Like a Fairytale [njh]

Chapter Twenty One

NIALL'S POV

"So stargazing, huh?" Izzy giggled.

I smiled hearing her laugh. "And a picnic," I replied, patting the freaking picnic basket Harry made me bring.

She looked appalled. "Are we seriously having a picnic at midnight? Ooh, that sounds like the title to a mystery novel or something, Picnic at Midnight."

"It's just candy," I told her. "And what's so mysterious about a picnic at midnight?"

She shrugged. "Maybe picnic is code for drug deal."

"Well, I can promise you this isn't a drug deal. Why on Earth would I bring you along for that?"

She lightly punched my shoulder. "Shut up. Drugs are bad, Niall. Didn't you learn that during Red Ribbon Week?"

"What the fuck is Red Ribbon Week?" I wondered.

Her eyes widened. "You never had Red Ribbon Week in school?"

I shook my head.

"Red Ribbon Week is so fun! So for a week at school, it's, like, anti-drug awareness stuff. They give you red ribbons that say stuff like 'Just say no' or 'I pledge to be drug free' or whatever," she explained.

"What's so fun about getting a ribbon?"

"Well, every day of the week there's a different theme. I remember a few. Um, they were...twin day, opposite day, wear red day, stuff like that. They even put on little shows sometimes."

"That sounds so stupid," I told her, laughing my ass off.

We had finally arrived to the spot where I had planned to bring her. It was a grassy little spot at the top of a hill.

"Now we sit," I said.

She stuck her tongue out in my direction and we sat. I found myself oddly nervous. Was I supposed to say something?

"So you like watching the stars?" Izzy asked, saving me the struggle of figuring out what to say.

"Eh. I only brought you here because I assumed you liked it," I admitted.

She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

I smiled. God, she was cute.

IZZY'S POV

"So why do you like the stars so much?" he asked me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Didn't everyone enjoy watching the stars?

"I remember you saying that you used to watch them with your dad, but do you still?"

I sucked in a deep breath. "No. Um, maybe we would, but my dad...he-he died six years ago," I said quietly.

"Oh, my God, Izzy. I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

I had never really wondered how things would be if my dad were still here before. It's not that I didn't think about him, I had just come to accept things as they were. A small tear escaped from my eye and wiggled its way down my cheek.

"What about your mom? Is she remarried?" he asked.

A sad smile stretched across my face and I fiddled with my hands in my lap. "She died when I was two."

NIALL'S POV

God dammit.

I finally met this girl I really liked, and I was screwing it up. Well, accidentally bringing up her parents wouldn't make her hate me, but still.