Cloudy with a chance of heartbreak

Ice ice baby

Five years ago

Katie's POV

I pulled my biology books from my locker just as Harrison walked up to the one next to me.

He was whistling a familiar tune but I couldn't quite place it. I ignored him as I searched for my planner.

His whistling became more incessant and harder to zone out as he lazily rummaged through the contents of his locker. He was such an arrogant jerk, I couldn't believe people worshipped him around here.

His two sidekicks Joel and Jackson came up beside him and started laughing as he continued whistling and it finally clicked. It was Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby. I didn't peg him as a retro hip hop fan. No doubt he was going for old-school cool being the massive try-hard that he was.

I rolled my eyes and was about to close my locker and get the hell away from these immature jerks when Liam came up behind me. He greeted the guys with one of those bro handshakes guys like to do before turning his attention to me. He played footy with them so they hung out but I could tell even Liam could only tolerate them in small doses.

"Walk to biology together?" He offered, casually slinging an arm around my shoulder in the friendly way he often did.

I nodded brightly and we started to head in the direction of our next class when Harrison started singing the chorus loudly. Liam shot him a warning glare.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

Liam was scowling and dismissively told me Harrison was just being a juvenile asshole as usual.

When we got to class, Mia had saved a seat on either side of her for me and Liam. As I settled in, she begged me to convince my dad to let me go to Harrison's party on Friday night.

I wasn't even invited. I was never invited. You could only say no so many times before people didn't bother asking anymore.

It's not that I didn't want to go, I really did but dad wouldn't allow it if Noah wasn't there and he was off at college now. He wasn't going to waste his time at a high school party when he never even entertained the idea of taking me along when he did attend Hilbert Ridge High.

I had become a bit of a social outcast at school. I wasn't really in with the popular group like Mia was. They all hung out together at parties and then spent every lunchtime at school debriefing on everything that had happened and planning what they were wearing to the next one. I sat with them but was always on the outer perimeter of their conversations, never really a part of all their in-jokes and gossip.

People always felt sorry for the loners in high school, the ones who sat all by themselves every recess and lunch. But being surrounded by people and still feeling lonely was excruciating. The people around me constantly amplified all the reasons I didn't belong.

"What's the point Mia, you know no amount of grovelling will change my dad's mind," I finally grumbled.

She and Liam exchanged a look before changing the subject to homework. Yep, that was much more my speed, I thought miserably.

After an exhausting morning of classes, I made my way to the cafeteria to suffer through another painful lunch of not fitting in. I spotted Mia with our group of friends, who only really tolerated me because of her, and slowly made my way over.

As I passed Harrison's table, the entire group were chanting that stupid song again and for the first time, I realised it was directed at me.

My cheeks heated when I saw the mocking sneers they were throwing my way. Liam was sitting with them but didn't join in.