The Girl Next Door

And I Wonder Why My Life Sucks...

"Who was that?" my mom asked the instant I entered the house.

"Who was who?"

"That guy in the expensive car that just dropped you off. Ring a bell?"

"Oh, that's just Harry. He lives next door."

"And you just randomly saw him in the middle of London how?"

"Well, I kinda had tickets for an Ed Sheeran concert. We met there." it wasn't entirely a lie. "I got to meet Ed."

I smiled like a kid who just did something wrong.

"Great."

I ran up to my room. That's where I've spent the most of my Sunday- except going to work.

And then it was finally time for school. Yay!

I stumbled my way out of bed, and into the kitchen, getting out of my pijama in which I spent more than 24 hours, and putting on the same thing I wore on Saturday on the way.

"Happy first day of school! This will be an amazing year, I can feel it."

"Mom," I sat at the table and took a big jar of Nutella- the only thing good about this day. "that sounded exactly like you said 'Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.'" I mimicked Effie Trinket's voice, eating a slice of bread. "I see no difference."

"Ha, ha." she went to the sink.

"Cut the kid some slack, Sandra. It's her first day at school in a new country." Chris, my stepdad was reading the paper.

"Thanks." I mouthed his way. The back cover of the newspaper cought my eye. How couldn't it? I was on it, goddammit. It was the picture from when Harry 'stole' a kiss from me.

The headline said: Styles' New Style?

"I'm suprised we didn't make the front page."

"Chris, can I see that please?" I took it out of his hands before he had the chance to say anything. I put the paper on my knees, pretending to read it and tore the last page, stuffing it in my bag. "Oh, that's not what I thought it was. Sorry." I threw the newspaper back on the table, getting up and running to the door.

"Bye!" I yelled and rushed out. It was raining again. What a surprise. I slowly went to the bus stop, not caring wheter will I get wet.

A car stopped by my side.

"Get in." the windows rolled down. It was Harry. I wasn't even shocked.

"If you're trying to kidnap me, you better have some candy." I got in the car.

"I'm all the candy you need, ba-"

"Don't you dare call me babe." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"-nana..." he continued.

"That was just really, really stupid. Seriously, how low can you go?"

"Wanna see?"

"No." I hit my back against the car seat. "Drive."

He stopped in front of the school where a bunch of kids were already hoarding in.

"Cheerio." I got out of the car. When I was already on the other side, his head peeked out trough the window.

"Have you forgotten something?"

"No." I snapped.

"Kiss me." he started singing. "Like you wanna be loved. You wanna be loved, you wanna be loved. This feels like falling in love. Falling in love, falling in love."

"No. I don't, I don't, I don't. It doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't." I heard a few screams and squeals behind me.

"C'mon. A quick one. Please. I am your boss." he was persistent. I rolled my eyes and leaned into him as the screams behind me turned to cries. I kissed his cheek, but he trapped my lips.

"Seriously?"

"Okay, that would be enough." I slapped him a few times. Not as nearly as hard as the last time, but enough for him to get the point. I stood up.

"Did you see that we made it to the paper?"

"Don't remind me." I said and turned around on my heel, walking trough a group of crying fangirls.

"Bye, babe!" he said after me. I swear several girls just died.

A few people were taking photos of Harry's -already gone- car, but the most of them were looking at me like I just commited a murder.

First day of school and I'm pretty sure there's already a 'We Hate Carter' club. Just peachy.

I entered the big brick building eagered to get out of it. I stopped walking when I came to a door at the end of the hallway. I opened it.

"Hi, uhm, I'm Carter Arch."

"Ah yes, the new girl." a woman in her late 60s said in a perfect British accent. I walked over to her. The nametag on her desk said Mrs. Huxly.

"Your classmistress is Mrs. Brown, she teaches music." maybe this place isn't so bad after all. The woman handed me a white sheet of paper. "Here's a map of the school. Her classroom is trough the hall, the third one on the left." she got up and walked trough the door. I followed her to another door. She opened it as my heart started beating faster.

The woman clapped her hands. "Mrs. Brown, children, this is Carter Arch. She moved here from..." she, the entire class and Mrs. Brown had their eyes on me.

"Croatia." I said, my voice shaking.

"Fantastic." Mrs. Brown smiled. "Can you tell us something about yourself?"

"Do you want me to jump around and do cartwheels too?"

"There's not that much to tell." I wiped my sweaty palms on my back. "My parents divorced when I was a kid, my mom re-married, and we moved here because of my stepdad's job."

"And she snogged Harry Styles from One Direction." someone from the back desk said loud enough for everyone to hear, but yet so quiet you couldn't recodnise who's voice was it. The entire class started laughing, except a few girls who frowned. I put on a fake smile. Oh, what a master I was at that.

"Well, Carter, you can sit between Chessie and Ariana." she pointed to a bench in the left of the middle row. I sat between the two girls.

"Hey," someone poked my shoulder. "I'm Chessie." the amber haired girl offered me her hand for a handshake.

"Carter. But, you heard that like a second ago." she smiled. The bell rang, me and Chessie getting up.

"So, I saw what happened this morning." that other girl, Ariana, giggled.

"Oh."

"Are you two dating, or what?" we continued to the exit until we got out of the school.

"Free at last." I thought.

"Can't help you, sorry. I don't know what are we." the hairs on my back cowered from that word. We. Yuck.

"Well, I've gotta go home. Bye, Carter."

"Bye." I put my earphones in my ears and my hands in my pockets, turning around. Thank God today was only 'meet and greet'. If I had to stay there for more than  45 minutes, I'd jump out the window. And I'm pretty sure I'd be doing a lot of people a favor. Even in my old school, I wasn't the popular one. I had a few friends I hung out with, but no one was exactly 'fighting' for me.

I came home just as the last song on '+' finished. Damn. Ed's really got to get back in the studio.

I found a note on my door as I unlocked it.

Don't (deliberately) forget about tomorrow.

                                                       -Harry.

Like I need another reminder.