Songbird [H.S]

FOUR

Rain pelted against the classroom window, the small droplets dripping their way down the glass colliding with others as they went. A distant rumble of thunder mixed with the gentle patter against the glass, doing nothing but making the incredibly boring class drag on even longer. Harry sighed at the dark scenery outside, the grey sky dampening the boy's motivation to finish his painting. Truthfully, he needed the sun's golden light to help him with it. He was stuck having to guess where the shadows would be on the canvas, knowing he'd have to paint back over it once the lighting was right.

Harry's sour mood wasn't exactly helped by the fact he was completely alone - none of his other artistic friends having taken the same class as him. He felt a little left out because he had joined the module a few weeks later then the rest of the students, meaning they had all settled into their own little groups which made it hard for the boy to feel included. It wasn't like he cared much anyway considering it was only a small class that met for an hour once a week. Once this class was over, he could spend the rest of the school day with Zayn in an empty studio while they both worked on their separate assignments, maybe smoking a little weed here and there to influence their creativity.

Harry had met Zayn on his first day at college and they had instantly become best-friends. The day had started pretty hectic as most days did in the Styles household with the teenager snoring through his alarm clock. His mum had yelled at him for being so unorganised and shoved him out the house before he even had a chance to tie his shoelaces. Hungry and still half-asleep the boy decided on a quick stop for pancakes at the diner, knowing that even if he ran down the street he'd be late no matter what.

Half an hour late for his first class, Harry had strolled through the gates - his steps faltering a little as he noticed a group of boys crowding around someone laying on the floor. They were shouting and yelling at the person and at first Harry chose not to get involved, unsure whether it was just an argument that got a bit rough or something more serious. Besides, storming over to strangers over a misunderstanding wouldn't be the best first impression. It wasn't until the group started kicking and spitting at the lad on the ground that Harry knew he had to get involved, earning a black eye and bruised knuckles from his effort. However, all that mattered was the fact he'd managed to save Zayn from being beaten up by a bunch of idiots. Harry had helped the lad to the bathroom where he cleaned up his nosebleed and after talking for a while found out they were both supposed to be starting the same art course that morning. After that they were practically inseparable.

Suddenly the door burst open, colliding with a harsh bang against the concrete wall as the infamous young blonde waltzed into the classroom - a huge grin across her face. It was the type of look that meant trouble, clearly she was here to propose some stupid idea she'd just thought of and Harry wasn't sure whether he was going to like it. However, she barely made it two steps towards the boy before she was stopped by his miserable teacher. Harry struggled to hold back his smirk as the girl threw him a look of frustration before spinning around to plead with the adult addressing her.

"Marley, you're not in this class I would appreciate it if you wouldn't distract my students with your presence today." Miss Lorrel sighed. Harry had never liked the woman, mostly because she was the only teacher of his that didn't let him get away with neglecting his assignments. She was constantly nagging him and giving him detention in an attempt to get him to complete his work. It was safe to say Marley didn't exactly get on with her either, especially because she was always interrupting class to keep Harry company.

"I'm just sitting with Harry at the back. I'll be so quiet you won't even know I'm here."

"You and I both know that's not true. He has a late assignment to finish and by the looks of it he hasn't even started."