Canon | (Harry Styles AU)

[seven]

[Um, vote? Comment? Please. 😊]

"It's that house with the big pine tree in the front yard," I instruct Blake who simply nods now that she's given up on trying to hold a conversation with me.

The car ride home was awkward enough to say the least. She talked, and talked about God knows what while all I did was think about my neighbor and Derek on the couch and how I felt jealous. I was jealous.How can you get jealous over a person you don't even fücking know? Its stupid and I can't stop it as hard as I try, I can't stop it.

"Well thanks for the ride," I tell Blake, unbuckling my seat belt.

"No problem," She says as I shut the door just as I receive a text message from Liam. It's a photo of him Sophia, Derek, and most importantly my neighbor.

Liam: I know you didn't get any pictures of her today so enjoy this one...

The message reads. Great, now I'm jealous of fücking Liam.

As I walk up my walkway I look at the poor quality photo, focusing solely on one person.The photo is fairly whitened out from the flash, showing the ample makeup on my neighbor's face in one particular area - her cheek.

I get about halfway to my porch staring at the photo when Blake calls out for me to wait.

"Are you still going to enter the contest?"

"Yea, why?" I ask, tucking my cell phone back into my pocket.

"You need to submit your application to the store by this weekend, that's when the entry closes," She explains.

"Alright thanks, I'll bring it in tomorrow," I tell her before turning back around to continue my walk into my empty, dark house.

__________________

Three weeks.

That's all it took for me to become utterly and overly attached to this girl that I haven't spoken to since the farmers market. Sure I've hung out in the same places she's at when I tag along with Liam but I never talk to her, hell I never even look at her.

I've been secretly taking her picture nearly everyday now and it's been the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Not because I have to do it in secret, no. It's been hard because of all the things I've witnessed through my lens. All the abuse, verbal and physical, I've listened and I've watched her go through.

I know more about her then I'm sure most of her friends. I know she always has her curtains open - probably a habit, sometimes the window is open too allowing her screams, and yells to fill my room. I know her curfew is ten pm, but she never makes it on time, I think it's something she does on purpose, to rebel.I know she always has Derek over when her parents aren't home. I know she always relies on Sophia when she's too drunk to even walk straight. I know she believes even the stupidest of lies that she is told only because she still - despite everything - expects good from others. I know she likes to remind Derek that he isn't her boyfriend. I know she always goes shopping when her father leaves marks on her body bringing home bags of things I'm sure she doesn't need. I know she sobs into her mother's shoulder begging her to leave her father. I know her mother simply tells her to wear long shirts, more makeup, and her hair down.I know she only works as an excuse to get out of her house without sneaking. I know she spends more time in her bedroom then I do. I know that she doesn't know me. I know that she doesn't notice me. I know that she doesn't see me.

But I see her, the real her.

"So I was thinking that we would go to the mall and maybe get you something new for that project your working on," My mom says as she finishes cleaning up the dishes from our breakfast. Today is her first day off in a while and I knew she'd want to spend it with me.