Pretty in Black

Chapter One

      My name is Alana Lee and I'm twenty years-old.

I have re-written this introduction over a thousand times and it feels like the only words I can get right are the first ten. That seems pathetic, but so far it's all I got. It's not that I don't know what to say. I just don't know how to say it. It is exactly six o'five  in the afternoon and I still haven't figured out why I'm writing at all. Authors who are experienced probably have a better way of approaching their work and don't sweat it, but I'm not exactly an experienced author. So, I don't know why I'm writing this but I do know what I'm writing about. This story, this part of my life, is a recap of my senior year at Northshore Park High School. That might sound stupid, but I have a lot of memories from that year. Mainly because that year made me grow in a way that I hadn't previously.

So this is it. This is everything laid out for you.

Northshore Park High School, 2014

          A week into the new school year, nothing exciting was going on except for this one mystery. So, in my English class, Mr. Becker would always call for this one kid but he was never there. Everyone was questioning whether or not this kid was even real. I mean, what was his deal anyways? Then, the second Monday of the school year, a tall, nicely dressed guy walks in. "May I help you?" Mr. Becker asked.

The guy responded, "Hello, I'm Harry Styles."

Everyone in the class whispered to each other. They kept referring to him as the kid who never showed up. Once Harry did show up, his arrival spread around quick. The kid who everyone thought was imaginary...well, surprise, surprise! The dickhead is real! (I wish I could've missed a full week with no questions asked.)

Now I'm not gonna lie...when I first saw him, I was kinda drooling for him. He was hella good looking, had a suave British accent, and dressed nicely? He seemed awesome at first sight. My excitement grew stronger when I saw that he was coming to sit by me. This good looking guy was about to sit by me? Hell yeah I was excited! I turned to him, smiled politely, and said, "Welcome to Northshore Park. I'm Alana,"

"Is there a reason why you're wearing all black?" He asked, completely disregarding my greeting to him.

Well, what kind of first impression was that? "Black is a color that I really like. It goes with anything and I think it suites me best." I gave a polite but forced smile.

Harry hummed a little and sighed, "Hmm, it's not that appealing. It  looks like you're going to a funeral if you don't mind me saying."

Hell. No. I got up from my desk and spun Mr. Becker's globe around, humming to myself. My classmates, including Mr. Becker, looked at me like I was crazy. "What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Oh nothing," I said nonchantlantly, "just looking for where the flying fuck I asked for your commentary on the colors of my clothes."

Mr. Becker widened his eyes out of shock. He walked up to me furiously and asked me what I had just said. In those couple of seconds, I realized that I fucked up. A huge feeling of regret was dawning on me. "Nothing, Mr. Becker," I said gently. "I'm sorry,"

"Sorry won't cut it Ms. Lee!" Mr. Becker raised his voice. "You can be sorry for the next two days in detention for using profanity in a classroom. Until then, you can make your way to the disciplinarian's  office."

Bitterly, I grabbed my stuff and left the classroom. It was the second week of school and I had already gotten myself into some deep shit. That Harry Styles guy rubbed me off the wrong way. Who did he think he was coming into a new school acting like he's some kind of King? I paced down the hall, being angry, then out of nowhere flew back on the ground. "Alana?" Andrea called out.