Neighborhood ➳ h.s. au

Fifteen

Ann woke up on her floor, the sun shining brightly through her window. She squinted at the rays of light, and stood up, her head pounding as she turned around. Her heart jumped as she saw the familiar curly haired boy from next door sitting on her bed, and she ran her fingers through her hair.

She straightened out her shirt and brushed off her jeans before looking at him. "Did you at least knock?" She joked.

He shrugged and grinned. "I did, but you were passed out." He motioned to the spot that she was previously laying.

Ann sat next to him and glanced over at his profile. "Is there something you need?"

"I've had a lot on my mind," he stated. Her stomach fluttered as he spoke. "Did I ever tell you that my dad left when I was a kid?" Ann shook her head and turned to face him, a slight grin forming on his face. "It's not like he had a choice. My mom kicked him out after she saw what he had done to me."

Ann tilted her head to the side and looked at him. "What did he do?" She asked barely above a whisper.

Harry shook his head and covered his eyes with his hands before lying back on the bed. "What didn't he do?" He let out a sad chuckle. "He would come home angry after work most of the time, and he would take it out on me." He shook his head, and Ann lied down beside him. "He claimed that I was a 'good for nothing' and would hit me constantly." He looked at her and she inched closer, their shoulders touching. "So when Marie started to do it, it brought back all kinds of bad memories, you know?"

Ann nodded and grabbed his hand, his breath hitching. "My dad was an alcoholic as well." She shrugged it off as if it wasn't a big deal. "He would come home screaming at my mom as if everything was her fault. But it was never her fault." She covered her face with her hands as she felt the tears form in her eyes. "I don't want you to think that you are responsible for your dad's alcoholism. I don't want you to think that it's your fault like she thought it was."

Harry looked at her. "Hey, no," he pulled her closer and rested his head on top of hers. "Of course not. He was messed up in the head. And as for Marie, she had a fucked up childhood." He shook his head and let his fingers comb through her hair. Her heart was racing.

Was it possible that their childhoods had been similar? That their stories had been alike in such a way that it drove her to him even more?

Her mind was spinning. He was giving her mixed signals, and she had no idea how to react. One moment he was the sweetest person he could be, and she felt as if she could tell him anything and everything. The next he could be distant, and he could become a totally different person. She didn't know what to think.

She sat up then and stood, Harry sitting up as well. "You alright?" He asked, his voice worried.

Ann looked at him and shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "I don't know anymore."

He tilted his head. "Don't know what?"

Ann started to pace, and she bit her lip. She wanted nothing more than to tell him how she felt. She wanted to tell him that their friendship had blossomed into something more for her, that whenever she looked at him it was as if she could see clearly through the fog. She wanted to hold him close. She wanted his lips on hers.

She wanted him.

"This." She motioned between them. She sucked in a deep breath and looked at him, his eyes full of confusion. "Ever since you and Marie broke up, you've been treating me differently, and you're the only thing that has been on my mind for such a long time."

His eyes widened. "Ann-"

"Harry," she interrupted. "Even before you two broke up, you've been the only thing on my mind. I can't stop thinking about your smile, or the way your lips would feel against mine. I can't stop thinking about the way your voice sounds whenever you say my name, and whenever I look at you it's as if all of my troubles have faded away."

Her breath was shaking, and Harry was staring at her, dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. They were both sitting in silence before she spoke up again.

"I'm in love with you, Harry." Her voice was shaking as she said the words. "I'm so in love with you."

Her hands were sweating, and her body was shaking uncontrollably. He was sitting in silence, his eyes staring out the window ahead of him as he thought of what to do or say. Ann was still looking at him by the time he stood up, and he let his eyes trail to her face.

"I'm sorry," she stated, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. "I shouldn't have just blurted that out like that."

She had ruined everything. She had ruined their friendship. She had ruined any possible chance of having a relationship with him. She was stupid, how could she had just said something like that without some type of explanation?

Harry stared at her, his hands stuffed in his pockets as his mouth was slightly ajar. "I um," he glanced away. "I need to go."

Ann shook her head. "Harry, please-"

"My mom is waiting for me." He stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm sorry."

And then he was gone.