Roots - h.s

2.

We haven't spoke since you went away.    Comfortable silence is so overrated.

HARRY'S POV:

"So who am I supposed to be meeting?" I ask Carson as we walk on the side streets in Portland.

"Claire, Mason, Hallie, annnnd Jake... Andrea, and Jalyn aren't going to be there tonight." He tells me.

"Who are Andrea and Jalyn?" I ask, shoving my hands into my pockets as we walk.

"Just friends, that's who all of them are... But I kind of really like Hallie so please don't try to get with her." He shakes his head as if it was already a thought in my mind.

"I don't even know these people. I don't know why you assume I would want to be more than friends with any of them..." I tell him.

"Dude you're like... The brunette prince charming, you're going to ruin my game this year." He shoves me to the side, and I shake my head.

"I don't want to play any games this year... I only came here so I can get into school somewhere nearby..." I tell him. It's true though. I love my family, and I love it when they visit, but I've never been here.. Not Portland anyway. My mum just knew that I wanted to study here, and she knew that it would be easier to finish out grade school if I had family by my side... I didn't come looking for anything but friends and a good year before uni... That's it.

"Hallie is awesome, and I think you'll really dig Mason too. He's a cool dude.. Claire and Jake are awesome but I'm pretty sure they're fucking around right now, and as for Andrea and Jalyn, they're inseparable, they don't go anywhere without each other." He tells me.

"Are they sisters?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

"They might as well be, but not by blood no.. You'll get along well, just come on... This is where we always hang out, we always have since we were sophomores... Tenth grade." He tells me as if I didn't know.

"And everyone here is year twelve like us?" I ask, and he nods. "What's this place?" I ask.

"Chesney's.. It's an arcade, and a food spot... The food is kinda shitty but not that bad... They've got pancakes, and waffles. Chicken, and burgers... A little bit of everything but they have the best milkshakes." He gushes about the sub par food, but I don't care about any of that.

"How's the coffee?" I ask, and he furrows his brows.

"Aren't british people supposed to like tea?" He asks.

"British people are also supposed to be in England but here I am.. Answer the question Cars." I push forward, and he shrugs.

"I don't drink the coffee I couldn't tell you. What's your obsession with coffee?" He asks, and opens the door for me.

"I just like coffee... So does the rest of the world, coffee is the second most traded commodity next to fossil fuels...If you didn't know." I shrug, knowing my friends back at home are used to the random fact spews, but people here might think differently of it.

"Why would I know that?" He laughs, and I shrug, brushing it off. The arcade lights are bright as we walk through the noisy building, there's so many walks of life here... There's plenty of judgmental eyes, eyes that can devour me whole, and find me out right away which makes me nervous as hell.

"CARSON IN THE HOUSEEE!" A curly haired girl speaks out. She has pretty chocolate eyes, and darker complected skin. She's extremely beautiful..

"Claire, it's been too long." He runs up to the group, but I stay in my lane, walking slow, coming forward to all of them. "This is Harry, my nerd of a cousin, and Harry, this is Jake." I look at Jake, seeing a tall guy with blonde hair and blue eyes.