Songbird [H.S]

TWO

The town of Myrtlewood was rather small. It was a place where newly-wed couples moved to start a family and older couples relaxed after retirement. The town was very friendly, everyone knew everyone - practically every teenager went to the same college as Harry, all their parents knew each other and gossip spread like a wildfire. That was precisely the problem for Harry.

The teenager could feel everyone's stares as he walked down the street, Marley Tomlinson reluctantly following beside him but refusing to even acknowledge his existence. Other than boldly telling Harry they were going to the record store (and the boy was paying), she hadn't uttered a single word. He supposed it was a good thing considering he wasn't being insulted, however, it made his afternoon tedious. Despite their current lack of interaction, the boy could already hear the whispers that would be fluttering the school halls Monday morning. As long as Louis Tomlinson didn't hear about this, he'd be fine.

The thing about the Tomlinson's was not that they were a horrible family, they were a lovely, family orientated group that would do anything to protect each other. The fact was, this earned them a reputation around town. Mark and Johannah were childhood sweethearts that loved their children dearly; Marley was a free-spirited individual who spoke her mind and acted on impulse; Rain was known to be popular among the town's boys and Louis was a protective older brother that ran around making sure his sisters were safe. Countless times had either sister been messed about by immature boys and Louis had stepped in to sort things out - often ending in Louis dishing out a few black eyes and broken noses to teach people a lesson.

Right now, as the pair neared their destination, Harry was at his wit's end. The silence was so awkward it was driving him insane. The boy had always been a social kid, ever since he was a toddler he'd been charming strangers and wasn't fond of awkward conversations. He didn't care if Marley didn't like him, you couldn't expect everyone in the world to like you - he just wanted her to acknowledge him, even if it was to insult him.

It got to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. He was tired and frankly very pissed off, his anger bubbling to the surface to the point he snapped. Suddenly, Harry stopped in his tracks as a loud, exasperated sigh slipped from his lips. For a moment, the girl appeared not to care that Harry was no longer next to her. She continued a few steps before coming to a halt - throwing Harry an annoyed glare that had a lot more than just petty frustration behind it. That was the final straw.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Harry blurted out harshly, the bitter edge to his voice and his irritated frown startled the girl. The boy saw her jump slightly at his unexpected outburst and glance nervously around the street to see if anyone was staring. Another thing to note about this town was that people were very nosy. The streets were always quiet so any argument always attracted people's attention, anyone around would stare in case there was something worth gossiping about.

"I don't have a problem." She grumbled, rolling her eyes slightly at Harry's stupidity. If he didn't know what he'd done, she wasn't going to waste her time telling him.

"Yeah, very mature." He scoffed, "I have been nothing but kind to you and you just throw it back in my face! You can hardly even look at me and I'm supposed to believe there's no problem?"

Completely stunned, Marley couldn't bite back the amused smile tugging at her lips. Harry had never been the type of person to cause conflict with other people, especially not in public, so seeing the teenager this angry was quite fun for Marley to watch. Harry had always been the people-pleasing popular boy who tended to go with the flow while Marley spoke her mind, stood up for  herself but others as well and preferred her own company over hanging around with fake people.

"Oh my God, you're just like every other egotistical dickhead in this town! Not everyone is going to like you, Harry. I certainly don't."

"I don't care if you don't like me, Marley. I just don't understand what I've done wrong. I'm sorry if I upset you, I really am. Can't we just talk and clear everything up?" Harry pleaded softly, hoping the stubborn blonde would take pity on him. The boy hated the idea of being perceived as something he wasn't and Marley could see it was killing him not to know what he might've done. She found it quite amusing but the poor boy was too sweet to string along. She decided to put him out of his misery.