Neighborhood ➳ h.s. au

Three

A white desk was placed in front of Ann's window whenever she got home. She looked around curiously before rolling her eyes. It had looked like it came from a thrift shop or a yard sale. She shrugged it off before sitting down and running her hands along the smooth wood, a crooked smile forming. She then looked up and saw that Harry's curtains were open and that Marie was standing in the middle of his room, saying something with the same sour look on her face.

She then looked over at the window and saw Ann, her nostrils flaring. Marie said something else before Ann saw Harry stand beside her. Marie then took his face in her hands and kissed him hard, which made Ann want to look away, but she didn't. Marie then turned her head towards the window and looked right at Ann, her eyes narrowing. Harry looked too and his eyes went wide with shock once he saw her watching.

Harry said, almost screaming, something at Marie before she turned and looked at him, smirking. She then walked up to the window and closed the curtain.

Ann looked away then and stood up from the desk, running her fingers through her hair. Why did Marie hate her so much? She never did anything to her, and she never was.

"Ann," Jewel stated as she walked in the room. "Do you like your desk?"

Ann glanced at the white wood again before replying. "Yeah, love it."

Jewel beamed before walking fully into the room and opening a box, pulling out a pink jewelry box. "Wow, I got you this whenever you were only four." Ann looked at her mother, seeing that there was a grin spread across her face. "I remember whenever you were happy as you could be whenever I pulled it out from behind my back." She ran her hand over it, letting out a sigh. "You asked me how I made it appear, and I told you that it was magic."

Ann smiled then. "Yeah, I vaguely remember that."

Jewel set the box down before pulling out a book and smiling. She did that with every item before the box was empty and helped Ann put everything in its place. "Dinner will be ready in an hour or two."

"You know," Ann started, causing Jewel to turn around and look at her. "I think I'm going to go outside."

Jewel smiled. "Just be back in before dinner." Ann nodded before she walked out of the room. Almost immediately, Ann ran over to the window and saw that the curtain was still closed, causing her fingers to curl around the edge of the desk. She then turned around and made her way out the door and down the stairs, only stopping to put her shoes on. She then went out the front door and sat on the driveway. She used to do this whenever she lived back in California. She would go outside and lay on the grass and look at the stars, because sometimes the stars were her only friends.

"Hey," Harry's voice said from behind her. She spun around and looked at him, seeing that his hands were stuffed in his pockets and that he was looking down.

"Hey," Ann replied before lying down, patting the spot next to her. Harry walked up beside her before sitting down, eventually laying flat. "Why aren't you with Marie?"

"I sent her home." He sighed. "I wanted to apologize." Ann eyed him curiously. "Marie was being a brat earlier. She always tries to make other people jealous."

Ann nodded before looking up at the sky, seeing how bright it was, and felt the cold air blow against her skin. "It's fine." She replied before Harry elbowed her softly.

"I don't know why she gets like that. She always does it whenever she finds out I've been hanging out with someone new." Ann chuckled, but Harry had the same expression. "I have friends, and a lot of them are girls. But apparently to her, I'm dating all of them."

Ann turned her head to look at him and nodded. "That must suck."

He nodded. "You're telling me. We've been dating since freshman year, so even if I wanted to break things off, I can't."

"Who says you can't?"

Harry laughed. "Mostly everyone in school." Ann didn't reply, just stared at his shaggy hair. He turned his head to look at her and grinned. "So, Ann, where are you from?"

She hesitated for a moment and then swallowed before replying. "California." He looked at her, his eyes wide. "Huntington Beach, California. I lived in a mobile home."

He nodded, his lips curving into a grin. "Did you like it there?" She shrugged. "What does this mean?" He mimicked her movements, which caused her to laugh.

"It means," she started before staring up at the sky. "That it was alright. I don't really consider a mobile home paradise."

He let out a deep breath. "I wasn't saying that it was." She closed her eyes. "I've lived in the same house my whole life, so that means the same neighborhood, and the same people. I've known Marie ever since I was six. I've known my best friend Shane ever since I was four. I've been around the same things all of my life."

Ann glanced at him, then back up at the sky. "What's going to happen whenever you graduate?"

He laughed loud before laying on his side to look at her. "I'm moving to Florida. I want to get away from everyone I've known my whole life."

Ann breathed in deeply before letting it out. "Sounds exciting."

"You have no idea."

He reached forward before taking a strand of her hair in his hand. Ann gave him a weird look. "Why are you doing that?"

Harry cocked his head to the side. "What color is this?" He asked, completely ignoring her question.

"Light brown." She answered before pulling away slowly, causing her hair to slip away from his fingertips.

"I like it. Marie bleaches hers and causes so much damage to it. It's dry as hell."

Ann couldn't help but laugh, which caused Harry to let out a chuckle. "She doesn't seem all that great."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I mean, she can be a pain at times, but there are also other times whenever sometimes I'm the only person there for her, and she acts like a human being for once."

"So what you're saying is that the only time she acts like a normal person is whenever she needs help with something?"

Harry face suddenly filled with realization. "I can't believe her." he mumbled. "All this time, she only needs me whenever she needs something." He sat up quickly. "How could I be so blind!?"

"Harry!" Ann rested her hand on his arm. "I didn't mean to make you upset." He looked down at her then, his face instantly relaxing.

He lied back down on the concrete. "I know, I'm sorry. I just.." he trailed off, trying to find the right words. "How could I not have noticed this before?"

She shook her head. "Don't blame yourself, that's just how she is."

He turned his head to look at her, his eyes boring into hers. "Thank you for telling me." Ann nodded before looking away quickly. His eyes were hypnotic. "I feel like we're going to be really close friends."

Ann slowly turned her head to look at him. "Maybe."

A hurt look crossed over Harry's face. "May-"

Suddenly, Jewel's voice echoed over the neighborhood and Ann shot up. "I have to go inside for dinner."

Harry sat up also, their faces only inches apart. Ann didn't seem to notice, and she stood up. Harry noticed though, and whenever she started walking away, he frowned. "See you tomorrow." He stated.

Ann then froze and turned around, seeing Harry still sitting in her driveway. He saw her and waved. She let out a small laugh before waving back and running into the house, the smell of steak filling her nose.