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Tuesday morning Alana threw her blue and green Nike jacket over her head and tightened her ponytail.
"Don't forget to pick me up from practice!" Jaclyn yelled hopping out the car.
"Got it!" She yelled back. Alana drove to her school, HCCH, Holmes Chapel Comprehensive High. Yeah, it's the first day of spring break, but Alana signed up to help paint the school walls.
"So," Alana's best friend, Lindsey, dipped her paint brush in the tan paint and brushed the wall, "Are you going to Tanner's party Friday?"
"I don't know," Alana poured more paint in the paint bin, "If you or Harry goes." Lindsey smirked at Alana, "Harry? I heard he was going to ask you to go with him."
"No. We're just friends." Alana sat on the floor to get the bottom of the wall.
"Just friends. That's what they always say." Alana rolled her eyes and keep painting.
When Alana was driving home she saw a movers truck parked out frog of Harry's house and the movers where putting furniture inside the truck. She told Jaclyn to go home, and Jaclyn did as told.
"What's going on?" Alana asked Gemma.
"We're moving, today." Gemma sounded sad and a little angry.
"No! You can't!" Alana yelled.
"Alana, it's to late." Gemma sighed holding her for-head.
"Harry's inside." Gemma wrapped her hands around a box that was on the porch table and walked to the moving car.
"Harry! What the hell?" Alana asked walking into Harry's half empty room. Boxes were everywhere, clothes where scattered all over the room and his bed was empty except for a box that says 'Pictures'. Harry grabbed the picture box and threw it on the floor, "I didn't know we where moving today. Trust me, I would have told you." He grabbed a empty folded up box, "I just wish there was another way for me to stay here." He opened the box and placed it on the bed. He grabbed a trophy from off of the tall bookshelf, which next actually held books-It just held junk. Alana grabbed a gold metal piece that hung from a red and yellow strap, "I remember when we stole this from Gregory!" She giggled, "My mom wants me to enter in the talent show. But, I don't really know. I'll be to afraid to go out there alone in front of all those people." She slowly placed the medal inside the box. Suddenly a lift flickered on in her mind, "I got it!"
"Got what?" Harry asked placing a runners up for basketball captain trophy in the box.
"You can stay with me!" Alana's smiled and the light flickered of her eyes.
"Our moms would never let that happen." Alana thought about it and he was right, they are two teenagers -different sex too.
"So... Stay with Greg." Greg is what hey call Gregory -kinda like how they call her Aley, instead of Alana.
"Good idea!" He smiled and ran down the stairs, "Mum! Mum!" Alana tried to keep up with him but damn he was so fast.
"Yes?" Mrs. Styles asked.
"Can I stay at Greg's?" Mrs. Styles looked at him confused, "Like, tonight?" Harry shook his head, "No! Till dad can come back to town!" He exclaimed.
"Harry, no I'm sorry we just can't leave you here alone." Alana looked over Gemma who was listening to the conversation from behind a box.
"I'll stay with him." Se said walking away from the box, "He really wants to stay, Mum. I am a senior. And we have Alana's family next door." A few seconds passed, "Plus, I don't want to leave either. This is my home. Where my heart is." Harry mouthed 'Thank You'.
"Alright," Mrs. Styles finally said.
"Yes!" Harry scram hugging Alana and Gemma.
"But," She added. Gemma let go of Harry but not Alana.
"Why is there always a 'but'?" Harry said.
Mrs. Styles gave him a stern look, "Call me every night and if you need anything, call."
"Alright gang!" Mr. Styles clapped his hands together walking closer to them, "Ready?"
"Actually, Mr. Styles, Harry and Gemma are going to stay with me!" Alana chirped.
"Is that so?" He asked folding his cuffs.
"Yes, it is daddy!" Gemma said in a sweet, innocent voice.
"Alright," Mr. Styles sighed, "give me a hug," Harry and Gemma gave them hugs and then the followed the movers car. "Yay!" Alana scram hugging Gemma.
"I have to go call Glenn!" Glenn is Gemma's BFF. Ever since Gemma got bullied five years ago, her and Glenn- who also got bullied- became friends.
"Yay!" Harry said in glee. "So, since I'm going to be here for it," Oh no, is going to ask Alana what she thinks he is going to ask her?
"Are you going to go to Tanner's dance? Maybe you and I can go together." Was that fear he had in his tone?
"Like.. A date?"
"Oh, no! Not a... Gross." Harry looked like he was sweating.
"What a date with me would be gross?" Alana asked messing with him.
"No! I didn't mean... I..."
"I'm messing with you," Alana punched Harry's arm. He did a fake life like he knew she was the whole time. "Yes, I'll to the dance with you, but not as a date! Like you said that would be gross." She gave him a flirtatious smirk and skipped out the house, and to hers.
As Harry hung his damp towel on the 'towel holder' -as they call it, the door bell rang. Harry ran down the stairs. He opened the door and saw familiar red-orange hair, "Randell!" Randell is a foreign exchange student, he's from Cuba.
"Harry!" Randell opened as in ta-da.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked a little curious.
"I heard the news that your not moving so I went to the store bought a whole bunch of food and drinks, got some PS3 games!" He exclaimed holding out the black bag that was hanging from his hand.
"Sweet!" Harry yelled grabbing the bag.
"So, I heard your going to ask Alana to the dance. Is it true?" Randell threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth and pressed some buttons on the controller.
"I already did." Harry shot a guy in the head, "Head shot!"
"And she said...?"
"Yes." Harry showed off.
"Oh my pepperoni!" Randell always says that, 'Oh my pepperoni'. No one really knows why, but no one has asked him why.
"Harry and Alana sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N," Harry whacked him with a pillow, "I don't like her like her, we are just.." Harry searched for the word, "friends."
Randell snickered a bit, "Yeah. Friends with benefits." Harry looked at him with a stern look. Randell just keep smiling and playing Call of Duty.
Wednesday afternoon Alana drove into the mall parking lot with the radio blazing Taylor Swifts newest song, Fifteen.
"I can not wait for this party!" Lindsey exclaimed, sitting in the passenger seat.
"Me either!" Laiken, Lindsey's cousin, said.
"Oh, before I forget I need to tell you two something." Alana spoke up, "Jesse is coming back from war." Lindsey grabbed Alana's for-arm, "Really?" Jesse is Alana's big brother. Five years ago, right before Alana found out she had dyslexia, he got sent away to help stop the war with the Americans and Iraq. Well, he didn't really get shipped away, he signed up for it.
"Alana that's amazing! When is the last time you've seen him?" Laiken asked.
"Three Christmases ago. But, I want to look nice when he comes in, so will you help me?"
"Stop it you look fine!" Jaclyn assured her sister.Alana looked down at her knee high brown dress. It had a black belt around the stomach and princess cuffs on the shoulders.
"Your right!" Alana walked closer to Mrs. Coleman, her brown boots skidding on the white, cold marble floor.
"He should be here any minute." Mr. Coleman said looking at his watch. Mrs. Coleman to a sip of her caramel frappé from the Starbucks down the road.
"Alana! Jaclyn!" They looked over at the Airplane exit and saw a blonde headed guy running towards them, dropping his stuff on the way.
"Jesse!" Jaclyn darted for him. Jesse swooped her up in a bear hug.
"I missed you Jay-Bear!" Jay-Bear is what he calls Jaclyn. They walked over to Alana and her parents.
"Wow," He smiled at Alana, "My little Ally is growing up." Ally is Alana's nick-name. She hugged him and he hugged back.
"Wow" Alana felt his arms, "You've gotten strong!"
"I know!" He bragged. After they chatted for a while they went home.
"I'm gonna go for a jog." It was 9 in the morning and Jesse is going for a jog?
"Alright, but why so early? It's cold!" Jaclyn explained.
"I always go this early." He smiled and headed out the door.
As Jesse ran down the sidewalk, listening to his all-time-favorite song, Eye of the Tiger, he bumped into a women.
"Watch it!" She barked. As she looked at Jesse her eyes brightened.
"Jesse?" The lady's hair was up in a messy bun and her brown eyes had barely any mascara on.
"Meagan?" Meagan nodded.
"Jesse, how have you been? I haven't seen you since you left for the army!" Meagan and Jesse use to be good friend in high school, but after they graduated together they didn't speak as much.
"Actually," He started, "I just got back last night."
"Oh, really? SO how long where you out there?" She switch her weight to one side of her body.
"Let's see I was 17 when I went in.. so," Jesse counted on his fingers, "5 years, almost 6."
"So that would make you 21? Or 22?" She asked.
"22." He smiled.
"Well maybe we can hang out sometime? Like old times."
"Yeah, I'd like that," Jesse took out his phone and dialed her number. He phone started ringing.
"How did you know my number?" Meagan ended the phone call.
Jesse touched his chest, "I know it by heart."
Chapter 3- link
