The Fight of Ambivalence ~ Harry Styles

10 - Oversold

Birthdays can be a tricky thing. Some people don't care about them at all and others think their own is the most important day of the year. There's many traditions and customs that people will partake in to celebrate another 365 days on earth.

Sheila's 21st was a good one. Besides the party Ava threw, there were festivities in the way of a birthday sash and crown along with some bar hopping on the weekend leading up to her actual birthday. She went with her three roommates, but the numbers fluctuated throughout the night depending on who they would find at some of the bars closer to campus.

It was so much fun, but by the time Tuesday rolls around Sheila is already exhausted. She's super grateful for her friends and wouldn't trade the memories she made for anything, but by noon she's already ready to go to bed. Her classes seem to drag on and her professors keep assigning things that she barely has the mental capacity to jot down. She hates days like this, especially because she has to work tonight too.

She arrives to Mr. Styles' classroom with a couple minutes to spare so she puts her head down on her desk to rest for a bit. It won't do much since class is starting soon, but the idea of holding her head up for even another minute is unappealing.

"You okay Ms. Abrams?" Mr. Styles asks quietly, stopping in front of her desk.

"Yeah," she replies with a yawn, "Long weekend."

He gives her a small smile and asks, "Alright, can I see you for a moment after class please?"

"Miss me already Mr. Styles?" She jokes.

He shrugs, walking away from her to take his place at the front of the classroom as more students file in.

He's given her no context as to why he'd like her to stay after, but she figures it isn't bad. He didn't seem to be upset with her and he smiled at her joke so she takes that as a good sign and tries not to worry about it.

She'd be lying if she said she fully paid attention to this lesson, but she'll review his slides another day to make sure her notes are up to date. She really doesn't have the energy today. Even as the class ends she leisurely packs up her things like she has all the time in the world.

When everyone else is gone she approaches Harry's desk. He's waiting there for her, smiling warmly at her.

"I got you a little something for your birthday," he says, grabbing a gift bag out of his desk.

"What? How did you know?" She asks, surprise clear in her voice.

"I saw your friend Ava tie balloons to your backpack and sing rather loudly to you in the hallway yesterday," he chuckles and rounds the desk, coming to stand across from her.

"That was kind of awful of her, but also very sweet," Sheila replies.

Harry gives her an eager grin and pushes a gift bag toward her.

"You didn't have to get me anything," she says kindly. Her stomach is filled with what has to be 10 million butterflies, but she does her best to keep her cool and only shows her infatuation by a dimpled smile and flushed cheeks.

"I know," he says as he shrugs, "But I think you'll really like it and I doubt it's something you'd get from anyone else."

"Is it a history book?" She teases.

Harry laughs and shakes his head no. He nods to the present so she moves to open it. It's in a lavender, floral gift bag with pink tissue paper and she's horribly endeared thinking of him going into the store to pick these things up.

Her fondness only gets worse when she pulls out a mini dry erase board with a little gift bow taped on it.

"Since you like white boards so much," he says with genuine happiness in his voice. It seems like he's more excited about the gift than her, but it's clear he's trying to play it cool. He's leaning back casually against a desk and he has his arms crossed, but his damn smile is blinding.