Ugh. Today was Friday and I woke up with a splitting headache and a stuffy nose. I rolled out of bed to find John Michael sleeping in my window seat which confused me.

“Johnny,” I said in my nasally voice, “We have to get ready for school.”

I shook him awake and his eyes got wide.

“Go back to bed you’re sick Rosie,” he said using my childhood nickname.

“I can’t miss school Johnny,” I said and John Michael shook his head no.

“I had Mom call you off,” he said, “Go get some sleep. I’ll tell Harry you’re sick and you can’t go to his work party tonight.”

“Oh no,” I frowned, “I promised I’d go with him Johnny. He’s going to be so disappointed.”

Over the last week, Delilah and I had started eating with Harry and his friends at lunch and I swear utter chaos erupted. Rumors soon spread that I was sleeping with Harry and that he was the one to talk me into all of the tattoos. Its wasn’t as bad for Delilah because no one really knew her but I was just looked at like a freak after my big reveal on Monday. I was a bit happy because I didn’t have to wear long sleeves all the time but some of the rumors were a bit too much.

Harry and I talked almost on a daily basis too, and not just at school. After lunch Harry and I would go to the park by my house and we would just sit and talk for hours still getting to know each other. Come to find out Harry and I had a lot in common and we both become really close. Everyone thought we were dating because we would always tease each other and according to everyone flirt a lot. I thought they were all crazy but there was no denying the fact that I was slowly falling the boy with curly hair, beautiful green eyes, and tattoos.

“He’ll understand Rose,” John Michael said, “Just get some rest and sleep. I’ll be home after school to take care of you. If you need anything go wake up Mom.”

“I’ll take my chances by asking a rabid dog,” I said and John Michael rolled his eyes.

I then crawled into bed and let sleep take over yet again. When I woke up, I walked down the stairs to see Niall sitting on the couch watching a movie. He then went into an explanation that he was babysitting me until John Michael got back home from his date with some girl he met at the party last weekend. I then decided to join Niall since I had been sleeping all day and I felt a bit better. I told Niall to call everyone over so that way we could all hang out since Niall and I were both getting bored of each other’s company because I couldn’t do much. However I must have fallen asleep on him because the next time I woke up I heard the doorbell ringing annoyingly and it was nighttime. I groaned and opened my eyes.

“Want me to get it?” Niall asked and I shook my head.

“I’ll get it,” I said and stood up from the couch.

I then walked through the living to open the front door to see a frantic and upset Harry.

“Why did you stand me up tonight?!” he asked.

“I didn’t Harry,” I said coughing into my elbow, “Johnny told me he’d tell you I woke up sick this morning.”

“Well he didn’t,” Harry snarled.

“I’m sorry Haz,” I said a bit taken aback by his anger.

“Hey what’s going on?” Niall asked standing behind me and I saw hurt and anger flash behind his eyes.

“No you’re not,” he snapped, “If you were sorry you would’ve called and you didn’t. You don’t really care about me. You just care about yourself and you used me to get to my friend! Well you know what forget this assignment and forget getting to know you! You are right about yourself you’re nothing but a slag!”

Harry then stormed off my front porch and pushed passed John Michael who was walking up the front porch.

“What. . .” John Michael asked as I felt the tears roll over my eyes.

“Fuck this shit,” I said and stormed up to my room.

I shut and locked my door and let the tears stream down my face. I couldn’t believe Harry had just thought I wouldn’t go because I didn’t want to. God maybe I was just hoping Harry could be different and in all reality he was exactly the opposite. He was just like everyone else I knew. I was wiping away the tears when I heard my door unlock and I moved to see Perrie, Eleanor, Danielle, and Delilah stick their heads in.

“Wanna talk about it?” Perrie asked and I let them come in and I told the short story of what happened.

“We already have the ten letters so I can just write the paper on him and turn it in on Monday and be done with it,” I said, “but I have a feeling it won’t do any good because he’ll just write about how much he hates me.”

“Well what are you going to do?” Delilah asked as I wiped my eyes for like the millionth time.

“Just write what I truly think about him,” I said, “It’s not all good but it’s not all bad either.”

“You do what you need to do Rose,” Eleanor said, “Maybe we can talk to him and see what’s going on.”

“Alright,” I sighed feeling a new set of tears coming.

I didn’t know though if it was from being sick or if I was truly sad about this. I told the girls to go home and get away so no one would get sick from me and I then went back to bed. I spent the rest of the weekend writing my paper on Harry and trying to get over the cold I had. When Monday morning rolled around, I was doing better so I decided to go to school. I just put on a simple outfit and let my hair down its natural waves and walked downstairs to find John Michael eating a bowl of cereal. He smiled a bit at me and I gave him the best fake smile I could.

“Do you want me to drive?” he asked and I nodded my head.

He nodded his head and put his empty bowl in the sink and we headed to school. John Michael parked his car and I got out of the car went inside not waiting for John Michael. However when I walked in, I saw papers posted everywhere. Everyone was whispering and looking at me and when I got closer I saw they were all the letters Harry and I had shared. I felt the lump in my throat rise because they were all of the letters we shared. I ripped the one off my locker and I looked up to see Harry smirking at me as the tears fell down my face. Delilah came up to me and I spun around still clutching the paper in my hand.

“Hey I see. . .What’s wrong?” she asked and I handed her the paper.

Delilah quickly read it but before she could stop me, I walked into the only classroom I considered my safe haven. I shut the door to Mrs. Wilts room and she looked up at me concerned.

“I can’t really explain right now Mrs. W,” I said wiping my tears away, “but this is the paper you wanted written. It’s my real opinion on Harry Styles but I can’t stay in school today. I need to get out of here.”

I then handed the paper to the Mrs. Wilts and then rushed out of the room before she could stop me. When I left the room, I saw that Harry was still smirking at me and I just felt the tears fall faster and I shoved my way through the crowd of people whispering about me and out of the school grounds to wallow in myself pity.

Harry’s POV
I was happy that I finally got back at Rose. Maybe she could feel a taste of her own medicine. How dare she hang out with Niall and stand me up. If she didn’t want to go all she had to do was say no. I was smirking at her as she shoved her way to the front door when Delilah walked up to me pissed off.

“What the fuck is your problem Styles!?” she exclaimed, “Rose was sick Friday night! Niall was babysitting her. Nothing happened because she slept!”

“And how do you know that!?” I growled getting in her face.

“Because I’m dating Niall!” she yelled and my eyes got wide.

“Wait. . .you’re the girl. . .” I said piecing together what was going on.

“Yes,” she said, “And you just broke the girl who actually gave you a chance. You’re an asshole and jerk. She trusted you with these letters. I can’t believe you.”

She then just shoved the paper in my hands and stormed off. Throughout the day none of the guys talked to me or came up to me. John Michael just sent me a glare all day. When we got to journalism, the guilt was eating at me and I couldn’t stand being in one of her classes she adored. I was lying my head on the desk when Mrs. Wilts called me into her office. I followed her into her office in her class and she shut her door.

“Mr. Styles,” she said, “Do you want to know why you picked Rose’s name?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I knew you two belonged together,” she said, “Most of the teachers that had you two in class together knew you had some type of chemistry and this was a chance for us to prove to you two that you needed each other. Well I guess I was wrong. I don’t know what Rose did to deserve having her life plastered on the walls for your peers to have but that was out of line Mr. Styles. She came into this classroom before school started and handed in her paper about you. I want you to read it. I want you to see how she sees you. She then handed me a paper and left me to read in her office.

Harry Edward Styles
“I'm quite old-fashioned. I like going out to dinner. You have the chance to talk to somebody and get to know them better.” This is one quote from one of the many letters that Harry Styles and I shared this past month. Harry Styles has been described as a punk, delinquent, charming, flirt, and womanizer, but these things aren’t Harry Styles. Harry Styles is someone who is so much more than those limited cliques. He’s a kind, caring, responsible individual who is just trying to find out what his true calling is just like all of us in school right now.
At first I had the word punk when I found out I was supposed to be getting to know Harry. I had been in that place before and I had dated many of what people consider to be Harry’s “style.” All of the boys with the piercings and tattoos that I knew were jerks and only wanted one thing from girls and I just assumed that’s exactly what Harry wanted. However when we started writing to each other, we picked up on who our pen pals were immediately. That led us to hanging out, talking, truly getting to know each other and for the first time in years since my parents’ divorce and I completely rebelling against them, I found a true friend. Someone who understood me for me and someone I could count on to have my back. Harry understood everything I was going through and he helped me get through a lot of the things that I still needed healing from, so this punk, street rat became someone I needed to see daily.
Things have been crazy since it’s only the second week of this assignment and I’m writing this but I feel like I’ve known Harry for years just on the connection we’ve created in these past two weeks. I feel like he would protect me at all costs and I would do the same for him. He truly made me see that I shouldn’t have to hide my true self from the world. I should embrace it and show the world the real me. Like he said in one of his letters, “You shouldn’t feel ashamed to have to conform to the norm. If we all did that, then life would be completely boring and predictable and I think I would kill myself.” And he is so right. I hate being in the norm so I have to thank him for that.
I know you want us to write a paper about how we got to know someone Mrs. Wilts but I can spend hours and hours writing about things I found out about Harry. I could spend hours telling you how when he gets excited his green eyes light up and become lighter than normal or how when he’s worried about you he makes sure that you’re alright first before he deals with the problem to make you upset or hurt. I could tell you how when he’s concentrating on a song he’s learning that his forehead creases a bit and his tongue pokes out on the right side of his mouth. I could go on about how stubborn he is how every time we get into an argument over something stupid he’s the one to get me to cave first. I could tell you all the small little details I have learned about Harry Styles over the past two weeks but I don’t think that’s why you gave him to me as my partner. I think you were trying to play matchmaker for us and I commend you on a great try.
I did fall for Harry Styles. I fell hard and fast. I never knew that someone could have this effect on a person like Harry does on me but it just wasn’t meant to be. Harry’s a great guy and I love him, I truly love him, but when he jumps to conclusion breaking me into a thousand little pieces because he thought I wasn’t with him because I was seeing one of his friends it makes me realize that maybe I’m just not his one. Street rats and teacher’s pets aren’t meant for each other and it seems to me that this teacher’s pet and a certain street rat aren’t meant to be together either.

When I was done reading the paper, I knew I made a huge mistake. I quickly stood up from my chair in her office and I walked out of Mrs. Wilts office. I handed her the paper and I immediately left my things in the classroom and went straight to the one place that Rose was. I walked into the auditorium she wasn’t there. I was sure she would be here there. She always went to the auditorium when she was upset. I then went to Mr. Ransom’s room and she wasn’t in there either. I looked around the school when the bell for lunch rang. I rushed back to Mrs. Wilts room to grab my things and then I went into the lunchroom. I made my way to the table where everyone was sitting at. When I got to the talking stopped, and I knew they wouldn’t tell me but I had to know.

“Where is she John?” I asked looking at her brother.

“Why should I tell you?” he asked, “You just slander my sister. What I should be doing is beating your face in.”

My eyes narrowed at him and I spoke slowly.

“Tell me where she is John,” I growled and John stood up.

He was taller than me and had a good fifty pounds on me but it wasn’t going to stop me from beating him up if he attacked me.

“I’m not going to tell you,” he replied just as angry and his normal brown eyes grew darker.

“I’m trying to make things right!” I exclaimed, “Now tell me!”

“Just leave her alone Harry,” Delilah piped up and I watched Niall pull her closer to him, “You don’t know the damage you’ve just done just leave her alone.”

I then let out a frustrated scream and made my way to my car. If no one was going to tell me I was going to tear London apart until I found her.

Notes

Here's an update guys! Hope you all like it!