Finals, she had already written a bunch once. They had terrified her at first, a semesters worth of material that she had been responsible for, essays, questions that never made any sense to her in the midst of all the nerves. This time was no different, the stress of them alone hung over her like summer smog. But once she added her petty argument with Charlotte and the entire situation with Harry, again things were made more difficult.

She began to wonder in the back of her mind if she was just making it difficult for herself. She didn't have to worry about any of this, she could just brush it aside and deal with it later. She couldn't explain why this was all worrying her so much, or really she couldn't bring herself to even admit it.

As she finished the mind numbing essay, making sure it was coherent enough to insure success, she gathered everything up to hand it in, checking this one off her list. Only two more to go, then she could focus on packing her life away and returning home.

Home, it was such a strange concept now. Her dorm had been her home since August, she had been so excited for it, so desperate to leave that village and those memories behind. Now she wanted it all back, needed her childhood bedroom, her mum calling up the stairs to say goodbye for the day. She needed to hide, to have some time to herself without the pressures of school, the situation with her ex and now with Charlotte.

Charlotte, she had been so tolerant with Kate. She had held her when she cried over that reunion, dealt with her mood swings that moved faster than a roller-coaster these days. Yet when Charlotte had understandably had enough, Kate pushed her away. Now they were barely speaking, barely saw one another.

Lost in thought, both of her problems and what she had to study next, her shoulder connected hard with another, knocking her back like a shot.

"I'm sorry," she muttered in embarrassment, not lifting her head to see who the poor person was. As she tried to walk off, she felt someone grab her arm, that action bringing her head up.

The green eyes burned into her own, they seemed foreign to her after so long, but they had a purpose.

"I forgot you had another final, I had to rush over here so I wouldn't miss you," Charlotte explained out of breath. She threw her an awkward look, then removed her hand from Kate's arm. "Can we go get a coffee and talk?"

With a nod Kate began to walk, Charlotte following her in silence. That silence didn't break until both girls were seated with complicated drinks in front of them.

"Where have you been staying?" Kate wondered out loud.

"I've been smuggled into Scott's room for a few nights, ours others but you've always been passed out when i've come in."

The revelation shocked her, she had woken up alone and gone to bed alone every night since their argument. Had she been so wrapped up in herself that she didn't notice?

She wanted to blame this on Harry, something else that was his fault, but she couldn't. This was all her.

"I'm sure Scott's been excited by that, he's been begging you to be rebellious all year and sneak into his dorm," she chuckled, making some light of their awkward living arrangements.

Charlotte shrugged, smiling that smug smile she reserved for when she was being devious. "I made him sleep on the floor, which was a total hit with his roommate who apparently has the bladder of a small child. I've never seen someone get up so much who wasn't five or eighty-five."

This got Kate laughing, a loud and genuine laugh, one that seemed so out of the ordinary for her lately, especially with her roommate.

"I guess that BMW was a cover for something huh?"

"Kate," she gasped, covering her mouth to stop the wild laughter from escaping her throat. "You may not be wrong though."

"I know i'm not wrong, and we have all the proof we need. You should buy him some higgles as a thank you gift."

"Unfortunately, Scott's moving into an off campus apartment with him next fall and if I want to continue to sleep with my boyfriend, in the innocent sense, I better not embarrass him like that."

"Make sure his room is closest to the bathroom."

Both girls howled at that, the laughter coming so easily it was like nothing had ever happened between the two of them.

There was a moment of silence shared by them as they regained their composure, looking at one another with half grins.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte said first. "I shouldn't have snapped at you about…him. I know shit happens and everyone reacts differently." She was still clueless as to what had gone down between them.

Shaking her head, Kate reached out across the table. "No, i'm sorry. I took your friendship and kindness for granted. You were really understanding and I was a complete bitch, so selfish."

"It's okay, we can forget it now yeah?" She winked, imitating Kate as best as she could. "Speaking of kindness."

Kate raised an eyebrow, knowing that something was up.

"Finals are madness, it's been stressing everyone out so much. So, just hear me out okay?"

Hear me out, those words never meant anything good. But Kate was curious as to what Charlotte had to say, so she kept quiet and let her speak.

"Scott thinks it would be an awesome idea to just go out and go a bit crazy. Nothing illegal, we won't have you deported yet. Anyway, Tom has been really nuts lately too and I think if the four of us just went out somewhere, dinner, maybe a club, we could all have a great night. We could recharge, kick the asses of the rest of our finals. Plus it'll be like a going away party for you…" She trailed off, Charlotte looked at the other girl with hopeful eyes.

"Like a double date?" Kate asked.

"Well, yes and no, Technically you'd be his date but you aren't obligated to bang him at the end of the night like I am with Scott."

"Charlotte!" She bellowed, covering her face in embarrassment, then sighing heavily. "Okay, but it's just for a bit of fun and as mates, nothing legit."

She should have been mad, she should have been furious that not even five minutes after their apologies she was asking her to double date. She wasn't mad though, she couldn't muster up enough energy to even get angry at this point. Finals had definitely made her mental, she needed a break.

"Really?! Oh Kate," Charlotte yelped, reaching across the table to pull her into a hug. "We're going to have so much fun."

Fun, fun, that was the only word that seemed to be ringing in Kate's head as she finished yet another final (one more to go). Tom had sent her a text that morning, not only to wish her good luck today, but to tell her that he was excited to see her that night. It brought a smile to her face, he really was great and what better way to forget about all of your worries but a cute boy?

They had decided on dinner and a movie, some mindless popcorn fun. This choice required little effort on Katie's part, but all the effort Charlotte had in her.

"It takes a lot to look casual, casual is the hardest fashion trend to pull off," she told her from the mirror as she applied another layer of eyeshadow.

Kate had stuck to the basics, a pair of cut off jean shorts, a grey crop top, a simple pair of sandals and a beenie to hide the mane that she was too lazy to tame. Her make-up was minimal as well, and her accessories non existent.

By the time the girls were out the door, their prince's were sweeping them up in the awaiting white truck.

"Took you long enough," Scott muttered from the front passenger seat.

"You look damp, did someone rain on your pan- er, parade?" Kate blurted out, calling back the conversation the two roommates had a few days ago.

Charlotte snorted, clamping her lips together as she nudged Kate hard in the side with her elbow.

"What's she on about?" Scott questioned, struggling to turn around in his seat to look at the now giggling girls.

"Nothing honey," his girlfriend smiled sweetly, puckering her lips up at him.

The rest of the ride was spent quietly, a few quips here and there over the local radio station playing top forty in the background.

As they pulled into the quaint little mexican restaurant, one that had been featured on The Hills Charlotte mentioned in glee, the opening chords of a familiar song broke through.

"You're insecure, don't know wh-"

The engine cut off before it could continue, Kate's breath catching in her throat. She waited for someone to say something, for Scott to make a smart remark, or for Charlotte to lean over and try to comfort her, but it never came. They all got out of the truck, no words said or exchanged, leaving Kate to catch up with them.

Once they were seated and a practical buffet of food was ordered, they fell into a steady flow of conversation and laughter. They were all having a good time, the stress melting away like the cheese over their nachos.

In the middle of all the smiles, the faint sound started up again, that familiar song she had luckily gotten away from earlier.

This was the first time silence came over them since being seated, Tom's strange look bringing it on.

"Why would they play a song like this in a mexican restaurant, don't you think they'd want to keep it authentic?"

A round of awkward shrugs came his way, both Charlotte and Scott glancing at Kate to gauge her reaction. There was no reaction, not verbally. Physically, she shifted in her seat and practically dove into her plate.

"And out of all top forty," he continued when nobody said anything. "They play some shitty boy band singing about some insecure girl. A manufactured band, put together on television purely for profit. Let's not mention that horrifying music video, it was worse than Rosemary's Baby. That's the true spawn of Satan."

"Okay buddy, let's not get all political this is supposed to be a fun night," Scott laughed nervously.

"No, I mean i'm right. Five semi good looking guy, if you're twelve, who are practically kids themselves. That one with the floppy whatever, flipping his hair as he sings the exact lyric. It's so shallow even a betta fish couldn't swim in it. He probably hates his existence, being part of the machine."

"And how do you know that?" Kate accused suddenly, his last statement commanding her full attention.

"Kate," Charlotte tried.

She put her hand up, silencing her. "Well go on then love, since you're so educated on 'the machine' and how everyone must feel. I'd love to hear this Tom."

He mistook her tone for interest, his chest puffing out with pride. He seemed to love an audience, being the centre of attention. It was a shock in comparison to his compassion.

"How can you be happy in the middle of madness? There's no privacy, you have no control over any aspect of your life or career. He probably has no meaningful relationships, forget about having a girlfriend, although I doubt that. That floppy headed doofus only wants one thing from girls. It isn't like he'd chase anybody, text them unless he was trying to get into her pants. It must be lonely, he can cry into his pile of money though."

She laughed, wanting so badly to pull a Real Housewives move and flip the table. Throwing down her napkin Kate stood, so many emotions just simmering under the surface.

Both boys looked at her confused.

"I'm out of here," she muttered, spelling it out for them before she once again walked away. She was beginning to think that was all she was good for at this point, running.

"What about the movie?" Tom called after her.

Stopping dead as his question sunk in, the realization of what kind of person Tom really was, she spun around. "Fuck your movie."

With that, she left them stunned.

After a moment, Charlotte jumped to her feet to follow her, finding her stood outside.

"Katie."

"You know," she laughed. "I think i'm just meant to be alone. That completely confirms it, what a twat."

"Yeah that was a complete mess. So much for having a stress free night, thanks a lot Harry with your stupid, floppy hair."

Giving her a small smile, appreciating the loyalty, she shook her head. "Oddly even though it was about him, he really has nothing to do with how I reacted. He's still a dick for what he did, but Tom's just stupid. No, he's pretentious and obnoxious which make him a jerk."

"Don't yell at me for this, but can you tell me what the hell Harry Styles did to you?"

Kate sighed, running a hand over her face before she laughed. "This is going to sound so stupid now, thinking about it makes me sort of wonder if this whole thing has been incredibly petty."

"Just tell me already!" Charlotte yelped anxiously, she had waited long enough.

"He broke up with me over the phone okay? On top of basically keeping the fact we were dating a complete secret, like he was ashamed of me or something."

Kate expected her to laugh, instead she pulled her into a tight hug.

"Okay that is awful, who the hell does that? You do not dump someone over the phone, you poor thing."

Completely out of the blue, Kate began to cry. It had all hurt her so much it was becoming too unbearable. She had loved him, and maybe those feelings had never died.

"I just feel so worthless Char, like with this hanging over my head because I never had real closure, it was never completely done with him…I can't move on. Then when I want to and the guy seems good, he just turns into a dick. I don't think i'm supposed to be happy."

"Now that's just ridiculous," Charlotte scoffed. "What Harry did makes him a coward, and Tom is a prick anyway so it doesn't matter." Pulling away from her, she took Kate by the shoulders. "You'll be okay, maybe going home for the summer will do you some good."

Kate had already thought about the prospects of how good a summer at home would be for her, but she thanked Charlotte nonetheless, giving her another hug.

"You should go back in there, take advantage of the movie."

"What about you?"

"I'm just going to go back to the dorm and relax."

Charlotte looked at her skeptically. "But no studying okay? You should watch a movie too."

Laughing, Kate saluted her with a short nod. "I promise, no studying and only movie watching."

"Good, i'll see you at home Kate."

With that both girls parted ways, Charlotte left to deal with the boys while Kate grabbed a cab back to the dorms.

Closing the door behind her, she changed into a pair of sweats and a big tank top, throwing her hair up before she settled into bed. Pulling her laptop in her lap to search for the perfect movie, her fingers took control instead, mindlessly and without a second to check herself. Maybe it was the idea planted in her head at dinner, but she went to youtube, typing in the title to the song that she had heard twice that night.

It was funny, she hadn't even watched the video. She had seen clips, but not watched it all the way through. Now as it played, his voice wafting into her ears like a lullaby, pride swelled up inside of her. She was actually and surprisingly happy. She couldn't place why, was the song just fun, was it the lightness of the video?

One thing about it did bother her though, and not for a stereotypical reason. The moment he slid up to the cute brunette to sing his solo, teasing a kiss between them, she almost shut it off. Not out of jealousy, but simply because that look was how he had made her fall so hard.