Undergraduates [h.s]

twelve

^^^

GIMME AN H!

GIMME AN A!

GIMME AN R!

GIMME ANOTHER R!

GIMME A Y!

WHAT DOES IT SPELL?!?!?!

DEAD.

***

"Mind if I join you?"

I turned around and looked at the door leading into the restaurant, seeing my dads soft eyes kindly requesting to come and talk to me after I had snapped at my mother and Harry.

I was standing outside in the crisp November air, my arms crossed over themselves as I shivered from the cold that suddenly hit me when I excused myself for a moment outside. I needed to calm myself down, and I knew I just needed a moment alone, away from any other person.

"Sure" I said, turning back around and looking up at the cloudy sky, bright stars peeking through the thick blanket of cloud every now and again.

"You'll freeze your tiny arse off out here" I felt the warmth of his jacket as it was placed over my shoulders, leaving him in just his shirt and he stood next to me and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks" I said quietly, pulling it over my arms as we stood there in silence. "Aren't you going to lecture me now?"

"Why would I do that?" He shrugged, his attention also caught by the night sky.

"Because of the way I snapped at mum"

"No, not really. Unless you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really" I repeated his words, wanting to keep my mind on anything but what had happened only minutes ago.

"Fair enough".

It fell silent between us once again as we both stared at the beauty surrounding us; the cold air bit at us until you could watch our breaths in the air as our chests rose and fell heavily, our noses pink and our lips dry.

"So how long have you and that, Henry been together?" He broke the silence, looking at me and raising his eyebrows.

"Harry, dad"

"That's what I said, Hadley"

"Dad stop pissing about" I laughed at him as he gave me a warm smile, trying not to join me in my contagious laughter.

"Watch your language young lady" he pointed a finger at me and put on a stern face.

"Oh shut up dad, you're no better"

"I know, but that's what your mother would've expected me to say" he laughed, his shoulders shaking up and down as he pulled me in for a warm hug.

"Is she really mad?"

"Nah not really, I calmed her down and told her you've got a lot of work right now in school. Henry the poor lad looked so worried, jigging his skinny little leg up and down, biting on that tiny nail on his elf thumb"

"Dad he's not exactly small" I snorted "he's like, 3ft taller than you"

"Ha-ha Mel aren't you just the funniest. No seriously though, he-"

"Mel?" Harry's voice sounded from behind us as we both snapped our heads round to look at him whilst he walked out of the main entrance "are you okay?"

"I'll leave you guys" my dad shot a look at me before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek and slapping Harry on the back as he walked past him and back into the building.