Chapter Text
Popular.
I never understood its meaning when I was a little kid, I knew that popular meant that someone or something was known by many people but I never thought about what it was like being popular or what did it mean in my life, but when I entered high school that's all I was known as. I was known as the popular guy of the school, the one that everybody wanted to be friends with, the one that every girl died for, I was just Harry the most popular guy in the school. All my years in high school I have been that guy, nobody has ever known me for my real me, just my best friend Niall. Niall and I have known each other since we where little kids, we have known each other because our parents have been best friends forever.
I was walking down the street with Niall and we were going to school. Niall was telling me something about this girl she has started to date, I never remember her name, but I wasn't paying attention because I was thinking about something else, lately, I've been thinking about how I'm graduating high school in 3 months and I've lived the high school life everybody dreams about but nobody has really known me for me. I was thinking about this when Niall hit me in the arm
"Hey!" I scream at him "that hurt"
"Sorry but Harry," Niall said and I already know what he's going to say "you were not putting attention, you were on your world again, I was telling you something important"
"Sorry sorry what were you saying"
"I was telling you that I'm very happy with Anna," that's her name "she makes me so happy and I love spending time with her, I think I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend"
"Oh my god!" I say, even though I never remember her name I think she is a great girl and I'm so happy for my best friend "mate that's great, she is a great girl"
"Thanks, lad,"
We walk for about 10 more minutes until we get to school. When we arrive I don't even know who is calling me but I hear a series of "Harry!!" or "hey mate" or "there he is" or "the man has arrived" and a lot of hands giving me hi-fives or patting me on the back, it has been like that for 4 years now so I'm used to it. Then I see Ed, I've never liked him but I pretend I do, always when I arrive at school it's like a chip changes in my brain and I become this guy who is the star of the school, every teacher likes me even though I don't do anything on class but at the end, I always turn in my works and have straight A's, I'm the cool guy who everybody likes and I act like that
"Yoh Harry my man" I hear Ed say
"Hey Ed," I say
"So any new girl?" he asks that's exactly why I don't like him all he cares about is girls and treats them like trash and I can't tell him 'no because I like boys' but I still say no
"No dude," I say thinking about what excuse to say this time "no chick who grabs my attention" and he believes me because he thinks I'm like a fuckboy
"Oh okay," he says "well got to go," he says and leaves and I don't even ask why because I don't care I just want him to go away. Niall and I walk down the hall and we can't even walk 5 meters without someone stopping to say hello to us, it gets a bit annoying. We walk to our lockers and then someone comes and slams Niall's locker, obviously Leila, his little sister
"Hey big bro, hey Harry," she says and we wave at her "sooooo, big bro I need your help," she says and Niall rolls his eyes
"What do you need now Leila?"
"I need to borrow 20 bucks, I forgot my money at home and there is no one that can bring them to me and I have no lunch," she says and I laugh because Niall gives her the most annoyed look "pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," she says and I laugh more
"No Leila!" Niall said as I thought he would "you should've brought your own money and you have to be more responsible" he says and as he says that I take 20 bucks out of my jeans without Niall noticing and put them in her hand
"But Niall," she says acting so that he won't notice "well I guess I won't eat lunch or I'll have to ask some of my friends, maybe I'll text Zayn and tell him to bring them to me, no wait I can't do that age well I'll figure something out thanks for nothing big bro," she says and walks away
"Ugh she's so annoying sometimes," Niall says and I laugh
I like Leila a lot. She has always been like my little sister, I literally know her since she was born and she is pretty cool. Plus she's Zayn's girlfriend so whenever she and Zayn meet I get to see Zayn. I never get to see him because he is always with his best friend, I don't know who he is but I do know that Zayn prefers to keep it secret. Niall and I have known Zayn for as long as we can remember his parents and our parents have been best friends forever but he is one year older than us. We have a lot of dinners together but Zayn doesn't go a lot because he is always with this mystery guy. For what Leila has told me this guy is very famous and everyone knows that Zayn is his best friend so that's why she doesn't like him coming to school because then they will prefer her for being Zayn's girlfriend instead of who she really is and I can totally understand that but it's a bit late for me to do that so I'll just have to live three more months like this
Niall and I go to our class when the bell rings, we are in every class together so that's really cool. Even though we have been 5 months with this schedule Niall never remembers what we have so he has to ask me and I've learned it like the palm of my hand. Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Lunch, Economy, Film, and English. We walk to math and as usual, I don't do anything but I have a photographic memory so I always remember and turn in my work later that day. After math we go to our other classes and lunch comes really fast. We walk to the cafeteria, buy some things, and sit at our usual table. In this school, we have a weird system for lunch. There are four tables at the center of the cafeteria, the biggest tables. Each table gets smaller, the biggest one is for the seniors, the next for the juniors, the next for sophomores, and lastly for the freshman. These four tables are the tables where the 'popular' people of each grade sit at lunch, I've always been in them and honestly, it's not like I enjoy it.
"Harry you there?" Niall asks me "dude what's happening to you? You have been out all day"
"Yeah sorry just a bit tired," I say "but don't worry I'll be 100% here for the game on Friday"
"Ok," he says and starts talking with Anna again, boom! I remembered her name
The rest of the day goes quickly and the same as any other day. When we finish our English class we go to football practice but on the way, Leila stops me
"Hey Harry," she says
"Hey"
"First of all thanks for the 20 bucks"
"Anytime, but not always," I say laughing
"Yeah I promise it's the last time," she says laughing with me "anyways I needed to ask you a favor"
"Ok?"
"I need to go to your house, you think you could drive me there?"
"I would say yes but I came walking with your brother, maybe you could walk with us," I say "anyways why do you need to come to my house today?"
"Because Zayn will be there and he asked me to meet him there," she says and I only get the part where she says that Zayn will be there
"Zayn will be there?" I ask "why will he be there?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask him but yes he will be there and yes I'll walk with ya," she says and leaves
That was weird but I'm excited to see Zayn, I haven't seen him in so long, whenever he comes to town he only has time for Leila but I don't think about that now, I need to tell Niall
"Hey Niall" I scream when I see him "guess who's coming to my house today?"
"Who?"
"Your sister," I say laughing
"Why is my sister going to your house," he says a bit mad
"Don't worry dude," I say laughing so hard "she's coming because Zayn is coming and I didn't know that she just told me"
"Zayn?" he says surprised "why is he coming?"
"I have no idea and your sister had no idea also so we are lost," I say "but she will walk with us today to my house"
"Ok," he says "I'm just excited I get to see him," he says and I know how he is feeling because I feel the same way
When practice ends we go look for Leila to the soccer field and when we find her we go and walk to my house. Niall and Leila start talking about something of their family so I put one headphone on and listen to Queen. In school, I'm this guy who is the cool guy but outside of it I'm the gay guy who loves the 80s and wishes he could've lived in that time, I'm this guy who loves to read and always does his homework, I'm a totally different person but I like who I am