When I wake up the next morning my eyes are sore and I can instantly feel that they're a little puffy from my crying. It seems like I've been doing that a lot. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to go to a stupid party. My mom is probably so mad at me right now for getting home so late.

Shit.

That brings a fresh round of tears when I realize that she couldn't possibly be angry. She's dead. I'm not at home, I'm at Anne's house. Why is my life so messed up? Why can't I just have a parent? At least one. Is that so much to ask for? My phone vibrates somewhere in my bed and I flip everything around to try to find it. It's at the end of my mattress between my duvet and sheet. No idea how I managed that.

"Hello?" I say groggily, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Good to know you're alive."

I sit up quickly and face-palm myself. "Shit, Ty I'm so sorry! I forgot to tell you I was leaving."

"You think? I was so worried about you! What happened?"

Well some pervert tried to kiss me without my permission and Harry stopped him then some slut threw herself at him and he took me home. Then I cried for like three hours.

"Nothing. I just wanted to leave."

"Well you could have at least told me."

"I'm sorry," I repeat. He sighs into the phone.

"As long as you're okay. Do you want to do something today? I could help you with that math homework."

"I don't know, Ty. I don't think I'm up for it today." I'm completely exhausted; my night of sleep did me no good. I'm more tired than I would have been if I didn't sleep at all I think. "Maybe later. I'll text you."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He can probably tell by the sound of my voice that I'm lying through my teeth. "I'm fine. I'll talk to you later." I hang up before he can ask me more questions, flopping backwards again on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. I feel so...I don't know. I guess I feel broken. I don't know how else to explain it. I feel like I'm trying to function but there's something holding me back from being normal. Maybe it's too soon for me to expect myself to be able to do anything normally.

I stay in my room for the next few hours, shifting positions and basically laying in every possible area of the room while I sketch. I draw a few portraits of my mother, which all end up ruined by tear stains. I also drew a few pictures of me crying. I'm feeling kind of depressed today, if you couldn't tell. My phone vibrates multiple times throughout the day but I ignore it. I can't deal with the real world right now. My world is hard enough as it is.

Harry's POV

Well I hope she's fucking alive. Why hasn't she come out of her room? I was in the kitchen earlier and I thought I heard her talking, but by the time I got close enough to hear it was quiet again. She seemed really upset last night. I feel so bad for her. I don't even know what I would do if I lost my mum. I really admire her for being so...functional. She's talking to new people and going to school. She's been doing homework like it's her day job. And she went to Lou's party. Granted, that didn't end very well but it seemed like she had an okay time. And she seems to be getting along quite well with Liam. That's good...yeah. Good.

I went for a run earlier and came back and her door was still shut. She literally hasn't come out of there and it's almost four pm. Should I check on her? Will that be weird? My mom left early for work this morning so she probably didn't talk to Adie Either. Damn it. I'm not good at this shit.

After my shower I get dress in some sweatpants and an old tshirt. I stand in front of her door for a minute, gathering the courage to knock. Why is this so difficult? As I'm about to knock the door swings open, making both of us jump backwards. Her hand flies to her chest and her eyes are wide. My heart is beating insanely fast right now. I laugh nervously and run a hand through my damp hair. She looks insanely hot right now...a mess, but hot nonetheless. She's wearing a baggy tank top that reveals her bra a bit on the sides under her arms. She's got cute little boot slippers on and she's wearing boxers....actual boy boxers.

"Do you enjoy giving me heart attacks," she says. I can't tell if she's kidding or not.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see if you were alive. You haven't come out of your room all day." Why do I sound so needy?

"I'm fine. I slept in." She looks away from me while she says this. Must be lying. She used to do that when she was a kid; she would directly face me, but her eyes would be looking somewhere away from me. It was so funny and it made it really easy for me to tell if she was trying to play some sort of trick on me with Gemma.

"Okay. Are you wearing boxers?"

Her face goes red and she looks down at her clothes before meeting my eyes again. "Sort of." I raise my eyebrows and she pulls her hair back into a ponytail. Her hair is so long. It's really pretty. "My mom used to sleep in my Dad's old ones. It looked comfortable so I got some."

She walks past me and down the hall, so I follow her to the kitchen. I sit at the breakfast bar and she puts some toast in the toaster for herself. I want to talk to her and try to make conversation but she makes me so nervous. She's so intimidating to me for some reason. I have no idea what to say and I am never awkward, especially with girls. I mean I'm human; I still get nervous when I'm talking to a girl I like or whatever. But I'm never this lost for words. I really don't know how to talk to Adison.

"So..." I trail. She sets a plate and knife in front of the chair next to mine.

"What?" She stands there looking at me, waiting for me to say something. Shit.

"I'm having people over," I blurt. What the hell?

"Cool," she says, giving me a weird look. Smooth, Harry. Well done.

"You should hang out with us. Invite your friends."

"I don't know if I want to do that again..." she says, pouring herself a glass of milk.

"No, it won't be a party. Just some friends hanging out. The guys really like you, they'll probably just harass you until you join us anyway." She smiles slightly and stares at the toaster. When it pops she sits down next to me and starts preparing her meal. "Pleeeease?" I ask, nudging her with my elbow. She laughs quietly, sending chills down my spine. What?

"What will you do?"

Well I have no idea since I never actually invited anyone over. If everyone is busy I'm going to look like an idiot. "We'll probably just chill in the hot tub or something. Maybe have a fire."

"Who's all going?"

"Well there's me," I say, smiling at her. She looks up at me and returns it while rolling her eyes. "There's you. And I guess like Louis, Liam, Zayn, Perrie and Niall. And your friends of course."

"I guess that sounds fun." I pump both fist in front of me in celebration and she laughs again, shaking her head at me. Well, that's something. She's probably wondering what my problem is; I barely looked at her for the last week and now I'm asking her to hang out with me. So bipolar.

"Great. They'll probably come over after dinner. Speaking of that what do you want to get? My mom isn't going to be around much for the next few days. Crazy case or something." Mum is a lawyer.

"Well seeing as I'm eating right now, I'm not sure how hungry I'll be. Whatever is fine."

"Okay." I sit there and watch her eat in silence. I feel so creepy, but I really don't feel like going to my room and sitting there by myself when I can sit here with her. She probably feels uncomfortable. I occupy myself with texting my friends to make sure everyone can actually come.

Addison's POV

Why is he just sitting there? I can feel him watching me eat, but I have no idea why he's still here. I feel like I should try and say something, but I haven't got a clue what. I'm not in a very conversational mood. When I'm done eating he's still sitting there, occasionally texting on his phone. I clean up after myself and we make eye contact briefly before I head back to my room.

"Let me know when people get here," I say, walking away.

"Wait!" Harry calls. I turn around and bite my lip to hold back a smile when I see how red he is. He looks embarrassed. He's not the smooth-talker everyone claims he is. He's clumsy. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"I don't know.."

"Come on, you've been alone all day and so have I. It's just a movie." He smiles and walks towards me and into the living room area. "I don't bite."

"Okay," I agree, sitting in the middle of the giant sofa. I love this couch it's the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on. "What are we watching?"

"I'm going to pick three. You decide." He says, smirking at me and reaching into a drawer. I laugh and agree to the plan. "Okay, so. Choice one is Taken. Two is...The Purge. And then three is..." he furrows his eyebrows as he looks for the last one. So concentrated; it's so cute. He smiles when he sees what he's looking for. He holds it up and I grimace. "Nightmare on Elm Street."

"You really do enjoy scaring me, don't you?" He laughs and stands up, holding all three movies out to me. "Seriously? These are my choices?"

"Yep," he says, popping the 'p'. "I'm in the mood for something scary."

"What if I'm not?"

He shrugs. "Too bad." He gives me a warm smile, telling me he's not doing this because he hates me. Seems like it. I hate scary movies. I don't want him to think I'm a wimp, though.

"Fine. The Purge."

"Excellent." He turns and puts the disc in. "Do you want popcorn or something?"

"Sure." He walks to the kitchen and comes back a few minutes later with a massive bowl of popcorn and two glasses of pepsi. He sits down right beside me but not close enough that we're touching. "So you're really going to make me watch this?" I ask as he hits the play button.

"It was your choice, Ads."

I get goosebumps on the back of my neck when he calls me that. He's literally the only person that's ever called me that and I haven't heard him say it in a really long time. Eight years to be precise. It's nice. I didn't realize I was staring at him until he makes eye contact with me.

"What?" he asks, smirking at me.

"Just...nothing." I turn back to the movie and get ready to hide my face in my hands. I'm already scared and nothing has even happened yet. Harry gets up and closes all the blinds and shuts off every light, making it practically pitch black in here. "Wow, that's really nice of you. Not like I wasn't scared enough already."

He laughs and sits down again, right next to me so that our arms are touching. He doesn't shift to stop the contact, so I don't either. Eventually the real action starts and it doesn't take long before I've slouched down so that my legs block most of the TV. I try to control my constant squealing, but I can't help it! Damn scary movies. Suddenly something pops up and I scream and hide my face behind Harry's arm.

"You don't handle these well do you," he teases. I'm glad it's dark right now because my face is burning red when I pull it back from behind him. When the movie is finally over I sigh in relief and fall sideways onto the couch.

"I'm never going to sleep again."

He laughs and I flinch when he holds his phone out. I'm not used to the bright light.

"So it's just going to be Liam and Louis coming tonight," he says. Shit!

"I totally forgot to invite Car and Tyler!"

He chuckles and gets my phone off the coffee table for me. I quickly text them both and shut my phone back off. We're still sitting in complete darkness. It's not awkward anymore, though. Apparently we just needed to break the ice or whatever.

"So what's the deal with you and Ty?" he asks suddenly.

"There's no 'deal'. We're just friends."

"Really? I saw you guys like...cuddling or whatever when you first moved in," he says awkwardly. Well that's embarrassing.

"We're just really close. He's like my brother."

"Oh." We sit in silence for a few minutes and my friends both text me back saying they'll come. Caroline is probably dying right now. "What do you want to get for dinner? I'm starving."

"You just ate a ton of popcorn!" He shrugs and I just laugh. "Whatever is fine with me."

"It's just after six which means the guys will probably be here in like an hour or something. We can make something if you want?"

"Sure." He stands and starts turning on the lights again. I help re-oping the drapes, but he tells me to leave the front windows covered. I giggle when he admits it creeps him out when they're open. Apparently he feels like someone's watching him. After the movie we just watched I'm sure I will too. I walk to the kitchen and offer to help Harry, but he just tells me to sit and watch him work. He actually knows how to cook. I'm impressed. We don't talk much while he's cooking. I don't think either of us know how to talk to one another. At least it's not awkward anymore.

"So, who was that girl?" I ask after a while, leaning my chin on my hand.

"What girl?" he asks, not looking up from what he's doing. He's making us some pasta and chicken.

"The one that tried to...get you to stay. At the party last night."

"Oh. That girl." He continues stirring things on the frying pan and I assume he just doesn't want to answer after a minute or two. Eventually he comes over to the peninsula and leans his elbows on it. "Do you know her?"

"I know she's popular." And a slut. "I've never really talked to her before."

"You're lucky," he laughs. "We umm..hung out at a party a while back. Now she won't leave me alone."

"Hung out? Why would she be so clingy after just hanging out with you?"

He flashes an amused and crooked smile at me, showing one of his dimples. He cocks his head to the side and stands up straight, backing up to lean against the island behind him. "Well, we didn't just hang out."

"What did you...." my face goes red when I realize what he was talking about. "Oh." He chuckles and goes back to his cooking. Well, that's embarrassing. He probably thinks I'm a naive little child now. I mean I guess when it comes to that stuff I kind of am, but he doesn't need to know that. "So what....now she won't leave you alone?"

"Yeah. I wasn't exactly in my right mind when we...yeah. Anyway. Apparently she doesn't understand the meaning of the word no."

Wow, I feel uncomfortable now. I really don't feel okay talking about his sex life. That's just weird and I do not want to know. Courtney? Seriously? She's probably got like twelve STDs. Everyone knows she's easy. He can do so much better than her, I mean look at him.

Wait, what?

"Dinner is served," he says proudly, setting everything on the island. I stand and walk over to it and start dumping food onto my plate. Suddenly I feel the need to comfort myself food. Harry laughs when he sees how much I plan to eat. "Hungry?"

"I guess." I sit down at the breakfast bar again and start shovelling food into my mouth. He sits beside me and we eat in silence. I can feel him look at me once in a while, but I don't look at him.

"You're judging me, aren't you?" he says after a while.

"What?" I swallow my food and look at him. He doesn't look amused anymore. "Why would you say that?"

"I can see it on your face. After what I just told you." I look down at my plate guilty and push the food around. "Well?"

"It's none of my business, Harry. You can sleep with whoever you want." I suddenly drops his fork onto his plate and swivels his chair towards me.

"Woah. What?" he asks loudly. "Sleep with her? Who said anything about having sex with her?"

"Isn't that what you meant?" I ask quietly, feeling kind of stupid.

"Of course not! You think that's the kind of person I am?" he asks, sounding irritated.

"What? No...I mean yes. I mean...I don't know! That's what people at school say about you!" I cover my eyes with my hands when the words leave my mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"You believed it?" he asks, voice laced with hurt. What does he expect? Does he think I know him inside out just because we spent our entire childhood together? That was forever ago!

"Harry, I don't really know you. I don't know what to believe."

"Good to know." We eat in silence until he gets up and starts cleaning everything up, not being quiet or gentle with the dishes when moves them around. After he's done he storms off to his room, leaving me alone. Well that went well.

I put my own plate away and head back to my room. Harry's door is closed. I shut mine, but leave it slightly ajar while I lay on my bed with my sketchpad. I hope he doesn't hate me now. How was I supposed to know what everyone said about him was a lie? I don't know why he feels like I know him better than anyone. I don't. It doesn't work that way.

I hear him leave his room and shortly after more voices enter the house. Right. I forgot about the people coming here.

Joy.

Notes

here it is.
so im going to get the first maybe...ten chapters up pretty quick but after that my updates probably wont be as frequent. so you know.

let me know what you think of this chapter!!
is it weird that harry thinks she should know him so well?
what do you think she thinks of him?

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