Waiting for Superman [Harry Styles AU]

They say it’s good to be different. They say its best if you’re unique, and things about you are different from others. They say it’s good to stand out, boring to blend in. That normal is too mainstream. But if someone were me for a day, if someone were so different from everyone else surrounding them, they’d re-think being different, being unique.

I know I do.

It was on a depressing night about two years ago, when my parents had just announced their divorce. My ex-boyfriend had just broken up with me, and I was in a very large fight with my two best friends. It was on that night were I felt the world crashing down on me. It was crashing too slow, and I really just wanted it to end. So late at night, when my mother was still at work, and my little brother was fast asleep, I set out. I was drunk with emotions, negative emotions that drowned me. I walked down the sidewalk, trying to catch my breath. I was crying, sobbing, bawling even. Call it cliche, but I was too concerned with trying to contain myself, that I took a false step onto the street.

That was the last time I ever saw my right leg again.

After that, I quit the high school track team, and I quit life. I gave up on everything. I threw away my scholarship for track, because I couldn’t run with a prosthetic leg. Scratch that. It wasn’t that I couldn’t. I just didn’t want to.

I got weird looks from people at school. My self esteem was at it’s lowest. Noah, my ex, didn’t even look at me. My best friends were still pissed off at me, I can’t even remember the reason why, now. What mattered was that no one cared about me. No one had my back. No one was there to pick me up when I fell down.

No one was there for me except my mother and my little brother.

My mother was always the sweetest woman I had ever met. She loved life, and learned to live past the difficulties. So when I woke up in a hospital room and saw her crying, I knew something bad must have happened. Oh, but it was worse than bad. The horror of waking up to see half of my right leg gone had caused me to pass out.

But that was two years ago.

I had learned to ignore the stares I got while going shopping with my mom, and to pretend as if the people staring were the weird ones. It was almost as if I had a normal leg, unless I looked in the mirror. And when I looked in the mirror, looked at the leg that wasn’t a leg, I broke down over and over again.

Today was my first day of college. I had worked extra hard to get a scholarship for University College London. It was one of the top schools in London, and I was more than lucky to get in, let alone with a full scholarship.

I was up early that morning, three o’clock, trying to decide what to wear. My outfit would consist of jeans, and always has ever since I realized it stopped people from looking at me so much. I chose to wear a plain white shirt and a nice black cardigan my mother had bought me for my birthday. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for me. I slipped on my jeans and my shirt, added a touch of makeup and brushed out my hair.

When I was satisfied with how I looked, I went into the room of my five year old brother, Nyx. He was fast asleep, cuddled up tight under his blanket. I smiled and kissed his forehead softly, before leaving his room. Next, I went into my mother’s room. She too was asleep, and she looked peaceful. I kissed her forehead, too, whispered that I loved her, and then left her to dream.

It took three hours to get to the university. The drive was long, but the music from my phone kept me company. I had my plan ready. Once I reached the university, I would go to my dorm, where my unknown roommate would probably still be asleep, and then figure out the rest of my day. I had already visited my dorm a week ago to drop most of my things off, then went back home for the rest of the week to spend time with my mother and Nyx. I wanted as much as I could get with the two of them.

They were my world.

When I got to my dorm, I searched for the key in my pocket, and unlocked the door. When I stepped inside, the lights were already on. Inside was a girl who looked alarmed at my entrance. She was in the middle of typing her hair up, her fingers tangled in her hair.

“Are you my roommate, or should I scream?” she asked very slowly, reaching for an umbrella leaned against the wall. I chuckled at her outburst, holding my hands up.

“Don’t scream, but I’m not your roommate,” I joked. She took me seriously though and picked up her cellphone. I assumed she was going to call the emergency number, so I quickly stopped her. “I’m just kidding. My name is Ollie. I’m your roommate.”

“Thank the lord.” the girl said, setting her phone down. She took a good look at me before smiling wider. “You’ve got some fine ass eyes, woman.”

“Thanks,” I laughed, holding out a hand. “Once again, I’m Ollie.”

“Ella Emeson. Nice to meet you.”

“So, hows it been in the dorm all alone? I didn’t really stay here long, just dropped off most of my stuff.” I said, sitting down on my bed. My half of the dorm was pretty empty compared to hers. She had hung up posters of Olympic swimmers and some bands I hadnt heard of. She had a comforter covering her bed as well.

“It’s been pretty lonely.” Ella admitted. “But now that you’re here, I’m hoping things will be better. You seem nice, a lot like I hoped.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I nodded with a small smile, watching as she twisted her hair into a bun and secure it with a hair tie. “And for the record, I’m glad you think I’m nice.”

“Well, you don't’ seem mean.” Ella shrugged. “Why would someone not like you?”

“People often judge me when they see what I really look like.” I sighed. “But you know what? College is going to be my fresh start.”

Notes

Well, here's the first chapter of Waiting for Superman. I've never written an AU before, so I'm crossing my fingers this will turn out okay. Comment what you think!