She's Not Afraid

I was startled awake by the sound of my phone receiving a text. Groaning, I felt for it on the night table till it was clutched under my hand. When I was able to blink the sleep from my eyes, I realised it was a text from Riana.

Riana: "Hope you didn't forget, meet you in 15!! x"

I gasped and shot out of bed, running to the bathroom to brush my teeth and fix my hair. I had completely forgotten we made plans, we were going to town so she could show me more of Holmes Chapel, the good areas and the not so good areas. I was actually quite excited, it sparked hope in me that I would like it here just as mum had said.

Peeking into my closet, I was able to pull out some clothes for the day and throw them on before running downstairs.

"Where are you going? You just woke up." My mum questioned as I bumped into her at the bottom of the steps.

"Riana and I are going out to town."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'll catch something to eat with her. I'll be back later, bye." I answered, kissing her cheek before heading out. I began the walk towards her house that was a few down from mine, immediately spotting her waiting on the curb.

"Hey, I was beginning to think you forgot." She smiled as I approached her.

"Sorry, I overslept. When it comes to sleeping, you need to pry me off that bed." We both giggled as we began to walk.

"So where are we off to?"

"I'm practically a tourist, you tell me where we're off to."

"I skipped breakfast, wanna head over to the bakery?" She winked as she nudged my arm.

I laughed aloud, shaking my head as I did. I probably would never figure out why she was so into this man but I agreed anyway. My stomach was already beginning to grumble at the thought of food.

We made the small trip to town, making conversation as we did. The more we talked, the easier it got to connect with her. She really made me feel at ease with the whole moving thing.

Walking into the bakery that smelled of delicious treats, I noticed the man from yesterday sweeping up the floor. "Hey, look who it is." I teased her, looking towards his direction.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked to him and back at me, clearly not understanding my banter. "I don't get it."

"It's Harry, the guy everyone is in love with."

She scrunched up her nose in distaste and flicked my beanie. "That's not Harry! That's Harry." She whispered, looking towards the front.

Following her gaze, I noticed a young boy at the till this time. He had chocolate coloured curls atop of his head, a baby face that could drive any girl crazy, and a dimpled smile that made you go weak at the knees. Plain and simple, he was gorgeous; and it made so much more sense as to what Riana was saying about all the girls loving him.

Feeling our stares, he looked up, startling me with the sudden eye contact. I avoided his scrutiny and began to peer into the glass filled with treats, but from the corner of my eye I could tell he was smirking at my reaction; to be honest, it irked me. He probably thought he had this power over me where I couldn't even bring myself to look him in the eyes.

"Hello Riana, who's your friend?" His jolly voice spoke out as we neared him.

"Hello Harry, this is Charlotte. She just moved into town yesterday."

"Is that so?" He asked making me look up into his green eyes that were filled with what? Impudence?

I gave a discrete nod, quickly looking away to the menu above his head. "Can she speak?" He laughed.

I shot my eyes towards him, "Why yes I can." I responded harshly, who did he think he was?

"Well then hi, my name is Harry." He offered me his hand to shake, but I simply refused. The cocky grin on his face was irritating me. If it was one thing I hated, it had to be cocky fellows.

"Aren't you going to shake my hand?"

"No, I will not. Now I'll have a blueberry muffin, medium tea, and you can throw in some chocolate chip biscuits as well." I stated bluntly, holding his stare as he dropped his hand in defeat.

Riana cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable with the shift of mood. "I'll have the usual."

I pulled out my money but he stopped me. "Why don't we start over? This one is on me."

"No thank you, I'd like to pay for my meal if you don't mind." I replied, handing him my money.

"I insist." He said handing it back.

"And I insist you let me pay." I said shoving it towards him.

"Charlotte, can I talk to you for a second?" Riana asked, beginning to pull me away from Harry's earshot.

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with you? He's being nothing but nice."

"I'm sorry but I refuse to give into his little game. He may get away with his cockiness with other girls, but not me. I cannot stand it when they're so overly confident." I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms.

"Wow, you truly amaze me. First girl I know to not fall for his charm."

I shrugged. "He's cute, but not my type."

She laughed and pulled me back to where Harry rested on his elbows, chin in his hand, waiting for us to finish talking. "So have you convinced your friend to let me pay for her meal?" He asked, standing upright.

"No she did not." I replied.

He sighed and shook his head again in defeat; I was on a roll! For the rest of the time Riana and I sat and ate, I could feel his stares every so often but I never dared to acknowledge him. Afraid it would only fuel his fire if I did. When we were both done, we agreed to start the sight seeing. She waved goodbye to Harry who looked a little disappointed, and guided me out the door to unknown destinations.

For several hours, until we became hungry again, we walked all around to wherever our little legs could take us. And from all the places we saw, the one place that stood out to me was the small park area we stopped by. It offered a vast field of grass and a bridge that crept over a well kept pond. When we stopped by, it felt very serene, a place I could escape to whenever I felt overwhelmed.

As we walked through town to get back home, a mop of familiar curls sauntered over; I sighed the second he spotted us.

"Hey you two, didn't think I'd run into you again." He smiled cheekily.

"I was hoping that would be the case." I snarled.

"Ouch, got yourself an attitude huh?"

I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Harry, lets leave her alone okay? Did you just get out of work?" Riana asked, trying to lighten the tension.

"Yeah, I'm on my way home now. Where are you headed off to?"

"Home. I'll catch you later?"

"Yeah, definitely. Nice meeting you, Charlotte." He said in a tone that sounded mocking.

I began the walk home, leaving him to laugh at my bitter mood towards him. "Charlotte, wait up!" Riana called out, jogging to catch up.

"Sorry Ri, I just can't stand to be near him. He strangely makes my blood boil."

She chuckled. "I don't think he's ever gotten under someone's skin as fast as he has with you."

"Tells you how much I hate cocky prick teasers."

"I don't think that'll last long, he's a really nice guy. Trust me, I've known him for awhile now."

"Are you two close?"

"I suppose so, we hang out whenever we're free."

I nudged her as I raised my eyebrows.

"No! No, no, no. I've never liked him in that way. Like of course I think he's gorgeous, but he's never appealed to me in a boyfriend way."

"How come?"

She shrugged as she looked down at her feet. "He's too cute . You know? I want a bad arse."

We burst out laughing. "Oooh it's like that I see."

We came to a stop in front of her house. "Thanks for showing me around, it was really nice of you." I smiled, grateful for her friendship. I was sure if I hadn't met her, I would be locked up in my room still pissed at the world.

"No problem, anytime."

We waved goodbye and I began the short walk to my house. My thoughts tracked back to Harry and his obnoxious ways. That stupid smug smile kept appearing making me huff. Why did he get to me so much?