The Girl Next Door

The drive to the cemetery was quiet. And I was too busy worrying over what could happen tonight to decide if it was a good kind of silence or not. I didn't have much time to stress over it though, because Harry parked his dad's car way too quickly and before I knew it, my side of the car's door opened and Harry's hand waited eagerly to meet mine. I looked up at him, trying as best as I could to glare at him but all I could come up with was an empty stare.

"It'll be fine, now come on." Harry said gently, with a smile so reassuring it could probably cure cancer. I took his hand and tried desperately to hide the fact that I was shaking. Unfortunately, this kind of reflex can't be controlled very well.

"I should be the one being nervous right now." Harry said with a smirk.

"Why?"

"Well, I've never met your parents. What if they don't like me?" He said and I couldn't help but laugh, which made him smile. And then I felt more and more relaxed with every step I took.

Until we got to the stone that meant so much to me. I stopped walking, and he stopped right besides me, squeezing my hand.

"Harry, this is my mom." I said in a monotone voice. He kissed my cheek softly before letting go of my hand.

"Look, I know this might sound kind of weird. But do you think you could give us a minute?" He asked and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to do. So I agreed.

"Just text me when you're done. I'll be walking around." I said as I turned around and left.

*Harry's POV*

I took a deep breathe before shoving my hands in my pocket.

"Hi, mrs. Williams." I said out-loud, not even pretending to feel ashamed. "I don't know much about you, but if you are like every 'normal' mom around here, you're probably not too thrilled with the idea of your daughter dating the town-screwup. We both probably know she deserves better but the truth is that I wanna be selfish with her." I admitted, looking directly at the gravestone.

"Kaleigh is the most important thing in my life." I said and it was true. "So I was thinking you and I could make a deal. You know, I might be a loser but I will stop at nothing to make sure she's okay. Of course, there's just so much I can do down here, and that's where you come in." I said and I looked up towards the sky, wondering if she could actually hear me. "I don't know how the hell it works up there, but I'm pretty sure you've got some kick-ass angel powers I could only dream of having. So I was wondering if, maybe, you could use those super-moves if Kaleigh ever needed them? I get it if you can't. And I'll do everything I can to make sure she's always safe and always protected. But, selfishly, I think it would be kind of cool to team up with some force from up above." I smiled at the though.

"And if, by any chance, you could let Kaleigh see just how amazing she is, that would be great. I mean I tell her all the time but it's hard to believe the boy who's father is a compulsive liar." I said through clenched teeth. "Anyway, it's just a suggestion. It was nice to meet you, and I'm sorry if I did most of the talking, I'll try to be more of a listener next time." I smirked at the stone. "Hope you're doing okay up there!" I finished before texting Kaleigh.

I felt good. Somehow, I just knew she listened.

"So, how did it go?" Kaleigh's playful voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I smirked at her, taking her hand once again.

"Honestly? I think she liked me." I joked.

"That's because you've got a way with words." She said, looking straight ahead. I don't think she caught the fact that I was kidding, but her compliment made me smile nonetheless.

"Okay." I smiled. "Let's go see your dad."