Empty and Broken Pieces [Harry Styles AU]

Chapter 1.

1.

Third Person

"You really need to get a boyfriend," Tammi said. Tammi is Clara's bestfriend.  

"Gee, what's so great about them anyways?" the 18 year old brunette questioned. «She talks about the lads she's with everyday, but what's so great about them?» 

"Well, if they treat you well, everything," she replied, "they can make you feel so beautiful." 

"That's the problem. I'm not beautiful. And you know what? I honestly don't think wearing 50 pounds of makeup makes a girl beautiful. Cake face is gross," she argued. 

"You are beautiful," her bestfriend replied, but Clara could tell her gorgeous blonde friend had a struggle telling her. It was obviously unsincere and she swallowed the burning lump of pain in her throat. She knew she was not the most attractive girl in the area, but it still hurt when she thought of it. 

The girl was around 5'3", almost average height but not quite.  

"Look, I don't appreciate pity. And getting a boyfriend isn't as easy for me as it is for you. I'm not that gorgeous tan blonde girl that is the perfect thin and height of 5'7". I'm me. I'm fat, I'm really pale, I have the most disgusting brown shade for eyecolour, I have dull brown hair. Now how the hell are you expecting me to believe you and think I'm beautiful?" the insecure girl asked the other girl. 

"You are beautiful. Everybody is beautiful in their own special way. And your eyes are not 'a disgusting brown shade', they are a clear hazel with gold specks," the girl replied, truly meaning what she was saying now. 

"I do not believe you, and you know everything else I said is true. Don't deny it," the smaller girl replied bitterly in a curt manner. 

The blonde girl sighed deciding to just drop the subject because she knew how stubborn her friend could be and she could never win. 

"Um, how about we continue our piano lesson?" the bestfriend asked sighing. 

"Yeah, let's," the brunette replied. She took her friends hands and set them at certain keys, "I will teach you to play Chopsticks first, since it might be the easiest song to play." 

"Okay," the girl answered very eagerly because she had always wanted to know how to play. It was on her bucket list, before she perished. It hurt the brunette girl, because she was aware 

that she would lose her other half soon.

"I can play Chopsticks!" Tammi cheered, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" 

Clara laughed softly as her friend decided to get up and do her 'happy dance'.  

"Oh my god, calm down before you hurt yourself," she warned, still laughing. 

"Okay, sorry," the other girl said stopping and staying quiet. Her face had hardened in an instant. Really quickly.  

"Tammi, what's wrong?" Clara asked worriedly as a bad feeling started forming at the pit of her stomach. 

"Clara, promise me you won't ever forget me," the blonde girl begged quietly, "please? 

"Never," she said, feeling as if someone had given a papercut to her heart. And she meant it. Tammi smiled and reached out for a hug. Clara happily took it and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Their friendship seemed like one of those friendships you see in movies or tv shows but they weren't like those relationships. They have had their fair share of arguments and that always went through Clara's concious, making the poor girl feel so guilty. Sometimes she even blamed herself for her friend's sickness. She would make herself feel so guilty and worry so much causing her to get emotionally and physically sick. 

"And another thing. You will fall in love with a certain lad. I might not ever get to meet him, but I'm sure he'll be amazing," she said stroking the smaller girl's hair, "I don't care what you think of yourself, you're beautiful. Don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?" 

She nodded as tears threatened to fall from her eyes, which happened very often recently ever since they found out Tammi had lung cancer. It was too late when they caught it and chemotherapy wouldn't help it. It was useless. She only had about half a year, roughly six months to live. Tammi often felt tired and you could always see an emotion in her eyes, which was usually nostalgia, anxiety, uneasiness, depression or pity for the ones who were hurting over her. 

Those tears that had been building up in Clara's eyes finally rolled down and they stung a lot. 

"Babycakes, please don't cry... It was God's will for this to happen. You can't fight God's wishes," Tammi tried to say. 

"But that's so unfair! Out of all people, why does God choose to take you? You don't deserve this! You're so important to me... I wish he took me instead of you," she whispered softly as more tears poured out of her eyes.  

"No! Don't say that! I'm happy God is taking me instead of you. You were made for a purpose and I wasn't. You should be happy," she argued. 

"I should be happy?! What the actual bloody hell?! Why should I be happy when He's taking away my other half, huh? I'm mad at Him," Clara replied bitterly. 

"You don't mean that. I know I'm not strong enough to be everything that I'm supposed to be, but I am positive that you haven't discovered your strength yet," she said wiping away the tears from the smaller girl's face. 

Clara just wished that this was a nightmare. But little did she know that this was only the beginning...