Neighborhood ➳ h.s. au

Eighteen

Ann's hands were stuffed inside the pockets of her red hoodie as almost non-visible snowflakes called her dirty blonde hair their new home. She had been walking down the street for approximately five minutes now, and her nose had been nearly frozen, even though there was a grey, thick scarf covering half of her face, the material resting right below her eyes. Harry had been following behind her the whole time, and although he tried to be quiet so she wouldn't notice him, she already had - and she was going to let him stay behind.

Ever since their chat, things had gone semi back to normal, but they hadn't talked on the phone like they used to. He hadn't invited her to most of his parties - only a few small gatherings - and, when he knew that she saw him, all he did was wave and talk to the person next to him.

It wasn't the same. It wasn't what either of them wanted, but how could they possibly go back to normal after Ann confessed her love for the curly haired boy next door?

It wouldn't. It couldn't.

Neither of them were okay with it being that way, but it was how they would cope - because only lord knows that if Ann saw Harry again, she would say something to make him and her even more upset than they already were.

She didn't want that.

➳

Mickayla greeted Ann when she got to school, her arm slung around Ann's shoulders as they both walked down the hallway. Ann hadn't had anyone besides her own mother to talk to about Harry with, and it seemed as if Mickayla was closer to Ann than she was to Marie, and Ann couldn't be anything but thankful for that.

As Harry walked behind the two of them, Mickayla leaned over to Ann's ear and murmured quietly, "everything okay with you two?"

All Ann could do was shrug, because really, she had no clue what the difference was being okay and not being okay with Harry. Lately, all she was focusing on was her studies and getting past high school so she could move on and get her own house that wasn't next door to the boy that had such a huge impact on her teen years.

Well, teen weeks, as they had only known each other for a few months.

After Ann declined Mickayla's offer to get pizza after school (she had to get some work done, after all), they both went their separate ways to their first period, and as soon as Ann walked into history class, she was met with the piercing, ice blue eyes of Marie.

Ann quivered under her menaceful stare but kept walking to her seat before she sat down, her lungs letting out the breath they had been holding once she relaxed.

Today would be a long day, and she didn't know if she could survive it.

➳

Ann ripped off her jacket the moment she walked through her front door and made her way to the kitchen, where mother was speaking on the phone with, who Ann suspected, was her manager.

"We just settled in, we can't-" Jewel's words stopped as she spotted her exhausted daughter walk through the door, and a tired grin spread across her thin lips. "My daughter just got home. I'll call you later. Bye." She pressed the 'END' button on her iPhone and rested the palms of her hands on the granite counter in front of her frail body. "How was school?"

Ann shrugged. "Same old thing, I guess." She changed the subject quickly. "Who was that on the phone?"

Jewel's body stiffened at her question, and she turned around while grabbing a dirty dish and turning on the tap. "So, what did you do at sc-"

"Mom," Ann interrupted, her fingertips turning white from the amount of pressure she was pushing on the granite. "Who was it?"

Jewel's breath shook, and she spun around to meet Ann's gaze after she left the plate crash against the sink and turned off the tap. "My manager." She sighed, feeling defeated.

Ann held on tighter to the counter and felt her head start to spin. It was bad, she knew it. "And, what did he want?"

"You know he only calls when he wants one certain thing. I protested and protested because this environment isn't safe for you to be in. You need to be in one area for a while, not move around every few months and-"

"Mom!" Ann interrupted Jewel's endless rambling and let go of the counter when she realized what he mother was trying to say. "We just got here."

"You'll need to say your goodbyes by the end of next month, Ann." Tears brewed in the rim of her eyes and she turned away before she could let her daughter see her cry. "Because that's when we're moving."