Rachel's POV
I wake up smiling. Me, waking up, smiling? It all had to do with Harry and his phone call from last night, just as he'd promised, though it was a little late, but that didn't matter.
We talked, longer than I thought we would, my cousins gathered around of course as I was forced to be on speaker. Jen and Hayley couldn't hold their giggles while Harry would tease me, and I would have to shut them up, but Harry knew they were there. I got a little anxious when Harry was bringing up what we almost did in bed this morning, of course he did it to embarrass me, but he got the hint to stop with the details after me clearing my throat multiple times.
I lied to my cousins, saying I was going to hang up but actually I went to my room and locked myself in there so I could talk to him alone.
Three hours. Harry and I chatted for three, amazing hours alone. It was so chill, so casual, and it was fun. Being able to hear him laugh was so calming for me, I never realized this until last night. I finally learned some more about him, stuff I never knew, like how he became famous, which more fans would know, but I didn't. He seemed super thrilled to tell me, saying it was adorable I didn't know. It was such a great story actually. I never knew that he was matched with the other boys after thinking he was out of the competition called X Factor, but I remember once hearing they didn't even win, but the famous Simon Cowell signed them on. Then as a band, they blew up, making a huge mark on the world.
I sort of avoided most of Harry's questions about my family, because I didn't want to ruin the moment. He was very curious to know, but I was much more interested in learning about him, because he always makes it about me. Now I actually feel so much closer to him, so much more connected to him, and I want to continue to discover more.
I turn to my side, and find the phone next to me on the mattress. I must have fallen asleep after the phone call. I feel my smile grow.
Today is going to be a great day, I know it.
I get up from my bed and step out into the kitchen to find my cousins rushing around to get ready to leave for work.
"Good morning!" I cheer, taking an apple from bowl on the counter and then hopping up to sit on it.
Both of my cousins turn to me, completely stop what they're doing and stare with strange looks.
"What?"
"Damn, happy is a weird look on you," Hayley laughs, continuing to pack her lunch.
Jennifer joins in, taking an apple from behind me and slipping it into her lunch bag. "It's different, but a great different. Look at her Hayley, she's practically glowing," she jokes. "I like the way Harry's made you."
"Being happy is very different, I love the way he's made me too," I giggle, bitting from my apple.
Jennifer and Hayley grab their purses and lunches and give me a hug goodbye.
"As happy and carefree that you seem, which is a plus from your stuck up, boring, nerdy personality, you may want to dial it down, Rach. It's kind of scaring me," Hayley teases before they exit the house, and I can't help but laugh.
Once I finish my apple, now home alone, I slide off the counter and head back to my room, deciding to shower now, to start the day fresh. As I grab my clothing, I hear my phone vibrate and am ecstatic to find a text from Harry.
Good morning angel, hope you slept well. Xx
A grin makes its appearance on my lips that I don't bother to constrain.
I slept great, I am glad we got to talk last night. Miss you :) I reply, beginning to realize I'm not great at the flirting thing.
Bet you would have slept better if I was there. I miss you too. Wish I could see you today but I am stuck with the lads as we are busy with the upcoming album. I'm unsure if I can see you tomorrow, but I will call you, he says, and my frown dies down a little.
I take a deep breath. It's okay, he has a life, a rather busy one at that, and I am not going to one of those girlfriends who keeps a man from his work. I'm not needy.
That's alright, I understand completely. Today I'm going to take a look at my college ideas again, actually, I tell him, figuring out something for me to do today to keep me busy.
I hope you decide, and whatever you pick will be a great school. Have to go, the boys are calling me. Talk to you later, miss you.
I miss you too, I end it, dropping my phone on the bed to go and take a shower.
My shower is longer than usual, since I've got the time to take how long of a shower I please, and I find myself singing 'Thinking Out Loud', smiling widely at the memory of singing that in Harry's car. I rarely sing, but I suppose that's what happens when you're happy.
Once I'm out, I dress myself in some lazy day sweats and one of my old UCLA t-shirts, and head out to my bedroom. I impulse on the decision to check my phone to see if Harry has said anything, but instead I find a missed call from my mother.
Um...
It can't possibly be anything of importance besides to yell at me, right? I try to think of any actual reason she'd really have to talk to me, but I can't find one. I don't think I'll return the call just yet. I will call her back later though, I really should. It's been awhile and she should be glad to hear about my university plans. One less thing for her to complain to me about.
Now to continue on my mission: college time.
The University College of London, that's what I've decided to apply for first. I've checked their English and literature classes and they seem pretty top notch, and it's a plus because Jen and Hayley attend there as well. They both love it, and I figure, why not be with family, even as annoying as they are. We wouldn't run though the same circles, which is a good thing, but if I went there I wouldn't be alone like I was in California.
The next step after applying for college, is getting my copies letters of recommendation and resumé. Before I left Jacob and California itself, I had asked my favorite teachers and others to assist me with letters of recommendation, and was lucky enough for them to happily oblige. My resumé will have to be updated, since I've got my new job and dance class, of course, but the majority of things I've done in the past should already be appreciated, according to my mother. I've settled on mailing the copies my letters, resumé, and application all in the same envelope.
I think I could be able to do this thing. I could actually get accepted to UCL.
I look under my bed in search from the box of my letters but they aren't in sight. Luckily I think of the closet, and find them there. Over ten letters, wow, and there are numerous copies of each. I never read them myself, I don't know why, I just didn't want to. Hearing and reading compliments about myself was so rare, that reading too many would make it seem false to me.
I found the envelope with my résumé copies, and decided I would just type up a new one, which took me a while, thanks to my parents for getting me involved in many, many things. When I had finally finished, I was able to fill in the application for the college. On the website it said it would take merely three to five weeks for a response, which sounded pretty wonderful to me. I printed many copies of my newly updated resumé, collected my letters, and put them all in one large envelope that included my application, since the applying online was closed.
I was so ready, I couldn't wait for this. Once I had it stamped and ready to go, I put it in the mailbox outside, ready to wait for a letter back, a letter to determine my future.
Gosh I forgot how hard it was to wait for a letter of acceptance, let alone, imagine from applying past the date you're supposed to.
I walk back into the flat, checking the clock to see its almost two. I completely lost track of time, and my stomach growls, reminding me I haven't had a chance to eat. I decide to once again check my phone for anything...Harry related, or my cousins, you know, not that I'm obsessed with him. But when I check my phone, I am astounded to find nearly fifteen missed calls from my mother. My phone must have been remained on vibrate, I never heard it.
What the hell? Is it serious?
Quickly I call her back, worry filling every nerve in my body. She never calls this much. What if it's my grandparents? My dog? One of them? I thought of all these possibilities before, but they all seemed like nothing could be wrong with them.
Now I'm not so sure.
My mother answers even before the second ring.
"Mother? What happened? Is everything okay-"
"No! Of course not! Nothing about this is okay Rachel Edwards!" she blares into the speaker, causing me to jump.
"M-mother?"
"Don't you mother me-" she threatens as I hear my father in the background warn her, "Kristen, calm down!"
"Mother, explain to me why you're so angry," I suggest to her, constraining myself as hard as I can to not explode at her the way she just did to me.
What else would I expect from her though?
My mother sighs loudly, all I hear is anger and disappointment. "Don't act like you don't know."
I sigh as well, but out of frustration. "I don't! Enlighten me, would you?" I let out some sarcasm, already expecting a tidal wave of my mother's attitude to drown me.
"Fine, if you'd like for me to remind you of the stupidity you've let your mind allow to enter. You remember Ms. Young, right?" My mother tries to calm her tone to a reasonable level.
Ms. Young, I remember her. She was one of our nearby neighbors, just down the street. Usually pretty nice, and she and my mom were sort of close friends I guess. I always remember her being single, and I guess it remained that way.
"Yes, why?" I ask, annoyed. What does she have to do with anything, if I haven't seen her in nearly three years?
"What about her daughter, Meredith, remember her?" my non-descriptive mother questions.
Oh, do I definitely remember her. That girl was one of the most stuck up, bitchy, annoying girls I ever knew. I could stand to be around her mother, but when our mothers would hang out, we'd be forced to hang out. We knew we hated each other, our personalities clashed since we first met as younger kids. As a teenager her parents would think she was like me, a nerdy whiz kid who's number one priority was my work, but she would put up a fake show for them, and sneak out to meet new guys all the time. A whore, I believe is that term?
"What does she have to do with anything? What do any of them have to do with me?" I ask her, losing my patience.
"Well, I was at the supermarket yesterday, and I ran into the both of them, Meredith home from college for the summer, like you would have been," she takes her usual swing at my moving to London decision. "Anyway, we got to chatting up, and Meredith was on her phone, then she found something on one of those social media websites, a picture.."
A picture...?
"It was pretty shocking for me to see such a picture of my daughter, without hearing from her for days. To see her like this, right in the middle of an aisle at a supermarket. Yet to find her in a picture that is making its way throughout the Internet for everyone to see," she continues to describe, like I know what she's talking about. "A picture of my daughter...holding some tattooed punk's hand as she walks into an apartment building!" my mother raises her voice, I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbors next to me could hear it.
Holy shit.
I know what she's talking about. The date. Stupid paparazzi, stupid Meredith with her bitchy personality to get me into trouble purposely, stupid internet. My mouth falls open and I freeze.
"My daughter?! My Rachel would never do such a dumb thing! Leaving California was the worst thing in the world for you to do! Leaving Jacob? What kind of a decision was that? Something my Rachel wouldn't have done! He could have given you everything, even more than the many things he'd already given you! But you gave it all up, you screwed up your future your father and I tried so hard to make for you. For what? Living in London with no life planned out and some long haired freak holding your hand? You gave it up for sex with some random man who for some reason, there are pictures of you two that are becoming famous online? What the hell is the matter with you?! Where's my daughter?"
Did she just say that to me?
"Ah quiet are we?" she smirks through the speaker.
"Your daughter, is right here. She grew up, she had to. She needed a change from the constant cycle that was weighing her down, and that cycle was you, and everything else back there in California that I needed to leave," I hint at Jacob, not wanting to say his name. "I'm better off that I left, and no way would I have gone home to you, to Texas. You know what, I was actually happy today for the first time in ages, until you called me mother. Happy! That boy, he made me very happy today," I say to her firmly, trying hardly not to cry.
My mother scoffs, "Oh did he? What, the sex was that good?"
"It's none of your business if he and I do something. You are not in control of my life anymore! I am an adult, twenty at that!" I squeeze my phone, positive I could break it. "He and I can do whatever we want, whenever we want," I tell her, somewhat exaggerating considering he and I haven't done anything yet. But she doesn't know that.
"I know what this is. He is a phase, something you're going to through to rebel against us. So immature really. What did you do, try to find a guy that looks and is completely opposite of Jacob? Disgusting tattoos, very long hair? Well done, I must say, but time to give it up," she mocks, laughing.
"He is no phase of mine. He's the only one that actually cares!"
"Cares, huh? You don't even understand what you're saying. You're being very naive and not using your brain Rachel. If you think this..this freak you're with cares, you've completely lost it. He will leave you for some other slut, you'll see. You know, sex isn't everything," she continues to taunt me, but I've had it.
"That's it mother! I'm finished with this! I was fucking happy and you ruined it! I applied for a college today, like you'd give a shit about that! Hell, you don't give a shit about me!" I yell as loud as I can into the speaker, feeling the waterfall of tears streaming down my face. I can't believe I just cussed at her.
I hang up the phone and throw it on my bed, climbing next to it and lying face down.
I guess I jinxed it, today was not a great day.