Winter Sun- Larry Stylinson

October 17th.

"How was your first day then?" I shrugged. Sitting in the back of the car. "Good?"

"Really?" She laughs. "I made two friends. They were nice— we have a couple classes together but there's always lunchtime. Evan and Darla. They're nice."

"Oh I love them two. They're so sweet. They help with the fair every year. Jordan likes to pretend he doesn't care but he's secretly handing them food and drinks every other second. Checking on them all the time."

"Jordan you old softie." He snatched the ice cream from my hand. "Shut up, peewee."

"Hey. I am 18, I will not have you talk to me this way." He rolls his eyes at me. "Did I see Tomlinson? Outside?" He grumbled out. "You did."

"Hm. Is he as insufferable as his father?" I hum. "Probably."

"The boy has done nothing don't make him the enemy. Life is far too short to be treating people like bad lunch meat." I lean back in my seat. "His dad smells like lunch meat."

"Atta boy." Jordan holds his hand out. "No- don't encourage him. Harry you're nice. Be nice." I give her a stern nod. "You got it."

"Good. Your board is here by the way. But the lock on the gate is broke so we need you to jump over and fix it."

"I haven't even been in the house yet and you're already making me work for it, smells weird over here like- dead lavender."

"Lovely." Jumping out of the car I stop at the gate, my heart racing a little. "Do you need a boost?"

"A kiss on the cheek?" Nina asks. "No. No it's okay." Standing on the wall beside the gate I push my foot between the bars.

Holding in the shockwave of pain I just felt run up my leg. "Careful you don't slip."

I thought I'd be used to the pain by now, it happens all the time, in my legs, my arms, my head. I could usually brush it off.

But I don't often stand on my one leg to get around.

The pain had gone from my leg to my head within a couple seconds. Now I had to jump down without falling.

I figured if I faced the other way then I could've at least just pulled a face. "Okay the code is 6149." I nod. "Boring code. Could've made it fun, maybe then this would be worth it."

My nose blocking from the tears I was holding back. "Okay- see the problem isn't your gate, the lock is jammed. There's a key snapped inside."

The garden next to their house had dead lavender in it. The smell wasn't too nice.

"I don't think either of us have keys for that thing. It's older than you." Jordan laughs. "I could probably fit in a new one for you."

"Oh we're not worried about it." He waves his hand at me. My heart dropping where I stood.

"Yeah. Yeah no that makes sense." Pulling the gate open I jam the clip between the curves, pulling it from the lock. "We'll get a new lock okay." Nina whispers.

Brushing her thumb under my eye. "I'll call a few people and see what they have to offer. Just now that you're safe."

"Okay." Despite being my mums mum she was still quite young. I mean she says there's a curse for young parents in the family. They were both 15 when they had their first kid.

So I think I might be safe.

Katie is 17 so my mums sort of praying but also thankful. "This room is bigger than my entire house. Houses this big don't usually look this, home like."

"No but we tend to throw lots of parties so we have collected each of our friends personalities over the years. The kitchen is always open, always always. There is a place for you to paint if you still do that. I just bought you some new canvas' and a stool."

There was a lot of open space but hardly any space. It was a weird thing to see.

A house with this much life just seemed impossible for me. There were paintings and plants and little things they'd collected.

Magnets from all the states they'd been to on a wall. The rugs were scattered out like clothes.

They had massive stain glass windows but no ceiling lights. Fairy lights in every corner you could imagine.

The living room looked like one you'd see in a movie or something.

The couch looked comfortable, no cigarette holes or rips at the seams. The lack of smoke smell in the house made my stomach flip.

She had a small bin filled with knitted things. Socks, sweaters, coasters, hats, gloves. All of it.

"The books here are unreadable, unless you know French. Do you know French?" I shake my head slowly, still a little out of it. "Hm. Then they are unreadable."

The back wall behind the tv had star lights dangling from the ceiling all the way to the floor. "It's pretty in here."

"Yeah. Used to be your uncles favourite place in the world. Then he got his own house and decided to make his own little planet there. The kitchen does get really warm but the ceiling roof does open."

"The ceilings are high." Jordan scoffs. "I said that and the guy was all 'these are normal' these are not normal. They are growing on me though."

"You don't think they're tall enough already?" The kitchen was huge. Two coolers and two fridges. The sink was white and not metal.

They had stacks of cups and plates and bowls. I'm talking hundreds of each one.

The windows near the sink were all fogged up. But you could still sort of see the garden.

They had candles in every room and every room had some sort of little thing that made it special. "Your house is so nice."

All the way up the stairs there were books. The entire wall was a book shelf.

From the step to the ceiling.

"This is your room. This door leads to the bathroom. We did just paint it an off white colour but the rest is all up to you. You have a card on the counter to buy all your things."

"I don't want to ruin your theme." She rolls her eyes. "Don't be silly my love. You have full freedom. You can ask your friends to go shopping with you tomorrow and then you can all come back here and they can have dinner."

"We're making pizza." Jordan says with a massive grin. "He's very excited. We have enough for everyone."

"I'll ask them tomorrow then yeah." She nods. "Tonight we do not want to cook so we are going out for food. If you want to join."

"We want you to join." Nina adds. "Always." Jordan laughs. "Yeah I'll go."