Salvation (Harry Styles)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I'm curious

I need to see

"Next up is... Lia and Tyler," Mrs. Lawson, the drama teacher, says as she readjust her rectangular glasses that are perched on her nose.

My third period class drags on and on, and I wish lunch would just roll around quicker. Our class is in the front two rows of the auditorium as Lia and a boy, Tyler, in the year below my grade go on stage to continue with the pairs. There's not many of us left to pair up. I still haven't been up, neither has Harry and two to three other people.

Harry sits in the row diagonally behind me, as I sit in the front row, second seat to the end. I can see him out of the corner of my eye, and I know that he hasn't looked at me since he glanced at me in the parking lot. I was walking in with Crystal and Lia, and had to pass him on the way. He was on his motorcycle in his now usual spot, smoking. He purposely exhaled as I went by him, making the smell of nicotine stay on me until second period when I applied for perfume.

Now Lia and Tyler are acting out the scene everyone's memorized and we've seen many times before. It's the same plot of a brother and sister fighting over who will take the garbage out. Yes, it may be boring to sit through and watch the same actions being carried out, or to hear the same lines said over and over again, but it's quite interesting to hear it said different ways.

I'm weird.

I yawn, covering my mouth with my hand. I had to stay up late last night to do the homework that I put off, so I went to bed around midnight, if not later. I take out my phone to check the time, half noon, but didn't notice the performers were done until Mrs. Lawson calls me out.

"Rae!" She says, knowingly. "Why don't you and Mr. Styles come up here next, yes?"

I sigh to myself seeing there's no way to put it off, and drop my phone into my bag on the ground next to me. I hurry up the three steps that lead to the stage on one side, and Harry goes up the other. Mrs. Lawson remains on the ground, but now faces us as we meet in the middle. Harry doesn't look at me so therefore I don't look at him. I can practically feel Harry rolling his eyes and he crosses his arms, almost in defiance.

I would like to turn to him and say I'm not happy about having to partake in this skit with him either.

He was an ass to his friend and me. He completely ignored us to hang out with his older buddies.

Of course he wouldn't want to be seen with us.

We're high school students.

We're underage.

We're minors.

We're the "stuck-up rich kids from the suburbs".

"Ready?" Mrs. Lawson asks, looking back and forth between us. "Action!"

We both turn reluctantly to each other, me jutting out my hip, and Harry stuffs his hands in his pockets. Harry's suppose to start off the scene so I look at him expectantly. I wonder for a moment if he doesn't remember the line, but something in his eyes change and he starts yelling.

"It wouldn't kill you to take out the trash from time to time. I do have a life too."

I laugh without humour. "Oh, yeah! Playing on that X-Box thing isn't called a life!"

"No," he throws his arms around. "It's because you think that since you're a girl and the younger child, you can get out of doing thing. Well, news flash, little sis! I'm not going to be here much longer."

"Oh, trust me, I'll be happy when you're gone," I smile ruefully. "Because I won't have to hear you complain all the time─"

"I complain?" He cuts me off at the perfect time. "Says you! You're the one that sits on her phone all day, gossiping with God knows who, about everything under the sun."