Dark Thorns | Harry Styles AU

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Oh my God, you sleep like a hung-over walrus. Get up already!"

At the sound of such a shrill voice, my eyes shot open; not gracefully nor in a fluttering manner, but as if a killer was standing above my body with a gun pressed to my head and I was just now noticing for the first time. I realized that wasn't the case, however, when the banging on my door grew louder and the only thing I saw was the darkness under my bed.

I'd fallen asleep on the floor, inside my square of safety, nestled into a blanket I had kicked off during the night. Apparently, I had gotten warm, for the sweat making my clothes stick to my skin could pass off as the smell of someone who had just crossed the finish line in a triathlon. 

Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I sat up and crawled to the door, only forcing myself to stand when I couldn't reach the doorknob from my position. On the other side of the door, stood Zara; her hands were crossed over her chest and her face read annoyance. I quirked a brow and leant on the doorframe, giving her a confused and tired expression.

"I swear to God," she mumbled, "I've been knocking on your door for nearly five minutes."

"Sorry," I yawned, the crane in my neck making standing straight impossibly painful. "I had a difficult time falling asleep last night," I then added, not intending on telling her the reason for my sleepless night. Instead, I pulled the door closed to my hip and pretended to act oblivious to her cocked brow.

"It's eight thirty," Zara noted.

"Okay?" I raised a brow, not sure why this concerned me in any way. Last time I checked, my classes didn't begin until tomorrow morning, which was a Monday. The past three days had flown by quite quickly.

"It's Sunday?" I emphasized, but it came out more as a question than a statement. Pulling through my tangled hair, I once again yawned and rubbed my eyes. The harsh wooden floor hadn't kept me well-rested as of lately.

"Yes," she nodded dumbly, raising both brows, "and you need  to get up before we're late." Placing both her hands upon her hips in a very motherly way, she gave me an up-and-down look with displeasure. "You have five minutes to make yourself look like you didn't just crawl out of a garbage bin for my theatre practice, now hurry!"

Then she rushed down the hall and slammed her dorm door. I groaned and closed my door, stopping mid-turn to think over what she just said. Wait a second.  I wasn't in  theatre. Why did I have to tag along? Looking back to the thin sheets on the floor, I figured it was better than going back to Discomfort City.

Bending down, I ruffled through my luggage – still unpacked thanks to my living arrangements and car-less-ness – and found a decent shirt (not too wrinkled or fancy) and a pair of jeans. After changing in the middle of the room, I slipped into some sneakers and combed my hair. The bathroom in my room was still off-limits, considering I hadn't wiped the mirror down or put a new bulb in the slot, so I hadn't gone in there yet. I just hoped I looked presentable enough. Zara would point out my ugliness if I didn't, so either way, I was bound to find out in the next five – now three  – minutes.

The past three days had been regular; I'd hung out with Jasper and Kimber a lot, because where Zara was, they happened to be, too. Most of the times I'd spent alone were when I felt the need to venture around campus and spot where my classrooms were. I visited a few rooms and talked to a few main course teachers; they seemed friendly enough.

But other than casual socializing with a few people who would remain in my life for the next half-year, I had been pretty lazy. My car wasn't set to be here until mid-week, so I couldn't go out and buy some necessities to make my dorm more up-to-par; hence, why I was still sleeping on the floor and had a run-in with a spider, much to my displeasure. I thought about asking one of my new friends for a ride, but I felt like that was over-stepping the boundaries of our friendship. Public transit wasn't something I was quite ready for, either; considering I'm new to the area and I hear that a lot of crime goes on inside busses.