Just Perfectly Messy

H C & A.

It was hard for Alessandra to wrap her head around everything that had been happening lately, but it made her happy nonetheless. Everything was so new to her, and she was beginning to experience these feelings she couldn't comprehend.

But she wasn't the only happy person who was experiencing new and exciting things. Three boys had become as happy as she, and their happiness was clearly because of her.

You see, Harry, Connor and Ashton had all been utterly surprised when they received their letters. All for many different reasons, but only because of one girl.

Harry couldn't ever explain exactly what he felt for Alice, but throughout the years, from their Freshmen year in high school, leading up to the present day, he could never understand why he couldn't look at other girls the same way he seemed to look at Alice. Of course he had girlfriends, and many, many beautiful girls threw themselves at Harry whenever they had the chance. But ever since the first day he saw her, he couldn't, for the life of him, get her face out of his mind. Her smile was carved into his brain, and her laugh was burned into his heart for years to come. During freshmen year Harry had hoped to just talk to her, but he never had the balls to do so. She made him nervous, so nervous! And then, somehow, during high school he had become popular. He never liked being titled as a popular kid, and more so, he hated the fact that his and Alice's title's had separated them. He never thought of Alice as an outcast, though, she was merely different from others. Never giving two shits about what others thought of her, and he admired that.

But as the years passed and he moved back to England after graduating, he was forced to think of others girls. He knew the chances of ever seeing Alice again were slim, and the chances of her even liking him to begin with were even slimmer. Harry always thought highly of Alice; she was like one of those girls who everybody would want to friend, who girls would be jealous of, and who guys would date. But she was her own person, never letting others get the best of her. So when he was offered a publishing job back in Albuquerque, he jumped at the chance and hoped for the absolute best for himself, and for the chance to see her again.

Falling upon Alice was all sheer luck, though. He had begun to think that she moved away or something when he hadn't seen her the first year he was back in town, but that day he went to Rebel Donut and saw her, he had a gut feeling that this was fate; they were meant to talk, become friends, and then eventually he would ask her out on a proper date. But Alice never gave him a second look. He had thought she had a boyfriend or wasn't even slightly interested in him until the day he received her letter. God, the day he got that letter, he knew, deep down, that this was his shot. He was meant to have come back and win the heart of his high school crush and once and for all, make Alice the main character to his beautiful story.

Connor on the other hand... everything was so much more different for him. Having been in love with his best friend for many many years was something hard to hide, but he hid it anyway. From Elementary school, Connor had known something about Ali was different from the others. She was her own person. She carried herself effortlessly, and looked damn good while doing it. Even after her grandma's death, Ali was strong enough for herself and for her family. She was never weak, nor did she ever go a day with her head down low. Connor had known Ali in ways that others could only wish to know her. He knew her deepest secrets, and he was there for her darkest days. They were one in the same; two peas in a pod; Inseparable. Their friendship was one that would make it to the books because throughout the years they knew one another, they always had each other, and made it clear that no matter what life brought to them, they'd do everything together. They'd swim against the tide together, hand in hand, never allowing the other to drowned.

But then again, it isn't actually possible for a boy and girl to be best friends without one falling in love with the other, right? Because Connor had believed that he and Ali would have that friendship where feelings for one another would never be attached. But over time, he caught himself trying to catch glimpses of Ali; making her laugh just to hear her that wonderful sound, like perhaps that would be good enough and he could bottle it up and listen to her laugh whenever he felt down; he noticed all of the little things that built her and created her into who she was, and after many years, and much denial, he realized that Alessandra Rose Hale was someone he had grown to love.