Strong

Chapter 3

                “Ryan?” I heard my best friend’s voice from the hallway leading into the living room. “Are you home,” she asks, dropping her bag on the floor and hanging her coat on the coat rack. “Yea I’m in the living room,” I say looking back at Harry, “she’s my best friend, I think she’s coming to check up on me,” I whisper trying to calm him down.  “I was coming to see if you were alright, you sounded flustered when I was talking to you,” she said trying to take off her shoes. “No I’m fine just tired and a little irritated at Katie,” I say trying to reassure her. She walks into the living room and stops dead in her tracks. “Um, Sophia, are you ok,” I ask, she’s standing frozen staring at Harry, with a stunned expression. “Can I uh talk to you for a second, Ryan?” she asks and walks into the kitchen. I shrug and walk towards the kitchen hoping that she’s going to explain her reaction to seeing Harry.

                “What even,” she says trying to form a complete sentence. “Why do you have 1/5 of One Direction on your couch,” she asks sounding confused and giddy. “What are you talking about,” I ask not understanding what she was saying, there’s no way a band member was in my house. “That’s Harry Styles, id knows those green eyes from anywhere,” she says sounding like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. I stare at her like she has two heads. “If I may interrupt, I was going to tell you, but I just didn’t know the right time to tell you that I was a famous pop star.” I nod looking past Sophia. “I’m just going to uh,” I say and walk past Harry and to my room.

Harry’s POV

                I look behind me to Ryan’s retreating figure. I put my head in my hands and sigh. “Its fine she’s just shocked,” her friend Sophia says and sits down on a stool at the counter. “I should’ve just told her, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” I say sitting next to her. “We probably would’ve, Ryan is very self-conscious, she’s always loathed herself, I don’t see why, and she probably feels stupid for not knowing it was you” I was shocked to hear this; she seemed like such a happy person. “She’s always been like that ever since she was diagnosed, she would cry for hours,” she says with sorrow in her voice. Wait, diagnosed, “What was she diagnosed with,” she sighs a looks up at me. “Before moving to Cheshire, in the 9th grade she was diagnosed with cancer, she came here for treatment, after moving here she was diagnosed with depression, that’s when I met her.” I’m stunned cancer? I look behind me towards the stairs. I put my hands over my face and try not to show emotion. “That can’t be, she can’t,” I mutter feeling sorry for her, “That’s how I reacted too, she didn’t tell me until a month later, everything felt normal before she told me, I didn’t notice anything wrong,” she said propping her head up with her hand.

                I shake my head, and stand up from my seat, “I’m going to go see her,” I say and walk toward the staircase. I knock on what I assume to be her bedroom door, I hear her moving around and then open the door, “hey Harry, I’m fine,” she says wiping under her eyes, “don’t lie to me, you’re not ok,” I say and pull her in for a hug. She starts to cry and pulls me closer to her, “do you want to talk,” I ask and she nods. “Thanks,” she says and pulls me into her room with her. “Why are you so upset ,” I say while sitting on her bed, “I feel so stupid and unimportant, why didn’t I know that you were Harry Styles, I must seem ridiculous inviting you inside my shit home, and crying for no reason,” she says and puts her head down. I shake my head and grab her hand, “you’re so sweet for letting me hide in your adorable flat, don’t cry, honestly this is better than my flat back home, I never use it so I don’t have much furniture, I’m basically homeless,” I say and smile at her, she laughs and it’s so beautiful, “don’t cry ok, you’re not ridiculous,” I say and hold her tighter.