the freshmen 500 || h.s

Chapter 8

The next day, I don't talk to Hollis. She doesn't ask why or try to make me talk to her which makes me know that Harry was right. I can't lie, I almost give in and talk to her but I always stop myself. If she wanted me to talk to her, she would try to explain herself. Not the other way around.

I grip Harry's rolling stones shirt in my hand. I had planned on washing it before returning it to him but I didn't want to strip it of his minty scent. I search the crowded hallway and my eyes settle on his curly locks.

I'm about to tap his shoulder and give his shirt back when I see who he's talking to. A short girl with long, dark brown hair is practically drooling over him. He smirks down at her as they talk.

My chest feels heavy as I watch them. I don't even try to listen to their conversation. All I'm focused on is getting far away from the two of them. I practically run into the girl's bathroom and lock myself in a stall.

I put my hand to my chest and feel my increasing heartbeat. I close my eyes, trying to calm myself down but I only see the two of them.

I suddenly realize how pathetic I'm being. I came to school with the goal of achieving, not being hung up on some senior. If they're dating, fine. So what? I walk out of the bathroom with a new found confidence and determination. Only to have them ripped away from me when I see Harry leaning in the doorway.

"Hey." He says, a look of concern covering his face.

I exhale. "Hi." He looks down at my hand gripping his shirt.

"Is that mine?" He asks, pointing to the shirt.

"Yeah, I was just about to give it back to you." I extend this shirt to him.

"Keep it. I have hundreds more just like it." He smirks.

That smirk. It's the same one that he used on that girl. I can feel anger boiling in the pit of my stomach, fighting it's way out.

"Then why don't you give it to your girlfriend?" I snap. I watch as his emotion goes from surprised to confused to amused.

"Aria, Skye isn't my girlfriend." He chuckles. To say that I'm relieved is an understatement. "Quite the opposite. She's the girl friend of a good mate of mine, Louis." He laughs and shakes his head. "Although, I might make her my girlfriend. Seeing you jealous is quite amusing." He smirks.

I playfully swat his arm, hiding my relief.

"Are you sure I can keep this?" I say, referring to his shirt. He nods.

"Of course." He rakes my body up and down. "Plus, you look much better in it than I do." His eyes return to mine and he smirks.

I can't focus on anything except his captivating eyes. This boy, man, is completely compelling. The next thing I do is something that I didn't think I'd ever do.

I lean up on my tip-toes and kiss Harry on the cheek. His skin is warm and smooth to my touch. I close my eyes, accidentally tickling his cheek with my eyelashes. The kiss lasts for a second but it feels like so much longer. I back away once it's over.

"What was that for?" He asks.

"For being so nice." I admit, looking at the floor.

"Oh Aria, you really don't know me." He smirks. "I'm not nice at all."

. . .

I have to admit, I thought Hollis needed me way more than I needed her. Boy was I wrong. By the end of the day, she had made new friends and spent her time with them, totally ignoring me.

I realized how alone I was.

When you have one, really good friend that you spend all of your time with, being apart from them can be hard. You start to see how much you rely on that one person for happiness.

So, here I sit. Alone in my dad's gallery instead of happily texting Hollis at home. The door opens and I hear footsteps making their way through the gallery. I look up, hoping to find Harry but instead, I see the girl that he was talking to earlier today.

I let out a soft laugh at how silly I was for thinking they were together. She hears my laugh and turns around but doesn't say anything. Instead, she takes her time to walk around the gallery, looking at my dad's pictures before stopping in front of me.

"You're Aria, right?" She asks, looking down at me.

"Yeah, and you're Skye?" She nods and rocks back on her heels.

"Well, this is awkward. You probably think I'm stalking you or something..." She says, losing her train of thought."Harry just told me you'd be here so...you don't care." She laughs.

"Harry told you I'd be here?" I'm shocked.

"Yeah. I just wanted to say that there's absolutely nothing going on between us." She assures me.

I nod. "He mentioned that you have a boyfriend. Luis I think. Are you a senior?"

Suddenly, she bursts into a fit of laughter. Her hand rushes to cover her mouth as she laughs. I look at her, confused as to what I said that made her so hysterical. She eventually collects herself and responds.

"It's Louis but a lot of people get it confused. And I'm a junior." She finally says, looking at her phone. "I should get going; I just came here to tell you not to worry." She smiles and walks to the door. "See you at school, Aria."

At this point, Hollis can keep her lame, freshmen friends. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees my new, upperclassmen friends.

I know that it's horrible to think this way, but she forgot about me first; she's just getting a taste of her own medicine.

. . .

"TOUCHDOWN!" Liam and my dad scream at the television. They turn and give each other a high five and sit back down. I hate that I'm being forced to watch football with them.

I groan as they yell at the t.v. for what seems like the millionth time tonight. I'm just about to tell them to quiet down when the doorbell rings.

"Who's that?" My dad asks, his eyes never leaving the t.v.

"A friend. Aria, can you get it?" Liam asks, his eyes glued to the screen.

I sigh and get off the couch to answer the door. I'm relieved to be out of the room and into a quieter environment.

I open the door to find the same person who approached me in the cafeteria.

He looks up, his caramel eyes pouring into mine.

"Zayn?"

A/N- Thank you for reading another chapter. This one is being updated long after the last one. I'm on vacation so I won't be able to update on a schedule like I'd hoped.

However, I'm working on two new fanfictions. One is with scirwin on wattpad.

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Twitter- @bchoranxx