The Pretenders (Niall Horan)

Chapter 23

                 

I walked out of the bathroom, clutching my phone in my hand so tightly that my knuckles were white. The recess bell had rung and everyone was crowding around lockers or walking outside.

The whole school had probably seen the article by then, and most of the world by now, Niall included. I sighed. I've managed to weave myself an even bigger web.

What if a staff member sees the article? I could be stripped of my Head Girl title. Mrs. Kingsley would be so disappointed... And then there's Niall. I don't even want to think what he'll see me as after this.

Hundreds of words popped into my head at once.

Whore.

Slag.

Player.

The shitty person in the world.

Niall probably hates you now.

Why did I think that we could actually be more than friends? How could I be so stupid? He's one of the most famous people in the world at the moment and I'm just about to graduate from high school. The enormity of his world compared to mine scares me. The fans. The tours. The spotlight. I'm just an ordinary girl trying to live an ordinary life – just about to graduate from school to go off to University, get a substantial job, meet someone, settle down, get married, have kids.

Most girls would die to be in my position even if we – whatever our relationship is exactly – were to end things. Maybe I should be grateful for that short time we had. Even if our relationship could have escalated into something else or we decided to just stay friends, I should be thankful for that.

I can't help it. I wish this wasn't the end. I wish that this stupid article was never published so I might have a chance to tell him how I really felt about him and that he might actually say it back, but that opportunity has disappeared now.

My head was so clouded, I couldn't properly navigate myself around the hallways and I ran into many people. Some weren't fazed while others huffed and mumbled to watch where I was going.

"Grace," a stern voice said.

I stopped and looked up. 

"You seem pale. Are you alright?" Mrs. Kingsley asked.

I nodded, putting on a fake smile for the Head Mistress. "Yes. I'm just a little tired, it's no big deal."

"Good, because I would like to speak to you about your valedictorian speech at your graduation. Do you have some time?"

"Yeah, I do."

She touched my elbow and escorted me towards her office. Once inside, Mrs. Kingsley sat down behind her desk and folded her hands together.

"Take a seat," she said, gesturing to a chair in front of her desk, then continued. "Obviously, your graduation is in a week and I would like a draft of your speech on my desk by next Monday, just so I can have a chance to look over it before you present it. I'm not expecting you to work with William, as I have threatened to strip him of his position multiple times now since he has poor behavioural choices."

"Behavioral choices?" I asked before I could stop myself. I knew he was failing most of his classes this term, but I hadn't heard that his behaviour was bad enough for Mrs. Kingsley to threaten to ask him to step down as Head Boy.

"I have had teachers coming to me, saying that he has been skipping classes, and when he is in class, he is rude and he doesn't pay attention. And there are reports of him bribing younger students to do his assignments for him," Mrs. Kingsley said. "Have you heard of any of this?"