How To Love (Niall Horan Fanfic)

First Day of College

I hadn't spoken to my parents the whole summer, and luckily Niall had let me stay in his apartment. My parents hadn't tried to contact me, and it stung for a while, but my mind has been occupied lately. Niall and I had been lucky enough to get into the same college near the Coronado Beach in California. It was exciting! The idea of being away from home, in Utah, was thrilling.

It wasn't until Niall and I boarded the plane that I started to worry.

"What's wrong?" Niall said, "you look stressed." He rested his hand on my lap as we sat in our second class seats. I shook my head, it was silly for me to be worrying that this would be a mistake. I panicked over the thought of being around strangers. In Utah, I knew most people, and in California I didn't know anyone.

"Whatever's bothering you, it will be fine. I promise, with every bit of my heart." Niall said to me, squeezing my thigh slightly. I smiled at him and held myself together as I felt the plane lift off the ground and go higher into the air. I thought I was going to vomit, but luckily, I was able to keep still.

Besides some minor turbulence, the flight went smoothly, and I enjoyed the quick nap as Utah wasn't very far from California. Once we arrived in the California airport, we quickly exited the plane and were off to our rental car, because we had left our vehicles behind at home. We drove down the unfamiliar roads and saw many unfamiliar faces. It scared me a little, but I calmed myself because I knew Niall was near.

The palm trees were gorgeous, and the sunsetting over the ocean nearby was absolutely stunning. People walked around the parks and coastline wearing crop tops and board shorts, and it captivated a warm feeling.

Niall broke me away from my view of the lovely sunset as he pulled in front of a large building. It wasn't very pretty, but hey, this is what you get with bad high school grades. We walked around the car to its trunk and carried our luggage inside to two separate rooms, one was mine and the other was his. Surprisingly, Niall had gotten his dorm to himself, unlike me. I hadn't met my room mate yet, but I was worried, worried she would be horrible. I unpacked my things quickly, avoiding being seen putting my underwear away. I was closing the drawer to the last item of clothing when a girl walked into the room. I couldn't help but stare at her knotted hair. It was bleached bright blonde, nearly white, with brown roots almost to her ears. She carries no luggage besides a small bag, where she pulled a cigarette out.

"Uhm," I said towards her.

"What?" She said snappily. Her voice was raspy, probably from all the smoking.

"Don't smoke in the room," I said, getting up to take the cigarette from her. But she backed up, protective of it, and threw me a disgusted look. Her face had scabs all over it and smudged on concealer. Her under eyes sagged and looked dark from lack of sleep, and so did her posture.

"Fuck you," she grunted at me, "I can't stand preppy bitches like you." She scoffed and grabbed her bag and walked out of the room. Stunned by what happened, I walked out of the room to see where she went. The girl walked down the hall and knocked on another door. Someone opened it and smoke billowed out, then they greeted her, allowing her in. I hope she stays there.

I grabbed my phone and decided to walk around campus, leaving Niall to his things for awhile. There were many different people on the campus, some seemingly friendly, others not so much. I walked over to the Starbucks and ordered a Double Chocolatey Chip and sat alone on the grass, letting the sun warm me. I put head phones in and took in the area, relaxing, until I felt someone plop down next to me. I looked over to see a girl with tight, little, blonde, curls sit next to me. She wore a purple shirt with some worn white shorts, she was pretty. She pulled out one of my ear plugs and said, "Hey!"

"Uhm," I stuttered. She looked and spoke to me like we were friends, "I'm sorry, I don't know you..."

"I'm Tinley!" She giggled and smiled at me warmingly.

"I'm Kennedy," I said, "why are you sitting with me again?" I said, trying to sound nice.

"Well, I'm new, and I was told the easiest way to meet new people was to be out going." She smiled big at me and nodded.

"Cool!" I said, not entirely sure what I was supposed to say. I didn't mind her company, I actually liked it. It felt awkward being alone, and this was nice.

"I like your dress," Tinley complimented me. I looked at my dress and said, "Thanks!"

"Mhmm! The white makes your skin look perfectly tan, it also compliments your figure." She sounded really sophisticated, and I struggled to find something good to say.

"Thanks," was all I could muster to say, "So what major are you in?" I asked.

"Art stuff," She replied, sounding less sophisticated, "And you?"

"I haven't chosen one, I'm just taking the required classes now, and I'll choose one next year." I replied. She nodded and quickly turned to pull a paper and pen from her purse. She wrote her number on it and gave it to me, smiling brightly. I accepted it and gave her a hug because she was leaving. After she had left, I thought to myself, "Damn, this new-places-new-people thing might not be so bad after all."