Three

9 0 0
                                    

Veronica's Point of View

"Now can anyone tell me, do you think that the judges knew Tom Robinson's conviction was unfair?" Mr. Saunders asks, pacing left and right across the front of the room. "Anyone?" he asks again, rubbing his brow. Letting out a long sigh, he lifts his head back up, his eyes traveling across the room. "Mr. Styles? Would you like to give it a shot? You did read To Kill a Mockingbird correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Then please answer the question," he insists. The rim of his glasses are now falling down to the tip of his nose, as he stares directly at Harry. If it were me, I would've been high on nerves. The weight of everyone staring was too much to bare. But Harry didn't seem phased by the attention. Instead, he crosses his arms, looking smug.

"That's alright sir," he shrugs, causing the girls in the classroom to giggle. I roll my eyes, and stare down at my fingernails, chipping off the red nail polish I had painted on earlier this week. Eleanor always insisted on me painting my nails, but I hated it. The feeling of nail polish made me feel as if there were weights on my nails.

"Too bad," Mr. Saunders frowns, "You don't really have a choice."

Harry lets out an obvious moan of disgust before speaking once more, "I think the judges knew that Tom Robinson was innocent, but back then, it was a white man's word against a black man's, he couldn't have won the case."

"Do you think Atticus knew this?"

Harry nods, "Yes sir. But he wanted to give Tom a proper trial." A satisfied smile crosses Mr. Saunders face, one that I hadn't seen in awhile. I can't help but feel surprised. Maybe Harry wasn't as clueless as he let on. I guess it was my fault for judging so quickly, which by the way, was so unlike me.

"Very good. Now let's move on," he exclaims, turning back to the board. I flinch as the chalk screeches against the board, causing the hairs on my body to bombard horizontally.

"Something bothering you love?" Harry asks, fluttering upon his face is a smirk.

"That sound doesn't bother you?"

He shrugs, "Not really.'' My look of amazement causes him to chuckle. With a slight shake of the head, he faces the front of the board once more. A couple minutes pass before I hear him speak again. "So what are you wearing on our date tonight?"

"I was thinking, granny pants and a sweatshirt. Sound good to you?"

"As long as your wearing nothing under it," he grins, flashing me a wink.

"Are you seriously like this all the time?" I ask. He shakes his head, and pushes the front layer of his bangs back. With his hair swept back, I'm reminded once more of how alluring his eyes were. Then I remember the way they turn black in his acts of aggression. This was how Harry charmed all of the girls he's probably dated. But I was smarter than that.

"Only when I feel like it."

"Well don't," I snap, pretending to be interested in the wood covering the led of my pencil. The only benefit I get from that is lead on the tip of my skin.

"Alright class, make sure you do your assignment, and feel free to email me if you have any questions. Oh, and I'm assigning project partners next week so be prepared!" Mr. Saunders cries over the chattering students. Rising to my feet, the tip of my foot get's caught on the metal leg of my chair, causing me to stumble forwards. I would've chipped my front tooth if Harry wouldn't have caught me by the armpit. His hand is pressed firmly to my back.

"You know," he says in a hushed whisper, "if you wanted a hug all you had to do was ask."

"Now why would I want that?" I ask through gritted teeth. Regathering myself, I storm out of the class room, only to crash into someone walking in. I guessed he was in the next period. My face feels hot, the atmosphere exhibiting humidity. "Sorry," I mumble, looking up to the stranger I impaled with my body. Light, caramel eyes stare back at me.

"It's alright," he smiles. "I'm Liam. I don't think we've met before."

"Ronnie," I reply, shaking his hand.

"Was Mr. Saunder's that boring?" he chuckles.

"What?" I ask, blinking a couple times.

"You seemed like you were in a hurry to get out," Liam suspects.

"Right," I laugh, warmth rushing to my cheeks. Embarrassment. "Actually, I was trying to avoid someone."

"Who?"

As if on cue, Harry appears out of nowhere.

"Why are you still here-" he stops, looking from Liam and then to me. I look at Liam, who now looks like he understands everything. Harry's a little shorter than Liam, but not by much. Standing next to each other, I am able to compare their heights. "Well hello big boy," Harry chuckles.

"Now I see why you were in such a hurry," Liam murmurs, before walking into the classroom. Leave it to Harry to drive people away. Maybe he wasn't so popular with the guys, but he definitely left an impression on the girls. Many hair flips were being made as groups of giggling females walk past. I soon come to realize that the same groups of girls walk past Harry and I twice.

"I thought you promised to leave me alone," I mumble, trying to shake him away. But it was no use. He might as well been sewn to my sweater.

"I said maybe. Never promised did I," he smirks.

"Why don't you sell that precious smirk of yours a buy yourself some class," I hiss, turning to face him. "I'm sure you can sell it for a lot. And let me get something straight okay? I agreed to go on the date for Eleanor, not you. She means a lot to me, and she needs this double date for her and Louis, so you better not mess it up for her."

"Cute," he murmurs.

"I'm serious Styles," I warn. But of course, he wasn't listening.

"Mhm," he mumbles, a dazed expression upon his face.

"Damn you're annoying," I groan.

Once again, he's unfazed by my remark. Harry leans in, and whispers something in my ear. I don't hear him at first over the loud buzzing in my head. Not to mention my heart, slamming against my ribcage in full riot. His hot breath conjures goosebumps to appear on my arm. My head starts to feel feverish.

"Just say stop, and I'll stop." he murmurs against my neck.

"OK, stop," I oblige, pushing him off me. This time he looks taken aback. His vie for affection hadn't worked. A euphoric feeling causes me to smile. All of a sudden, Harry looks intrigued.

"Alright then. I'll see you tonight," he says, making his musky voice sound seductive.

"Can't wait," I mutter, wondering how on Earth I let Eleanor drag me into this.

New StudentWhere stories live. Discover now