Change // H.S.

15. Good News & Bad News

*Harry's POV*

It's now 10 AM. I've been awake since 8 AM because that's the time Dani wakes up for school. I pretended to be asleep on the couch while stealing occasional glances at Dani as she got ready for school.

I let out a big sigh. I have feelings for Dani. I wonder if she feels the same way about me? Should I tell her how I feel? No. It's too soon. If I tell her how I feel, it will change everything. And who am I kidding? She'll never love me back. I've got too many problems.

I got up and got ready. I grabbed my jacket and walked out into the streets. I dug my hands into my pocket and felt a piece of paper inside. Curious as to what it was, I pulled the paper out and realized it was the envelope that Tom gave me a month ago. Tom! I wonder how he's doing. I see Tom's number on the envelope and realize I should call him. Ask him how he is and update him on my situation. I scanned the streets for a pay phone. It didn't take too long to find one. I stuck some coins in and dialed his number. On the fourth ring, Tom picked up.

"Hello?" he asked hesitantly.

"Tom!" I exclaimed, happy that he picked up. "It's me! Harry!"

"Harry?" he asked in disbelief. "How are you, man? I haven't heard from you in a long time! Is everything okay?" Even though we haven't talked in a month, he still asks if I'm okay. I couldn't help the smile that made its way onto my face. I'm glad I have a caring friend like Tom.

"I'm doing great," I told him. "Things have never been better."

"I'm happy for you, Harry. Are you busy right now?"

"No I'm not. Why?"

"Do you want to meet up and have lunch? On me of course! I want to see you. I miss you."

"Yeah, let's meet up. Where are you?"

~

Tom and I met at Chipotle for lunch. Tom is doing really well. He's acing all his classes and he and his ex-girlfriend are on good terms now. Although they're not back together, they're still friends. I hope they get back together soon. They were a cute couple.

For Tom, commuting to school everyday sucks because of the traffic but he's happy about all the money he's saving by living with his parents. I told him about my living situation, Dani, the changes I'm trying to make, and how I'm looking for a job. Tom's excited for me and wishes me nothing but the best. After lunch, we parted ways because Tom had to go to class. We promised to meet again soon.

.

.

*Dani's POV*

Rachel and I are in the HUB (Husky Union Building) having a late lunch. Things are starting to get busy again in school. I have an exam at the end of the week and an essay due next week. Ugh.

"Saturday was so much fun," Rachel suddenly said. I turned to look at her. "So he had no idea we knew it was his birthday?"

"Yeah," I told her. I was surprised that Harry wasn't the least bit suspicious when we took him out that day. But then again, his birthday was probably the least of his worries. He had other things to focus on.

"Why didn't you tell me he was a cutie?" Rachel laughed. "You're so lucky." I laughed. Rachel was such a flirt and she wasn't shy about hiding it either. If she liked someone, she definitely let that person know.

"I didn't think you cared," I told her honestly.

"Well I do."

"Well now I know," I grinned at her.

"So...what do you think of Harry?" she asked me, placing her chin in her hands and looking at me expectantly.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," she smirked at me.

"No I don't," I told her, clueless as to what she was hinting at.

"Do you think he's cute?" Her question caught me off guard.

"I...uh...yeah, he's an attractive person," I told her. "But I don't see him that way, you know? I see him as someone who needs help." Rachel frowned, not liking my answer one bit. Why is she so upset about this?

"Oh," she said. "Well that's lame. The two of you would make a cute couple. I thought there was something going on between the two of you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well," she started, "the both of you enjoy each other's company. He's happy when he's around you. And have you seen the way he looks at you when you talk? He gives you his full attention. He makes you feel important. I think he's in love with you." I'm surprised at the words that are coming out of her mouth. She got all of that from knowing Harry for one day? That can't be true. I agree that we do enjoy each other's company. Our relationship is a whole lot better compared to the first day we met. My mind wandered back to the time we first met. He found me annoying and wanted nothing to do with me. Now things are different. He's starting to open up to me and he respects me.

"Do you really think that?" I asked. Is Harry really in love with me? I tried to remember our interactions the past few days. I didn't notice anything different.

"Yeah," she said with confidence. Her confidence scared me. How can she be so sure that Harry likes me? I couldn't see it no matter how many times I tried to think about it. We continued talking but I found it hard to concentrate on our conversation. This new information is racing through my mind.

~

I got home at 4:30 PM. Before going home, I stopped by to visit Harry's aunt and spent half an hour telling her about his birthday. She was all smiles when she learned that Harry loved the watch. She thanked me profusely for giving it to him.

When I got home, I noticed Harry sitting on the couch. He was leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and deep thought. He didn't even look up when I closed the door.

"Is everything alright, Harry?" I asked. He looked up, his green eyes staring right into mine. I can see that he's nervous. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just--you should listen to your voicemail." I walked up to the phone and called my voicemail.

You have one new message, my voicemail said. Message received at 2:37 PM today from 206-555-0123: Hi Harry. This is Kate from Mel's Bakery. We received your application and would like to know when you can come in for an interview. Please call us back at 206-555-0123. Thanks. We hope to hear from you soon. Have a nice day.

I quickly turned to face Harry. "Congrats, Harry! Why aren't you happy?" I yelled. Harry laughed at how excited I was for him.

"I am happy," he told me. "It's just--I'm nervous is all. What if they don't like me? I don't even know how to prepare for an interview."

"I can help you," I told him, smiling. "We can look online for interview questions. I can print them out for you and you can think of answers to them. You'll practice answering the questions for a while and then we can pretend that I'm the person who's interviewing you." I can see Harry brightening up at what I'm saying. I guess Rachel is right. I do make him happy. I stopped smiling, my thoughts racing back to what Rachel said about Harry earlier. Harry noticed my sudden change in mood.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just remembered I have an essay due next week," I lied. I put the smile back on. "You should call them back and schedule an interview."

"Right," Harry said, taking the phone out of my hand. He went out on the balcony and shut the door behind him. I watched as he disappeared from my sight. I was left alone with my own thoughts.

How do I feel about Harry? Are we friends or something more? No. We're just friends. I'm just helping a friend out.