chemistry ➸ hallie

ii. || the start of something

The next day, Harry is in class before Allie. She catches him staring at Kelly as she enters the room, rolling her eyes as she moves to sit at her table. "If you two broke up, you should probably stop pining like some lost puppy," she says, and Harry looks at her, surprised. He didn't even see her come in, apparently.

"We didn't break up," he says defensively. "We just..." he sighs, "it's complicated, okay?"

Allie makes a face. "Right," she says, the word laced with sarcasm.

"Just drop it, Pressman," Harry grumbles, turning away from her to face the front of the room.

Allie rolls her eyes once again, turning just in time to see Becca walk in. "Shit," Allie mutters as she and Becca lock eyes. The other girl frowns and approaches the table.

"Allie, hey," she says.

"Hi," says Allie, giving her an awkward wave in greeting.

"Um, what—"

"Hey, Becca," says Harry, turning up the charm as he shoots her a smile. "I was hoping that maybe we could switch seats for a while, if that's cool with you."

Becca is still frowning when she turns around to look at Harry's usual seat, where Kelly is hunched over her phone. Suddenly Becca seems much less tense as she faces Allie and Harry again. "Okay, yeah," she says. "I get it. Breakup, and all that."

"We didn't break up!" Harry says, exasperated. Allie reaches out and pats his shoulder in mock sympathy.

"We're getting through it, Becca," she says jokingly as Harry groans and shrugs her arm off.

Becca laughs. "Always a process," she agrees, waving goodbye and making her way over to the empty seat. Allie watches as she greets Kelly, who gives her a friendly, albeit confused smile as she sits. The two girls immediately begin talking like old friends.

"I didn't know they knew each other," says Allie with a frown.

Harry shrugs. "Kelly never said much about Becca. I didn't know, either."

"Huh," says Allie, just as Mr. McAuliffe walks through the doorway.

"Homework out!"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧

They're in the middle of a lecture when Allie feels her phone vibrate against her thigh. Frowning, she flips it to view the screen.

Harry
iMessage (1)

Allie unlocks her phone. She has no idea why Harry is texting her when they're sitting right next to each other, but she doesn't say anything, instead simply reading the text.

Harry: Gwen and Clark are totally hooking up back there.

Allie snorts and looks at Harry incredulously. He doesn't take his eyes off the board, but she can see the corners of his lips twitching. Allie narrows her eyes, turning discrertly and, sure enough, there are Clark and Gwen in the back corner, completely all over each other.

Allie turns back to her phone.

Allie: Holy shit. How does McAuliffe not even notice???

Harry: Because he's like 90 years old and probably doesn't wear the right prescription in his glasses.

Allie: You make a solid point.

Harry: I know.