(ATLANTIS) - haylor au

chapter two

(harry)

Despite being a senior, I find myself in the middle of soccer practice during lunch. The stench in the locker room almost knock me out as I enter. In the heap of boys, I'm looking for Zack. It's not difficult to find the fuckface though. His huge build makes him an easy find.

"Zack!" I call out. "You don't have to practice today."

"Sweeet." He raises his fist and laughs.

"You're not playing this Friday."

I try not to smirk as I watch his face fall. "Look, I heard from a certain teacher you weren't doing so well. I can't have my team sucking on or off the pitch." 

"That's not your call." He grits his teeth and glares at me. I can actually see him turn into a ball of rage. The others around him stop to stare at us.

"I think it is." I fake a smile. "I'm the captain. We have more than enough players for Friday's match and I just don't want you wasting your time if I'm not letting you play."

"Fuck you, Styles." He says and pushes past the crowd, leaving.

I watch him leave for a couple of seconds and turn my attention of everyone else as they stare at me. "You heard me! I don't want any of you to suck on or off the pitch!" I shout to everyone before they continue getting dressed. "Especially you Horan." I add and chuckle before everyone else starts to laugh.

Niall turns to me and throws his dirty sock to me. "Why don't you shut the fuck up, yeah?" He says with a bewildered smile, still not dressed into his uniform yet.

As Niall and I approach the pitch, he asks me exactly what I expected him to. I turn to him as he clears his throat.

"So,"

"Yeah, go on."

"Which certain teacher of Zack's told you he's been doing poorly?" He tried to mock my voice.

I push him and swear at him, shaking my head.

"Or did Tay bully you into it?" He smirks, teasing. Always insinuating that I have something with one of the girls I have grown up with but mainly, Tay. Maybe she and I did something wrong because a lot of people say similar things about us.

"Yeah sure." I make sure that my voice is fully loaded with sarcasm that actually gets to Niall's thick head. We stop at the bleachers, waiting for everyone else to arrive to practice. Usually, all these fuckers tried to delay starting practice as much as they could. If they hated it so goddamn much, why couldn't they just choose something else to play?

"Hello ladies!" I hear Niall say and turn around to see Tay and the other girls, sitting at the top of the bleachers.

I notice Tay stand up and waving, squinting her eyes. Then, Selena stands up, blowing a kiss to Niall. There's always something with these two.

"Oh hiii guys" Karlie says as she rushes past Niall and I to the top of the bleachers.

"I thought no seniors on the team!" I heard Tay shout, holding her sandwich and I'm guessing her mouth full. She could almost be a boy if she wasn't so pretty.

I shake my head and look around to see if the other team members have arrived and there is still no sign of them. I make my way upstairs to the girls with Niall following.

"Yeah, well, I'm hoping to get a scholarship." I give a slight nod to Tay.

She wipes the corners of her mouth and looks at me, nodding.

Selena squints, looking at me puzzled. "Okay, yeah..." She trails and shakes her head again. "Aren't your parents like...rich?"

"True that." Karlie, Tay and Gigi chime in simultaneously.

I open my mouth to speak but decide against it because I see Tay's face and I just know something is brewing in her mind.

"Yeah, Mr Styles." She speaks in a small tone, imitating one of the housekeepers and bows her head to me, lifting her sandwich as she does.

With a quick motion, I grabbed the sandwich.

Tay lets out a sharp gasp and watches as I take a bite. "Anyway, I'll do anything to keep playing." I finally answer. "If I can get a scholarship out if it, that's a perk." I wink at Selena as I finish my sentence.

Selena rolls her eyes and laughs. I notice Niall taking chances to get slight touches of her.

"Also," He clears his throat. "Guess who's NOT playing on Friday?"

"Niall, seriously..." I rub my temples, already getting annoyed.

"Zack." He says without letting the girls guess.

"What?" Gigi is the first to respond. "Why?"

"Apparently..." Niall trails off and look over at me, still face palming myself. "Zack's teachers complained about his shit grades and Harry told him he cant play." Nonchalantly, he finishes and looks back at the girls.

I avoid looking at Tay and Gigi. Because I hear the noise, I know the others must've come out. "Thanks." I say to Tay before taking a bite out of her sandwich and giving it back to her. "C'mon, let's go." I pat Niall and race down to the field.

(tay)
Karlie has a smug smile as Harry and Niall leave. "Such. A. Lie." I know what she's talking about. There's no way Harry would care if someone has shit grades. If someone could play, he would definitely keep them around.

"What?" Selena turns to her.

"Our little Tay scared Hazza into stopping Zack from playing." Gigi finally smiles properly the whole day which made me let out a laugh as she hugs me.

"Can we just talk about how...Taylor and Harry have a lot of chemistry?" Selena adds.

"Like a lot." Karlie widens her eyes with a wide smile.

"What!" I take a bite of my leftover sandwich which Harry also ate. "We grew up together. Like duh."

"He doesn't have that with us." Gigi says with her hands gesturing to herself and Karlie.

"Yes! Exactly." Selena claps and looks over at me. "Dude, just go. for. it!"

I stare at her and the rest of them. The obvious answer is no.

I never considered Harry to be my boyfriend. Maybe I have had the thought but when we were in middle school when we used to be actual best friends who hung out every day. He was the only guy I was always with and I had played with the idea of him and I being boyfriend and girlfriend. That's just the age people start wondering about dating, you know. There is no way I could tell that to a living soul though. It would only add more fuel.

"We're just good friends." I close my tupperware and look down at the field with the football practicing.

I'm definitely not blind. I know Harry is attractive. And he's such a boy but he's nice. Just not someone who could be my boyfriend. I have sworn off relationships after my last one but that's only a heat of the moment saying.