This Town || Niall Horan

Chapter 1

Saoirse Hennessey POV
"I love your colour palette, Sienna," I complimented as I walked past my year two students. She'd created a pretty landscape oil painting.

The prompt this week was peaceful. In my class, students were allowed to practice whatever they wanted when thinking of that word: any form of art was acceptable, within reason, of course.

I saw drawn beaches, watercoloured koi fish, black and white peace signs, dove sculptures made of clay...

I checked the time. "Alright class, we're five minutes until the last bell. Put your works away and clean your supplies and tables, please!" I said to them. So they did. They'd been behaving fairly well considering it was the last hour on a Thursday.

I made sure everyone cleaned their tables and supplies.

"That'll be it, for now students. We'll be continuing next week! Safe travels home," I said to them. The chatter emerged and soon, the classroom was empty.

I collected the last things they'd left behind plus my own things, and left the classroom as well.

My slightly heeled shoes were loud on the stone floors of the old 1800s building, echoing all the way through the long, empty hallway.

Christmas was getting closer and the weather kept getting worse. I sighed at the grim, light grey sky. It looked as if it was about to snow. Great.

I grabbed my coat off the hanger in my small little office and put the necessities in my bag. My desk was a mess, but I didn't feel like actually sorting it out right now. I had two classes to teach tomorrow so I'd be able to do it then.

I locked the door behind me as a familiar face strutted the hallways. I tried not to grunt, cry or run, tempted to lock myself in my office but he'd spotted me.

"Miss Hennessey, you're still here!" Thomas  Nolan flashed me a cocky grin. I replied with a little smile. "Yes, I'm heading out now," I said.

"Really? Me too! I've just to grab my things. Need groceries? I was thinking of popping in the shops real quick," he said.

"I've already got my dinner in the refrigerator," I said in a way of declining his offer, "So no, thank you, Mr. Nolan." I'd rather suffocate.

Thomas Nolan had been trying to chat me up ever since the day I got here. There was something about his swagger, brown hair, and piercing, light blue eyes, and behavior that made me want to puke and run away. Badly.

" Ah, well, you could eat that tomorrow, of course," he tried. I shook my head. "No, I prefer not to. Have a good evening, Mr. Nolan," I replied as I quickly brushed past him towards the exit. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he hadn't followed me. He hadn't.

I let out a deep sigh once I'd gotten safely to my car. I turned the key and quickly drove off. 

I had been renting a duplex on Petiswood Manor, a neighbourhood in Mullingar after finishing my PhD at NUI Galway, a little over a year ago now. I hadn't wanted to come back to this town filled with great, but also very sad memories, but the principal of St. Joseph's had heard of me graduating and contacted me personally to become their new art teacher. After a long summer in Spain, I had accepted her offer.

It was strange, having your old teachers as colleagues now. Talking to them about weekend plans, calling most of them by their first names, too.  I still hadn't got used to it.

After crossing town, I parked my car on the parking lot. I grabbed my things, locked the car and walked to the front door. I was greeted by my cat, Doris, a British Shorthair, one of the little things left of my childhood.

"Heya Doris," I greeted as I picked her up and took her with me up the stairs. She was 17 now, my little ball of love.

I put her down on her scratching post and put my bag on the table and turned on the TV for some background noise. I continued my way into the kitchen and to the fridge to take out a pre-prepped meal. In the corner of my eye, I noticed white fluff falling down from the sky. Absolutely brilliant, I thought to myself as I shoved my meal into a plate, into the microwave. If the weather predictions would come true, there'd be at least 5 inches of snow by tomorrow morning.