As the Wind Blows [A Niall Horan Love Story]

Chapter 4

Before I know it, Friday rolls around, along with Homecoming. I once again, like every other day, sit at the round table in the middle of the cafeteria with Regina and Scarlette. They asked about the black eye, and I just told them some kid in my neighborhood was playing ball and it hit me. They believed it, they're pretty ditzy, not going to lie.

"I told you, I'm not going." I watch my two friends pout at me.

"Why not?" Scarlette whines. Her glossed lips form into a frown. 

"Because, I just don't want to. I don't have a date anyway." I tell them.

"I can arrange that." Regina speaks up.

I glare at her. "No. Sorry girls, I don't want to go. End of story."

"Youre no fun." They both say. I shrug at them and pick the green grapes that I'm eating off the vine.

"But you're still going to the party after, right?" Regina asks me, eagerness in her voice.

I roll my eyes. "I said I was. I even bought a shirt for it and everything. You should be proud that I went out of my way for some stupid highschool party."

Scarlette claps her hands. "What are you wearing?"

"It's a surpriiiiiiise" I mockingly say, shaking my hands. I don't want them to disapprove of my outfit and beg me to put on some tight, black, slutty dress.

She scoffs at my words but doesn't pester me any further.

~~~

I decide to do my homework out on the front porch when I get home. The weather is fairly warm for October, and I love the smell that Autumn brings. I get stuck on the last question of my calculus homework, so I put a big, fat question mark next to the problem and set my binder on the small table next to me. I check my phone to see that it's already 4:30, people should be getting ready for homecoming by now. I wonder what I would wear if I went? Who my date would be? What the hell, why am I thinking this? No one would ask me to homecoming. They've all forgotten about me... I'm just that isolated cancer girl who missed out on half of her highschool life.

I sigh and look up at the pink sky. The wind starts to blow, whisking away the orange leaves that have fallen to the ground. I just absolutely love this season. Even though everything is starting to die, beauty comes along with it. The cascading shades of yellow, red, and orange. The smell of cinnamon and pumpkin. Chilly weather that makes you cuddle up in a warm sweater, but not too cold to want to stay indoors. I close my eyes and smile.

"Hey! Rae!" A familiar male voice breaks my thoughts. I snap my eyes open to see Connor walking down the street, wearing a grey hoodie and khaki pants. Next to him is an unfamiliar figure. He's fairly short, with dark brown hair that whisps to the side. He has rolled up black jeans and Vans on, wearing a similar hoodie, but in red.

"Hey!" I wave from the porch. He's not going to homecoming? I get up from my chair and walk down the steps, meeting him on the sidewalk. The boy he's with is actually really attractive. He's got a cute, boyish face and small stubble forming on his jaw.

"This is Louis, he goes to Masdon Prep, ya know, that fancy private college about an hour away? He's from London." He points to his friend, who gives me a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Louis." I reach out my hand and he takes it, shaking it softly. 

"You too, Connor's told me so much about-"

Connor elbows him in the ribs and Louis grasps his side, wincing. "What'd you do that for, mate?" 

Connor gives me a crooked smile, rubbing the back of his neck. I knew what he was going on with, but I choose to ignore what just happened.

"So, homecoming isn't really your scene?" I ask him.

"Nah, I mean, look at me, anyway. I'm not the type of guy who would actually get a date." He looks away.

My heart softens. "That's not true, I bet you could get a date!" 

Louis tries to hide his smile. "Yeah, Connor's really into video games and fantasy movies. He's a real charmer." He punches Connor in the side and Connor flips him off. I giggle at their friendship.

The sun starts to set quickly and I wrap my cashmere pullover closer to my body. "I better get inside, I'm going out tonight and I better go get ready."

Connor cocks his head to the side. "Where to, if I may ask?"

I shrug. "Some party my friends invited me to. I decided to agree because I'm not "acting like a senior" and my friends wouldn't stop bugging me about it."

Louis and Connor look at eachother. "That party sounds lame. I bet it's going to be just a bunch of drunk jocks and cheerleader bitches taking shots out of their cheap ass cups and playing beer pong... we could take you somewhere better." Louis says to me, his cheeks plumping up as he smiles.

"Stop, Louis. She can go wherever she wants." Connor reassuringly looks at me, but I'm curious as to where Louis would take me.

"And what's your idea of better?" I ask.

Louis takes a step closer. "We could go to this jam club I know of. It's called "Zeusos." It's cool, you sit and watch musicians play on a small stage, you get drunk the proper way. It's Friday, so we can get in for free... it's all good fun. And I know the owner so he won't card us."

I notice Connor looking a bit off. He's shifting his weight back and forth on each foot. I wonder what's bugging him, but Louis' plan sounds a lot more appealing to me than Regina and Scarlette's party. 

"I um, I don't know... I already made plans with-"

"Oh c'mon! Just ditch it." Louis simple words persuade me easily.

"Alright... sounds like fun. Give me like, half an hour and I'll be back outside."

~~~

I put on my red sweater I bought earlier in the week and pair of plain jeans, tucked into beat up brown military boots. When I walk down the steps, I notice only Louis waiting for me on the sidewalk.

"Where did Connor go?" I ask as I approach him.

"He's lame. He told me it "wasn't really his thing." I don't know, but do you still want to go, I mean, with just me?" I think about it for a minute, seeing that I don't really know Louis. But then again, I don't really know Connor either. I nod and Louis smiles. 

"Let's go." 

 CONNOR'S POV

I look out my bedroom window and see Rae getting into the passenger side of Louis' car. God dammit, why didn't I go? She's going to enjoy herself with Louis, I just know it. What if she starts to like him? I rub the back of my neck, a nervous habit I picked up.

If I went, I could cock block Louis. I could step in, make Rae see who I really am. I'm not just some stupid geek. I mean I look like it, yeah. I have thick glasses and firey ginger hair. I'm not the best looking. But I wish people could see past that... especially Rae. 

A girl can easily fall for Louis. He's handsome, knows how to actually interact with the female population, and has that stupid British accent that swoons everybody. Damn transfer student. 

I don't want to think about what might happen tonight.

"Fuck!!!" I scream, knocking my Darth Vader piggy bank onto the floor. Change spills everywhere and I groan in frustration. Why am I such an idiot?