FLORENCE'S POV

I CAME TO SCHOOL AN HOUR EARLY ON MONDAY for reasons beyond me. My father had gotten a voice message from my principal on Sunday, saying that I was to report to his office during zero period. Of course, this prompted my dad into asking me a series of questions about my grades and whereabouts.

I assured him that my GPA was still a solid 3.8 and should go up with the high marks I was receiving in AP US History and that my only whereabouts consisted of going from school to work and back home again. He responded with a stern "make sure you keep it that way" which made me roll my eyes.

On my way to the office, I made a pit stop at my locker and grabbed the items I needed for blocks D, A, and B and discarded my other stuff off to the side.

Just as I was shutting my locker, I heard the clacking sound of a pair of boots hitting the tiled floors which led me to face that direction of the hallway. Sure enough, not even a few feet away from me was Harry Styles texting away on his phone as he came to a stop in front of Principal Bailey's office door. He hadn't even bothered to look up from his device to acknowledge my presence, and I debated on whether or not to capture his attention with a simple "hello."

Before I was able to get one word out, Principal Bailey's door opened and a middle aged man with a receding hairline poked his head outside.

"Ahh--Ms. Kelly, Mr. Styles, I'm so glad you could join me this morning. Please, do come in," He said, stepping aside to allow us to enter.

Harry finally glanced up at me from his phone and gestured for me to go inside first. I gave him an awkward smile and clutched my bag to my side as I entered the quaint-looking office and sat down on a wooden chair.

The curly haired boy emulated my actions a few seconds later after adjusting the grey beanie on his head. With the bags weighing down his mossy eyes and the frown on his heart-shaped lips, I didn't even need to ask to know he had a rough morning.

"Harry, you know why you're here, correct?" Principal Bailey asked to which Harry responded with a nod.

"Yes, sir."

"What about you Florence? Do you have any idea why I called you here this morning?" He shifted his attention unto me.

"Am I in trouble?" I questioned him as I played with the loose string on my jeans, purposely avoiding eye contact.

"No, you're not in trouble Ms. Kelly," Principal Bailey assured me, and I sighed in relief. "I just wanted to ask you a favor is all."

My ears perked up at the word favor, and I adjusted my body to a more comfortable position in the seat. "What is it?" I asked as politely as I could.

"Harry here has agreed to 60 hours of community service to avoid being suspended from school, and I thought you could find him a job to do at the public library you volunteer at."

I raised my eyebrows at his proposal, wondering how I'd be able to pull something like that off. "I mean, I'll have to ask the supervisor first so I can't really promise anything yet," I explained to him, hoping he'd be able to understand.

"That's fine. Please send me an email as soon as you do find out. The sooner Mr. Styles gets started on his hours, the better."

Harry rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh as he stood up from his chair. "Can I leave now? I have to get my books from my locker for first period."

"Since when do you carry your textbooks with you to class, Mr. Styles?" Principal Bailey mused,  chuckling to himself.

Harry didn't bother to respond but made sure to slam the door closed as he exited the room. I couldn't help but apologize profusely on his behalf before leaving Principal Bailey to the rest of his duties.

The moment I left his office, I felt a large hand grab my wrist and drag me down the empty hallway. I was tempted to jerk away from Harry's rough touch, but I also wanted to know the reason behind his sour mood.

"What the hell, Harry?" I harshly whispered as we came to a stop in front of Ms. Barnard's door. "It's rude to slam doors."

"Forget about that for a second. I want to ask you a small favor of my own," He told me as he surveyed the halls. I feigned a groan at the word favor yet again before telling him to get on with it. "Can you not tell anyone that I will be volunteering at a public library. I'd very much appreciate it if that information stayed between us."

His request caught me off guard. "Slow down, nothing is official yet," I reminded him before going on to say, "besides, I don't see how this information would even harm your reputation. You'd be doing a good deed."

"That's because you don't know what it's like to be popular."

True.

"Touché," I frowned, "but you don't have anything to worry about Harry. I'm not one to spread people's business around school," I assured him as we walked across the hallway to Calculus.

"That's honestly...so refreshing to hear," Harry breathed out, offering me a tired smile in return.

Once we got to Calculus, we parted ways, and I took my seat in the back while Harry sat near the front. For the rest of the period, I tuned Mr. Harris out with adorable thoughts of Harry reading stories to the little children who came to the library. Now that would be a sight to see.

§

Specks of flour stubbornly stuck to my face and my apron while my fingertips were coated in yeast. For some stupid reason, I agreed to help out Lester in the kitchen because I was dying of boredom and could no longer work through another Physics problem. His idea of "helping" though was making me roll a batch of dough and laughing at me when I messed up.

This activity had to be a sign that I needed to go back to the gym because the muscles in my forearm were on fire by the time we were done.

"It still hurts..." I groaned softly as I tried massaging the areas where my arm was the sorest, sending a glare at the boy who got me into this predicament in the first place.

Lester looked at me and shook his head with a smile. "Do you feel the Bern now?"

"Of course I'm feeling the freaking burn." I rolled my eyes, oblivious to his little pun. "Next time ask Giovanni to help you roll the dough."

"G had to leave early today," He argued, "and besides, it's not everyday you get to see someone punching a pile of dough. You literally made my day."

"Hey, I wasn't punching the dough!" I defended myself, "I was simply...trying to smoothen out its edges."

"I was simply trying to smoothen out its edges," Lester mocked me in a high-pitched voice. I glared at him, and his face broke out into another grin. "My brother could probably roll dough better than you, and he's six," He teased before stealing my hat and tucking it underneath his arm.

The neat pony tail I created for myself was messed up now, and it was all his fault.

"You're so childish, I swear to God!" I yelled after shoving Lester away from me by the chest. He snickered loudly at my actions and told me not to use God's name in vain, making me even more upset. When I realized that Lester wasn't planning on giving my hat back anytime soon, I decided to let my hair down, allowing my wavy hair the freedom to bounce without restraint.

I checked the time on my phone and saw that it was a little after seven thirty. Only two more hours and then you can go home. I thought to myself.

Just as I began to put my phone away, I got a text from Malaysia labeled URGENT.

Malaysia: I need your help...

Author's Note:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to vote and comment as usual :)

I'm still in need for a trailer for this story, so if you know how to make one and would be willing to make one for this story, don't be a stranger.

Question for my readers: What was the last movie you watched?

I saw Passengers with J-Law and Chris Pratt. It was a good flick if I do say so myself.

—
Kaylandia