In The Middle

Chapter 2: Torn

Harry’s P.O.V.

            Well this has been a good first week of school, I thought. My schedule is pretty easy, and now there’s Sophie. And, I have lunch to talk to her every day. I’ve discovered that she’s not only cute, but really fun to talk to. And she’s smart. And she is a really good pianist. Sophie was why I was so excited for tonight. Eleanor was having a bonfire like she always does when school starts. No doubt, this would be the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with her.

            I hung out with Niall before we went to Eleanor’s. “So, what do you think of Sophie?” asked Niall. “She’s pretty hot,” I told him, trying to mask the fact that I was already pretty smitten over her. “Yeah, she is. I think I’m going to go for her,” he said. My face got warm. Of course, Niall the lady’s man would be interested in Sophie. Now, don’t get me wrong, Niall is a good guy, but he’s a bit careless with girls sometimes. He reels them in really quickly and then gets bored and leaves them out to dry. I didn’t want him to do that with Sophie. But, I knew most of these thoughts were stemmed from the fact that I wanted Sophie for myself. “Yeah,” is all I told him. I don’t know why I didn’t just tell him that I liked Sophie. I guess I didn’t want to fight about it and make things awkward.

            When we arrived at Eleanor’s, everyone else was already there. I couldn’t help but notice how pretty Sophie looked by the glow of the campfire. Niall noticed too. He nudged me then whispered, “Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.” Then Niall made his way around the campfire, giving Sophie a hug when he got to her. Then he took a seat next to her. Feeling a bit hopeless, I decided to sit next to Liam and Danielle.

            I tried to have fun, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Sophie and Niall. It appeared he was really on his game. He made her a s’more and got her a blanket, which they shared. Sophie looked like she was having a lot of fun. I felt bad for being jealous. They were obviously having a good time, and I should’ve been happy for Niall. But, I decided I wasn’t going to let her go just yet. I’d have to try some more.

 Sophie’s P.O.V.

            Danielle, Eleanor, Perrie, and I were having a sleepover after the bonfire. As soon as the boys left, they started drilling me about Niall. “I saw you guys getting pretty close,” said Danielle. “Do you like him?” she asked in a teasing tone. My face flushed and I replied, “I don’t know…” I wasn’t just denying it, I really didn’t know. I mean, Niall was cute, and he was fun to hang out with. I at least had a little crush on him. But the whole night, my mind and eyes were on Harry. There was just something about him; the way his emerald eyes would light up whenever I made him laugh at lunch, or the dimples that formed every time he smiled. The thing was, Harry hardly acknowledged me the entire night. I’d been hoping that we’d get to talk more at the bonfire, but nothing happened. Niall at least had talked to me. Maybe Niall was the one I should be crushing on.

            “Well, I think you and Niall would be really cute,” said Eleanor. “And we could go on quadruple dates!” said Perrie. I just laughed and didn’t say much. Then I brought myself to ask, “Do you guys think Harry seemed a little off tonight?” “Hmm, I mean I guess he was a bit quieter than usual,” said Eleanor. “He was probably jealous of you and Niall,” said Danielle with a laugh. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you!” “Actually, I haven’t,” I said. “Well we have,” chimed in Perrie and Eleanor. “But you don’t have to feel bad about being with Niall,” Danielle added. “Yeah,” I replied.