Fate (Niall Horan AU) Book 1

Chapter 1

"Anna-Bell, you're leaving for school today, remember that!" I sit up in bed and rub the sleep out of my eyes, groaning. I didn't sleep last night, just like I didn't for the past two weeks after breaking up with Thomas. My days passed in a blur, only doing enough to get by.
"Finally... School," I push the blanket off me and walk over to my closet, finding a sweater and jeans. I pull my hair up in a loose ponytail, and give myself a final look in the mirror before putting on my glasses and grabbing the box of stuff next to my door. I quickly walk down the steps and find my parents at the dining room table, talking over a cup of coffee. My parents take notice of me and stop what they're doing instantly.
"Hi honey! Did you sleep okay?" My mom shoots me a concerned look, and I shrug. My dad walks up to me, and pats me on the back.
"You ready for college, babygirl?" I roll my eyes, and look at my dad.

"It's my second year, I think I'm ready," My parents chuckle, and begin to pack all the boxes into the car. We all pile in, and in a few short hours, I arrive at my college, amidst all of the other college kids moving in. I smile, and tug at my ponytail. Here we go.

 

**

"Anna! Oh my god!" Tara rushes up to me and holds me tight, squeezing the life out of me.
"I..Can't...Breathe," I whisper hoarsely, losing grip on Tara. She lets go and holds me an arms distance away, looking at me.
"You're gorgeous, babe," After that, my parents walk through the door, arms bearing all the boxes,  and Tara and me help move the rest of my stuff into our new dorm for the year. Unpacking the boxes, I pull out a picture of me and Tara.
"Hey, Tar, look at this," I hold it up for Tara to see and she glances, smiling brightly.
"I remember this! This is the day we went to the park and both pissed our pants," We both laugh hysterically, and wipe the tears from our eyes. After about five minutes of non-stop laughing, we finally calm down. I wipe the final tear out of my eye, and murmur.
"Yeah... I try not to remember that," I return to my unpacking, pulling out picture after picture.

After a few tearful goodbyes, and many hugs, my parents walk out of the door, shutting it behind them. I stay silent for a few seconds, before looking at Tara.
"I'm so excited!" Tara laughs loudly and runs towards me once more, embracing me tightly.
"It's going to be such a fun year."

**

     "Hey Anna, what are you gonna wear tonight?" Tara stands in front of the full-length mirror hanging on the back of our bedroom door, holding up a skimpy black sequined dress in front of her body. The two of us live in a sorority house, Kappa Delta at Penn State University. Tara and I share a room together, living with 30 other girls in a dorm building on the main campus. It's our second year here, but we have been best friends since middle school. It's been a week since we've moved in, and it's Friday night, which means parties in the sorority house. Classes went by in a flash, and I was thankful the weekend had arrived. I lay on my bed, eating chips out of a bag, and I take a quick glance at the gawking girl in the mirror.
"I don't know, I might not even go," Tara turns around to look at me, and her eyebrows furrow.
"If I'm going, you're going. Now, black one, red one?" She holds two dresses up to me and I mindlessly point at the black one, indulging in another handful of potato chips.
"Perfect! I was going to pick this one, anyways." Tara squeals in delight and strips down in the middle of the room, leaving her in skimpy underwear. I glance at her, rolling my eyes. Tara has always been the prettier one; long blonde hair, curvy body. The ideal girl that every guy wants. I'm different. My hair falls in loose spirals, dark brown. Having not gone through puberty until a later age, my body is in an awkward stage of girl and little boy.
"I'm picking out an outfit for you. That's final." Tara shakes me from my thoughts and walks over to her closet, pulling out a few dresses for me to try on. The first one is purple, with no sleeves and falls close to mid-thigh. I pick it up and pull it through my hand, groaning in disgust.
"No way on the purple," I throw it down on the bed and stand at the mirror, pulling at the hem of my too-short T-shirt. My sweatpants hang loose around my hips and I tie the string tighter, hoping to look shapely.
"How about this one?" The next one is a sequined mess, clad in colors of rainbow.
"You're joking, right?" Tara throws the dress on my bed in frustration, walking back to the closet. I take down the bun piled on top of my head and comb through it quickly with my fingers, letting the curls fall where they may.
"One last one, you better like this one," I pick up the hanger and glance at it, shrugging. The dress is sleeveless, again, but instead of purple, it's black. The material is soft, and isn't as shiny as the others.
"It has pockets," I remark, digging my hands deep into the side of the dress. I smile and hold it up to my torso, tilting my head back and forth.
"I'll go with this one," I unzip the back of the dress and look at it one more time.
"Tara... Turn around," My friend rolls her eyes, sitting down at the desk with a Cosmo magazine.
"I've seen you naked, but whatever," I step out of the sweatpants and pull the t-shirt over her head, leaving me with only with a bra and underwear on. I glance at myself in the mirror and look away quickly, slipping my boyish frame into the dress.
"Hey, zip me," Tara jumps up from the chair and zips up the back of the dress, admiring me from behind in the mirror.
"You look good. A nice pair of pumps will look hot with this dress," I turn around, and shake my head.
"Nope. No pumps. Wearing my converse." I walk over and pull the dirty sneakers out of the closet, slipping them on my feet.
"You're disgusting. At least let me do your hair?" Tara pouts, and I chuckle. I nod, which causes another squeal of delight from Tara. She plops me down in front of her desk and goes to work on my hair, making the room smell intensely of burning hair and hairspray.