Play the Game (A Zayn Malik/Leigh-Anne Pinnock - Zeigh- fanfic)

Chapter 1

Leigh-Anne Pinnock sighed as she examined herself one last time in front of the full-length mirror. She was dressed in a short denim dress and a thin, white cardigan thrown over, with a pair of timberlands on her feet. Her frizzy, black hair hung naturally to her shoulders. She cocked her head to one side and pulled a face. Normally she would have gone for something…louder, but today was her first day at her new school and she didn’t want to make herself a target right from the start.

“Leigh-Anne, you're going to be late if you don’t hurry up!” her mother called from the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ll be down in a second, mum!” Leigh-Anne yelled back. She grabbed her already prepared bag, primped herself one last time and bounded down the stairs. Her mother raised an inquisitive eyebrow when she saw her.

“You’re looking very…subtle today?”

Leigh-Anne shrugged. “Maybe I’m just maturing. After all I am in 6th form now.”

Her mother snorted. “Yeah, right. Just yesterday you had on bright pink, leopard print harem pants.”

Leigh-Anne laughed and pecked her mother on the cheek before setting off on the five and a half minute walk to her new school. 

A short while later she arrived at the large, iron gates. There were two adjacent campuses, one for Sixth Form College and one for the lower years. Leigh-Anne gazed wistfully at the younger kids. They greeted each other enthusiastically; not having to worry about what impression their outfits gave as they were in uniform anyway. She missed wearing uniform. It was so bland, which made it so easy to accessorise and personalise.  Eventually she turned away and made her way into the college. 

The corridors were jam-packed with squealing, embracing friends recounting their summer escapades. Squeezing through, Leigh-Anne headed for the classroom she’d been informed - during her induction a few days before - her tutor group would register. When she reached it there was only a handful of people there, none of whom even acknowledged her arrival, so she took a seat near the back of the room. She reached for a nearby sheet of paper, pulled out a pencil from her jacket pocket and began to sketch the view through the window.

She had lost herself in her art, causing her to be startled when she heard a bright, chirpy,

“Hi!”

Leigh-Anne looked up and found herself staring into two smiling faces. The first one – the one that had spoken – had wavy, platinum blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, and big greyish-blue eyes that seemed to be trying to get a reading on Leigh-Anne. Her white, chiffon, maxi skirt and fitted turquoise t-shirt gave her the vibe of an indie, hippie chick. The other girl was smiling widely with big, light brown eyes. Her hair was a medium brown in waves that tumbled down to her waist. She was dressed in a white button-up shirt, a pair of red high-waisted tartan shorts, black thigh-high socks, braces and a little black bowtie around her neck. It was such an odd outfit yet she pulled it off with ease. She looked comfortable in her clothes and it was apparent that she didn’t have to try to be quirky. A twinge of panic gripped Leigh-Anne’s heart. Were all girls here this beautiful? But she quickly shook it off and returned the girls’ smiles.

“I’m Perrie,” the blonde one stated boldly.

“And I’m Jade,” said the other in a thick Geordie accent.

“Whoa, cute accent!” Leigh-Anne commented playfully.

“Thanks!” Jade giggled. “Geordie and proud!”

“That’s not something to be proud of, Jade.” Perrie teased, rolling her eyes dramatically.

“Hey, some of us like to embrace our heritage.” Jade shot back. Perrie laughed.