Cold Water (Dark Niall)

2: "He has a brain?"

Jason shakes his head when she's not looking, but takes the bags anyway and follows me upstairs. I drop the bags I could carry on my bed, and then sit down next to them. If I'm being honest, I'm a bit excited about the Zanotti boxes, because I absolutely love their sneakers, even though they're way too expensive to be fair. I'd never pay for a pair with my own money. 900 dollars for a pair of shoes? No thank you. I'd rather stick to Vans.

But the craziest thing by far is the Hermès bags. They're terribly expensive and don't even look that different from a normal handbag. Once, when I was out shopping with my mother, I asked her why she wouldn't just buy me a bag from Forever 21 or Hollister, because they're a thousand times cheaper, and she yelled at me about designer brands and stuff like that. I never questioned her again.

Rosa helps me arrange the new stuff in my walk-in closet, before she asks me about school, but my mother interrupts us by walking into the room.

"Rosa? Shouldn't you be starting on dinner soon?" she asks and Rosa nods, excusing herself before she walks out.

"Stop being rude to her, she's here to help." I say and walk over to my desk, where I place my bag.

"So how was your first day of being a senior?" she asks, sitting down at the edge of my bed. She looks uncomfortable, and sort of forced.

"Do you really care? Or are you trying to be a good mother?"

She sighs. "I care Renee."

"Fine. It was shit, okay? I don't want to thing about my final exams and the fact that I have to study for the next nine months, or the fact that some people attending are plain annoying. That good enough for you?"

"Who's annoying? Are you having problems with someone?" she asks, and I roll my eyes. Well she got me there.

"It's this guy I can't stand since the ninth grade. You don't know him."

She raises an eyebrow. "Maybe I know his parents. Try me."

"Niall Horan." I shrug. "I don't think you know him. I think he lives in Newham."

I kind of hate the way her nose scrunches. I know she knows that Newham is one of the poorest boroughs in London, and that the poverty rate there is one of the highest in the country, but there's no need for her to make that disgusted face.

"Horan? That-isn't that a family with three kids?"

I shrug. "Why do you know that?"

"Doesn't matter. Just be nice to him, okay?"

I'm surprised to hear those words coming out of her mouth. Since when does my mother care about who I'm nice to?

"Anything else?" she pushes, and I sit down at my desk, as far away from her as possible.

"No, not really mom. Thanks for the presents, but I think I'll start on my homework now." I lie. We didn't get any homework today (thank God), but I still have to buy that book Mr. Andrews assigned us, because I'm not planning on being on the verge of failing in any subject this year. I almost failed Economics last year, and I don't want to be that stressed again.

I look at her, wondering whether she caught on my attempt to make her leave, but of course, she hasn't.

"I think I'm going to go to the mall and buy a book I have to read in English." I say and stand up from the desk and walk towards the bathroom to take a shower. Whether she stays or goes, I'm taking a shower either way.

Once I come out of the shower, I walk into my closet and pick out a random white Ramones shirt, my favorite black ripped skinny jeans, a pair of crocodile leather Zanotti sneakers, and a black bomber jacket to go with my bag.