500 Days of Summer

"Anastasia, are we breaking up?"

Jenny was my second oldest friend, behind Blair. Jenny was just like Harry – she was completely uninterested in me. Funnily enough though, we actually started talking because of him.

Jenny seemed to be a tom-boy, though I could see she had definite potential to make any boy she wished to date adore her. Plus, Jenny sat behind me in Science class, and there was no harm in being friendly. I mean, it wasn't like I was deliberately trying to use her.
At first, Jenny and I spoke about Science and I found how clearly she sucked at it as much as me. I managed to fish out that she indeed had a blog, and was quite popular on it! Owning any sort of social media, and being interesting enough to gain a following was definitely one of the cool things to have in High School; as-well as a college boyfriend and expensive handbags. I was frankly impressed by people who could write and whilst astonished by Jenny's personality, I realised she had the A-OK alert to be attractive if only somebody would donate her a makeover.

"Giving some thought to it, I think you could totally go for a Zoella look. Zoella is this insane blogger and she's seriously important in this industry, and we aren't even copying her either! She is simply an inspiration." I supposed, proud of my idea.

Jenny frowned whilst she eyed me curiously. She was thin, with stringy dark bangs that were clearly cut by an unemployed hairdresser. They were completely uneven and screamed lack of hair treatment. It seriously looked as if she got dressed in the dark and called it a day.

"I can do your makeup!" I eagerly said. I didn't want her to decline before hearing what I was trying to compose. "Surely you would love a new look? Your followers would like that!"

"Really, it's alright. You don't have to." Jenny wasn'completely grateful, to say the least. I'd probably be devastated if somebody offered me a makeover, I genuinely don't think I would need one. But Jenny didn't know how much of a professional I was and just how much she needed me.

"Oh dear, Jenny." I rolled my eyes. "I know I don't have to, and that's what makes me such a great person! You have features that could seriously work for me. It can't hurt, and you might even gain more popularity from your new image!"

"My blog is more about the words I type than how beautiful I look." She grinned, amused.

"I'm sure your blog is awesome, but these days marketing is everything."

Jenny finally agreed, and I was in her bedroom that very night. Jenny was kind-natured, with funny sarcasm that would make anybody laugh. Jenny had a vinyl, and an even more amazing CD collection. I stayed for dinner, and was content I unexpectedly had found a new friend I would happily welcome into our clique that consisted of Celine, Blair, yours truly and now Jenny.

A few weeks later Jenny had Celine, Blair and I over at her house and we checked her blog out, and she was seriously gifted. Jenny may aced our Science exam, but she was definitely a winner with words in my eyes. I was happy that in my freshman year I had found a group of friends, but I felt Jenny and I's friendship started for all the wrong reasons and I wasn't sure if it would last.

"Jen, you know I really love you and value our friendship." I said. It almost felt like I was breaking up with her, and I think Jenny caught onto that as-well.

"Ana, are we breaking up?"

I looked at her and smiled, "I just want you to know what we have is real." To play along, I also said, "You're the only one for me."

Jenny laughed. "Where's all this coming from?"

"It's just, I only started talking to you because I knew you were good friends with Harry." I looked at Celine and Blair for support, hoping they would jump in and tell her how much we cherished her, and they just looked at me. I was on my own, so I rushed on. "But that was at the very beginning. You remember that Science class, right? That afternoon I got to know how amazing you really are, and I started being your friend for real because I really loved your personality. Blair and Celine adore you as well." I threw in the rest of the girls to make this friendship sound more appetising. Blair smiled but I knew Celine would object. I eyed her and she stopped talking. Celine would never say she adored someone in a million years.

Jenny looked at all three of us, and was silent for a few seconds. "Ana, you know you're the only one for me." She laughed. "I know our friendship is real, and being honest. I just wanted a free makeup tutorial in the beginning. Isn't this how friendships work?"

I sighed in relief. "I'm so glad you understand. I seriously thought you were going to dump me on the spot right there."

Jenny said, "But come to think of it, you never asked me about Harry. Why don't you talk to him yourself? You hardly seem like you need my help meeting guys."

"Usually that's the case, but Harry really keeps to himself. I have no idea what to say to him without sounding crazy, and whenever I try to initiate small talk he quickly shuts me down."

"Well, he tends to be quiet and serious at first but you have to give him some time to warm up." Jenny agreed. "What do you like about him though?"

"You mean other than the fact that he's devastatingly hot?" I honestly didn't see why any other reason was necessary. "Mysterious and dark type of guys are my definite favourite."

Jenny chuckled, "Harry's definitely not mysterious and dark. He's just a boy that spends too much time studying his ass off."

"So, he isn't the moody type that runs hot and cold?" I wasn't even disappointed; Harry still had his head of curls!
Jenny was charmed. "In that case, you'll be disappointed."

Celine quickly jumped in, laughing. "Are you seriously into that?"

"I thought those kind of guys only were on T.V, and they all have abusive fathers and drunken mothers. Stay away, Ana. You don't do well with baggage." Blair sympathised.

"Well, it's settled then. Just devastatingly hot will suffice." I alleged.

Jenny firmly stated, "Harry's a really good guy. You're welcome to hang out with us whenever we hang out, but I'm not playing matchmaker."

I was thankful of Jen's idea. "That sounds fair." I said. "You aren't interested in him, are you? Because if you are, I will bury this idea and never mention it. You've known him so much longer, I think it's only reasonable if you take the first bite."

Jenny furiously shook her head. "The first bite? Help yourself, Ana. He's tutoring me for Science this Saturday. It'd be the first of many moves if you wanted to join?"

Jenny's genius idea didn't bring me and Harry closer, and I was sure my never-ending crush still remained one-sided. This tutoring session happened in freshman year and, unfortunately, almost nothing happened between Harry and I that was remotely close to worth mentioning.

I usually would have given up by now, but Harry was cute enough that I thought he was entitled to be difficult. Throughout the first two years of high school, I let him stay in the back of my mind in peace, where he was completely undisturbed by meaningless flings and awkward dates.

When junior year began, I landed on the cheerleading squad and Harry made the varsity football team. It was becoming harder to defuse the fact that I only had eyes for him. It used to be nice when a group of us got together after the game and he would occasionally brighten it with his existence, but gradually this crush had turned utterly sour, and it felt pointless to go to events that he wasn't there for.

Harry was a straight A student and from what I heard, he was seriously dedicated to his studies. Somehow, he made being smart and getting good grades seem like a cool thing. Which, in turn, only made me feel very uncool at times.

I had gotten myself wonderfully tanned in the Maldives during summer break. After Jason and I had supposedly broken up, he had gone off to college and disappeared from my life. I decided this was the perfect time to give it another shot and join Jenny and Harry for a movie.

That afternoon nevertheless, when I was ecstatic to spend time with Harry after school, the day turned out to be greatly below par. It wasn't because Harry was disappointing. He was well-mannered, charismatic, a gentleman and had his wry humour at hand, yet he was still so incredibly cool.

I was rarely self-conscious around anybody, but around him I felt jittery and nervous. It was like I was Cinderella... and he was the clock. Thereafter, my prince never came looking for me which was a ridiculous let down.

After the movie, Harry didn't say anything to me. He didn't even look. I got into the elevator and checked the girl that stared back at me in the mirror. My hair was Ten Voss advertisement worthy, whilst my makeup was Estee Lauder spotless.

What more could he want? Why was it so hard to get the only guy I really liked to be interested in me?