I climbed onto the tube with a duffel bag hanging across my body and my backpack weighing me down. The worst part was the overwhelming feeling inside of me to just give up. Before Harry, I had hope. Hope for a future because it was my only chance. But Harry gave me the hope for something else, Happiness.



I leaned against the metal pole for support and quickly got off the train. This was my life: lonely and miserable.



I walked into the house miserable and ready to be Mary’s slave. My bags drooped off my shoulders onto the perfectly clean, because of me, floor. I walked into the kitchen and began to get ready for dinner.




~*~




“ALEX,” Shay screamed, “what makes my boobs look better?” She held up a disgusting yellow top that was low cut and had cut outs on the side. On the other end, she held a white top that was completely see-through and crocheted.



“Uh, that one,” I said pointing to the yellow one. She might as well look gross anyway, right? “Wait, but why?”



“Gosh, Alex. Don’t you know? Harry Styles is coming over. Mom wants to give him a solo deal.”



“Wait, WHAT?”



“Oh, shut up. We all know that his own band is just holding Harry back. Plus, if he’s a solo artist and my boyfriend, how much cooler would that be?”



“OMG, just the greatest,” I replied sarcastically.



“I know, right,” she said as she strutted away from the kitchen.



That girl needed to find her brain, because obviously she’s experiencing withdrawal.



I was just about finishing dinner as I head the door swing open and Mary’s heels click against the wood in the foyer. The voices were obviously muffled, but I could her “kind”, sycophantic tine taking over as Harry walked in. Why on earth would he even show up? Harry loves his friends, right?



The plates were all set and ready to go and I grabbed some Karamel Stutra Ben & Jerry’s from the fridge. My favorite food in the world: ice cream. So yes, I will eat ice cream for dinner because there’s no one there to stop me. Bite me.



Through the doors I could see Harry texting on his phone. In my pocket, I felt the messages in my phone pile up as it buzzed against my leg. Harry already made it clear he didn’t want me as Cinderella. I’m done with trying to convince him otherwise.



I saw Mary signal the first round of dinner to be set up and I grabbed the serving dish quickly and began to give everybody his or her appetizers. I took a quick peek at Harry’s face to see if he was really into doing this, as in leaving his friends behind. Instead of seeing a confident, independent face, I saw someone miserable ready to break something. Maybe I should actually prove to him who I am, but he didn’t want me right?



I placed the soup in front of him and left the room to attack my ice cream, the one thing in my life that didn’t taste like crap. In front of me was my laptop and my Stanford application. I was good at multi-tasking and honestly; I wanted to leave Britain so bad. Stanford gave out 5 international full-scholarships a year to their freshman class. I would do anything for one.



My phone was continually buzzing against the granite countertops and I was just getting fed up. I could either just forget about him or just face the wrath.



I flipped the phone and opened the text message up.



Me: U need to stop txting me. Its getting kinda stalky.



Harry: U refuse to tell me who u are so…



Me: R u still at Alexis and Shay’s house?



Harry: How do you know abt that?



Me: U told me :/



Harry: Right.. hehe. And ya.



Me: Meet me in the room with the separate entrance in the house b4 u leave. U can stop crazy now.



Harry: So I get to meet the real u.



Me: Yes.



I took a deep breath as I delivered the desserts to the awaiting table. The shirt that Shay was wearing was getting way too tight and the fat was beginning to bulge. It was pretty funny because she kept poking it to make go back inside. I will never understand these girls. They were, just, asknsjnd.



I quickly stripped off my coat and placed it on the beat up chair in the corner. I was ready to give-in to Harry. I was ready just to let everything go and just let go. I knew he wouldn’t want, so I just had to embrace myself to feel heartbroken.



I flipped the light switch and sat on my bed. I could see a shadow walk past the window and I walked towards the door slowly. The tension was building and the air was rigid. My muscles were straining to open the door. I was not ready to be broken once again. It happened so many times already.



“Cinderella? God, that sounds really weird,” Harry mumbled as he knocked on the door. The limo he was supposed to be in was driving away.



I opened the door and braced myself for the hate and the rejection. Of course he didn’t want me.



Harry POV



I got a text while I was in dinner and throughout the whole dinner I wanted to speed up the clock. This girl was taking over my every thought and action. I would text her before dinner, when I woke up, before class, and when I went to bed. The image of her and her necklace was burned into my head. I needed her because she was bringing back Harry Styles, the regular kid back, instead of Harry Styles, the pop star.



The way she talked to me made me fell like I was just a regular person, something I haven’t felt in a long time.



I told the limo to leave without me as I snuck to the room specified in the text. The cool London air was calming to my hot skin but my hands were shaking like crazy. My breath kept hitching in my throat and all I felt was the butterflies in my stomach fluttering like mad. It was worse then when I auditioned for x-factor.



I knocked on the door and the door swung open to reveal her. I couldn’t believe my eyes.