Stephanie’s P.O.V.
2 months later, it was finally June, which meant school was ending very soon! I didn’t know what I wanted to do this summer, considering I couldn’t go to England (I gave up trying to convince my mum to go). I was just planning on a normal summer, possibly adding a trip to Chicago in there, since we live about 3 hours away. I was excited for sitting around the campfire, singing songs and watching the stars and going to the beach and playing outside in the warm sun. Oh! And sleeping in!
Rachel’s 17th birthday party was amazing and now I can’t wait until I’m 17. It’s not until the summertime, though, so I have a few months, but part of me doesn’t want to wait. Turning 17 just feels like it’s so much older for some reason.
We only had a few more days of school and I had already zoned out, but we still had exams so I couldn’t completely check out. Rachel and I had plans to study together the night before our first day of exams (our exams usually take up 2 school days), but she acted really weird when she demanded that it had to be at my house. I mean, she really insisted that it had to be at my house. This wasn’t the only time she was acting strange; it’s been like that these past few days.
Wednesday came and that meant study night. Rachel went home right after school to deal with something, but then appeared at my house an hour later.
“Hey,” she greeted me as she entered the house.
“Hi,” I answered back, opening the door to let her in. She immediately headed for the stairs and walked to my room, backpack slung over her shoulder.
I followed her upstairs and we entered my room, which was cluttered with so much stuff. The end of the school year was coming up, what was I to do? We set up with what little space my room provided and began studying, the most boring part of the school year. Rachel seemed like she couldn’t sit still; again, weird? I’ve honestly never seen her like this. I put that to the back of my mind and focused on studying. This was going to be a long night.

Rachel’s P.O.V.
A few days before
“Hurry, mom, we gotta go!” I shouted, scrambling to get my things together.
“I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying,” she replied, grabbing the keys on the counter. We raced out the door and into the van, starting it up and driving away.
Harry’s flight was to be expected to arrive at 12:42pm on Sunday in Chicago. Since the surprise was for Stephanie, we had decided (and it was okay with my mom) that we pick him up from the airport in Chicago and he could stay with us for the week before we would be leaving on Friday night, after our last day of school.
As my mom and I drove down to Chicago, my nerves were on edge. Even though I haven’t met Harry in person, there was this feeling inside of me that was a mix of excitement, nerves, and happiness. I can’t believe we were actually doing this. I just hoped we would be able to keep it a secret from Stephanie.
We reached the airport at around noon and headed inside to find his gate. It took a while to get through security, but before we knew it, we located the gate and waited.
Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long for his flight came in on time. As the passengers exited the plane, I spotted his dark, curly hair from amongst the mob of people and smiled as he caught my eyesight. He grinned back and ran over to hug me.
“It’s so good to finally meet you in person!” he greeted in his beautiful, English accent.
“I know, I’m so glad you’re here! Steph’s going to go insane!” I responded, letting go of his arms.
“Hi, Harry, I’m Rachel’s mom,” my mom introduced, holding out her hand. Harry politely shook hands with her while smiling at her, too.
“Well, shall we go get your bags?” my mom suggested.
“Sure,” Harry agreed, and we headed to the baggage claim.
We found his luggage in no time and attempted to make our way outside and to the van. So many people were coming in on this weekend, it was crazy inside the entire airport. Then again, it was the start of summer, so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise to realize so many people are traveling.
On our way back to our little town in Wisconsin, we had an amazing talk with Harry. I got to know his personality and what he was really like in person, and I was just perplexed by how polite and nice he is. No wonder Stephanie’s a great friend; those two have an astounding similarity of qualities.
3 hours later, we pulled in to our driveway. The entire ride home, Harry was staring out the window, obvious he was mesmerized by American soil. As we entered my house, Harry was astounded at how large everything was here. There was so much more room here than his place in England, he told us. Even the guest bedroom we lent him was bigger than his back at home.
We got him settled in to our house and we had a nice dinner to welcome him. I wanted to basically tell the whole world he was here but I couldn’t. I had to keep my mouth shut. This was going to be a long week.

A couple of days later, on Wednesday, Stephanie wanted to have a study night to help prepare for our exams. I insisted for it to be at her house and I think I may have overdone that a little bit as she looked at me quite weirdly after I literally yelled in her face. She agreed to host it at her house and that night, instead of bonding with Harry, I studied with Stephanie.
I hate exams. I really do. I hate them with a burning passion. I’m not even going to remember any of this, so why do we have to be tested on what we learned if it’s not going to be permanently imbedded in our minds? American schooling, I tell you.
Thursday came and my brain was fried after school. We only had 4 exams, but that can still make one go insane. Just one more day and we’ll be seniors. One more day and exams will be over. One more day and Stephanie’s surprise will be exposed. One more day and we’ll be off to England.
I only had one exam on Friday, so I spent most of Thursday packing. I had decided that tomorrow, since we can go off campus if we don’t have an exam, I will head over to Stephanie’s house and pack for her. Harry will obviously help me, as will do her mother, and with each minute ticking away, my excitement was growing larger and larger.
It was hard for me to sleep that night, and I awoke the next morning with getting only 1 hour of good sleep. I focused on my daily morning routine and exited my house for the last day of being a junior in high school.
My last exam went by fairly quickly, so I immediately went over to Steph’s house to pack, making sure to grab Harry in the process. Harry and Steph’s mum had a nice chat while I figured out what to throw into the suitcase, since I know what she wears. The only thing I don’t know, though, is what products she uses and her toiletries, so I figured after school we could come back here and have her finish packing that, and then it’s off to England for us!
A few hours later, I had gotten most of her stuff packed, but I was getting hungry so Steph’s mum was nice enough to drop us off to get food at a restaurant. We excitedly ate at Subway (Harry’s never been to one) and walked back to Steph’s house to finish it up. It didn’t take long and time went by fast, meaning it was time for the surprise.
Harry and I drove with Steph’s mum to the school, both of us very excited and nervous. We headed inside but I told Harry to stay in the lobby and I’ll bring Stephanie out here. He agreed and I walked into the hallways just as the bell rang, meaning exams were over for the day. I literally ran up the stairs and waited by Stephanie’s locker, my insides so energized that I was whipping my head back and forth down each hallway, wanting her to be sprinting to her locker.

Stephanie’s P.O.V.
Finally, the last exam was over! I could breathe again! I gathered up my stuff and exited the room, heading to my locker for the last time to grab my other bag. Rachel said she was going to meet me by my locker anyways, so I was hoping she was going to be there. She only had one exam this morning, so she went home to do something while I was finishing up my exams. As I neared my locker, I could see her standing there, but she couldn’t stand still. What is up with this girl? What has she been eating?
“Hey,” I greeted, looking at her weirdly.
“Hey,” she replied back, a big smile plastered on her face.
“What is up with you?” I asked, smiling a little bit. I unlocked my locker and grabbed my other bag, shutting the door really loudly as I wasn’t going to be here for another 3 months.
“Hurry up!” she pushed.
“What?” I questioned.
“Sorry, I’m trying to calm down,” she answered. She took a few deep breaths before looking me in the eyes, telling me she was okay.
“You all right, now?” I asked her again.
“Yes,” she responded. “It’s finally summer vacation!”
“I know!” I replied. We headed down the stairs and into the hallway on the first floor, leading to the lobby area.
“Ok, I can’t contain it anymore,” Rachel exclaimed, stopping right before the lobby.
“Can’t contain what?” I asked. What the hell is going on?
“Ok, ready?”
“Ready for what?” I questioned again.
Rachel excitedly waved her arms before deciding to link our arms together and walk into the lobby. I was still confused at her actions until my eyes rested on a familiar face.
I stopped in my tracks as I realized who it was. My face broke out into a huge smile as I ran into his open arms, embracing him for the first time in forever. The tears would not stop coming from my eyes and apparently his, too, as I could hear him choking up. His arms wrapped tightly around me and he even picked me up, too, squeezing me so hard I had trouble breathing, but I didn’t care.
It seemed like we were hugging for hours, but when you don’t see your best friend for years, it’s worth it. The whole world felt like it stopped and my heart ached from all of this excitement. I was still crying even after Harry gently set me down, but we were not ready to let each other go.
“I can’t believe it,” I quietly said.
“Me either,” Harry replied. “But this isn’t the best news.”
“What?” I asked, as he pointed at Rachel to come over to us.
As she approached us, I could see her eyes were wet. She must’ve gotten a little emotional, too.
“Stephanie, we’re going to England this summer!” she exclaimed.
“What?!?” I screamed, filling the entire lobby. Kids who were currently in there didn’t like the fact I yelled, but I couldn’t stop.
“How?” I asked them.
“It was hard, but we were able to keep it a secret for like, 2 months,” Rachel explained.
“The only thing is, we’re leaving tonight,” Harry added.
“What? But I’ve still got to pack and everything,” I panicked.
“Don’t worry, I took care of your clothes this afternoon. You just have to pack your toiletries,” Rachel replied.
“You guys are the best,” I responded, embracing them in a hug again.
“Well, come on! We don’t have much time!” Harry delivered. He and Rachel led me outside to where my mum was waiting in the car. Now I just realized: how was my mum even on board with this?
I disregarded that thought because I can’t believe Harry is actually here. He’s actually in my car, in my city, in my country. This is insane.

Notes

Hey guys! I had a fricken anxiety attack when I was writing this! I even cried before I wrote the part when Harry and Steph meet again!

Hope you're enjoying this and I promise it will get more interesting now that we're headed off to England!

Rachel and Steph :)