"SO, YOU'RE DEFINITELY up for Saturday?" Kate asked me as we walked to history. 

We'd come full circle, initially discussing Kate's little get together and who could all make it so far. That led to who else she was considering inviting, for her to then swither on whether or not she wanted it to be all girls or boys and girls, only for her to then contemplate inviting Zayn (to which I'd remained neutral) and finally back to who could all make it so far. 

Part of me wanted her to invite Zayn. His arrival would have proved useful in my uncovering his secrets.

"Yeah, I'm free," I said.

"Thank God. I don't know what I'd have done without you," Kate said as she checked her phone, probably bombarding those who hadn't replied yet.

"You'd have been fine, Rodgers," I told her and she just scoffed.

The final bell rang as we reached the top floor and the corridors were suddenly full of students rushing around to get to their first classes. Kate and I were pushed from side to side as we headed to Miss Burn's small, poster-covered classroom.

"Six o'clock," Kate mumbled to me as she held her phone up in the air. I frowned to begin with but it didn't take me long to understand as I turned to look over my shoulder. 

Right behind us, looking just as smart as he had the day before, was Zayn.

"Morning," he said to Kate and I as he started to walk with us to class. It turned out that Zayn was in all of my classes apart from Geography, so showing him around for the past two days, hadn't been quite as hectic as I had thought it would have been. I still managed to get to all of my classes early, and not be held back five minutes after the bell, trying to make sure Malik got to the correct classroom.

"Hey," Kate and I said at the same time, sending Zayn a smile as we did. Zayn happened to sit at the back of the classroom beside Kate and I, which was kind of awkward for me,  as I had already seen his strange mood switches, him getting undressed, and then the joy of finding out he was my new neighbour. All in under three full days.

"Burns better be teaching us something good today, and not start talking about the Era of the Great War again. Does she even remember that she taught us all of that in Year 7?"

"She's old. Give her a break." I told Kate as we walked through the classroom door. I heard Zayn chuckling behind us and I couldn't help but smile as his laughter filled the empty classroom. Kate and I were always the first ones to History as we started to walk up five minutes before the bell rang, therefore the classroom was empty of both students and teachers.

Kate slid through the closely placed tables in the room before she sat down in her seat at the back. The classroom seats were made up in threes and due to bad behaviour in classes, the seating chart was either boy-girl-boy or girl-boy-girl. Luckily, as Kate and I were hard workers, we were allowed to sit together at the back. Zayn had been told the day before that he could take the empty seat next to me, and so our three seats were all taken up.

"She's gonna be late again, you watch," Kate muttered, referring to our History teacher as she pulled her History folder from her bag and dumped it on the table along with her pencil case. Zayn and I copied her actions, lifting our things from our bags before they landed on the tabletop in front of us. Zayn's hand brushed mine as he pulled a pen from his bag and an electrical current shot through my arm at the contact. Feeling slightly awkward, I tucked my hair behind my ear and cleared my throat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zayn smirk and shake his head.

Five minutes later and the classroom was full, and Miss Burns came waddling in, her red framed glasses sliding down her small nose. She eyed the class over the top of them before she took the register and began with the day's lesson.  Everyone in the class began taking notes, minus some of the idiots like Hayley and her boyfriend, Steve who were texting away on their phones under the desks. I rolled my eyes before I continued writing again.

Ten minutes later, and I was disturbed by Kate and Zayn making conversation over the top of my head. I paid no attention to what they were saying, but I did manage to hear words such as 'party' and 'guys'.

Kate nudged my shoulder, "I have an idea," she whispered before she straightened up again and smiled over at Zayn.

"Zayn? What are you doing on Saturday?" she asked and my eyes widened, realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. Please be busy. Please be busy. Please be busy. I frowned when I heard nothing but silence coming from Zayn.

"Nothing that I can think of. Why?" he asked and I squeezed my eyes shut. Don't  do it, Kate.

"I'm having a party on Saturday, just a few people are going, and I was wondering if you'd like to come? Maybe get to know everyone and the place a bit better?" Kate asked and I let out a sigh. Great, now Zayn was going to come to the party. The decision of not showing up ran through my mind, but that would just be silly. Why was I dreading him coming? Wasn't I ecstatic about the thought of speaking to him once again on Monday night? Maybe it was because I still didn't know him very well, and Kate had practically invited him into our friendship group without a lot of thought.

"Who'll be there?" Zayn asked after a short moment of silence. Crap.

"Sophie, Marielle, Liam, Niall, Laura and myself. My parents are going to see some Welsh relatives, so the house is all empty until they get back, which is on Monday night." Kate said. And there it was! Maybe if I weren't going, I would feel better, but why did I think that? Why was I being so stupid?

"Well, I live quite a while away, so would you like me to book you a taxi or something to come and get you?" Kate asked and Zayn smiled at her. I was now straining to hear what Miss Burns was saying, their voices too loud, and too close to me.

"That would be great. Thank you." Zayn said as he looked at me, a grin on his face. Being polite, I smiled back before I started scribbling down notes again, turning over onto my fourth page.

"Awesome. So, what's your address? I can't book one for you if I don't you where you live."  Kate said and I froze. If Zayn told her his address, then he would be sure to find out where I lived - right across the road. I wasn't sure if he already knew or not, but there was a fifty-fifty chance that he did. Before I could interrupt them, Zayn had already told Kate his address and her eyes widened. She looked down at me and I gave her an innocent look, hoping that she would just let the subject go.

"Really?" Kate questioned Zayn, but her eyes stayed on me. I let out a sigh and started writing again, trying to ignore the glare burning into my back.

"Yeah, why?" Zayn asked and I squeezed my eyes shut. Wait for it, I thought to myself. Just wait for it.

"Because Laura lives directly opposite that house." Kate said.

Screw you, Rodgers. Screw you!

"I thought I saw you leaving that house yesterday, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure," Zayn said as he nudged my shoulder gently. I cleared my throat and looked up at him, my brown eyes meeting his own.

"Er, yeah. I live opposite twenty-four," I said as my eyes flickered between a glaring Kate and a grinning Zayn. Why was Kate glaring at me? There was no way she could be mad at me, unless it was simply because I hadn't told her. Maybe it was because she was jealous? She had already told me many times in the past few days that she liked Zayn, even though they had hardly even spoken to each other.

"How convenient," Zayn murmured, more to himself than to Kate and I. However, the both of didn't fail to hear his comment. A shiver ran down my spine as Zayn stroked his chin, his brow furrowed as if he were thinking hard.

"Sorry?" I asked, horrified of what he may have been implying by 'convenient.'

Zayn shook his head and looked up at Kate and I. When I looked over my shoulder at Kate, her expression mirrored my own - confused.

"It's convenient that we live near each other, because now I know that I live near my tour guide. I'll have no way of getting lost now," Zayn said and I let out a quiet sigh. Maybe he was right? I could easily show him around now, without him getting drastically lost.

"Yeah, I suppose it is." I answered, lost for words. What could I say to that?

"Hello?" I heard someone say, and then my ponytail was tugged backwards.

"Hey!" I moaned as I turned and glared at Kate who was giving me an innocent gaze. I rolled my eyes at her and looked over my shoulder at the clock hanging on the back wall. There were only five minutes of class left. I slowly started to pack my things away. Kate copied my actions as did most of the class.

"OK, pack your things away. Make sure that the classroom is nice and tidy before you leave." Miss Burns said from the front of the room. Every student in the room was ready to leave the room, their bags packed, and their chairs tucked under the table. I slung my bag over my shoulder and turned to face Kate.

"P.E next." I said and she nodded. The bell rang all of a sudden and we all turned to leave, the classroom emptying quickly. Kate, Zayn and I were the last ones out the door, being the ones to have sat at the back. The three of us made our way down the school's main staircase, bumping into a group of first years who were trying to occupy my last class.

"My kit is already in my bag," Kate said as we made it to the bottom floor and  through the glass doors at the bottom. Zayn followed us through quietly, not making a sound. I turned and gave him a small smile.

"Same." Zayn and I said in unison. Kate and I stopped in front of a green wooden door halfway along the corridor, and Zayn stood patiently behind us. I frowned.

"Zayn, the boys changing room is at the end of the hall," I told him and he thanked me before making his way towards the boys' room. Before he disappeared through the door, he sent me smirk, and I felt myself blush.

"Why didn't you tell me that Zayn moved in next door to you?" Kate snapped as soon as I sat down on a bench and started to untie my shoes. I looked up at her and shrugged. Why was she being so judgemental? There were many things that she had never told me through the years, and I had never gone over the top after the truth had been let out. 

Years back, when the two of us had been in Primary school, she hadn't bothered to tell me about a piece of chewing gum that had managed to become tangled in my hair, and I never went crazy at her after she had waited until the end of the day to tell me. I forgave her almost immediately, so what was the big fuss about a neighbour?

"Opposite me, actually." I said and Kate glared at me. I sighed, "I didn't think it was important," I answered as I placed my shoes off to the side and unfolded my gym kit from my bag. Kate let out a loud sigh before she came and sat down next to me and toed her shoes off. We changed in silence as the rest of the girls in our class entered and left the changing room, not bothering to bring up the subject in such a crowded room. Knowing my luck, someone would start some silly rumors.

"I think it's pretty cool." Kate explained in a hushed whisper as Sophie and Marielle made their way over to us, giggling about something. I rolled my eyes at Kate and then smiled up at my two laughing friends.

"You would have used him as an excuse to come over to mine everyday," I muttered and I heard her laugh.

"Duh."

"Hey," I said as Sophie and Marielle reached us. Marielle sat down beside me on the bench and Sophie sat down on Kate's lap.

"Hello," Marielle laughed, "You'll never guess who just arrived outside."

"What?" Kate asked, leaning to the side so she could see both of their faces. Sophie laughed before she jumped from Kate's lap and sat down on the floor in front of us.

"As soon as Zayn went into the changing room, Megan's been just standing there, outside the door, her evil grin on full display." Marielle said and I couldn't help but let out a laugh. Megan had decided to ditch period two to get a glimpse of Zayn in his P.E kit? My, my, someone was desperate.

"She's sick." Kate said as she pulled on her trainers and tied the laces into two neat little bows. Marielle and I stood from the bench and pulled Sophie up by her arms. She laughed when she lost her balance and fell onto Kate who groaned and pushed her off. 

"What are we doing today?" Kate asked as we left the changing room, flicking the light off before the door had a chance to catch our fingers. Marielle shrugged.

"Laura?" I heard my name being called from the teachers' office and I turned to see Mr Anderson jogging up to me. Mr Anderson was the  nicest P.E teacher in Tong High; he always respected a student's opinion in his classes and gave us free reign most of the time, provided we were well behaved. We may be seniors in the school, but we still had to listen to instructions.

"Yeah?" I asked as I came to a halt. Kate, Marielle and Sophie stuck their tongues out at me before they entered the gym hall and started chatting to a group of boys in our Geography class.

"Could you please go and tell the Malik boy to hurry up with the equipment? He might have gotten lost." the teacher asks me and I nodded. Mr Anderson thanked me before I turned and jogged down the hall to the equipment cupboard at the end of the department. The teachers kept all of the P.E objects inside as the shed which they were kept in before, was broken into and robbed of equipment about three years back.

I tucked my hair behind my ear as I came to a stop in front of the cupboard. I grasped the handles and tugged open the doors. My eyes widened once I saw who was inside.

Megan had her back to me, so I was able to get the horrific view of her backside - the short skirt she wore, somehow managing to have ridden up over her ass. That's not what shocked me though. I was horrified to see her arms wrapped around Zayn's neck, her face inches from his. Zayn was making no attempt to pull away, but Megan jumped once the doors were thrown open, revealing her and Zayn to all who passed. Luckily for them, the hall was empty apart from myself.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked and I heard Megan sigh. She turned around, her heavily made up face turning to look in my direction. She unwound her arms from around Zayn's neck and  turned her whole body so she could see me better. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me. 

Zayn stood in the corner, chuckling quietly to himself.

"Yes, actually." Megan snapped, "Leave."

"Excuse me?" I asked, shocked by her rudeness, despite having to put up with it for the past six years. It still had me wondering how some people could be so spiteful and mean toward others. Especially for doing nothing.

"I said leave." she hissed at me. I snickered as I pushed her out of the way and grabbed Zayn's arm. I pulled him from the cupboard and shoved him down the corridor towards the gym hall. Megan watched me in disbelief. Megan expected everyone to worship the ground that she walked on, but I was taking none of it. 

"You leave." I shot back. "You're not even in this class." 

"So?" Megan returned a  wicked smirk on her face.

"What did the teacher ask you to get?" I asked Zayn, ignoring Megan.

"Tennis rackets." Zayn said, still smirking. I glared at him, still angry that he continued to ignore my advice from Monday. He had no idea what he was getting himself into by hanging out with Hayley and Megan's crew. He would end up living a criminal life, surrounded by everything illegal.

All they cared about were themselves.

"I'll get them, you go back through to the hall," I told Zayn and he gave me a small nod before he turned and started walking away, completely blanking Megan who was gawking at his sudden departure.

"What the fuck is your problem?" snapped Megan as she took a step towards me, her tone demanding. I could almost smell the cigarette smoke on her insanely expensive clothes.

"You have a boyfriend! I'm not the one with a problem." I shot back and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Nathan won't mind." she said, referring to her boyfriend who would very much mind if she had kissed another guy. A guy she hardly even knew.

"You sure about that?" I asked, taking a step towards her, closing the gap between us. Yeah, I could  definitely smell smoke. "I could always go and tell him?"

"Why would he believe a bitch like you? You're just the geek of the year."

"Geek of the year is better than being the whore." I said back, raising an eyebrow as she opened her mouth to speak. She stomped her foot before she slammed the cupboard door shut and marched past me, nudging my shoulder as she did before climbing the stairs, two at a time.

"Mitchell!" I heard Mr Anderson call from down the corridor and I turned to see him beckoning me over. Oh, right! The rackets I shook my head and picked up some of the equipment before I used my foot to kick the door shut. I sprinted towards the gym hall, and I laid the wanted objects down by the wall, earning a smile from the teacher.

"Laura!" I heard Marielle whisper behind me and I tuned to see my friends standing in a small huddle. I walked over to join them as Mr Anderson began to give out instructions for the day's lesson.

 "I heard that Zayn's coming to Kate's on Saturday?" Sophie asked from behind me and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I believe so," I said as I let myself find the lad himself. He was standing against the far wall, his eyes distant and his lips set in a firm line. He had gone back to being mysterious Zayn all over again. I frowned as I watched him fix the sleeves of his T-shirt, rolling them down over his tattoo-covered arms.

"I also hear that he's moved into that creepy place in your street." Sophie says and I saw Marielle shift closer to us, her attention suddenly grabbed.

"Yes, he has." I said as I continued to watch him from across the hall. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up a little before his gaze shifted up to meet mine. I quickly looked away, avoiding his dark eyes.

"I think he likes you," Marielle muttered into my ear and I rolled my eyes. Could she have said anything more silly? I chuckled before I knew it and Kate snickered.

"He obviously does." Kate said and I shook my head.

"No, he doesn't." I said firmly and I heard the girls all chuckle behind me.

"It's quite handy, him living near you," Sophie stated as she leaned her chin upon my shoulder, her red hair tickling my neck.

"Yeah, 'cause now you two can come over to Kate's together," Marielle said.

"They already are. I'm booking Zayn a taxi for Saturday morning and Laura's going with him." Kate said and I turned to face her, my eyes wide. When did I even agree to go with him? I had said nothing of the sort.

"I never said I was." I said and Kate gave me a cheeky grin before she quickly flipped her blond hair over and tied it into a high ponytail, matching my own.

"I know you didn't. I did." she said and I shook my head. There was just no winning against her.