new kid / h.s

23

K A T

"So, how do you want to spend your Saturday?" I asked him as we walked the broad streets of downtown. "Window shopping? Go to the mall? Starbucks?"

Harry smiled at me. "Whatever your little heart desires."

By now it was midday, the sky a nice tint of blue and traffic was flowing freely. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but all I knew was that my normal Saturday was way better when I had someone-- namely Harry,

"Let's go to the mall." I decided. "That way we can window shop, be in the mall, and have Starbucks all in one."

Harry clicked his teeth. "Smart girl."

We walked down Main Street together, our hands intwined. We had gotten much closer, and not in the couple-like sense. We were best friends.

"What store do you want to shop at first?" I asked as we walked into the parking lot of the most crowded mall in town. Harry smiled and squeezed my hand. He loved to do that.

We walked into the mall and it was crowded, just as it were any Saturday in Philly. Couples held hands and watched their children. Groups of obnoxious preteen girls pranced around with hot topic bags on one arm and Starbucks cups in the other hand.

"Don't you just love the stereotypical mall?" Harry chuckled, breathing in slightly. "Let's get something to eat first."

We decided to share a 10 piece chicken nugget combo from Chick Fil A, since we weren't that hungry. Harry stood in line with me, our hands in each other's.

Everything was going perfectly fine until I gazed in the line for Subway and saw Noel and Noah, along with their posse.

"Harry." I whispered, even though the malicious group was halfway across the food court from us. "Noah and Noel are here, along with their posse."

He just shrugged. "So? There's not much they can do to us in public without it being illegal."

"I don't think they'd care whether it was legal or not."

Harry got our food and we sat somewhere it would be harder to see us from, but I still kept my eyes on them out of caution. It only took a few minutes to eat, then we were standing up and getting ready to shop.

But their group was nowhere to be found.

We were almost in the clear when I bumped-- literally, into Noel. The look on his face was neutral, like he didn't mind at all. And that reminded me of gym class when he let me have Harry on my team in dodgeball.

"Hey." I said softly, not wanting to cause any trouble. This was exactly what I had been trying to avoid in the first place.

"Hi, Kat." Noel said slowly. The rest of the group noticed that Noel had stopped, and walked up to us. Now was when my heart was beating out of my chest. "I see you brought Harry with you." he said, and his teeth clenched together tightly like he was about to have his next meal.

Harry grunted from behind me. "Yeah," he said, looking more tough than I had given him credit for. "She did. We're best friends now."

"Are you?" Noah asked from behind his friend, and I wondered what he meant.

I prayed that this wasn't another one of his attempts to set me up and make me look bad. Maybe he knew that Harry and I were plotting against them. That's why he wanted us split.

"What are you talking about?" I challenged, giving him a glare that suggested this was his last chance to back down before it got really ugly.

But he just looked past me and glanced right at Harry like I wasn't even there. "Kat isn't your friend." he said, his face scrunching up like the assumption was far-fetched. It was anything but, and I knew he was going to try to make it look like it was.

"Nothing you say can deter me." Harry said. I trusted him on that, but when Noah wanted something he got it.

"Kat's been working with me." he said, and his words felt like a blow to the stomach. Only someone completely foolish and silly would believe that story, and I knew that Harry was not the gullible type.

"I don't believe you." Harry said firmly.

Noah shrugged. "Kat, remember when you and Harry were about to die in Louis' house?"

I gulped slowly and nodded.

"Louis and I have actually been working together to take Harry down." he said carefully, like every word he said was a delicate seed of many in his story. "Louis knew that a girl you'd be attached to would have to die. And he knew that you would back out because that's who you are."

Now it was Harry's turn to look uncomfortable. He was starting to believe it, and there would be nothing I could say or do once he was in completely.

"So we asked Kat to pretend to like you--"

I interjected, "Shut up, Noah! I'm sick of you lying to get what you want all the time! That's not how it works."

Harry just looked at me in awe. "So is this what this was. An act? To kill me?"

Tears were brimming my eyes. I hated this. I hated the fact that Noah had to be here and ruin the only good thing I had going for me at this point. "No!" I basically screamed, and a crowd was starting to form.

He looked taken aback. "So what is this, then?"

"This." I mumbled and grabbed Harry by the hand, lacing them together. "Is something real. Not something that I'm faking just to get you killed because we both know that I'm not as malicious and evil as Noah. I like you Harry."

Noah let out a fake 'awe' and waited for what appeared to be my rejection.

But instead, Harry pulled me in for a close hug and whispered in my ear, "I never believed him for a second." and as soon as he had said the words, he pulled away.

I smirked at Noah. Finally I had found someone who didnt buy a lie as quickly. This was it. Harry was the one.

"Nice try." I smiled smugly at him and his group. "But it's gonna take more than a lie you put together last second to break us apart." I said, and Harry squeezed my hand.

"Now come on Kat, lets go home." Harry said warmly, like my house was the one that we shared.

I had absolutely no problem with that, and we looked invincible as we strode right past them and toward the food court exit.