The Misfits

“We should get gummy bears! I haven’t had those in forever!”

“Kenzie we do not need gummy bears.”

“What about some cookies?”

“Mae! We don’t need those either! If you want cookies I’ll make some for you.”

“But you only make oatmeal cookies,” groaned Maeve, stomping her foot in the middle of the isle like a five year old. “I want double chocolate chip.”

“Fine. Get the damn cookies.” Elaine threw her hands up in the air before continuing down the isle with her grocery list.

I couldn’t help but giggle as I pushed Mackenzie in the cart after her. Maeve shot me a triumphant smile before she dropped the cookies into Mackenzie’s lap. I rolled my eyes as we continued – this was why we never went grocery shopping together.

“Oooh what about—”

“You guys we are leaving tomorrow!” laughed Elaine. She had a point, tomorrow was the start of our half-break and we were only here because we had completely run out of food.

“You say that as if we’re planning on saving this food,” Maeve scoffed. “We all know those cookies are going to be gone tonight.”

All four of us laughed and nodded in agreement. As we continued through the store Elaine kept checking her phone and forgetting she was supposed to keep track of the grocery list.

“Will you get off your phone and focus?” Maeve finally snapped at her before grabbing Elaine’s phone out of her hand. Before Elaine could protest Maeve let out a gasp and hissed, “Ed? As in Ed Sheeran? You little sneak! How long have you been texting him?”

“I gave him my number when we met back at Harry’s,” she whispered, color rising to her cheeks. Mackenzie and I burst into a fit of giggles before high-fiving. Elaine and Ed? This was amazing.

“That was like a month and a half ago! You’re still talking to him?”

“This is the best day of my life!” Laughed Mackenzie. “Ginger lovebirds!”

“It’s nothing like that!” snapped Elaine, annoyed at us having caught her. “We’re just friends that’s all.”

“Mhm. Just keep telling yourself that El.” I gave her a smirk as she flared her nostrils. Maeve and I shared a laugh at her reaction. I wonder if Harry knew anything about Elaine and Ed. If he did, he hadn’t mentioned anything…

“Speaking of boys…anything new with prince charming?” Elaine asked, shooting Mackenzie a sly look and taking the focus off of her.

We often had to speak of One Direction using nicknames or codes for fear of eavesdroppers and at the mention of Niall’s nickname Mackenzie had slunk further down into the cart.

“Did you ever talk to him about taking things further?” I asked, referring to the last conversation we had had on the subject.

“We did more than talk…” she muttered, her cheeks turning more crimson by the second. “We almost had sex.”

Maeve and I let out screams, receiving glares from nearby customers. How could she have not told us about this? A smile spread across Elaine’s face, but was quickly replaced with a frown. “Wait. Almost?”

“I wanted to! I really did!” Mackenzie urged as she regained my full attention. She looked scared and slightly ashamed, causing my heart to ache. With a quiet voice she added, “I was just…I chickened out at the last second.”

“Did you tell him why?” I asked. She nodded before giving me a small smile.

“He handled the news really well but…” she dropped her voice into a whisper. “But what if he got to weirded out or doesn’t want to wait much longer?”

“I doubt that Kenz. I’m sure he’s glad you told him and was relieved it didn’t have anything to do with him,” I reassured her. Mackenzie came from an abusive home and as a result she has a million and one insecurities about relationships and trust. Niall was handling this very, very well.

“Agreed,” nodded Elaine. “If anything he’s probably grateful you trusted him with such a secret.”

“And Prince Char might be horny, but I highly doubt that he would end things just because you two didn’t have sex. He’s too much of a romantic for that,” agreed Maeve. Mackenzie turned beet red at her words, earning laughs from Elaine and I. Poor Mack and Niall – both were too innocent for their own good. Well, Niall wasn’t all that innocent, but when it came relationships he was.

“Have you two still been talking?” Elaine asked. Mackenzie nodded and she broke into a shy smile. “Then you have nothing to worry about Kenz!”

“Maeve’s right Kenz,” I nodded. “Little Prince Charming likes you for you. Your rockin’ body is just a bonus.”

Mackenzie let out a giggle and hid her face behind her hands as I pushed her in the cart. We continued through our list with only a few minor distractions.

As we got in line to pay Elaine continued to insist there was nothing going on between her and Ed, but I had stopped listening. Sitting on the magazine rack next to the checkout was a picture of…me?

I snatched the magazine as the girls began unloading the cart, flipping through the pages furiously. Titles like “BUSTED! Harry Style’s girlfriend caught cheating!” and “Thalia Balcos cheated on Harry Styles with ex beau!” leapt out at me. This could not be happening. I dropped the magazine, gaining Maeve’s attention.

“Thalia?”

I pulled out my phone and fumbled with the keypad as Maeve scanned the magazine headline. Elaine and Mackenzie turned to see what the commotion was and immediately saw the photos.

“Thal. Relax.” I felt Maeve take my arm, bringing me back into the world.

“What if he’s seen it?” I asked frantically. “What if he believes it again?”

With my heart hammering I dialed the number I knew by heart. After two rings I heard the familiar voice of Harry Styles.

“Hey love!”

“Harry! There’samagazineandithaspicturesofCalhanandIandit’ssayingthatweslepttogetherbutI—”

“Whoa calm down love, I can’t understand you,” he laughed. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

I felt my heart hurt as I took a deep breath and tried again. “I’m at the store with the girls. There’s a magazine and it says Calhan—”

“Thalia.”

“Yes?”

“Breathe babe. I already saw the article and I don’t believe a word of it.”

A wave of relief washed over me and I could practically see him smiling on the other end. Maeve shot me an ‘I told you so’ look. Ignoring her I turned my attention back to Harry. “Are you sure?”

“Positive."

“100%?”

“I’m 110% positive Thalia.”

“Okay.” I heard him laugh again on the other end of the line as we picked our bags up and headed out of the store. I rolled my eyes and said, “Now that that minor catastrophe is out of the way...how’s your day going?”

“Oh you know, a bit hectic. We have a not so restful day today and then our final show in Detroit tomorrow.”

He sounded exhausted. I always felt bad for the boys while they were on tour. Sure they loved meeting all their fans and were definitely having a blast at the concerts, but they also worked until they dropped…literally. My dad had told me stories of how they would collapse in a pile of exhaustion whenever they had a break - even if it was only five minutes.

“Where are you headed next?” I asked, shooting Mackenzie a wink.

“New York. Hey you know…Soph and El are coming to visit…”

“I know they keep bragging about it. It’s driving me crazy.”

“So you’re not coming then?” He asked hesitantly.

“Harry…you know I would love to,” I replied. I could hear the disappointment in his voice and was pretty sure my heart broke a bit. The girls shot me sympathetic looks as I sighed and continued, “But I just don’t think I can swing it.”

“No, I know. I just…” He paused before continuing. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. More than you know.”

“Are you sure you can’t?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I really, really am.” I replied as we headed down the steps to the underground. “We’re headed to the tube, I have to go. Call you later?”

“Uh, you better!”

“I promise! Goodbye Walt!” I hung up the phone and shot the girls another look. “I hate lying.”

“You lie all the time,” scoffed Maeve. “Besides…it’ll be worth it. The look on their faces when you two surprise them…I wish I was going just for that.”

We all burst into giggles. After Harry had suggested we come out and visit my father had set to work devising a plan. Tomorrow Mackenzie and I were going to be tagging along with Sophia and Eleanor to surprise the boys in America. The hardest part was not letting them know that we were coming.

“You’ll have to tell us all about it after,” Elaine agreed.

“Or better yet, film it,” suggested Maeve.

The two of us quickly agreed before Mackenzie added, “I really wish you guys would come with us.”

We fell into a silence for a moment as we got off the tube and headed towards the flat. Once inside Maeve dropped her bag and sat down on the sofa. She had been acting odd ever since she found out Mackenzie and I would be going on holiday in America. I knew she was feeling neglected, for to her it was as if Mackenzie and I were choosing the guys over her.

“Promise you won’t have too much fun without us,” Maeve said with a small smile, swinging her legs over the armrest.

“Without you?” I smiled. “Never.”

“You two will have a blast back home what are you talking about?” Scoffed Mackenzie.

“A blast nanning the kids while you’re strolling down 5th Avenue?” Maeve challenged.

“You think we can afford anything on 5th Avenue?” I laughed, handing Elaine a package of noodles to put in the cupboard before tossing Maeve her cookies.

“No, but your boyfriends can,” Maeve replied with a smirk as her face as her phone began ringing. She looked at the ID then let out a groan before declining the call and tossing her phone across the sofa.

“Everything alright Mae?” Mackenzie asked with a worried frown. I guess I wasn’t the only one who was worried about her. I turned my attention back to the pair as Maeve snorted in response.

“Just peachy…Nate has decided to be a first class ass.”

“How do you mean?” I frowned. Nate and Maeve hardly ever got in disagreements. The worst fights they had were usually over who ate the last piece of pizza.

“He’s failing two of his classes and then got pissed at me when I told him to get his act together.”

“Do you know why he’s failing?” Elaine asked curiously. She had paused with a loaf of bread in her hand as she frowned at Maeve with worry.

“He just doesn’t feel like doing the work!” Maeve replied, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “It’s not like he isn’t smart enough, he’s just lazy! I know it’s different for him, his family has money and he’s getting his dad’s business anyway…but an education is still important.”

“I thought he didn’t want anything to do with his dad’s business?” I interjected.

Nate had come from money even though he lived like he had none. Two months after meeting him we learned that his father was the owner of a large trading company here in London. Nate hated the idea of working in a corporate office and had tried to distance himself from his father and that life at any means.

“Yeah well his laziness has taken over.” Maeve continued after letting out a sigh. “I’m just annoyed…or maybe disappointed is the better word. Either way I can’t answer his phone call right now or I’ll yell at him.”

Elaine, Mackenzie and I let out chuckles as we continued unpacking the groceries. Even though Maeve put on a front that she didn’t care about school, education was extremely important to her. We all knew it was the only way to get the life we wanted and save ourselves from the lives we had in the past.

After we finished putting away the groceries we all settled in the living room to put on a film. Maeve remained quiet during the whole thing, which was very odd for her. It made me feel worse then ever about leaving her.

Suddenly my phone began ringing which effectively distracting me from my predicament. I hit accept and ran into the other room to as not to disturb the others. “Hello?”

“Hey gorgeous.”

I cringed. “What do you want Calhan?”

“I just wanted to talk…you’ve been ignoring me Thal.”

“Well that's what happens when you corner people in a hallway and try and force yourself on them Calhan!” I spat.

Last weekend the girls and I had gone to a party and unfortunately Calhan had also been there. At one point he had cornered me in the back hallway and tried to convince me to leave Harry for him. I smacked him and hoped that would be the end of it. However he’s been calling me every day for the past week and it’s driving me insane. When was he going to take the hint?

“I was just trying to remind you of what you were missing babe.”

“Mm, well I can tell you from personal experience it’s not much.” I snapped.

“I can’t believe you’re buying into his fantasy,” he snorted. “He has you eating out of the palm of his hand. All those gifts and promises are just to get in your pants. I’m not a liar babe.”

“No, you’re an ass. You think insulting me is going to make me suddenly want to be with you?”

“What happened to us Thal? We were doing so good.”

“I’m tried Calhan. I’m tired of running in circles with you. I thought we could be friends but this is just getting ridiculous. I’m done.”

“Thalia, don’t do this.”

“Don’t ever call me again."

"Or what? Your boyfriends gonna come kick my ass? Careful Thal, I wouldn't want to ruin his pretty little face."

"Harry won't. But I guarantee my dad will beat the shit out of you. I'm serious Calhan, back off."

With that I hung up the phone and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. A second later I was back on my phone, calling the one person I wanted to talk to.

"What's crackin Tootles?"

"Nuthin." I giggled at the sound of Harry’s voice on the other end, instantly feeling better. How did he do that? “Just keeping a promise.”

“You okay?” He asked. Harry never missed a beat when it came to my feelings. Only the girls had ever been able to tell when I was upset or angry, yet somehow Harry had managed to figure me out.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t lie Tootles…”

“No.” I let out a sigh, letting all my frustration boil back to the surface. “He just won’t leave me alone! It’s borderline stalking now and I’m sick of it!”

“Calhan?”

“I hate him.”

“No you don’t love.”

“Yes I do.” I pouted, stomping my foot. I quickly looked around to make sure the girls hadn’t seen that before turning my attention back to Harry.

“Thalia, you can’t hate anyone,” he laughed. “It’s not possible.”

“I just don’t understand why he won’t let it go. It’s over. Done. Move on.”

“Everybody wants to steal my girl, every body wants to take her love away,” Harry sang.

“Harry!” I laughed.

"What? I thought you liked it when I sang."

I smiled into the phone and nodded, "I do."

It still amazed me how easily he was able to make me feel better. He let out a laugh as well and we fell into a much more enjoyable conversation with no more mention of Calhan.

After talking for early half an hour, Harry was called back to work. I nearly said ‘see you soon’ but bit back my tongue. As he hung up I could tell he was still upset I wasn’t coming out. It broke my heart to lie to him like that, but Maeve was right; it’d be worth it in the end.

I returned to the living room and huddled under the blankets next to Maeve. She immediately sprawled out across my lap, resting her head so that I could play with her hair. She was still quiet though I pretended not to notice.

As the night dragged on we headed up to bed. I snuck over to Maeve’s side of the room to tell her about Calhan, but stopped in my tracks. She was sitting against the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked at me as I entered and then quickly dropped her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Within seconds I was by her side with my arms wrapped around her, all other thoughts pushed from my mind. I pretended not to notice as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m happy for you and Kenz, really I am. It’s Nate I’m upset about.”

“Don’t be upset about any of it. Nate especially. Have you talked to him yet?”

She shook her head in response.

“Why not? Mae, he’s probably freaking out!”

“I know I just…”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on in that crazy little head of yours,” I said, earning half a smile from her. “He loves you…and I know you love him too even if you won’t admit it. Take some of your own advice…don’t give up on him because of a stupid misunderstanding.”

She gave me a small smile and leant her head on my shoulder. “He wants me to move in with him once we finish school.” She whispered.

I froze.

“Is that why you’re trying to find a fault in him?” I smiled at her, finally understanding what she was going through. Moving in with a guy is a big step for Maeve.

“Yes…”

“Mae it’s okay to be scared about it,” I laughed gently. “That’s a big statement.”

“I know.” She groaned.

“Good thing you have six months to prepare…” I said. She frowned as if that hadn’t occurred to her. I kissed her on the temple and added, “Don’t give up on him yet Mae. Give it a chance and if you’re still not sure about it come spring, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

She merely nodded in response. The two of us sat in silence as I gently rubbed her back. I’m not sure how long we were there but after a while I said, “I can’t believe you think we’re going to be on 5th Avenue. You know I’m actually a bit insulted!”

She let out a laugh and pretty soon we were in a fit of giggles.

Notes

Sorry I bombarded you with so much information *cough* hints *cough* in this chapter...it's all important to the story line, I promise! ;)
Next up is New York...are you ready?

PS do you think Calhan's finally gone for good?