A Thousand Ships (A Niall Horan Fanfiction)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: Friends Are People Who Are Not Strangers

(Isabelle's P.O.V.)

Oh a new school year. The excitement of a brand new year. A time to reinvent yourself or to prove to everyone you're the same as you ever were. Usually I fell into the second category, what with having the same four best friends and being the same shy girl I had been since elementary. But this year was different.

All eyes stared at me as I walked from class to class. People whispered to each other and although I couldn't hear exactly what was being said, I knew what was being talked about. I was actually dating Niall Horan. I wasn't a crazy fan girl anymore. I was the real thing.

I could feel my cheeks burning all morning while my classmates stared at me. The same classmates that had ignored me all these years. Or were nice to me but we never got to be close. Or the ones that were plain out mean to me. Yeah, they were all watching me. When lunch came around, I was so happy to finally be reunited with my friends. The people who loved me and knew me and didn't stare at me as if they were seeing me for the first time.

"Hey guys!" I said as I plopped down in my usual seat between Jack and Vi. Zo and Lil sat across from us with a space between them for their backpacks. This was how we had sat all last year and we got the same spots this year. Our school was kinda small so things worked out like that.

"Izz! Thank goodness we finally get to see you!" Zo smiled broadly at me.

"And we have next class together!" I yelled. My first three classes had none of my friends with me, but the one after lunch I had Zo, then after that I was with Lil and Vi, and then my last class would be spent with Jack. And with only one lunch period we all got to catch up.

"So how is everyone's first day going?" Lil asked us all.

"Same as ever," Vi said with a shrug.

"It's pretty chill," said Jack.

"Awesome!" Zo yelled. I chuckled at her.

"And you Izz?" Lil looked to me.

"Oh.. Well it's weird actually. Everyone keeps staring at me."

We all turned around to see people were staring at all five us right then.

"I don't like it," Vi whispered.

"I don't either," I replied.

"People have been asking us about it," Jack said and looked at Lil. She nodded and furrowed in her eyebrows.

"I don't understand. They always made fun of us for liking them. And now that you're actually dating one, we're great? It makes no sense."

"Wait what?" I sat up straighter and fixed my gaze on Lil.

"What?" She asked, mouth full of food.

"They think we're great?"

"You haven't heard what they've said?" Zo asked.

I shook my head no.

"Izz, they think you're so cool now. It's weird because half of them didn't even care to know your name before," Jack told me. My eyes grew wide. I was... Cool now? Just because I was with a famous boy.

"Please don't let me become some mean girl now," I plead my friends.

"Aw of course not Izz!" Zo cried.

"You wouldn't become one anyway," Vi said with a reassuring smile. I smiled back and then we discussed teachers and classes before lunch ended.

(Niall's P.O.V.)