the cool side of the pillow {styles au}

introduction

Warning: This story contains sexual content, profanity, suicide mention, and alcohol and drug use. If any of that makes you uncomfortable, please don't read. This is the only warning I will post for the rest of the book.

Introduction:

There are moments in our lives that define us. Moments that can change everything as we know it. The moments when people enter and leave our lives are usually ones we remember most. These moments impact us in a way that is hard to explain, but can be felt all the way to the tips of our fingers and toes. Losing someone who means everything to you is something that can't be compared to or truly understood until it happens to you. I'm one of those very unfortunate people who's gotten to experience firsthand what it's like.

Today is the one year anniversary of the day my boyfriend, Jonah, decided life was too hard and he couldn't go on anymore. To call it an anniversary is an odd concept, because usually anniversaries are thought of as happy times. I've had to go on with life for 365 days without him; the first boy I fell in love with, the first boy who made me feel beautiful, the boy who took my virginity. Jonah was a lot of my 'first's and although he left without so much as a 'goodbye', he made my life better for the three years we were together. Now, he's left me all alone to face senior year and whatever lies ahead after that. We had our lives planned out together and now... Now I have nothing but a broken heart and crushed dreams.

It's hard to explain to others how something like this affects you, how it changes your life. Everything I've known for the last three years ripped away in the blink of an eye. I keep most of my feelings bottled up inside, only my father knowing the true extent of my depression. To make this day even more excruciating, I have to go to school - dad's orders. I've already missed more days than I'm permitted in one semester and he's afraid I won't be able to graduate if I keep cutting class. To be honest though, I don't care anymore.

I plop down dramatically in the driver's seat of my car and head to school, already dreading how awful this day will be. After an unremarkable drive, I screech into the school parking lot and take up one of the spaces as far away from the building as possible. My parking job is anything but adequate. First period is not for another 15 minutes and so I have time to kill. I pull on the lever to the door and kick it open, propping my feet against the window sill. I pull a cigarette from the almost-empty pack in my center console and light it, sticking it between my lips. My lungs expand as they take in the smoke and the burn feels good. I lean my head against the headrest and blow the smoke out. The warm August air hits my face and I close my eyes, basking in it. Suddenly the sun peeks out from behind the clouds and disturbs my peaceful state, so I slip my black RayBans onto my nose and let them shield my eyes.

At this point, my cigarette is nearly gone and I only have a few minutes left before I have to go inside. I flick the cancerous chemical-filled paper onto the ground and stomp it out beneath my red Chuck Taylor's. After retrieving my backpack from the backseat, I stand up and close the door. The moment I turn around, I bump into somebody, which knocks me over and sends my RayBans flying off my nose.

There are moments in our lives that define us. Moments that can change everything as we know it. Little did I know, this was one of those moments.

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This is my first AU fanfic (meaning Harry isn't famous) and I'm really excited for it(: I've been writing it for a while now and decided I should post the introduction finally. Leave me feedback and let me know if you're as excited as I am. -Mikayla xx