’t even notice!” Eva chimed in, examining it before giving a quick nod of approval, “It looks good.”

“Yeah, it does,” Lucia agreed. It turned out we had two classes together, and I had met her several times, “A lot healthier.”

“It’s a shame Harry couldn’t come.” Eva commented as she dealt out the cards, “He seems like the type of person who would like card games.”

“Harry?” Brody looked at me, “Like Harry Styles?"

I felt a blush immediately come over me. I looked down, avoiding eye contact, “Yeah, like Harry Styles.”

“You know Harry Styles?!” Lucia asked.

“She does! Isn’t that cool?” Eva exclaimed. She finished dealing and clapped once while we all grabbed our hands.

“How?” Molly picked up her cards but then quickly set down her cards to take a good look at me.

"I nanny for their hair dresser," I told them nonchalantly, "I've met them a time or two."

“He went on a date with Kendall Jenner last night,” Lucia grazed over her cards before discarding, “I saw it on Sugarscape.”

“Oh, I love her!” Molly said, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians is my guilty pleasure. Actually, it’s just a pleasure, not even my guilty one.”

I saw Eva look at me, trying to gauge my reaction. Poker faces were certainly not my strong suit (which could be why I kept losing so badly), but I tried to keep my face straight. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was curious as to why Harry kept going on dates with her, especially when everyone claimed he liked me.

“That’s so cool that you know him though!” Lucia continued, “I wish I knew a celebrity. Do you get any perks? Like free concert tickets?”

“Uh, no?” It came out more like a guess. As far as I knew, One Direction had yet to have a concert while I was in London, but I wasn’t going to ask for free tickets. I still hadn’t heard the vast majority of their music, and a request like that was rude.

“You should see Harry’s house,” Eva butted in, “It’s so nice. Savannah and I went just a few nights ago! He was having a party.”

“And you were invited?!” Molly practically squealed. Brody rolled his eyes, and began to deal the cards.

“I was Savannah’s plus one,” Eva sat up a little straighter, and pushed her hair behind her ears, “So I can say without lying that I’ve met One Direction, too. They were all at the party last night. And their girlfriends.”

I was a little hurt. I hadn’t realized Eva had seen it like that; I thought she was going because I was, or because she wanted to see more into Harry’s and my relationship. Not because she wanted to say she went to a party with One Direction.

“Ladies,” Brody said suddenly, “As interesting as this conversation is, we should finish our game.”

“Oh, right,” Molly let out a high-pitched giggle, picking up her cards and groaning as she looked at them, “Or Savannah could just tell us One Direction’s deepest secrets.”

“I, uh, really don’t know them that well.” My hands had gotten sweaty, and I was having a hard time focusing on my cards, “I don’t really know any of their secrets.”

That wasn’t completely true: I knew about Niall’s sexIuality, and that was supposed to be a secret. I also knew where two of them lived, and I was pretty sure they wanted to keep that a secret, as well.

“That’s boring!” Lucia cried, “Surely you’ve got to know something!”

“I really don’t,” I said, “I had to Google them, myself.”

“Oh, whatever,” Eva huffed, “You hang out with them a lot. Hell, you’ve spent the night at - ”

“Let’s play!” Brody announced. He seemed to sense how uncomfortable I was, and for once I was grateful for his presence. He wasn’t all bad.

This time, the girls listened to him, and I was spared from another round of interrogation. The conversation moved on, to classes and coursework and plans for the holidays.

Everyone had plans to go home, although Molly said she’d quite like to stay in London, as it was better than her parent’s place. I knew Christmas, like my birthday, would be weird this year. I was assuming my grandparents would be fine with me visiting them, but I hadn’t actually asked them. I made a note to do that tomorrow.

Several games passed, and my losing streak continued. I hadn’t even come close to winning, and I still had some coursework and studying that I wanted to do.

"I think I'm gonna head to bed," I told them after a particularly bad loss, "Thanks for letting me play!"

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you, Savannah!" Lucia called after I stood up, “Or formally meet you, I guess.”

After bidding the others goodnight, I closed the door to my room. Their conversation had paused while I had gathered my bearings and left, the only sound was Brody shuffling the cards for the next game.

Eva spoke, almost giddily, to break the silence.

“Did I tell you what her parents did?”