Let's Live While We're Young

Addison POV

Like Mum had said, all of our stuff had beaten us to the new house. It was massive. Dad’s relocation must have come with a giant raise as well because there was no way we could have otherwise afforded it.

From the outside it looked like your regular white picket fence house with neat lawns and you’d expect a pie to be sitting on a window sill somewhere. On the inside it was anything but. It was decked out with all the latest and greatest gadgets. The inside was so much more modern than the picturesque outside would lead you to believe.

I didn’t even take the time to really look at every other part of the house, there would be time for that later, the first thing I did was run up the staircase to find my new room. I checked probably three or four rooms before finding the pile of boxes with my name written all over them.

Two of the three walls were painted a really nice shade of pink and the last one was painted a dark grey that wasn’t quite black. The door and its frame were both painted an off white as was the window sill. The view from my window simply allowed me to look out into the back yard, where I noticed there was a pool that no one had previously mentioned. Not that I could go swimming though, I’d freeze to death.

I started to unpack my boxes and continued until my parents called my down for dinner a few hours later.

“Are you looking forward to going to your new school tomorrow?” Mum asked during our meal and I almost choked on my pasta.

“I’m starting school tomorrow? Isn’t that a little bit quick?” My eyes were wide with disbelief.

“Well there’s really no reason for you to stay home tomorrow. You’ve already finished unpacking so you may as well go and meet some people.” Dad put in.

“I have two very good reasons for me to stay home. One, we just moved to a new continent, I need a little bit of time to adjust. And two, jet lag. Enough said.” I crossed my arms over my chest realising that I looked like a five year old throwing a tantrum but not really caring.

“Addison, you are going to school tomorrow whether you like it or not so deal with it.” Mum snapped.

“Whatever.” I stood up from the table and took my plate out to the kitchen sink before washing it and going back up to my room. When I got up there I turned on my computer and loaded Skype.

When I noticed that no one was on I shut my laptop and then marvelled at the fact that the wireless had already been set and my computer was already connected. Then seeing as I had nothing better to do I tried to go to bed.

There was only one problem with that, my body still thought that it was the middle of the day and that made sleep impossible. I just ended up staring at my ceiling and dreading the day ahead of me.

I had just started to doze off when Mum came in and informed me that it was time to get up and get ready for school.

I literally rolled out of bed and lucky my feet actually hit the floor or I would have just kept rolling.

Grudgingly I wandered into my bathroom, yes mine as in I had it all to myself. I didn’t dare to look at myself in the mirror just yet, it was too early and I knew I wouldn’t like what I saw.

Instead I stripped off and got into the shower. The water was as hot as it could get and I could still feel the goose bumps on my skin from the cold Holmes Chapel morning. Other than the time zones the temperature was the biggest difference for me.

When I got out of the shower I wiped the steam from the mirror and shuddered at the sight of my pale face with dark circles already under my eyes. I dried first myself and then my long blonde hair, choosing to leave it in the waves it fell into after blow drying it. Then I headed back into my room to assemble my outfit.

When I was dressed and my make-up was done to my satisfaction I headed downstairs, feeling like a zombie. The promise of coffee was the only thing that compelled me to keep moving. Not Mum’s coffee though, I loved her dearly but my mother could not make coffee that tasted somewhat decent if her life depended on it.

Neither of my parents were awake and there was a note on the counter saying to have a good day and that they had both gone back to bed. Typical they can just go back to sleep and I had to walk to school. I didn’t even know where the school was.

I groaned and threw my keys and some other important things into my bag and headed out the door. I had plenty of time before school started so I opened up Google and searched for coffee shops and houses near the school, lucky for me there was a Starbucks just down the road. I pulled up the directions and started walking towards the coffee.

In all it took me probably ten minutes to reach the Starbucks. The moment I stepped inside I felt better. The smell of fresh coffee and vanilla and everything else you would usually associate with coffee shops hit me and I inhaled as deeply as I could, revelling in the familiar. The warmth of the shop seeped into me and I smiled to myself at the security it made me feel.

I walked to the register, gave the guy my order and name, went over to wait for my coffee and then when I got it I went and sat down in one of the large single seats. The warmth of the beverage spread throughout my body mingling with the heat from the shop itself. I felt content.

There was probably two or three other people inside, one more outside smoking between sips of whatever he was drinking. I spent too long watching the way his cigarette smoke mixed with the cold air, fascinated by it for no particular reason.

The bell above the door dinged and in doing so pulled my thoughts and my eyes away from the smoking man. I looked up to see the new addition and recognised her as the girl I’d hit with the door at the airport. She was dressed simply and a small smile was present on her lips.

She turned and saw me and her smile became bigger as she walked towards me.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here.” She said taking the seat across from mine.

“I know right. What are the chances?”

“Slim to none, those are the chances.” She told me with a smile.

Beth POV

I walked into Starbucks as usual only today Harry wasn’t by my side and he wasn’t going to complain about how tea is better than coffee and blah blah blah.

I scanned the shop before seeing a familiar face. The girl that hit me in the head with the door at the airport was sitting over the other side of the shop. I smiled and walked over to where she was.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here.” I told her, sitting in the empty seat across from her.

Crap wait, what was her name again. Madison? Amelia? Addison! That was it.

“I know right. What are the chances?”

“Slim to none, those are the chances.” I laughed.

But really though, what were the chances? The girl I’d met once for a few minutes after she hit me with a door just so happened to be in my Starbucks at the exact same ungodly hour as me.

“Oh hey Beth.” The manager, Josh, said; recognising me from behind the counter. “Where’s your boy?”

“Sorry, excuse me for a minute.” I said to Addison and she nodded politely at me.

“Harry is at X-Factor boot camp remember darling.” I told Josh in a hushed tone, we weren’t really supposed to tell people.

“Oh right. Will it be the usual then?” I nodded and made my way back over to Addison.

“So…” I said drawing her attention as I plopped back down into my seat. “What brings you here at stupid o’clock.”

She let out a small laugh before answering. “I need coffee so I don’t fall asleep while walking to school.”

“Wait, you’re new here right?” I shook my head and laughed at myself. “Alright that was a stupid question; you were at the airport yesterday, I’ve never seen you before then and you have the strongest Australian accent I’ve ever heard. Granted that I’ve only ever heard a few and they were all family.”

“Well to answer the question I’m not even sure you really asked, yes I am new here.”
I liked this girl, she was funny and witty. Plus she was gorgeous but not obnoxiously so. She seemed pretty cool, like someone I’d get along with.

“Why are you even going to school today, you got here yesterday.” I asked confused, was she crazy?

“I don’t know. Ask my parents.” She threw her arms up in frustration.

“Are you going to the school down the road? The high school?”

“Yes I am.” I let out a small laugh of disbelief.

“Well Addison my dear I think the universe has plans for us.” She looked at me with a confused expression. “You hit me with a door, you’re at my Starbucks and we’re going to the same school. I think we were meant to be friends.” I explained and understanding settled on her features.

“Well I’m in no position to turn down friends and you seem pretty cool, so hi I’m Addison.” She smiled and extended her hand towards me.

“Beth.” I replied shaking it.

Brooklyn POV

The week that Niall was away at boot camp was possibly the longest week of my entire life, or so it seemed.

It was the same as it had always been but I just felt like there was a large gap where Niall should have been. I guess that’s the way it works though when you spend almost every waking hour with a person and then they go away to live their dreams on a national television show.

My life was basically incredibly boring without the blonde, bubbly leprechaun I loved to call my best friend.

It was actually kind of difficult for me too. I used to get bullied a lot when I was younger, just the usual childish jabs and taunts nothing too bad, it wasn’t until I got a little bit older that it started to get worse. I had been verbally abused on many occasions and even physically threatened on others. The only reason nothing worse happened was because Niall was there.

Put Niall a few hours away and leave me with no one and bad things started to happen.

In the week of boot camp I; had my glasses stolen all three of the times that I actually wore them, had my books and bag taken off me too many times to continue counting, was tripped in the halls and in classes at least four times a day and I also got used as a punching bag on a Wednesday.

To say that the week Niall away was hell was probably a bit of an over statement but it was the worst thing I’d ever experienced.

Despite all the physical abuse that took place the emotional was actually worse. A person can only hear that they’re a ‘freak’ a ‘loser’ a ‘slut’ so many times before it starts to get to them. A person can only be told so many times that they’re ‘not good enough’ before they start to believe it. The taunts were a regular thing but I usually had Niall to convince me that they were wrong, but he wasn’t there and I did something stupid.

I cut for the first time in over a year the week Niall was away at boot camp.