End of the Day [h.s]

nineteen

Soon enough exams had arrived and I was dreading them all. Once they began, I didn't see Harry properly for a long time. He would sometimes look at me during our Geography tests, glancing in my direction at the beginning or end because we sat nearby each other, but that was all. After we would get dismissed from the hall I'd just run home, straight back to studying and running over my notes. I had to be strict on myself, or else I could risk losing focus and that wasn't an option. Although Harry was the biggest distraction I had.

I hadn't spoken to him since he'd confessed his feelings for me, rather his love. I told Carly, she wasn't surprised. She told Niall, he wasn't surprised. Nobody was. And it drove me mental.

I just couldn't believe Harry loved me. It was strange, it felt almost like a lie. I felt guilty. He shouldn't have felt that way about me, it wasn't part of the plan. Stupid fucking plan.

Before I knew it, my foot was tapping against the wooden floor of the sports hall insistently. My breathing was rigid, my mouth was dry. I was petrified, I needed to get outside and breathe.

As soon the invigilator declared the exam finished, I shot out of my seat once my row was called and grabbed my belongings. I knew the plans to go to the pub were still on, but I needed to get outside and just collect myself before I drank away my worries.

The door crashed open and I placed my hands on my knees, gasping for breath. It was boiling hot, the sun scorching down on me in the spring's heat. I predicted it would be a rainy season, but we were lucky enough to have a few warm spells throughout the weeks.

My alone time had come to a halt when I Carly appeared out of the corner of my eye. She crashed into my arms with a giggle. "We did it! We lived to see another day, B! No more fucking exams!" she cheered, shaking me violently.

I couldn't help but laugh. I was relieved. "I can't believe it. I thought I was going to break," I said, beaming at her brightly.

"I knew you wouldn't. You're a tough cookie, always have been!" She smiled at me. "Right, we definitely are doing celebratory shots. If I'm not blackout drunk by the end of the night I've done something wrong. Niall and Louis are meeting us outside the gate and River and Liam are already there, probably three drinks deep. They're really lucky they finished yesterday."

"So lucky. It's such a nice day, we could've spent it in the sun and instead, we were crammed inside that hall," I complained, clutching the strap of my backpack.

"True, but we're done now! So, drinks!" She tugged my arm. I was ready to follow but suddenly stopped, gawking past her shoulder when I noticed Harry walking quickly out of the hall's exit door.

"Um," I paused. There was no postponing it now, I had to at least try. There wasn't any use in denying it, my time had been cut even shorter now and I needed to talk with him before it was too late.

Carly frowned at me, following my eyes and noticing Harry walking away from where we stood, towards the exit school gates. "Go," she said, "I'll wait."

"Thank you," I told her, kissing her cheek and charging after Harry before he made it to his car. She wished my good luck, shouting in the distance as my feet hurried over to Harry.

I caught him eventually, calling his name relentlessly and panting when he turned around, trying to catch my breath. He glared at me with uncertainty.

"Can we...talk?"

His jade eyes trailed over my body, judging my unkept appearance harshly and I gulped. His lips pursed and I was ready to be yelled at, to be told off for being such a terrible person, but then, he pressed his lips into a firm line and turned on his heel without so much as a second glance.