Work In Progress // h.s. au

Chapter 1

It's a typical Wednesday at my school and I can't help but think about how excited I am to get out of here. All of these horny, hormonal teenagers who can't seem to take their hands off of each other and stay sober for more than a day. I don't mean to sound pretentious because that's really not who I am, but I can't help but wonder just how many times some of these people were dropped onto their heads as babies.

I shut my locker, turning to see my best friend Charlie's face popping out right in front of my face. I jump and gasp, grabbing my heart. "Charlie, you almost made me have a heart attack! How many times have I told you not to do that?!" I exclaim, earning a proud grin from her. 

"So, have you changed your mind about prom yet?" she asks, nudging me with her elbow. I roll my eyes and say, "No, why would I spend thousands of dollars and hours of time finding the perfect dress and accessories without having a date. I would feel pathetic seeing all of those couples dancing and having a great time while I sit there alone. I'd much rather sit at home in my pajamas, do a face mask and watch hours upon hours of Hugh Grant movies. That's my idea of a night in paradise," I say, clearly making a pun with this year's prom theme. 

"Ugh, fine. But will you at least come with me to go dress shopping? Like it or not you have awesome taste and I can't go without you or I will end up picking something totally wrong." She gives me puppy dog eyes and pushes out her bottom lip, clasping her hands together in front of her chest and staring at me. "How can I say no to that face?" I say, walking away and towards my next class. I'll text her about the details later, but I am almost late to my next class, which is history. 

I walk in and am about to sit in my usual seat when I see a giant mass of muscle sitting in it. I don't need him to even turn around for me to recognize that it's Harry Styles. Now, I have never actually talked to him but from what I've heard he's quite the womanizer. And he also was held back a year when he was in first grade and again in second grade, so he is quite the aged senior. I don't want to deal with trying to get my seat back right now, so I keep my head down and walk to the seat behind my usual seat. It's not exactly front and center like I prefer it, but I will make due.

Harry turns to his side, pausing his conversation for a minute, and just stares at me. I'm not sure why he does this, but I feel my cheeks heat as I quickly look down and dig for my notebook in my backpack. I catch him smirk from the corner of my eye as he turns forward to pay attention to the teacher who has just walked in.

"Hello, class. Take out your assignments from last night and pass them forward, please." Mr. Trew is not the type to beat around the bush, he gets straight to the point. I like this about him. I open my notebook and take out the sheet of paper tucked inside, holding it in front of me for Harry to take. He is obviously ignoring me, so I tap him on the shoulder. He turns around, acting shocked even though I know he saw my hand holding out my papers. "Oh, I'm so very sorry," he says, taking my homework while 'accidentally' brushing his hand over mine. I huff and roll my eyes as he turns back around. I really don't need this right now. I need to study and to prepare for college, not to be tormented by a high school boy who technically shouldn't even be in high school anymore.

Mr. Trew gets to his lecture and I can't help but find it extremely interesting. I love history, especially learning about things like WWII and the medieval times. Not that they were great moments ethically in history, but they were interesting nonetheless. Before I know it, class is over and I'm finally free to go home. I gather my assignments and stuff them in my backpack, hastily exiting the classroom. All of a sudden, I hear a deep voice mention my name. "Blaire? Yeah, she's okay looking but she seems totally stuck up. I mean, she doesn't talk to many people and she rolled her eyes at me today in class. I'm telling you, girl is a bitch." I am instantly fuming and turn around to see Harry talking to his other loser friends. Choosing to take the high road, I quickly snap around and start walking away, but not before I make eye contact with my attacker.

I don't care anymore. I only have a little bit of time here before I'm gone for good and off to a college where I can hang out with who I want and do what I want and not have to worry about people that I don't like. Getting to my car, I throw my backpack in, turn the key to start the engine, and crank the heat. Why is it so cold? I can't stand the cold weather. I turn on the radio and instantly start singing along. I love to sing and would like to think that I'm pretty good at it, but I don't like to let people hear me really belt it out. I'll sing in front of my family and Charlie, but that's about it. Otherwise it's halfhearted melodies and humming. Charlie always tells me I should try out for The X Factor, but I don't think that's the right step for me. I don't want to come off as too needy.

I pull up my short driveway and click off the car. I have to say, I love my house. I have never grown up with financial problems because my dad is a doctor and my mom is a veterinarian. I feel extremely lucky to have grown up being able to have what I want, but I have never been the kind of person to need many things. I just need a bookcase and a comfy place to read and do my  homework. The one thing I hate about my parents' occupations is that they were always gone. I've had a nanny my entire life until I turned 13 and could start doing more for myself. It's hard not seeing them as much as other kids see their parents, but at the same time I know that they're really doing what they love.

When I get in the door my dog Moose is there to greet me. He's a golden retriever and he is the sweetest dog in the world. I crouch down and snuggle him. "How are you doing today Moosie? Are you hungry?" He instantly starts jumping up and barking, indicating that yes, he is in fact very hungry. I put his food in his bowl and give him his water before climbing up two flights of stairs to my bedroom. Another perk of my parents being who they are: a whole floor of my house to myself.

I throw my backpack down on the floor and plop down on my bed, going through my texts from Charlie before calling my boyfriend Steven. We have been together for about a year and I couldn't be happier with him. We share the same goals and morals and it's refreshing to click with someone this much. 

"Hello?" I hear his voice ring through the earpiece. "Hey, Steve. How was your day?" Steven is a year older than me and goes to school about three hours away. When he first left for school I was really nervous that it could be the end for us because of the distance, but it honestly only made us stronger. Yet another reason why we're perfect for each other. "It was pretty good, I had a test today in stats so I hope that goes well, other than that just a typical day. I have to work tonight though, so I won't have my phone on me," he says. "I hate when you have to work," I say and pout. He works all the time to pay for his school loans. I like that he has a work ethic but honestly sometimes I just want to have cheesy Skype dates where we sit and eat sushi together and giggle until we fall asleep. But he is doing this for his future so I am along for the journey no matter what pops up along the way.

"I know, babe. Trust me, I would love to spend the night talking to you instead. But I need this money and I know you understand that." I agree and we talk a little bit more about our days, and I avoid telling him about what I overheard Harry saying about me today. He would flip if he knew and honestly, I want to get it out of my head as soon as possible. I know who I am and just because he had one encounter with me doesn't mean he knows my whole life. We say our 'I love you's' and hang up the phone. 

Getting onto my laptop, I log into Facebook and see a new message from someone who I'm not friends with. I click over to the message and see that it's from Harry Styles. Oh God, what does he want now? In order to see the message I have to approve it, and so with reluctance I hit accept. When I open the message, my heart sinks. It read, "Blaire, we really need to have a discussion." That's all it says, and I wonder to myself whether I should respond or not. Deciding not to give it any more thought, I ignore the message and get focused on my school work. 

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(A/N: Hey guys! So here's my first chapter of Work In Progress, and as you may have guessed it is indeed a work in progress. But I'm growing as a writer and I think it's pretty cool that you guys get to watch me grow as a writer as well. Together we can go on a pretty friggin cool journey. Also, if you have any story suggestions or anything don't hesitate to comment or message me or follow me! 

Please vote for my story and comment, I'll try to get chapters out fairly frequently!

Thank you!)