Chapter 22 - My Friend Harry

Well, the bet doesn’t seem that nice after one week and although Niall and I meet almost every night, all what he does is speak of Cinderella. If I hated that fairy tale before, now I don’t even have words to describe my feelings towards it. Yeah, we get to speak about other stuff too, but it’s not the same. That topic always makes its way to our conversations and I’m tired. So tired that sometimes I think of just shouting at his face that I’m the bloody girl who kissed him at the ball, but that would mean losing the bet. So I bite my tongue and look away every time I have that feeling.

Charlie thinks it’s funny and he keeps saying I’m jealous, and it’s even funnier because I’m jealous of myself. I don’t understand his twisted mind, I don’t think it’s funny at all.

“All this would be solved if you just told him,” Charlie comments when we’re having lunch and I roll my eyes, which makes Liv laugh.

“Don’t you see the problem? Why would I tell him when he doesn’t like me? Cinder-fucking-ella is not me. The girl who talks to him at the stables, the girl who’s teaching him to horseback ride, is not the girl from the ball and he doesn’t like me like this. He wants the girl from the ball, who’s not me,” I explain for the millionth time. “We are the same but at the same time we are not. How hard is that to understand?”

“Very,” he replies with a frown and Olivia bursts out laughing.

“Ella wants Niall to ask her out and stop looking for Cinderella because she doesn't feel like that girl,” Olivia explains.

“Oi! I don’t want him to ask me out,” I protest and now Liv rolls her eyes. Even Charlie snorts.

“C’mon, even I understand that. You fancy him, a lot, but you’re mad because he likes that part of you, which you don’t like, better. Do I get it now?” He tries and Liv giggles but I frown.

“No.”

“Then I give up,” he says and throws his arms in the air. “This got too complicated for me.”

Liv is still chuckling when she bumps her shoulder with mine. “For the record, I do think you should tell him. Just to see what he does. You’ll never know until you tell him. If you want it can be after the bet,” she winks at me and I smile because that’s another important topic. I really want to win that bet.

I guess my friends are right, I am kind of jealous of Cinderella, this version of me that I don’t like. Seeing Niall so obsessed with finding this girl really puts me in a bad mood, although I know he is technically looking for me. It still pisses me off. I thought that seeing him with other girls would make me get over whatever feelings I had for him, but I was wrong. It only drives me mad. I’ve seen him with every blond girl out there, talking, flirting, and I always feel my fists tensing. And the worst part is that Kimmy and Jenny realised what Niall is doing and they are doing all what they can do to get his attention.

I’m impressed, though. My stepsisters are both blond but Niall hasn’t made them try the mask on. I guess he’s cleverer than I gave him credit for.

So I not only have Niall telling me his progress every night, I also have my step sisters asking me every day why Niall is making people try a mask and what he is doing. I have to lie all the time because I refuse to let them know Niall’s real intention. I know I always call them stupid, but they are not, just a bit clueless. Okay, a lot clueless, but I blame Rhonda for that. Anyways, I’m afraid that if they really know what Niall is trying to do they may even suspect I’m actually that girl he’s looking for because only I would run away from a celebrity in this retreat centre.

Later today I run into Niall and he’s so excited that he doesn’t see me coming with all the clean bed sheets and we actually bump into each other.

“Oh, Ella! It’s you. Are you okay?” He asks, helping me to regain my balance. Luckily I didn’t drop the sheets.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” I reply stepping back a bit.

“Great. I was actually looking for you,” he says and I blink in surprise, my heart racing in my chest. We normally only meet at the stables because he knows I ‘can’t’ be around celebrities —the nice way I put it to tell him that I don’t like celebrities in general— so it’s weird that he is looking for me before dinnertime.

“You were?” I ask and he nods vigorously.

“Yeah! I’m so excited. I’m ninety nine per cent sure of who Cinderella is!” He carries on and the hopes that were building in my chest crumble down as fast as they grew. I feel like dropping the sheets but instead I hold them tighter. “So prepare to lose that bet.”

“Yeah, sure,” I reply, rolling my eyes and he chuckles.

“I’m telling you, I have it almost figured out. I just need one more proof.” I sigh because it can’t be true. He isn’t closer to find out it’s me. Probably it’s another girl going along with the whole Cinderella thing.

“Whatever you say, I gotta go,” I say, my mood on the floor because of this.

“Oh,” he says and I don’t wait for another word, I just walk past him.

Why can’t he just let go of Cinderella? She’s not here, but I am. Me, Arabella, not a bloody princess from a bloody fairy tale. I don’t even care he’s a celebrity anymore, well, at least not that much. The point is that I could totally look past that if he just… ugh, I don’t even know. I don’t really know what I want him to do. Yes, I want him to forget all about Cinderella and see me, but I don’t know if I want something with him.

I try to focus on all the work I have to do so I don’t have to think of Niall and his stupid searching. I should just accept that I lost against myself, that Niall actually likes Cinderella best although he doesn’t even know her. He doesn’t know me that much either, but he could, if he could get over the whole finding the girl from the ball thing.

At some point and instead of going to have dinner with Liv and Charlie, I stay in a hall, my back pressed against the wall and I close my eyes, sighing heavily. I’m not just tired of all the things I did during the day, but also tired of this whole Cinderella bullshit. Just tired in general and I wish I could just have a day off so I could leave this place for twenty-four hours to clear my mind.

“Hello there!” A cheery voice interrupts my state of peace and I groan. I can’t even have five minutes to myself.

I open my eyes just to find a smiley Harry in front of me, his hands on his back as he leans closer to be at my same height. “Harry,” I say, not really a greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“I was on my way to my room when I saw you here. I wanted to ask whether you were doing fine or not,” he explains and I sigh once again, my eyes closing for a second.

“We’re not friends, Harry. You don’t have to worry about me,” I tell him and I hear him snort.

“Oh c’mon, it’s not like you believe that. You know I can be a great friend and we could even watch A Very Potter Musical together,” he suggests and I can’t stop the smile. “Why don’t you try telling me what’s on your mind? It may help.”

Should I tell him? I can’t exactly talk to Charlie and Liv about this anymore because they only think I should tell Niall and get done with this, but I don’t want to tell him. Harry doesn’t know anything about this and I could easily omit slash change the name of his band mate. Maybe he can be an impartial third part in the story and that could help me.

“It’s about this guy,” I start, still a bit cautious and he smiles widely when he realises I’m actually going to tell him.

“Go on,” he invites me standing next to me, his back on the wall as well.

“Well, I guess I do, uh, fancy this guy, but he doesn’t really see the real me, you know? He’s obsessed with another girl. A girl who’s not here and who doesn’t want to be found. A girl who’s not even real,” I state and from the corner of my eye I see him frowning.

“You mean Niall, right?” Harry asks and I choke on air because I apparently don’t know how to breathe anymore. Harry laughs at my reaction but I don’t find it amusing, I could’ve died! “I thought so. He’s told me he’s been spending time with you, but he’s also looking for another girl. I don’t understand him either, if you ask me.” He says and I sigh so exhausted. “I also think he’s an idiot.”

I blink surprised, staring at him, shock written all over my face. “What? Why?”

“Because as you said this Cinderella girl doesn’t want to be found. If she’s still here, she’s hiding from him and there must be a reason. I bet he’s a bad kisser,” he confesses to me in a whisper and I chuckle. “Anyways, he’s obsessed with a girl who doesn’t want him whereas there is you, pretty, clever, funny and quite rude sometimes, mind you,” he adds and I can’t stop myself from chuckling. “And clearly you want him but he doesn’t see that. He’s missing a great girl and for that he’s an idiot.”

I chuckle again, wishing Niall could see me like Harry can see me, who is not even interested in me but still, the curly-haired boy sees me.

“Should I do something?” I ask because I’m not even sure about that.

Harry looks at me with a serious expression, as if he’s trying to figure out how the world works. “You can try to make him jealous,” he suggests and I frown at him. “Yeah, like make him see he could lose you, that someone else could be clever enough to see how great you are and that if he doesn’t drop the whole Cinderella thing, then he’s gonna lose his chance.”

As ridiculous as it sounds, I think about it. I could ask Charlie or even Harry to help me with this, or I could totally make someone up just to see his reaction, but then… how cliché is that? It’s like in every book slash movie you find that very scene, of the girl trying to make the other boy jealous just to make him realise it’s been her all along. Sometimes it doesn’t even work and the girl only makes a fool of herself, which she deserves for even using that trick.

Even if it were a good idea, which it is not, I can’t make myself do something like that. I’m not that type. My life has enough clichés already, I don’t need another one and even less a voluntarily one.

“Nah, I’m not a friend of clichés and this is way over the top. I guess I’ll just get over all this myself and forget about him.”

“Well, at least I tried to suggest something,” Harry says and I smile at him. “But really, if he lets you go, he’s the biggest idiot ever. And I’ll kick his ass if he does.”

I chuckle again, appreciating the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you, Harry,” I say next with an honest smile that he replies with a bright one of his own.

“That’s what friends are for,” is his comment and I shake my head as I step forward, away from the wall where we were leaning on.

I smile at him, really looking him in the eyes and tilting my head a bit to the right.

“Yeah, that’s what friends are for,” I agree and his eyes widen in surprise and delight. “See you around, Moth Guy.” I start walking away, quicker than usual before he can say something and when I’m in front of the lift doors, I turn right to shout: “And don’t think that for this I’ll let you win the cup this year!”

The doors open when I hear him bursting out laughing and I step inside but before the doors close again I hear him. “Hufflepuff is gonna win this year!”

I chuckle and shake my head. Harry is for sure a special boy.

-:-:-:-

Dedication to @xBritishObsessedx because I laughed so hard at the comment! XD
                   "AHHH NOOO. WHY . I BET THE HORSE WAS FANGIRLING THAT'S WHY IT SNORTED. DAMN IT. Love the chapter !"

Bel, xx