flower. h.s ✔️

five.

The silence was cloying as I walked, aware that Harry wasn't even two steps behind me as we walked from his car towards my university. This was the first time we'd actually spent longer than five minutes in each others company in nine days.

I'd tried to avoid him after he yelled at me in my room and tried to avoid life in general considering I'd managed to make myself feel worse about absolutely everything after I did something incredibly stupid last week.

I stumbled as Harry stepped on the back of my boot but quickly righted myself before I went down completely, my head turning slightly to glance at him just quick enough to see him roll his eyes and I turned away immediately as I flushed.

"Do you always walk so fucking slow, Carmichael?" Harry grunted and I swallowed thickly as I shoved my hands further into my jacket pockets.

"Sorry." I mumbled, unaware if he had even heard me.

Silence descended over us once more as I turned right into the building and headed straight for reception to see all the different course stands and leaders already waiting for new and old students.

I spotted my one of my lectures and made a beeline towards her table, her face lighting up with a smile as I approached and I sent her a small one back.

"Poppy! Hope you had a good summer." Jane smiled and I nodded as she handed me my course pack before she flicked her eyes over my shoulder, oh yeah how could I have forgotten.

"This um this is-" I stumbled over my words as I looked at Harry in panic for some kind of help.

"It's okay Poppy, I know. The Dean let us all know, I have a course pack for you Mr Styles just in case." Jane smiled politely and I swallowed as Harry barely acknowledged her.

"Thank you." I smiled, "I'll see you this afternoon."

I practically attempted to sprint away from the whole sorry situation, Harry following lazily behind me and I felt like wringing his neck with my bare hands.

"How many classes do you have today?" Harry spoke up just as we started the first set of stairs and I glanced down at my course schedule.

"Just the two, I think." I chewed my lip as I flicked through the paperwork, yelping as I tripped and a strong hand grabbed my arm and pulled me upright.

"Watch where you're fucking going." Harry grunted and I swallowed thickly, letting out a small apology before letting the silence take over once more.

"You're taking Law?" Harry asked once I'd found a seat in the middle of the room and he dropped into the one next to me and nodded. "Do we have to be here every day?"

I glanced at Harry who was already looking at me and I flinched backwards slightly before reading over my paperwork properly this time.

"Uh no, just Thursday, Wednesday and Tuesday." I chewed my lip, huh this was actually a really good one this year. "Two classes on Thursday, nine to eleven and then this afternoon which is one to three thirty."

"You get four days off?" Harry asked and I nodded, not wanting to talk too much in case I irritated him and he stopped talking to me again. "How many classes do you take?"

"Uh well technically its one co-"

"Poppy! Hi stranger!"

I blinked as I was interrupted by Chloe who dropped down in the row in front of me along with Tom who gave me a small wave which I returned with a smile.

"How was France you rich bitch?" Chloe asked and I forced myself not to roll my eyes. She'd know if she bothered to speak to me.

"Hot, as usual." I kept my answer short considering I knew she didn't really care.

"And yet you're still as white as when you left." Chloe blinked before turning her attention to Harry. "Hi, I'm Chloe."

I risked a glance at Harry who simply blinked at Chloe before nodding curtly and I coughed into my shoulder to hid my smug grin.

Just because Harry didn't like me, it didn't mean he could like other people either. Especially Chloe.

"So are you guys like, together?" Chloe pressed on as I watched Tom introduce himself to Harry who once again simply nodded.

"No." I told Chloe firmly.

"Thought so." Chloe smiled and I held my tongue considering whenever she smiled she looked like a crocodile. "He's not really your type."

"I don't have a type." I muttered as our lecturer Jane appeared and I opened my brand new notebook and uncapped my pen.

"Well thats not surprising, you're not exactly his type either." Chloe turned around and I sank back in my seat.

"Always a pleasure." I muttered under my breath as Jane started her introduction and I tried not to let my motivation disappear in the very first class.

"Are you friends with Zoe?"

I blinked as I looked away from my cup of coffee and up to Harry who was sat opposite me, his eyes on me.

"Who?" I frowned at Harry who looked at me as if I was stupid.

"The bitch from that class." Harry raised an eyebrow and I realised what he was talking about.

"Oh! Do you mean Chloe?"

Harry nodded and I took a sip of my coffee, if I was worried that my lunch break was going to be awkward, then my fears were confirmed. This was the first time in thirty six minutes that Harry had actually acknowledged I existed.

"Yeah I guess." I shrugged.

"You guess?" Harry asked and I shrugged again. "You're either friends with people or you're not, Carmichael."

"Okay, yes Chloe and I are friends." I said and Harry rolled his eyes at me.

"She's a shitty friend."

"I didn't realise you had an opinion." I frowned as I finished my coffee and pushed my chair away from the table, Harry copying me.

"I don't." Harry told me as we left the café and I frowned even harder.

"Just wanted to know if I could fuck her."