Project: CA, U.S.A. | Harry Styles AU

Chapter 5

Feeling my way through the darkness

Guided by a beating heart

I can't tell where the journey will end

But I know where it starts...

I shot up as I heard a familiar tune, blasting right into my left ear. Right, my alarm. I must've fallen asleep during my endless message-session with my best friend back home in Germany, Ella, yesterday, because there was no way, that with any conscious and healthy mind-state I would have let my phone stay just a few inches away from my head. I already have a little tinnitus from all the times, I listened to music through my headphones maybe a little bit louder than I should have (if I had listened to my mom's advice), and I hate it. But I just like sinking into the other world that music offers me. Like, really sinking into it. When I dedicate my time to that, I just want to forget all the things around me that bother me and on my own little opinion, I think I wouldn't succeed if I wouldn't turn the volume up so far and close my eyes, that I simply just don't get a chance to notice anything around me because it's just physically impossible. ANYWAYS - I'm drifting away. 

While I rubbed my head with a frown, I managed to turn off the maddening noise with my other hand. I really need to get another alarm. Something calm and gentle, like 'Good Morning Beautiful' by Steve Holy. Well, look how pathetic I am, having to play that song to myself, when I am waking up alone, the only thing next to me being my stuffed little giraffe. Yes, I do have a stuffed animal. In my defense - it's not really mine but my little sister's. She gave it to me when I left, making me promise that I would not forget her and proof it by snapping at least one picture with the giraffe and "..der schönsten Sache die du in diesem Jahr sehen wirst oder die dir passieren wird." ( ..the most beautiful thing that you'll see or that'll happen to you this year.)

So after I left my precious bed and rolled the window shades up to give the early morning sun a chance to alight my little dark room, I took a shower, was interrupted by a grumpy Leah, got a sleepy-into-a-yawn-turning "oops,...sorreeh..." from the mentioned person and got myself ready. I decided to wear a light blouse with a navy lace-y high-waisted skirt, along with my toms since I realized that it was quite hot today. Like, usually in California, a little voice in my head sneered.

"Shut up." I told the voice (I'm normal, I swear.) . I was still grumpy, because - added to my tiredness was the fact that, as Leah told me, our PE teacher still wasn't at school. Great, you'd think. But we'd have classes with another class that had PE at the same time as us and we would have to deal with fucking basketball in this unholy heat today, and the next couple of weeks. Just the way I like it.

Speaking of it, the day passed by quite quickly since nothing more special happened, than me and Leah almost blowing up the science room, because we didn't listen to the teacher's instructions on the experiment -too occupied not to be falling asleep- and mixed a wrong chemical to another. It was time for the last period of the day. We made our way to the locker room. Unfortunately I couldn't suppress a semi-loud groan, as we entered the gym and saw what class we would be joining the next couple of weeks. Great. Just great.

I nudged Leah with my elbow as subtle as I could and cleared my throat, pointing with a little nod to a little group, laughing about something one of them said.

"Oh nooo. Are you kidding me? That's just not our day, is it?" she grumbled.

"I guess not." I sighed once again and tried to act as inconspicuous as I could, just to not wake any attention.

"G'Mornin class." the teacher entered the gym and strolled towards us, a whistle already in his hand. "As you might've realized, we are two different grades since today, so you'll be playing four 'gainst four people, the two opponent teams always out of different grades.  Go, start." he whistled and I kept close to Leah, both of us ending up in a team with two other girls that I didn't know. Mr. Coleman, our PE teacher, whistled again and I looked up to see who'd be our opponent and I almost choked on my spit as I recognized the mess of dark brown curls right in front of me.