Come Wake Me Up - Harry Styles AU

1. Bumpy Road

{Rachel's POV}

"Where are we going?"

The bumps on the road intensify as the truck slows down.

"You'll see."

"Mason, you know I don't like surprises."

"Relax, Rach. Give me a chance; we haven't hung out in a while."

"How do I know you aren't just driving me out to the middle of the desert to kill me?"

"1. I am your best friend. Why would I kill you? 2. There are no deserts in Northern Virginia. Just trust me."

He is making sense, I would just rather not admit it. Mason had been my best friend practically my whole life. It all started in preschool when he pushed me into a mud puddle. Most girls my age would cry, but instead I stood up, looked him in the eye, and shoved him right back, him toppling into the puddle where he floundered around for a few seconds before the teacher came to help him out. From then on, I was the girl no one messed with and Mason's newfound best friend. Apparently I was the first person to give him a taste of his own medicine and he liked that. Of course, when our parents came to pick us up, they were furious. Image meant more to my parents than they would care to admit, but it makes sense considering they work with a bunch of political snobs in DC. Their little girl had to wear the best clothing, often designer clothes. I will never understand that; who dresses their 4 year old in name brands?? The clothing is bound to get dirty!! My mom started yelling at Mason's dad, saying he needed to teach his son manners, him telling my mom she needs to teach me to be a proper lady, and so on and so forth. After standing with Mason for about 10 minutes, watching our parents scream at each other, my mom finally had enough, grabbed my hand, and dragged me out of the school to her brand new Cadillac. She laid down a towel from her yoga bag before letting me sit in my chair, though. When I got home and my dad heard what had happened, he gave me a stern look and told me it was wrong to push Mason back. Later that night, he snuck a KitKat to my room and gave me a high five. The next day, Mason stuck by my side and we became inseparable. He's like the brother I.... nevermind.

"Rachel..."

I am removed from my memories when Mason starts snapping his fingers in my face. I quickly come to the realization that the bumping has stopped.

"Oh, sorry. Zoned out. Can I look now?"

"Figures. Yes, you can look now," he says with a slight snicker.

I open my eyes and look out the windshield.

"What the...."

There is a line of trees ahead of us, their leaves a mix of red, yellow and orange from the autumn weather. The headlights are shining through the cracks between the tree trunks and I can see something shiny in the distance reflecting the light. I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the passenger door of Mason's Ford Raptor, jumping to the ground. I hear the engine cut off as Mason opens his door. A slight breeze picks up and I clutch my light jacket tighter around myself, trying to keep warm in the cool October air. I look up and notice the sky is clear, the stars actually visible. I had forgotten how much I enjoy looking at the stars; they shine so bright against the black emptiness of the sky. The moon is nearly full as it illuminates the field I originally thought was empty. I turn around and there are rows of vehicles parked behind Mason's truck. I recognize a few of them from the school parking lot. What are they all doing here?

Mason clears his throat and I turn toward him, meeting his blue eyes in the moonlight, though from this distance, they looked green. I turn back towards the tree line when I hear the rumble of engines.

"Mason..."

"Just give it a chance, yeah?" he asks whilst stuffing his hands in his jean pockets.

"I-"

I am cut off by a huge roar; it sounds like a lot of people are here.

"C'mon! The race is about to start!" He holds out his arm for me to take. I quickly come to the conclusion that he isn't going to leave until the race is over, so I can either sit in the truck bed and mope or take his arm and try to enjoy myself. I sigh and take his arm as he begins leading me towards the foliage.

He leans down to my ear so I can hear him. "You'll be fine."

I sure hope so. It has been a while since I went to a dirt bike race.

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Author's Note

I realize the story sounds boring at the moment, but I would like to think that it gets better the further you read. The chapters are also longer, so that helps it. I've noticed the difference in the number of reads on this chapter to the next ones. I promise you it gets better, I just didn't know where to go originally.