This is really happening | Haylor

The big news

The next day went on smoothly as I hoped for. When I got home mum said she had some exciting news to tell me, it was weird considering nothing exciting ever happens to me, like ever. After changing my uniform into some baggy shorts and a plaid shirt I sat on the bed and picked up my guitar. I loved playing it and I loved singing too, I wasn’t sure if I was that good of a singer but I loved doing it so much I just didn’t care. Mum knew how much I loved it so she just let me be, dad did the same, sometimes he’d walk by my bedroom and give my a big smile, sometimes he’ll clap after the song ended. I loved when he did that, I really appreciated it, he was the one who had gotten me the guitar in the first place, he was also the one who stayed with me while I watched a gazillion youtube videos trying to learn how to get it to sound nice. It was a hobby of mine, singing and playing and sometimes I’d even write a couple of lyrics of my own. I didn’t practice my own songs when my family were around though, only when they were out or when I was with my brother, he’s such a geek he thinks they’re covers.

Mum yelled for me to go down to the dinner, I didn’t, I wanted to finish the song I was playing, it was ‘’The A team'' by Ed Sheeran one of my favourites, at one point mum had to come in for me, she took my guitar and stopped me from playing, then she dragged me downstairs.

‘’Mum you ruined my cover’’ I complained.

‘’Oh I’ve heard you sing that song a thousand times!’’ she said making me shut up.

We had fried chicken and boiled potatoes that evening, mum was a really good cook and everyone knew that, my friends had confessed countles times before that they preffered my mum’s cooking other than theirs , which made me proud for a second, not for me but for my mum.

‘’So what’s with all this exciting news?’’ Austin asked looking up from his plate. He was a very curious kid.

‘’Well, I’m not sure if you remember my dear but you sister sure does’’ mum said with a smile.

‘’Remember what?’’ I asked confused, what was she coming up with now.

‘’Harry the boy next door’’ she said looking at me directly into my eyes.

My fork fell onto the plate, it was shocking to hear his name again, for a second a bunch of memories like suddenly rushed through my head, I shook them off.

‘’What about him?’’ I asked.

‘’Well, he’s moving back in, with his family, this summer, next week actually, isn’t it excting, he must be around your age now!’’ mum said excited at what was about to happen. No, she didn’t care about Harry, but she did have a close friendship with his mum and I know for sure she felt a bit lonely when they moved out.

My mouth fell open.

‘’How old is this Harry anyway?’’ asked Austin looking at me confused at my reaction.

‘’I’m not entirely sure now, uhm ... 15’’ mum said with gaps in between words.

‘’16’’ I corrected her, blurting the number out. ‘’uhm... not that I kept track or anything, he’s  the same age as me, little older actually like couple of months, about 4’’

‘’Stalker’’ Austin said.

‘’I’m not a stalker!’’ I defended myself hitting him on the arm.

‘’You have a crush on him!’’ he said.

My cheecks started to turn a light shade of red. ‘’I do not! I haven’t seen him in like 9 years Aus!’’

‘’That doesn’t mean I can’t tease you about it!’’ he said.’’ So are you like gonna kiss  him when he get’s here’’

‘’God, shut up Austin! Don’t make me go tell mum about the girl you fancy at school!’’ I teased him.

‘’You wouldn’t’’ he said with a sharp eye.

‘’I would! With pleasure!’’ I said giving him a  kind of don’t mess with me look.

‘’Alright, alright I won’t tease you!’’ he shrugged and turned back to his dinner.

Then I thought about what he had just said, about the kissing thing, I remember one day when we were about 6 I darred Harry to kiss me and he ran when he tried, we were just kids, he always said he would beat me up, because he was bigger than me, but he never did. I wonder how he looks like today, I thought to myself. Could I still call him Hazza when we’re around each other. What if he doesn’t remember me? What if he thinks I’m awful and he doesn’t want to be friends with me again? I wonder how he grew up to be, I don’t know anything about him, his music taste, food, what sports he plays, how he dresses, what if he turns out to be a big jerk? Wait, what , he wouldn’t! I drifted off in my thoughts for a second.

‘’Taylor, darling’’ mum said putting her hands across my eyes , but they didn’t move as I was so lost in my thoughts. Then I realised what I was doing.

‘’Uhm,  what mom?’’ I said blankly.

‘’I said do you want some ice-cream?’’

‘’Uhm, no ,no thank you’’ I said resting my head on my hands.

‘’Are you okay?’’ she asked.

‘’What? No I’m fine, no, uhm I’m just gonna go to my room now’’ I said, walking away from the table.

Why was I suddenly acting this way, why did I suddenly loose focus once mum mentioned Harry, I didn’t even like Harry more than a friend when we were kids, we were best friends. All those memories from my childhood made me shiver. I felt like now, the present was a far much different place than my childhood, like a whole different world. When we were kids me and Harry were mostly affected by the outside world, playing, running, drawing, laughing but now I feel like Harry was about to get in to the real world, the present, and it isn’t as fun as it was before, now it’s mostly blogging on tumblr, reading fanfiction, singing and playing the guitar, stressing about boys and friends and my low self esteem and lack of confidence. Harry wasn’t going to recognize me. My long curly head of hair wasn’t free running around wildly in the outdoors like before, now it’s held down straight with bangs infront of my forehead, no more running, no more freedom, I stayed at home most of the time fighting with my thoughts and emotions, it was like being in a cage. I hated the way my life was turning out to be, annoying friends, no adventure, feeling low about myself, I just wish I could have fun like I did in the olden days were everything seemed nice and beautiful and reality was just something adults and grown ups had to deal with, I mean who knew the teenage years could be the hardest of one’s life...