Eleanor's POV

"Lana, it's saturday night and you have been studying for like a million years! You're ready, can we please go out tonight?"

"You have a boyfriend, shouldn't you be the one that wants to stay in?"

I huff in frustration and stare at her. This girl is so stubborn. But I want to go out, damn it, so I'm going to make her come with me. It's no fun going with your boyfriend to a club. Why would I go somewhere to make out with him when I can just make out with him here? In private.

"Lana pleeeeeaaaaase! Come on, I bought a new outfit today and I want to wear it!"

"So wear it!"

"NO! Ugh, okay, I wasn't going to tell you this before but Louis is going to the club as well and he's bringing a friend for you."

She drops her pencil and stares at me, mouth hanging open. Yeah, I didn't think she would be happy about that one.

"Eleanor Calder, you are not trying to set me up!"

"I thought it would be good for you!"

"Well, you thought wrong my friend. I have no interest in going on a blind date." She sounds sure of herself. Shit, why did I tell her? Now she definitely won't go with me. She picks up her pencil and goes back to her studying. I only have one card left to play, and it was a dangerous one. I walk over to her bed and sit on it so that her back is facing me.

"Lana, it's been two years." I can see her tense up. She knows exactly what I'm talking about. "There's great guys everywhere. So many have tried to talk to you, but you just shut them down. I really think you should-"

"I'll go."

My eyes widen in shock. I want to smile and be excited, but I'm too surprised. I really didn't think that would work. "Okay, great," I say slowly, watching as she stares at her left arm. That's where she always wears that damn charm bracelet. She literally never takes it off. One time before an exam we got halfway to the school and she realized that she forgot it, so she ran back to the apartment to get it. I've never seen her so hysterical.

"What time?" she asks quietly, still looking at the bracelet.

"Louis said they're going at 10."

"Okay. Let me study for another hour then we'll get ready."

I stand and walk to the door, pulling it closed behind me. I guess we're just going to have to see how this goes. I pull out my phone and dial Lou's number quickly so I can inform him.

"Hi, angel,"

"She agreed!" I whisper scream, running into my bedroom.

"That's so exciting," he says back, mimicking my quiet yelling.

"I don't know how she'll be though. I kind of had to play the Harry card."

"Eleanor, are you insane? Even if it did make her come out with us, now she's just going to be thinking about him all night. She's not going to have fun. You're her best friend, you honestly couldn't think of another way to convince her?"

"Oh shut up, Louis. She'll be fine. Is Chase still coming?"

"Yup, he'll be there."

"Okay, good, cuz I kind of blew that one, too."

He sighs. "She knows he's coming. Great. You're horrible at the whole secret thing, you know that?"

I can tell by his tone of voice that he's teasing me. "You love me anyway, right?"

"Of course. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye." I'm smiling wide when I hang up the phone. Might as well start getting ready.

I really do feel bad that I used Lana's heartbreak against her tonight, but what else was I supposed to do? Harry Styles is like our Lord Voldemort; he who shall not be named. Everyone is basically acting like he doesn't exist for her sake, but I honestly don't think that helps her. But honestly, I don't know what will at this point.

When Harry left it was like part of her died. She just shut down completely. It took a week before she would let me or Brooke into her bedroom, and even then she wouldn't talk to us. We just sat there with her. The weirdest thing was she didn't even cry. It was like she wasn't in her body. She would just lay there, staring at the ceiling or the wall or the window. After that she would just play with the charms on her bracelet a lot and look at pictures of Harry on her phone. We had no idea what to do or how to help her. I tried desperately to get a hold of Harry, but of course his number was changed and Anne said she didn't have it either. Then Lana disappeared for a few days when her dad went on a trip. It really freaked us out. Then she came back and started going to school again. Harry's name was never brought up after that. Any time we talked about anything that reminded her of him, her whole body would tense up and she would just shut down.

To say that it's a sensitive topic is a massive understatement.

I know she still loves him. They haven't seen or talked to each other in two years, but she still loves him. I don't know if she'll ever recover from this. She doesn't even see other guys, and trust me when I say they all want her. She just looks right through them.

Lana's POV

After El leaves my room I flop onto my bed with my phone. I fiddle with the charms on my bracelet, looking at all of them and remembering what they mean. It all feels like a different life time. He added one after the miscarriage. It's a heart with a baby's footprint on it. When he left I added on as well. Half of a heart.

Maybe it was a little dramatic, but that's how I feel. Like half of me is missing. Even after all this time, it's hard for me to know how to function without him. I feel like I'm just going through the motions of my life without really living it.

I know that my friends still worry about me. I don't blame them, I'm definitely not the same person I was before him. Simply put, I'm not as happy. I just don't care about things anymore. So many thing in my life lost their meaning when he left. I feel like such a drama queen for feeling this way, but I'm just being honest.

I allow myself a lapse in judgement and scroll through the photos I have of us. I look happy. I don't remember the last time I smiled and really felt it inside. Now I'm just empty. The girl in these photos is someone else entirely. I don't even know how to be that person anymore.

After looking through all of them four times, I tear my eyes away and sit up. A few tears have fallen, but I wipe them away quickly. I refuse to let myself cry for him. I won't do it. Not anymore. There's nothing left of me, nothing left to cry out.

"Lana, are you okay?" I hear El ask through the door. I take a deep breath and plaster a fake smile on my face.

"Yeah, come in!" She opens the door and sits on the bed beside me.

"I'm sorry about what I said before. If you don't want to go-"

"No, it's fine. I want to," I assure her. I really don't but I need to prove to people that I'm not some pathetic girl that locks herself away from the world because her boyfriend left. I know that they all think I'm incredibly fragile right now.

"Okay," she says hesitantly. "Let's find you something to wear." She stands and goes to my closet, but I stop her right away.

"We might as well go straight to your room, I don't have anything good for a club anymore."

"Okay, let's go!" El is always excited. About everything. It's good I'm living with her and not someone moody and depressing, because that really wouldn't help me.

Eleanor and Louis are the only people that make me feel somewhat happy. They've been so good to me and I love them to death for it. Niall and Louis actually live in our building, a few floors up. Niall doesn't go to school, though. He got a job at an auto shop fixing cars. El and I sort through her mountains of clothes until we find something for me to wear. The club is pretty casual, so we don't need to wear dresses. Thank goodness, dresses drive me insane at places like that. The weather is starting to warm up, so we both wear short crop tops with high waisted skirt for El and leather leggings for me.

"I think we should both just wear black heels, don't you?" El suggests, trying on a pair with her outfit. We decide on our shoes and get to work on our hair and makeup. I want to keep mine simple, but El insists on doing my makeup for me. Apparently I have to look good. Whatever.

"Alright, let's take a few shots before we go," El says, giving her hair one last shot of hairspray.

"Do we have to? I wasn't really planning on drinking tonight."

"Oh, well you are. Come on, the boys are already there!" She says, pushing me out of the room.

I walk to the kitchen and take out two shot glasses while El pulls out the bottle of tequila, much to my dismay. Tequila doesn't like me, and I don't like her that much either. El sees my hesitation and rolls her eyes, handing me the bow full miniature cup. We each do four shots, which is probably too much since we're already struggling to walk in our heels.

El and Louis have been making friends non stop ever since we moved here, so we know the bouncer at the club. He lets us in, much to the dismay of the long line huddled at the side of the building. When we get in El takes my hand, leading me through the crowd of people, most of them already wasted. It's already so hot in here and I feel like I need to shower after about five minutes. Awesome.

Why did I agree to this again?

"Louis!" El squeals, releasing my hand and jumping into the arms of her boyfriend. He spins her around and kisses her quickly, but passionately. Then sends me an apologetic look.

"Louis, stop doing that. You're allowed to kiss your girlfriend," I tell him, wrapping an arm around him as he hugs me.

"Good to see you out for once, Forester," he teases, poking my exposed stomach. When he realizes he touched skin his brow furrows. He's always been sort of protective over me, but it got ten times worse when we moved to the city. "Did you bring a jacket?"

I roll my eyes and El hits him on the shoulder. "Louis, she looks hot! Leave her alone."

"Eleanor's stomach is showing, I don't see you scolding her," I point out, sliding into the booth behind him. They sit on the bench opposite me.

"Yes, but I'm here to guard her and cover her up. Do you see all the guys gawking at you right now? HEY, what are you looking at?" He shouts at a guy standing about ten feet from our table. He looks back and forth between Louis and I before turning and making his way through the crowd and to the bar. "Yeah, that's right. Walk away!"

"Lou, shut up!" Goodness gracious. It's like going to a club with your father.

Louis' POV

"Lou, shut up!" Lana says, obviously embarrassed by my attack on the random guy checking her out. It's creepy, I don't like random guys gawking at her. I know that Lana is a good looking girl, but that doesn't mean I want everyone in here undressing her with their eyes. Just no. As if on cue some other tool comes up to our table, leaning in close to Lana.

"Do you girls need a drink?" Seriously? I'm right here!

"No, they're alright," I say harshly, trying to mentally stab him. He glares and stands to walk away.

"Louis, are you going to do that all night? Because then I'm just going to go home."

"Lana, I'm going to do it until one of them looks at your face before your ass or boobs."

"You are so embarrassing, Louis," she says, standing from her seat. "I'm getting a drink. El, do you want anything?"

"Sure, whatever you're having."

I'm about to tell Lana to stay here so I can get it, but she's gone into the crowd before I get the chance.

"Louis, you need to stop treating her like that," El says when she's gone. "She needs to move on. If it's a one night stand with some hot guy from the bar, then so be it. At this point I'll let her do anything as long as she starts thinking about someone other than Harry Styles."

"No, we are not letting her go fuck some random. She's not-shit, hold on." I pull out my phone when it starts ringing. That's like the twelfth time today this number has tried calling me. Get the hint and leave me alone, whoever you are! I decide to answer this time.

"Hello? Whoever this is, you have the wrong number."

"Louis? Is that you?"

What the actual fuck.

"You have got to be kidding me." El raises her eyebrows at me, asking silently who I'm talking to.

"How've you been, mate?"

"How did you get this number?"

"I have my ways. I was in Holmes Chapel today. My mum gave it to me."

Why is here there? Wait, is he back? What's happening? "Look, I don't know why you're calling me, but I have no interest in talking to you. Good-bye." I'm about to hang up but he yells my name a few times. Do I talk to him?

"Lou, please don't hang up!"

"What do you want? Why are you calling me."

There's a long pause and I think I've lost him when he finally answers my question.

"I'm in London."

Notes

obviously you guys know who's on the phone, so im not even going to ask that question :P
i hope you like the story so far!!!

what's everyones favourite song from midnight memories?? theyre all sooo good. i cant decide between strong, little white lies and better than words.
but all of them are amazing. so yeah.

comments please!!! subscribe and vote :)

xx