Rags Meets Riches
ⅹ.
Harry
Leo grabbed the collar of my shirt angrily with ferocity swimming in the light blue irises of his blazing eyes the minute I stepped foot into our quarters and I shoved him off instinctively, letting out a long sigh as my face contorted in exasperation matching his. My fingers traveled to the collar of my button down and I straightened the collar blindly without taking a look in the mirror while I stood off to the side with the muscles in my arm completely tense and balled up fists by my side. I didn’t let myself off guard knowing Leo and his ability to wind himself into frenzy.
I watched Leo’s nostrils flare and his pale flesh turn a hue or two more towards the dark shade of crimson within short seconds. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing and I exhaled heavily as I snarled at him for his behavior. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”
He laughed in a taunting manner. “I know you took the bracelet with you Styles.” His voice was dangerously low when he spoke and he was loud enough to stir the neighborhood from their dreams and pull people out from under their covers. “Where is it?” He demanded, but I still remained mute, my lips sealed shut.
His eyes narrowed at me but I only folded my arms across my chest and swallowed down the words that might have been inappropriate to say. I remained completely still as he came closer and grabbed the collar of my shirt again. “I’ll ask you one more time Harry, where is the damn bracelet?” Leo merely spat in my face as he spoke. His breath laced with tobacco blew into my face and I coughed, spitting back in his face.
“Do you think this is funny?” He yelled, slamming his hand down onto the wooden table in the middle of the room. A rippling effect followed and I saw Louis and Ashton emerge from behind closed doors with weary eyes. “You two, come here!” Leo instructed, his voice loud and ear shattering as he shouted. “Knock some sense into him! He obviously doesn’t understand how things work around here!”
Both of them were too scared to lay their hands on me knowing I would be able to beat them in a fist fight, but Peter took another try, this time he gripped the material of my trench coat and kicked my shins thinking it would knock me down. When I didn’t react the way he wanted me to and remained stationary, he slammed my back into the wall forcefully thinking it was going to hurt me but I reacted by latching my hand around his arm and then snapped it behind his back. He groaned in pain as he twisted his head around after he had fallen onto the floor on his knees and glared at me. I only stared back, not giving any mercy but within seconds, I let him go and brushed both of my hands against each other as I leaned my back against the wall triumphantly with a small smirk on my face.
“I don’t have the bracelet,” I told them slowly, my voice lazy and sluggish. I looked up at the ceiling and down at the floor before looking right at their faces which held blank stares. “Someone else has it.”
Leo looked at Louis and then Ashton and then finally looked back at me. “Cut the crap Styles. I’m not laughing at your joke,” He growled. “I’m serious. Where the hell is the bracelet?”
I emptied out the pockets of my slacks and trench coat. A small sinister smile rested on my lips as I cleared my throat and said, “It’s not a joke Peter. I don’t have the bracelet. If I had it, I would have given it to you by now.”
Neither Louis nor Ashton could believe what I was saying to them. They stared back at me and stuck their hands in their pockets, looking over at Leo for what to do. It was finally Ashton who spoke up in the end though. I think it had gotten to the point where Leo was so appalled at what I had done that it had rendered him speechless.
“Did you already sell it? Without talking to us about it? That’s not how it’s supposed to work Harry. I thought we agreed to waiting. The queen was bound to offer a fortune for it?” Ashton asked. “We could’ve made a lot off of it. We could be bloody rich!”
“Well maybe we could have, but in the end, it’s wrong. Blackmail is wrong.”
“Since when do you think that Harry?” Louis spoke up. “It’s not like you at all to be thinking this.”
I glared at him. “Well it’s not like blackmail has ever been right. We were just too desperate to ever think twice, but I just don’t want to do it anymore. Especially to the royal family.” I explained to them.
“You’re saying this like this is the first time you’ve stolen from someone.” Leo laughed. “This is just that annoying little sixth sense talking in the back of your head. It doesn’t mean anything. Sure, thievery is bad, but it’s a lifestyle. But most importantly, you know what Harry?”
“What?” I bit back in a reprimanding tone.
“I’m a bit confused right now because it was your idea in the first place to steal the bracelet specifically. You were the one that found out about the party and set up the plan to steal the bracelet. You were the one that suggested that we use the bracelet to rob the royals of every damn thing they have and then you’re the one telling us that we shouldn’t do it?”
“Well something changed my mind.” I stood up straight and squeezed myself right in between Leo and Ashton, walking straight into the room where all four of our beds were. Dust particles inhabited the air that I breathed in and I found myself coughing as I sat down on the edge of my bed, slipping out of my trench coat and then hanging it on the hook on the wall above my bed.
Kicking off my shoes, I reclined myself into my bed and stretched out my arms, placing them behind my head afterwards as I looked up at the ceiling. Soon enough, I saw Leo’s face come into my view and I rolled over onto my side and sighed. “I don’t have the bracelet.” I didn’t know how many times I had already said that but I was going to have to keep saying it again until he believed it.
“What changed your mind though?” Leo wondered and as I was about to answer, he interrupted my thought process and added, “But before you tell me that, tell me who possesses the bracelet. You didn’t sell it, did you? Judging by your words, you didn’t. I have a feeling you were an idiot and you gave it back to the queen herself. Please tell me I’m completely wrong.”
“You’re wrong,” I started. “I gave it back to her daughter. It belongs to her.”
“Her daughter!?” Leo retorted. “How the hell did you meet her daughter? No one’s ever seen her.”
Within seconds, Leo pieced the puzzle pieces together and he shouted out in disbelief. “Wait a minute! I know this!” He threw his hands up in the air in an exclamatory manner. “She was the girl you danced with. The fair one with pale skin, long brown hair and eyes. She was the girl you were sitting by the lake with. I actually saw her looking up at the tower and I was surprised when I wasn’t bombarded with guards afterwards. I know she knew someone was up there.”
“Hazel eyes,” I corrected him. “She has these beautiful hazel eyes and they’re not completely brown either. It’s a color that’s stuck in between the two shades just like she’s stuck in between life. Can you believe she’s never been outside her mansion Leo? She doesn’t know that there’s a whole world waiting for her.”
He looked at me with an odd expression washing over his features. “I’m a little bit scared right now.” He chuckled. “How do you know so much about this girl? What’s her name again?”
“Adelaide,” I answered. “I don’t know that much about her actually except for the fact that she’s never been outside her mansion. Also the fact that she has never seen a silent film in her life before today.”
He laughed, but I didn’t say anything. The mood lightened between us and I felt relief wash over me. He was starting to understand why I did what I did.
“I’m sorry Leo. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do it in the end,” I apologized quietly. “It was my idea in the beginning and I’m an asshole for abandoning it and all of you along with that.”
“Well I have one more question, was it all worth it in the end? Giving it away?” Leo asked.
“Every bit of it. I think I would give anything to do it again.” I smiled, thinking about the afternoon I had spent with Adelaide which carried into part of the night. While I lay in my bed, I wondered if she was thinking about it too and if somehow our thoughts would cross paths.
Shortly afterwards, Louis and Ashton walked into the room and asked Leo what was wrong with me once they glanced over at me and saw me smiling from ear to ear like an idiot. In fact, I was probably and idiot for thinking I even had a chance with Adelaide, but there was still something inside of me that hoped that somehow it would all work out.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with him?” Louis asked again.
Leo shrugged as he over to his bedside. “Nothing’s wrong with him,” He said, “except for the fact that he’s falling for a girl who he can’t ever be with.”
“Who is it?” Ashton barged in the conversation. “Is it really possible that Harry Styles finally likes someone?”
“Shut up,” I spoke up, covering my ears with my pillow to block out their voices and comments that came afterwards. My eyes closed and I found it becoming harder and harder to keep them open. I eventually fell asleep, letting Adelaide invade my dreams.
Leo grabbed the collar of my shirt angrily with ferocity swimming in the light blue irises of his blazing eyes the minute I stepped foot into our quarters and I shoved him off instinctively, letting out a long sigh as my face contorted in exasperation matching his. My fingers traveled to the collar of my button down and I straightened the collar blindly without taking a look in the mirror while I stood off to the side with the muscles in my arm completely tense and balled up fists by my side. I didn’t let myself off guard knowing Leo and his ability to wind himself into frenzy.
I watched Leo’s nostrils flare and his pale flesh turn a hue or two more towards the dark shade of crimson within short seconds. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing and I exhaled heavily as I snarled at him for his behavior. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”
He laughed in a taunting manner. “I know you took the bracelet with you Styles.” His voice was dangerously low when he spoke and he was loud enough to stir the neighborhood from their dreams and pull people out from under their covers. “Where is it?” He demanded, but I still remained mute, my lips sealed shut.
His eyes narrowed at me but I only folded my arms across my chest and swallowed down the words that might have been inappropriate to say. I remained completely still as he came closer and grabbed the collar of my shirt again. “I’ll ask you one more time Harry, where is the damn bracelet?” Leo merely spat in my face as he spoke. His breath laced with tobacco blew into my face and I coughed, spitting back in his face.
“Do you think this is funny?” He yelled, slamming his hand down onto the wooden table in the middle of the room. A rippling effect followed and I saw Louis and Ashton emerge from behind closed doors with weary eyes. “You two, come here!” Leo instructed, his voice loud and ear shattering as he shouted. “Knock some sense into him! He obviously doesn’t understand how things work around here!”
Both of them were too scared to lay their hands on me knowing I would be able to beat them in a fist fight, but Peter took another try, this time he gripped the material of my trench coat and kicked my shins thinking it would knock me down. When I didn’t react the way he wanted me to and remained stationary, he slammed my back into the wall forcefully thinking it was going to hurt me but I reacted by latching my hand around his arm and then snapped it behind his back. He groaned in pain as he twisted his head around after he had fallen onto the floor on his knees and glared at me. I only stared back, not giving any mercy but within seconds, I let him go and brushed both of my hands against each other as I leaned my back against the wall triumphantly with a small smirk on my face.
“I don’t have the bracelet,” I told them slowly, my voice lazy and sluggish. I looked up at the ceiling and down at the floor before looking right at their faces which held blank stares. “Someone else has it.”
Leo looked at Louis and then Ashton and then finally looked back at me. “Cut the crap Styles. I’m not laughing at your joke,” He growled. “I’m serious. Where the hell is the bracelet?”
I emptied out the pockets of my slacks and trench coat. A small sinister smile rested on my lips as I cleared my throat and said, “It’s not a joke Peter. I don’t have the bracelet. If I had it, I would have given it to you by now.”
Neither Louis nor Ashton could believe what I was saying to them. They stared back at me and stuck their hands in their pockets, looking over at Leo for what to do. It was finally Ashton who spoke up in the end though. I think it had gotten to the point where Leo was so appalled at what I had done that it had rendered him speechless.
“Did you already sell it? Without talking to us about it? That’s not how it’s supposed to work Harry. I thought we agreed to waiting. The queen was bound to offer a fortune for it?” Ashton asked. “We could’ve made a lot off of it. We could be bloody rich!”
“Well maybe we could have, but in the end, it’s wrong. Blackmail is wrong.”
“Since when do you think that Harry?” Louis spoke up. “It’s not like you at all to be thinking this.”
I glared at him. “Well it’s not like blackmail has ever been right. We were just too desperate to ever think twice, but I just don’t want to do it anymore. Especially to the royal family.” I explained to them.
“You’re saying this like this is the first time you’ve stolen from someone.” Leo laughed. “This is just that annoying little sixth sense talking in the back of your head. It doesn’t mean anything. Sure, thievery is bad, but it’s a lifestyle. But most importantly, you know what Harry?”
“What?” I bit back in a reprimanding tone.
“I’m a bit confused right now because it was your idea in the first place to steal the bracelet specifically. You were the one that found out about the party and set up the plan to steal the bracelet. You were the one that suggested that we use the bracelet to rob the royals of every damn thing they have and then you’re the one telling us that we shouldn’t do it?”
“Well something changed my mind.” I stood up straight and squeezed myself right in between Leo and Ashton, walking straight into the room where all four of our beds were. Dust particles inhabited the air that I breathed in and I found myself coughing as I sat down on the edge of my bed, slipping out of my trench coat and then hanging it on the hook on the wall above my bed.
Kicking off my shoes, I reclined myself into my bed and stretched out my arms, placing them behind my head afterwards as I looked up at the ceiling. Soon enough, I saw Leo’s face come into my view and I rolled over onto my side and sighed. “I don’t have the bracelet.” I didn’t know how many times I had already said that but I was going to have to keep saying it again until he believed it.
“What changed your mind though?” Leo wondered and as I was about to answer, he interrupted my thought process and added, “But before you tell me that, tell me who possesses the bracelet. You didn’t sell it, did you? Judging by your words, you didn’t. I have a feeling you were an idiot and you gave it back to the queen herself. Please tell me I’m completely wrong.”
“You’re wrong,” I started. “I gave it back to her daughter. It belongs to her.”
“Her daughter!?” Leo retorted. “How the hell did you meet her daughter? No one’s ever seen her.”
Within seconds, Leo pieced the puzzle pieces together and he shouted out in disbelief. “Wait a minute! I know this!” He threw his hands up in the air in an exclamatory manner. “She was the girl you danced with. The fair one with pale skin, long brown hair and eyes. She was the girl you were sitting by the lake with. I actually saw her looking up at the tower and I was surprised when I wasn’t bombarded with guards afterwards. I know she knew someone was up there.”
“Hazel eyes,” I corrected him. “She has these beautiful hazel eyes and they’re not completely brown either. It’s a color that’s stuck in between the two shades just like she’s stuck in between life. Can you believe she’s never been outside her mansion Leo? She doesn’t know that there’s a whole world waiting for her.”
He looked at me with an odd expression washing over his features. “I’m a little bit scared right now.” He chuckled. “How do you know so much about this girl? What’s her name again?”
“Adelaide,” I answered. “I don’t know that much about her actually except for the fact that she’s never been outside her mansion. Also the fact that she has never seen a silent film in her life before today.”
He laughed, but I didn’t say anything. The mood lightened between us and I felt relief wash over me. He was starting to understand why I did what I did.
“I’m sorry Leo. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do it in the end,” I apologized quietly. “It was my idea in the beginning and I’m an asshole for abandoning it and all of you along with that.”
“Well I have one more question, was it all worth it in the end? Giving it away?” Leo asked.
“Every bit of it. I think I would give anything to do it again.” I smiled, thinking about the afternoon I had spent with Adelaide which carried into part of the night. While I lay in my bed, I wondered if she was thinking about it too and if somehow our thoughts would cross paths.
Shortly afterwards, Louis and Ashton walked into the room and asked Leo what was wrong with me once they glanced over at me and saw me smiling from ear to ear like an idiot. In fact, I was probably and idiot for thinking I even had a chance with Adelaide, but there was still something inside of me that hoped that somehow it would all work out.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with him?” Louis asked again.
Leo shrugged as he over to his bedside. “Nothing’s wrong with him,” He said, “except for the fact that he’s falling for a girl who he can’t ever be with.”
“Who is it?” Ashton barged in the conversation. “Is it really possible that Harry Styles finally likes someone?”
“Shut up,” I spoke up, covering my ears with my pillow to block out their voices and comments that came afterwards. My eyes closed and I found it becoming harder and harder to keep them open. I eventually fell asleep, letting Adelaide invade my dreams.
Notes
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10/30/14