new kid / h.s

25

K A T

"What time is dinner?" I asked Harry on the way to his house downtown, in the suburbs. I was nervous-- well, that would be an understatement.

"Seven." Harry stated, his eyes fixed on the road. His tongue swiped over his bottom lip and he pursed them, giving the road his full attention. I wouldn't be able to make much conversation with him, as seriously as he was taking driving.

I fiddled with my fingers, tugging at loose strands on my cardigan. I was wearing a glittery gold cardigan with a black tank top and denim short shorts. I hoped that his parents didn't take modesty too seriously.

"We're here." he said, as calm as could be when we pulled into a driveway. It was a four story house, and the yard was covered in plants that could be used for eating. A stone path paved the way for visitors and from where I sat I could see a small decoy pond with a fish inside.

"Nice house." I managed to say, and Harry just laughed before leading me out the car and down the path. When we got to the front porch I announced, "Im nervous."

Harry smiled at me with ease. "Don't be. My parents are really laid back, and so is my big sister."

"Big sister?" I choked out.

Gosh, this was going to be harder than I initially thought.

Harry opened the door with a key that he had been holding the whole time, and I fixed my clothes and hair out of vanity before stepping in.

The house smelt of fresh linen with a hint of peppermint, and it made me feel insecure about how mine smelt. In the main room was a chandelier light over a sofa that made a "C" shape, and a flat screen was mounted on the wall.

"I'm home!" Harry yelled rather obnoxiously, which didn't fit the scene at all. He kicked off his shoes to show his plain white socks. "Mum, Des!"

I frowned and took my converse off as well, revealing my mix match socks. I wondered if I looked misplaced in this kind of scene.

So this was the house that Harry went home to every day after school.

Before I could even register it, a woman who looked familiar to Harry came striding in. I could tell this was her mom, and she looked friendly enough to me.

"Hi." I said warmly, a nervous smile on my face. "I'm Katrina, Harry's friend."

His mother gave him a weird look. "That's a bit odd, considering how much Har--"

Harry chuckled nervously. "That's enough, mum."

What was she about to say that Harry didn't want her to?

"Anyway, it's nice to have you here, dear." she smiled warmly and brought me in for a nice hug. Maybe hugs ran in his family, because I was sure getting a lot of them. "You're very pretty, you and Harry would look nice together as I could imagine."

Now I was confused. "Excuse me?" I asked, not because I wasn't comfortable with the idea but because it was weird how she was talking like we were a couple.

She waved her hand with a laugh. "Just kidding." she dismissed it, and I could almost swear I heard Harry let out a sigh of relief. She added, "We're having fettuccine alfredo for dinner."

"Okay." I nodded awkwardly and offered a smile. "Thank you for having me over. I really appreciate it."

She shrugged. "Don't worry too much about it, dear! I cook for all Harry's friends. But usually they're men. This is diff--"

"Mum." Harry said sternly, glaring her down. She stopped in her tracks and let out an exasperated laugh again.

"I'm Anne." she said to me, "And that's what you can call me."