The Boy Next Door (Harry Styles)

Chapter 1

Harry's POV

"Hey Styles? Are those new glasses?" I look up and see Jack, one of the guys in my grade, smirking at me. I don't answer him, and I don't think it would've changed what he'd do next anyways.

"Gimme those" He mutters as he punches me in the side of the head and I stumble back, holding my hands over my head. A rush of pain shoots through me, nothing unfamiliar though. I have built up a good pain tolerance level these past few years so it doesn't hurt as much as it should.  He kicks me in the back of the legs while i'm not paying attention and I fall backwards, landing on my back.
That one hurt.
I roll onto my stomach and try to get away from Jack but he's too quick for me. He reaches down and pulls my glasses from my face, then snaps them on his knee. He drops them back on me and the sharp pieces of broken glass jabs into my back. I let out a cry of pain but nobody seems to notice me lying on the floor with my broken glasses surrounding me. Luckily i can still see okay without them. I don't really need them but I like them so I wear them a lot. Well..used to. Now they're all shattered.

I hear a gasp and when I look back there's a girl standing a few feet behind me.. She looks like Jodie, my neighbor that I do not talk to. I face forward again and get up, slowly, but I manage to get up on my own. I grab the frame of the glasses and toss it in the trash bin, but it misses.  I pick them up and shove them in my back pocket.

I look back at where the girl was and she's gone now. Of course, why would she stay and help me? Nobody does.
I shake all of the glass fragments off of my shirt and ignore the pain in my back from the glass falling on me. Stuff like this happens every day, its just the usual for me.

I stumble into class a few minutes late, and Jack looks almost angry that I have glasses on, the spare ones I keep in my locker.

"Marcel, is there a reason for you being late?" The teacher asks me and I shake my head while looking down. I could say I basically got beaten up, but then I would only get beaten up more so it's not worth it.
"Don't let it happen again, got it?" I nod quickly and sit in my usual seat, in the front corner. Nobody sits beside me, the desks are in pairs, every other seat is taken except for the one beside me. I don't mind though, it limits my chances of being picked on during class.

After second period ends, I hurry out of class and grab my bag as quickly as i can, then run out to my car. I get in and speed away from the school without any trouble for once.
I have to go home for lunch every day, there's no way I'd survive through every day if I didn't. 

"Honey, I made your favourite" I hear when I walk in, I put my bag down on the stairs and walk into the kitchen. My mom made homemade mac and cheese and it's forever my favourite food. How can anybody not love it? It's simply the best food out there.
"Thanks mom" I pick up the bowl from the counter and sit on one of the stools at the island.

"How was your day so far?"

"Well, I made it out 10 minutes ago without anybody hitting me or anything, but this morning Jack broke my glasses" I pull out the frame from my pockets and my mom looks like she's about to cry
"Oh, Harry..I'm so sorry" A tear runs down her cheek and I wipe it away for her.
"It's okay mum, I can take it, one of these day's it'll get better"
Harry is actually my real name, Marcel is my middle name. One day when I was younger a substitute teacher called me Marcel by accident during attendance.
Now, most people call me it cause they don't know it's my middle name but some people do it just to insult me and make fun of me since they know it's not my real name and don't respect me enough to call me by it.

"Its not okay though, my baby is getting hurt."

"Mum, I'm fine. Really, I've built up a high pain tolerance level so I barely feel it anymore, its nothing new anyways." I wrap my arms around her and she doesn't hesitate to hug me back.

"Harry, I love you so much. Please please please don't ever think you're not worth anything because you are the most amazing person I know." I smile at her when she pulls away. I only ever smile at home, I don't think I've once smiled at school. Ever.
"Thanks."
She smiles back at me and presses a kiss to my forehead before eating some of the pasta she made. Home is my only safe place, the only safe place I'll ever have. Nobody wants me in their friends group, nobody wants to even talk to me. Even Jodie, the girl I've known my whole entire life doesn't even talk to me. She lives next door to me and I don't think I've ever said a word to her, and I never will unless she does first. But she won't, she would never even need to, I'm just the school's loser nerd guy.

I go to my third class of the day and I sit alone again, but I don't mind. I pay attention to the lesson the whole time, take detailed notes and organize them at the end of class. My binder is all neat and tidy, all the notes are in order and dated since Jack likes to dump them out a lot. I grab all my binders and books, then head to my last class of the day which is thankfully right across the hall.
"Good afternoon Marcel" Mr. Jackson smiles at me when I walk in, I don't smile back, just nod. I know I should be kind to him since he is kind to me, and I do try, but it's just not in my nature to smile at people other than my mom.
"Good afternoon sir" I mumble while sitting down in my seat. I know I don't show it but Mr. Jackson is my favourite teacher, he always says hi when he sees me in the halls or when I come into class, even if there's students already in here. I appreciate it alot, not that anybody would say anything about it since all the girls drool over him during class and all the guys think he's the coolest teacher just since he's young and the girls like him. They all love him, and sometimes I wonder why he is nice to me but I don't think too much into it since I do not want it to stop, It's the only good part of the day. If there even is one.
"Hey Sir." One of the girls walk in and says it in the most annoying voice I've ever heard. He nods to her.
"Angela."
More students come in and they all say something to him when they walk in, but I've noticed that he never says anything to them first, only replies to them. He always says something to me first, and it's a good feeling to have somebody want to talk to me, even if they're my teacher.
I am just that pathetic. I can't help but feel so insecure at school, I am good at it but I hate being here, I feel like nothing. At home I feel good and loved and taken care for, my mum needs me and I need her. Here nobody needs me and I don't need anybody. It would be nice to have a friend though.

Once again, I take down notes during class and organize them all correctly into my binder, then finish the homework before the period ends. Just like usual, I have no homework. I'll probably make more study notes or something, just to stay on top of my stuff. School is all I have going for me, I have no friends. When I walk out of class, I put my stuff in my bag and before I can get out of the school somebody pins me against the lockers.

"Marcel, what's the secret??" Secret?

"I don't know what you're t-talking about." Jack pushes me more against the lockers and my cheek is pressed right up to it. "How does Mr. Jackson like you, you're such a loser." Seriously? "I-I don't know."

"You better figure it out, cause I need a reference letter for my football scholarship." Football scholarship? Don't you still need a certain average to get something like that? "Why d-don't you just a-ask him?"

He chuckles and lets go of me. "Better yet, why don't you?" He pushes me towards the door and I almost fall over. "I'm gonna be listening so no smart comments better come out of your mouth." Smart comments? Like I'm going to badmouth him to the most-liked teacher here. "O-Okay." Why am I agreeing to this? I don't really have a choice if I'd like to stay healthy, but still.

I open the door and he looks up from his desk.
"Marcel, hi."
I fake smile at him "hello, um..I was just wondering if you could write a reference letter..for Jack." His smile disappears when I say Jack's name. "Why are you asking me for a letter for Jack?"

Okay, think quick, I can't sell him out, he'll have my head.
"Oh, I'm just doing him a favor." He smiles a little bit at me.
"Alright, sure thing. See you tomorrow." I fake smile again.  
"Thank you." I walk out of the door and Jack looks slightly impressed.

"Not bad Styles, Not bad." He slaps me on the shoulder as he does with his gang before walking away with his crew of people that just follow him, whatever he does.
Wow, he didn't just hurt me after I came out of the class, surprisingly. My head hurts though, from the punch I took earlier today and being slammed up against the locker. I'm gonna have a big bruise tomorrow.