RUMORS (Harry Styles//a.u.)

Two

Lunch finally came around and I walked out with Lacey to the tables.

"Madelyn!!!" Our friend, Heidi screams from where she's sitting. The rest of the group looks up and I run over to them, giving each a big hug. After being gone for two years, it really feels like nothing has changed with them.

"So tell us what New York was like!" our other friend Michael asks while stuffing food into his mouth.

"Much classier than your eating habits. That's for sure Michael!" I tease him and the whole table throws into a fit of laughter. A backpack is thrown onto the table at the end of the row and a tall, built figure blocks the California sun from my eyes. The whole table quiets and one of the guys speaks up.

"Hey Harry. Nice of you to join us today." Niall says. It's only lunch but Harry looks extremely exhausted. I saw him from afar in first period today, but now that I see him up close, his features are tired and he looks so...grown up. He clearly was not the little cupcake Harry that was still painted in my memories.

"Yeah." Harry shrugs and sits down while pulling out his phone. I saw the tattoos on his arm, but mainly the ship, rose, and anchor. There were a few more around his wrist and hands but they all just seemed random. I questioned whether or not any of those tattoos have significance.

Lunch carries on and I try to get his attention but he seems to be avoiding eye contact with me. No one talked to him, but it's not like he was trying to carry conversations with everyone else. How long has he been like this?

"Styles." I whisper over to him. He looks up at me, but averts his attention back to his phone a few seconds later without a word. "Harry what's going on." I'm starting to get really impatient, since no one has given me a valid explanation.

Meanwhile, a football jock comes over and does a bro handshake with Harry, "Hey Styles! Thanks for coming to the party on Saturday! Told all the ladies you were coming and it was a full house! Let's do it again sometime? Heard you scooooorreeedd!"

"Yeah sure man." Harry tells him, straight to the point. Lacey nudges my leg under the table and I snap out of my glare at Harry. He looks back to me, with a questioning look on his face, but goes back to his phone, ignoring my obvious angry expression.

I grab the phone out of his hands, ready for him to set off, but he looks back up calmly, and emotionless. Just like everyone says he is.

"Harry what's gotten into you!?" I ask.

"Madelyn. Just don't waste your time alright?"

There's a few moments of awkward silence but the bell finally rings and Harry was the first to get up and leave. I gather all my things to chase after him, but by the time I made it out the doors of the cafeteria, he was already half way to his car.

"He leaves after lunch." Niall reassures me with a pat on the back, "Don't sweat it Mads. He usually just goes home. He rarely ever sits through lunch with us. Maybe it's because you're back. " He gives me a smile before walking away with Lacey to their next class.

~

After school, I'm greeted by my mom in the living room, still unpacking all our things.

"Hey babe. How was your first day?" She asks while getting up from her kneeled position by the boxes.

"Alright." I shrug and make my way into the kitchen. A fresh plate of cookies was set on the counter and I go into the fridge for some milk.

"Don't eat too much! We're going over to Anne's for dinner at 5 . I haven't gotten to catch up with her yet." My mom yells from the living room. "Did you get to see Harry? Do you guys have any classes together? I bet he missed you just as much as you missed him!"