Liquor Bitch

I’d seriously gotten out. This was...I wasn’t even sure where I was but it was nice. A cool breeze went through the air, chilling me in the small denim jacket I'd worn out of the house about this time two years ago. There were buildings surrounding me, beautiful structures and even had a complimentary river under the bridge I was on. It looked pretty gross, graying a polluted though I still felt a strong urge to get closer to it. As much as I needed to get away, I wanted to jump into the river and swim far, far away, like a jellyfish. I loved jellyfish.

A sudden thought caressed my mind. I hadn't gone swimming in a while and though the water looked filthy, it was something. The current was strong and maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to wash me away like one of those little jellyfish. "'Water cleanses you know'," I began, quoting something without even realizing I was doing it. My foot found high footing against the stone barrier that separated me and the flowing river. "'Washes dirt away, makes new...'" My other foot also found a new position and before I knew it, I was looking over the side, admiring the free flowing entity below me. It would be a poetic finale, the embrace of a long lost friend bringing me home. How bittersweet-

“Daffy don’t jump!” I gasped as the air was knocked out of me from strong arms. Part of me was mad. Who the hell was this person who thought they could yank me down? Another part of me was horrifically paranoid. What if it was them? “Daffy, I had no idea you were back from America!” a man exclaimed, spinning me around to hug me. He had a high pitched, English voice, like a whiny David Bowie kind of voice and big, sparkly blue eyes. “Oh Aphrodite!” Though I didn’t know who Aphrodite was (apart from a Greek goddess), I accepted the hug. It wasn’t sexual. It was...loving.

“I thought you were mad at me or something,” he continued, bringing me over to a group of guys. “You stopped replying to my letters.”

A split second decision was made in my mind, one made quicker than my decision to join the body of water. This kid didn’t recognize me. He was loving, caring, eager to see me, calling me Aphrodite so obviously he had no idea who I really was. If this was my ticket to getting away from what happened, then I’d jump on him like white on rice. “I wasn’t getting them. Perhaps they got lost in the mail,” I frowned, feigning like I knew what he was referring to.

He squeezed me again. “You could’ve called me, love.”

“I lost my phone.”

He pulled away just a hair to smile at me. “Well, I promised you that next time you were in England, I’d introduce you to my band mates. Darling, this is Harry, Liam, and Niall. You already know Liam. You met at my birthday. Unfortunately, Harry and Niall had to-”

“Louis’s told us so much about you!” squealed a blonde with an Irish accent, the one named Niall. That was convenient. Thanks for telling me who this guy is, Guinness. “You better stay, unlike that Elanor.”

“Of course I will,” I said, forcing myself to smile. “I’ll stay as long as Louis wants.” I glanced at the Liam one. He licked his lips and gave me a weird look, a look I didn’t like. “Liam,” I greeted.

“Daffy,” he replied. His voice was slow, like he was tasting an unfamiliar substance as he spoke. That made it worse.

“Let’s go before the paparazzi see us!” exclaimed Harry. “I’d really like to be somewhere safe before the buzzards come in.”

“Paparazzi?” I asked myself, a little too loudly because Niall cocked his head.

“Well, duh,” he snorted. “It comes with being in One Direction!”

One Direction. I vaguely remembered the name. They were a boy band that formed some time when I was in middle school. Unfortunately, I hadn’t listened to music much in the last two years so I couldn’t say I recognized them. “Of course,” I lied again. “Sorry. I’m just so relieved to finally run into my Lou. After losing my phone, I didn’t know how to make contact with him again.”

“We’ll get you a new phone,” Louis smiled, walking away from the river. “Right after I show you our new flat. Niall and I finally got done straightening the place out for you.”

“I look forward to seeing it.”

“Let’s go to Maybell’s,” Liam murmured, still giving me his weird stare. “I’m in the mood for a decent drink with pizza.”

“There’s that magic p-word,” Louis grinned. “Let’s go then.” We walked up the street a little and headed for an alley that had a strange door. I immediately felt a strong sense of dread. We were going back. We were...in a pizza place? The tiny alley door opened into a red and green, Italian style eatery that boasted its variety of wines, pastas, and pizzas. I'd honestly expected something a little on the sleazier side. Louis strutted over to a booth and expertly pulled out a menu that he began tracing with his finger. “What do you want, love? I think I want green peppers with olives-”

“I want the steak and cheese sub, three meat pizza, and Daff, do you want to share some cheese chips?” Niall offered.

“Of course,” I answered. I loved cheese fries and hadn’t had them in so long. “I might just have a small salad.”

“You have to eat something. Like real food,” Louis insisted.

“Gotta keep my girlish figure,” I reminded him.

Louis swatted his hand. “No, darling. Here, we’ll get you a cheese pizza with extra, extra cheese. And a cherry margarita. You still like those right?”

What I wouldn’t give for a fucking drink. “Can I just get a trash can?” I asked.

He grinned with big blue doe eyes. “Drinking hard, huh?” Louis cooed. “Of course you can. Hopefully they have something that makes it worth your while.” I nodded and leaned against him, absorbing the vibe of care-free safety he emitted. Unfortunately, that Liam boy kept staring at me. I couldn’t fathom why. Louis gripped my hand and kissed it before dropping our locked fingers under the table.

“So how was America?” he wondered.

“Wonderful,” I replied, trying to think of why the person I was mistaken for would be there. “I got to see all my family again-”

“Take any hot pics for that magazine you were posing for?” Harry smirked. “Sports Illustrated, wannit it?”

“Don’t you dare buy a copy!” Louis gasped. “Nobody should.”

“It’s fine,” I mumbled. Fine because they weren't my pictures. “I’m sure nobody will be that interested in it.”

Louis sent me a sarcastic look and pouted. “I know I said do what you want but I still don’t know how I feel about other guys staring at my girlfriend half naked.”

“It won’t happen again,” I promised.

“So you did take hot pictures!” Harry gasped. “If I can get my hands on an issue, you need to sign it so I have bragging rights.”

Louis smirked. “Darling, I’m sorry you didn’t meet our band’s designated pervert before hand,” he scoffed. Harry threw him a dirty look before a server came over. We gave her our order and she disappeared only to come back again and give us our drinks. I chugged my trash can and listened to the band exchange stories while that weird Liam guy kept staring at me weird. What could he possibly want?

New found instincts said one thing but I could recognize the look of a hunter and Liam was no hunter. No, the look in his eye was a mixture of confusion and anger. What had I done? I ordered another trashcan and put it out of my mind.

Notes

Dear Kaleigh, thank you for da bomb ass cover. U bae gurl. Love Godot :3