As the Wind Blows [A Niall Horan Love Story]

Chapter 2

I walk through the hallway as if I am in slow motion. Crowds of students rush past me, but I don't feel like one of them. People stare, they always do. I'm the "girl who had cancer and is now back in school after two years."

School days always go by in a blur to me. I go to class, go to my locker, go to another class, locker, class, lunch, class, locker, class, locker, class. It's all the same, every day. Nothing new happens. I talk to Regina and Scarlette, but they've changed. They're not the same from 9th grade... why would they be? They like to talk about guys and parties. I pretend to pay attention, but I'm not like that. I'm not artificial.

"Rae, you okay?" Scarlette asks me while we sit at the lunch table. I look up to her and see worry in her chocolate eyes. Her eyeliner is smudged across the bottom of her eye and I really want to tell her to fix it, but I brush the thought away.

"I'm fine, why?" I take a bite from my apple.

"I don't know, you're always so quiet. Don't you want to join in on our conversation?" 

"What are you talking about again?" I ask, clearly not interested.

"Joey Moritz" She smiles and two prominent dimples pop up on her cheeks. She looks at Regina who is mimicking her smile.

"And who is that again?" I really have no idea.

"Joey? How do you not know him? He's in our grade, plays soccer, has gorgeous curly brown-"

I cut her off. "Sorry Scar, but maybe you don't remember that I was in the hospital for the past two years. I really don't know who anyone in our grade is. I haven't seen them since 9th grade." 

She looks down at her hands. "Sorry... I thought maybe you'd remember." 

I put my hand on her forearm. "It's fine, Scar... really." I feel bad about snapping at her. "Do you have a picture you can show me?"

She looks up at me with wide eyes. "Of course I do!" She squeals. I try not to roll my eyes at her excitement. She pulls out her phone and quickly brushes her fingers across the screen. She pulls up a picture and shoves it in my face.

"Isn't he hot?" she asks while I study the picture. 

"Mmmhm, yeah." I try to say convincingly, but fail.

She takes her phone back. "We have to set you up with one of the guys in our grade. Aren't you lonely? I mean, you've never had a boyfriend. You have to make up for your lost girl time in the hospital. Right Regina?"

Regina nods her head up and down, her blonde bun swaying back and forth. Both of them are equally beautiful. Scarlette has a dark glow to her skin, with dark eyes and brown, wavy, hair. Regina has hair about my length, just below the shoulders, but blonde. She's pale and likes to wear bright red lipstick. Both of them are nothing like me, but they're my only friends so I stick with them.

"I'm okay guys, really. If I wanted a boyfriend, I'd let you know." I lie.

Regina cocks her head to the side. "I'm not being rude, honest, but have you kissed anyone yet?"

I look up at her, letting out a breath. "I, uh, no. I haven't. It's sad, I know. You don't have to tell me that."

"Awww!" They say at the same time. I shush them. "Stop that!"

Scarlette puts her hand on top of mine. "Don't worry Rae, we'll fix that soon, there's a party after homecoming on Friday and we'll totally get that first kiss for you."

I pull my hand away and rest it on my lap. "No. Absolutely not. I can do all these things on my own. I don't need to be set up for a first kiss. When it happens, it will happen."

Scarlette snaps her gum. "Fine, but still come to the party, okay? We're so happy you're back in school and fully recovered, and you need to go to a party! You're a senior and you need to start acting like one." She smiles at her words.

"Fine." I say, defeated.

When the bell rings, we all get up from the lunch table and part our seperate ways. I watch as Scarlette links arm with a tall, muscular blonde guy and Regina goes off with a group of girls equally as materialistic as her. I, once again, am alone. But I've gotten used to the feeling.

The rest of the day finishes slowly but I'm finally walking back to my white Subaru parked in spot number three. Before I open the door, I notice a lanky, red headed boy with glasses staring at me from across the parking lot. He notices me looking back at him and quickly turns away before scrambling into his beat up Toyota. I giggle at his awkwardness and get into my car.