new kid / h.s

19

K A T

"And my mom said I can't go to prom unless I tell her the full story." I finished, telling Harry what had happened at home after I hung up on his phone call. He just sighed and shook his head.

"Well, we're going to have to come up with some sort of story-- right?" he asked and I nodded.

He was wearing a plain white tee today, different from his usual button down shirts and bandanas. His hair was loose and floppy. It was different.

"I was thinking that I tell her that there's a gang of bullies at school and we're trying to take them down. And that I said I didn't need protection because they were ruthless bullies and said mean things."

"Good." Harry said. "Because I'll need you at prom, you know. I'm counting on it."

He was standing in front of me and I was positioned against the locker, waiting for free period to be up. This was our new meeting time, and at this point it was Friday-- one week away from the big event we had planned that would hopefully end it all.

"I am too." I frowned. "You're not the only one they want dead, and I have Noah to thank for that."

Harry nodded, his hair flipping with his head. The way his hair bobbed up and down almost had me in a trance. When I had first met him, nothing about him seemed special to me. He just seemed like the average good kid. But now that I know him as much as I think that I do, I now see his beauty in its light.

His olive green eyes shone when the light hit them just right. His floppy and curly hair was always held in a different bandana each day, and it was his American flag one that I liked best. His stature was almost perfect, his posture upright and never failing.

"Oh, and your question..." Harry lulled, his voice dulling and slipping somewhere far away as he stared into my eyes. "Liam is the gang leader now. And I sure as hell do not want him at the threshold anymore, not after what he did to me."

I frowned. Even though it was yesterday, I remembered every single detail of Harry's sob backstory. And the fact that his own friends had betrayed him to that extent made me feel more than sympathy for him.

"I get that." I smiled up at him. He basically towered over me with his considerable height. "But we have to be careful making moves. One step at a time."

"I know." he whispered in my ear, before leaning in and giving me a hug. "Thank you," he said. "For staying with me. Unlike anyone else."

I didn't know how to respond. I knew Harry was alone on this, I did. But the vibe he was giving off felt more than a thank you to me. "You're welcome." I breathed out. It felt like all the air was being knocked out of my lungs.

The bell rang, and Harry held my hand in his. This was it. The first leg of our risky plan that could lead Harry to freedom-- and closure.

Everyone was staring at us when they noticed that it was apparent we were in a relationship, though we weren't. We kept our chins high and our gazes fixed on each other, walking with hands intwined towards the lunch room.

*

"You did so good at pretending to love me." Harry laughed, taking a bite of his taco for lunch. I laughed along and managed to steal the chocolate milk from his lunch tray.

While I was busy trying to open my new drink and stick the straw in, I said, "I've done it once, I can do it again." I was half lying to myself because frankly, this time it was much more easy for myself this time. And I didn't know why.

"Speaking of that," Harry said. He took the carton from me and effortlessly opened it, before sticking the straw in and taking a sip. "People are going to think that you moved on really fast from Noah. Opinion on that?"

He slid the chocolate milk back to me and I didn't even hesitate before drinking after him.

"Don't care." I giggled. "Look how fast he moved on; a day after I supposedly broke up with him, he had a posse of chicks. And might I remind you, one of them was the one who left you to get wasted back at Noel's party."

Harry sighed. "Never again."

I nodded in agreement. "I have to admit, it was kind of dumb for me to sign us both up for that. I knew what kind of parties he threw and what kind of person he was but I still did it."

"I second that." Harry said dully. I read his face for any signs of mistrust, but I had yet to find any. I just took a bite of Harry's taco and set it back down.

Just as I thought things were going good, the lunch room doors dramatically flung open, only to reveal a glammed-up Caitlyn-- snuggling up to the usual Noah.

"Damn." Harry said, and it looked like his mouth had dropped to the floor. Not because of how amazing Caitlyn looked for once, but because of the scene they were making and the fact that Caitlyn was glaring me right in the eye smugly.

"Maybe she thinks we're still friends." I said to Harry worriedly. "I hope not. I think she's going to come over here."

"Eventually." Harry sighed, as if my talk of the drama were annoying him. "Just drink some more chocolate milk."

I laughed cheekily. "Your wish is my command, master." and drank some more out of Harry's carton.

I tried to focus on acting all couple-like with Harry, which again, wasn't hard; but Caitlyn was distracting me. She stood in the lunch line and still managed to look flawless. Before that I was the center of attention. She was the unknown one.

I sure hoped that the tables hadn't turned on me.

"Didn't you hear me?" Harry asked, smacking me in the face with a piece of his taco shell. I snapped out of my thoughts and shook my head.

"Uh, no." I stammered, and not feeling too well when I saw the saddened look on Harry's face. He looked truly disappointed. "Im sorry." I whined. "What did you say?"

Thankfully, he was quick to forgive. "I said that I'm going to be meeting Liam on my new assignment about what to do with you tonight." he said cautiously. "I need to know all the details so we can know exactly how to play him."

I frowned. I had heard this whole plan but it still seemed all too dangerous. "But you did say there were smart ones."

"Don't worry princess." Harry assured me, and his words made my heart do flips. "Liam isn't one of the sharpest knives in the kit."

I laughed, "You do know an American saying!"

That earned a nice hit in the side from Harry, but I laughed it off as couples do. I hated to admit it, but I was having fun and this whole 'act' was coming natural to me. I could be myself around Harry. It was almost like second nature, like we had become best friends so quickly.

"I want you to come over Sunday for dinner with my family." he said quickly, and it was one of the quickest in the moment spurs Harry had said all day. I just nodded and gulped quickly, my throat getting dry and my palms sweating.

He must've been able to tell how I felt, because he rubbed my back to ease my nerves and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry. They're nice."

Before I could even process the situation, Harry left a quick kiss on my cheek, got up, and left the table for his next class. I just sat there, confused with burning red cheeks, trying to process what had just happened and why I was feeling glad that it did.

I didn't have much time to do that though, because the bell rang for next period and the last thing I saw before I left the lunch room was Caitlyn's pair of icy cold eyes bearing down on me.