Darling || Harry Styles A.U.

one

The wind hurled around me, my head down as I made my way across campus. I could hear the football team whistle my way, my eyes rolling immediately towards the back of my head. You sleep with one player and they all think they have a right to your body. The wind suddenly switched directions, my hair flying in front of my face and preventing me from seeing two feet in front of me. I tried desperately to whip my hair out of my line of vision.

"Watch it." An angry voice grunted, shoving me back after I had collided into their chest. I stumbled a little, tripping over my own two feet before tanking it to the ground. I groaned, choruses of laughter surrounded me. "Walk much." The same voice growled, not even bothering to try to help me up.

The football team continued to laugh as I stood up, swinging my bag back over my shoulder before continuing on my way. I shoved my hair back, knotting it up into a bun before sliding the ring of elastic, that was previously on my wrist, around it. I sighed, finally able to see.

The air was chillier than it should have been for mid August. The weather had been on a bit of a bipolar streak lately, and just decided within the past week to drop into the subarctic. The cold temperature wasn't what bothered me, though. This god damn wind was more than just a little annoying. Classes had just started but I was more than ready for winter break- already planning a trip down south.

"Can you believe it's supposed to snow tonight?" My head snapped to the side, Lennox matching my pace as she fell into step next to me. "It is freaking August 13th and we are supposed to get snow. That is in no way okay." She continued to bitch about the weather, her heeled booties clanking around us.

"Before Halloween, what the hell is mother nature thinking?" I pondered, a wide smile widening across Len's face.

"That's what I'm saying. Mother Nature is just being one pissy bitch this year."

I laughed as my best friend continued to complain, her blonde hair swaying elegantly in the wind. I wasn't entirely sure how she could still look so majestic as the wind whipped around her, every pair of eyes glued to her as she passed by. Conversations even ceased the minute people saw her strolling through, everyone else probably wondering the same thing I was. She was truly a rare specimen.

"When are you done with class again?"

"Four." I mumbled, still pushing stray strands of hair away from my face.

"Great. We're going out tonight."

"Are we now?" I questioned, looking up as she smiled wickedly down at me.

"Oh we are." She started, a wild gleam in her emerald eyes. "Someone's birth week starts tonight." Her perfectly styled eyebrows wriggled up and down, some poor kid jumping out of her path at the last second before she would have taken him down. I still wasn't sure how I ended up being best friends with the most feared girl on campus, but I guess I couldn't complain. Her dads had agreed to take me in three years ago when I had just made it out of my foster home. I was 18 and didn't really need anyone looking after me, but they refused to let me turn down their offer, turning their guest bedroom into a safe haven just for me.

"We don't have to do anything special."

"It is your 21st, we are going all out. No arguing... or complaining." She said, placing her glossy lips against my cheek before turning to enter her building. "Oh, and tell our dear father that I said hello." She shouted over her shoulder before the door closed and blocked her from my view. I shook my head, bringing up the sleeve of my sweater to wipe away the sticky mark she left on my skin.

I dropped by bag to the floor, sliding into the seat before pulling my phone out of my pocket. I had no new notifications, but I'd rather pretend to be doing something on my phone then risk making eye contact with any of my classmates. I usually stayed invisible in the back of the room, it was what I was used to and I was more than happy being invisible.