Life On The Flip Side [Harry Styles AU]

t w o

As I push open the door, a million thoughts come racing to my head. Well, not necessarily a million, but enough to make me overthink my decision of following Harry around.

What if he thinks I'm stalking him? What if he saw me watching him from across the cafeteria? Maybe there is a rumor going around that I like him.. Is he dating that girl? What's her name? I never saw her around school until now..

Never in my life did I see myself as the stalker type, but as each second passes, I begin to think of myself as one. I suddenly feel very jittery, and I have enough butterflies in my stomach to start an award winning collection.

Taking in a deep breath, I let go of the door and begin to walk around the quad, surveying my surroundings. Most of the school has spent their lunch period eating out here, due to a sudden inclement in weather temperatures. A cool breeze accompanies the hot sun, and I suddenly feel the need to remove my thick fleece to reveal the simple outfit I had put together this morning: A sleeveless flowy white shirt, high wasted skinny jeans, and a pair of black combat boots to match.

As I make my way around, a gut feeling surfaces that I can't manage to ignore: someone is watching me. It doesn't take long before I make eye contact with a guy. He's alone, and he's leaning against a tree, his arms crossed. Even after it's obvious that I caught him staring at me, his gaze doesn't waver the slightest.

Feeling somewhat intimidated, I look away.

I discover a bench opposite to the entrance of the woods, and happily plant my butt onto it. The convenient location gives me the chance to notice Hardy the moment he steps out, and I promise myself that I will not miss it.

I look around at the many cliques surrounding me. Some only girls, some guys, and some a combination of both. Dozens of conversations fill up the quad, leaving little room for piece and quiet. As I wait, I suddenly grow self conscious about my hair, and shakily begin to dig through my bag looking for a compact mirror. My moments of peace are put to a halt at the sight of Regina and her best friend Gretchen, make their way towards my bench before stopping to talk.

"O-M-G, can you BELIEVE what that whore Ivy did?" I direct my glance towards them for a quick second to catch Gretchen shaking her head, her brunette curls bouncing around.

"I heard that she slept with Sarah's boyfriend, Josh. And they like, made a sex tape and everything while doing it in his mom's bed."

A gasp. "Did, like, his mom find out?" A pause. Then, with her voice lowered, Regina replies: "I'll tell you more later. I'm pretty sure Sarah is friends with that girl on the bench and I don't need word going around that I told you this."

I sigh in relief as I uncover my compact hair. I quickly examine my hair before snapping it shut and throwing it back into my bag. After putting everything that I had taken out of it in order to look for the mirror, I look up to see Harry emerging from the woods.

The butterflies return. In a moment of self confidence, I turn towards Regina and say loud enough for even Harry to hear: "You know, Regina, it isn't nice of you to spread rumors around like that. Do I need to remind you of what happened between you and my brother at my 15th birthday party?"

Regina scrunches together her eyebrows, fury evident on her face. "Excuse me, bitch? Would you like to come over here and say that to my face?"

Taken aback, I shrink back into my form before slowly shaking my head and averting my gaze. What had gotten into me? Harry is now a short walking distance away. The sight of him fills me to the brim with excitement, and the idea of me talking to him leads me to jump out of my seat, only to realize that my still open bag had been resting in my lap.

I watch in astonishment as all of its contents spill out onto the ground. My cheeks flush as I listen to Regina laugh at me and call me stupid. I fall to my knees and begin to throw all of my things in my bag, feeling like a total idiot. The embarrassment only intensifies when I look over to see Harry standing next to her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"What's that chick's problem?" He asks loudly. Regina pauses in between fits of laughter to answer. "She thought she could get reckless with me without there being a problem. It's too bad karma's a bitch, and so am I."

Tears sting my eyes. The last thing I want to do is make a fool out of myself today, and I seemed to achieved that and more. In a haste, I pack up the rest of my pens and pencils, hoist my bag onto my shoulder, and run back inside. I don't stop running until I'm safely inside of a bathroom stall.

This was the one place where it feels safe enough to cry.

----

"Alright everyone! Get in five lines so we can start our drills!" I tug at my ponytail once more before jogging over into a line. It isn't until I'm behind her do I realize that Ava is standing in front of me.

I tap her on the shoulder. When she turns around, she greets me with a smile. "Hey! I didn't expect for you to come to practice today." Confused, I cock my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Ava rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean, Christina. I saw what happened at lunch today," I sigh. "Was is that bad?" She nods.

"Yeah, and I would have totally helped you but the bell was about to ring and I had to get to class. I just didn't think coming to cross country practice would be in your agenda after being the laughing stock of practically the whole school."

The front of our line begins to shift with movement as the girls in front of us skip their way down the track, before turning around and skipping their way back until they reach the end of the line.

Ava turns back around, the conversation obviously over. Aghast, I look at the back of her head and wonder why she said such a thing. I thought she was my friend, and that statement had a complete tone of bitchiness to it.

I have no time to think about it, however, because the gut feeling has returned. Someone is still watching me, and it leaves me wondering if it was the same guy at lunch. I struggle to make it through the rest of the drills, and even the rest of practice, because everywhere I go, it feels as if a pair of eyes are staring me down, waiting.

Waiting until I'm weak and can't fight back before attacking.

And that scares me. A lot.

----

A/N: And there's chapter two. I hope you guys enjoyed it; and even if you didn't, just know that sometimes, the beginning of a book isn't always good, and it takes time before you start to find yourself lost in it, with the cliffhangers captivating you and making you want to read more. Just wait, because sooner or later, it will get good. I promise you. :)

-Olivia.