Teenage Casanova

It’s time to move on.

Kennedy leaned her head against the elevator wall as she road it up the many floors. It was time to stop worrying about what happened and move on now. Harry who? She didn’t need to stress about the stupid boy with green eyes anymore. She was ready to wipe him out of her mind for good and go about her summer as she was. She was in one of the greatest cities in the world, right? So why waste time worrying and not have fun?

The doors opened and she made her way down the hallway, clearing her head of everything she was thinking about. She approached her door and quickly swiped her card and moved it open.

And she wanted to turn around and walk back out.

“Oh hey, Kennedy.” Stupid bastard. “Long time no see.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Harry? I thought I told you to stay the hell away from me.” Kennedy crossed her arms, the same angry expression crossing her face as it always did when she saw him.

“You didn’t mean that.” Harry grinned widely, staying put in his same spot on the couch as if he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Get out. Don’t make me punch you again.”

Kennedy was just about to throw down when her sister walked out of the bathroom and smiled as she took a seat next to Harry on the couch. He winked at her as he wrapped his arm around her, his eyes shifting back towards Kennedy.

“What’s…going on?”

“Oh, Kenny,” Hannah snuggled up close to Harry which made Kennedy want to be sick to her stomach. “This is Harry. My boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?!” Kennedy thought she was dreaming. She thought she was really dreaming and that this was some kind of nightmare. She reached over and pinched her arm quick, only finding out that she wasn’t dreaming and this was, in fact, real. “What do you mean he’s your boyfriend?!”

“Well, we had such a great time that night that he called me up earlier and asked me to meet up so we could talk,” Hannah looked blissfully at Harry. “And then he asked if I wanted to go out with him for real and of course I said yes!”

“I don’t think I’m comprehending this right,” Kennedy pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to come to terms with what was happening. “You have a one night stand with the guy, you don’t hear from him in days, and out of nowhere he asks you to be his girlfriend and you say yes?!”

“Exactly!”

Stay calm, Kennedy. Stay calm and don’t freak out. Freaking out would not turn out well.

“Excuse me,” Kennedy glanced at Harry, the annoyance spreading clear across her face, “Harry. Can I talk to my sister privately?”

Harry obviously took the hint and stood up, heading towards Hannah’s room, but not before sending a wink in Kennedy’s direction. Right when the door shut, Kennedy charged towards Hannah and smacked her on the arm.

“What the hell?” Hannah was a bit surprised as she rubbed her arm. “What was that for?”

“Are you insane or really just that dumb?” All the stress that Kennedy was trying to push out of her mind was returning as she stared at her sister with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“Harry!” Kennedy hissed, motioning towards the bedroom door. “What in the world are you thinking, Hannah? You can’t date him!”

“And why not? Look, Kennedy I know it’s sudden, but Harry is great. You should really get to know him and give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“Why are you rushing into a relationship with a guy who just wanted to sleep with you and didn’t call for days?! Hannah, he’s no good.”

“You don’t know him like I do, Kenny.”

“You know nothing about him! You just met him a week ago!” Kennedy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was supposed to be her responsible and mature older sister and she was acting like a child.

“I like him, Kennedy. Can’t you just be happy for me?”

“You’re making a mistake. He’s not a good guy, Hannah. He’s not a good guy at all and he’s going to hurt you.” Kennedy felt her stomach sink hearing her sister talk about him. She was so oblivious to the truth that she couldn’t help but feel bad knowing that this wasn’t going to end up good.

“Like I said, you don’t know him like I do. Please, just be happy for me. The more you get to know him I’m sure you’ll like him too, baby sister,” Hannah stood up from the couch and pulled Kennedy in for a hug. “Can you please just trust me? He’s a good guy.”

Good guy? Kennedy sighed as she wrapped her arms around her sister and frowned into her shoulder. “Just don’t get too attached, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“He won’t hurt me, Kenny.” Hannah pulled away and gave her one last smile before joining Harry in her bedroom.

Kennedy dropped her head into her hands when she was alone and groaned. This couldn’t be happening. She thought that she would actually be able to escape Harry and get him off her mind and out of her hair for good. But now? Now that seemed like only a dream she wished would come trust.

She rushed to the bathroom and quickly turned on the water and splashed it in her face. She had to calm down, but the more she tried the more her breathing would speed up.

Come on, Kennedy. Keep it together. Don’t lose it now.

She jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a voice whispered in her ear, “Guess you couldn’t get rid of me.”

Kennedy jerked away quickly and spun around, pulling her hand back and slapping him across the face. Harry’s hand met his cheek as he glared at her.

“Can you stop hitting me?!”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing with my sister?” Kennedy shut the bathroom door so that they could keep their conversation private as she turned back to him.

“What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m dating her,” Harry smiled and narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you jealous?”

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re pulling, but you better leave my sister out of it. She has nothing to do with what’s going on.”

“What game are you talking about? I’m just a guy looking for a little bit of love.” Harry stuck his bottom lip out as if he was pouting, but Kennedy wasn’t buying it.

“Bullshit. You’re planning something, Harry. And I’m not sure what it is, but if I find out that you’re just using my sister to get to me–”

“Thinking a bit highly of yourself, aren’t you?” Harry moved a bit closer as Kennedy’s back hit the door, trapping her.

“I swear, Harry. If you hurt my sister, me punching you will be the least of your worries.” Kennedy pushed her arms against his chest and pushed him back a little.

“Is that a threat?” Harry raised his eyebrow at her, a little intrigued.

“It’s a warning.” Kennedy yanked the door back open and stormed out of there, grabbing her bag and heading back the way she came.

“I’ll be seeing you, Kennedy. I guess we’re going to be getting well acquainted now, aren’t we?” Harry leaned against the door frame, that stupid smirk crossing his face like it always did. Kennedy turned to face him only once to scowl before walking out of the room and slamming the door behind her.



Kennedy sat on the curb with her head in her hands, trying to figure all of this out. Why couldn’t something work out for once? Why couldn’t Harry just disappear and never bother her ever again? Was he really that set on making her life miserable?

She wanted out. She wanted to leave Barcelona and go home so she would never have to worry about any of this ever again.

But wouldn’t that be running away? She always ran away from problems. She never faced them head on and never fought for herself. And she vowed that this summer would be different. She would be different. And running away wasn’t going to help her accomplish that.

“You look like you need saving.”

The voice caught Kennedy by surprise as she glanced up, meeting his beautiful eyes again. Her heart sped up as she stared at him.

“What are you doing here, Zayn?” Kennedy sniffed a bit as she tried to calm herself down and stop thinking about what was upsetting her.

“Hey,” Zayn joined her on the curb and placed a hand on her shoulder, “are you okay?”

Kennedy shrugged his hand away and forced a smile. “Perfectly fine. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m always…just fine.”

“You know,” he chuckled slightly, “you’re a horrible liar.”

And that’s when it hit her. All of it. She wasn’t exactly sure why it all came rushing to her, but she found the tears welling in her eyes as she slung her arms around him and completely lost it.

She had never really pegged herself as a crier, but for some reason there she was…sobbing on the shoulder of a guy she hardly knew. She was just about to pull away from embarrassment, but Zayn wrapped his arms around her, his hand holding the back of her head as she continued to cry.

“It’ll be okay,” he tried to reassure her and calm her down. “Cry all you want. I don’t mind.”

Kennedy listened for a few moments and just cried her eyes out, letting out all the frustrations that she had come across since she got here. Every little thing Harry had done and all the confusion and worry she was feeling for Hannah just came barreling out onto his shoulder. She couldn’t believe that she could cry that much, but somehow the tears just kept coming.

Zayn pulled away slowly as the crying slowed and he stared at her, smiling. His thumb gently swept under her eye as he wiped away the tears. “You drenched me with your tears.”

“I’m sorry,” she laughed through her tears and sniffed loudly. “I really don’t know where that came from.”

“Well it’s a good thing I got here so you didn’t have to cry alone, huh?” Zayn finally dropped his arms, but continued to keep his body turned in her direction. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’ll survive. I always do.”

“Good,” Zayn pushed himself off the ground and held his hand out to her. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Kennedy took his hand and was pulled up from the ground. Zayn just smiled and held her hand tightly, pulling her along with him. “You know, the only reason I’m trusting you is because I found out that you work with old people and you’re not some type of murderer.”

“And how do you know that? I could be taking you off to kill you right now.”

“I highly doubt that. I really don’t think killers let their victims cry on their shoulders and then wipe away their tears.” Kennedy smiled as she glanced down at their hands still together.

“Maybe I’m a nice murderer.” Kennedy just grinned and shook her head. “Now that’s what I like to see.”

“What?”

“A smile.” He finally let go of her hand and stuck his in his own pockets. “It looks good on you.”

Kennedy blushed quickly, the redness burning her cheeks. Chill out, Kennedy. He’s just complimenting you. No need to make a huge scene. She tried to think her own thoughts over, but she couldn’t help but get those butterflies crowding her stomach.

“So,” Kennedy decided to move on and try not to be too affected by his words, “what were you doing out so late at night and coming to my rescue? Big date?”

“I was going to meet with a friend,” Zayn looked down at his feet as he walked, obviously keeping quiet on exactly what his plans were. “Let’s just say, you were the better company to choose.”

“Sorry,” she gave a half smile and nudged her shoulder into his. “I wouldn’t say I was the better company though. If it’s not obvious, I’m not very good at making friends or being around people.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I think you’re very good company, blue eyes,” Zayn just smiled, nudging her back with his own shoulder. “Even if you don’t know it.”

“Well I could say the same about you, zap boy.”

“Zap boy, huh? I thought we’ve moved onto a first name basis, clumsy girl?” Zayn grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him and down to the beach. The moon shone bright above them as the water looked at peace; something Kennedy really enjoyed.

Peace. It felt like ever since she got here peace wasn’t a part of her life anymore. Harry had completely messed her up and she knew things were only going to get more difficult now that he was dating Hannah. She had to figure something out to fix this. She couldn’t very well just tell Hannah what he was up to. There were multiple ways she would react: She wouldn’t believe her or she would call her jealous or, ultimately, get her heart broken.

And Kennedy wasn’t sure which of those would suck more.

“Stop stressing so much,” Zayn placed his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair with a smile. “And don’t say you weren’t stressing out about anything, because I can so read you, Kennedy.”

“I guess I am a bit predictable when I cry out of nowhere,” she plopped down into the sand and sighed, looking up at him. “I’m having a bit of trouble with…this guy.”

“Want me to beat him up for you?” Zayn joined her in the sand, moving a little closer than Kennedy was used to.

“Erm, would you? Or, you know, you could run him over with your motorcycle.”

“I thought I wasn’t a murderer?” He stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh only a little. “Alright, tell me about this guy.”

“He’s a jerk,” she frowned, pulling her knees close to her chest. “I hate him more than I’ve ever hated anyone. Okay, maybe that’s a little far, but he’s pretty much on my top five hated people list.”

“What exactly did he do to piss you off?”

“He tried to sleep with me.” The thought of it made her want to punch him again and she kind of wished he was around so she could.

“You know, sex isn’t all that bad.” Zayn chuckled slightly.

“It’s a big deal for me,” Kennedy kept a strong face as she stared out at the water, not wanting to get embarrassed from talking about the subject. “I want to be in love my first time, you know? I want it to mean something. I don’t want to be that girl who gives in and lets someone take advantage of her and I don’t want someone to try and push me into it. It’s mine to give. I’m just not ready for that yet.”

Zayn stared at her, a little surprised by her response. He hadn’t expected something like that to come out of the mango girl’s mouth, but something about it…he liked it. “You sure are something else, Kennedy,” he mumbled under his breath.

“What?” Kennedy glanced back in his direction.

“Nothing,” Zayn just smiled in return. “Good for you. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you, okay? And if they try you come to me and I’ll teach them a lesson.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re a good guy, Zayn. But as much as I judged you before I actually knew you, I still don’t think you could hurt a fly.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he shrugged, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll sit idly by while someone hurts you. I may not know you that well, but I’ll be damned if I see anyone treating a woman like they’re nothing.”

Kennedy stared at him for the longest time; she really stared at him. She had never met someone like him. He was kind and considerate and definitely nothing like the boys at home or Harry. He was different. And she liked different.

“You’re a good guy, Zayn.” She placed her hand on his knee, her eyes locked with his. “Don’t let anyone take advantage of that either.”



The walk back from the beach to the hotel was filled with small talk of motorcycle knowledge that Kennedy had no idea about, music she listened to in her bedroom that made Zayn want to puke, and the agreement that people sucked and being a doormat was not a good way of life. Kennedy was actually enjoying talking to someone; really talking to someone. Even at home she didn’t really have a friend that she could rant to or talk about nothing important with. Zayn was actually making her feel a bit better.

“Well, here we are.” The two stopped walking as they reached Kennedy’s hotel door and they turned to face each other.

“Thanks for coming to the rescue earlier. I owe you.” She smiled as she reached over and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. The contact surprised Zayn a bit, but he found himself following her and hugging her back.

“Well, I have a way you can pay me back.” He pulled away and smiled. “Can you cook?”

“Cook? Sure, I’m pretty good at cooking. Why?” She searched through her bag as she waited for his response, looking for her room key.

“My old roommate is coming back tomorrow for a visit. Thought I’d give him a small welcome home party, but the only thing I can cook is a bowl of cereal.”

She smiled widely and tapped her chin, as if she were thinking it over. “Well, I don’t know.”

“Oh, come on. I let you cry on me.” Zayn crossed his arms, trying to hold back his own smile.

“I suppose I can help you out. I mean, what kind of party would it be if you only served cereal?” She teased him a bit which resulted in him finally exposing that beautiful smile that she was growing to like.

“Thanks. You’re really saving my butt here this time. How about I meet you back here tomorrow around four?” Kennedy nodded in reply as he turned away and began to leave.

“See you tomorrow then.” She pulled her key out finally and turned to open the door, but was interrupted by his voice again.

“Hey Kennedy,” she turned to look at him. “Don’t let them win, okay? Whoever is giving you a hard time… You’re a warrior,” he narrowed his eyes at her. “Fight it.”

You’re a warrior. Fight it.

The words played over in her head as she collapsed on her bed, trying to tune out the moaning coming from the bedroom across from hers. The thought of her sister and Harry going at it again made her sick to her stomach and she wanted nothing more than to be out of there.

So instead she let her mind be consumed with thoughts of Zayn. There was something about him…and she liked it. She thought that maybe she could survive a summer here, even with Harry around, as long as Zayn was there to keep her mind off of it.

She wanted to get to know him better. And that was something she was definitely not used to.

The phone on her nightstand buzzed as she grabbed it quickly. She felt a little bad by being nosy, but if she wasn’t she knew she would never find out who it actually belonged to.

She opened the new message, still from this mysterious “Blondie” person, and was surprised at the text he had sent.



Harry.

This couldn’t be a coincidence. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that this had to be his phone. She had found it out in the hallway, close to his door anyway. There was no way in hell that this was anyone else’s phone but his.

“Oh my God.”

She couldn’t help but grin as she gripped the phone in her hand. She knew what to do. She knew how to get him back for everything he has done and everything he was going to do. He wasn’t going to get away with using her sister.

He was going to pay.

Oh, Harry. You shouldn’t have started this game. When I play games, I don’t ever lose.