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I looked at the black and white drawing on my desk. It was a simple one, portraying his face, with no background. It certainly wasn't the best I'd done, but it wasn't the worst either: his beauty played a good part on my side, and I highly doubted that anything that portrayed him could be defined as mediocre.

With a sigh, I put it in my bag and left for school. I arrived around twenty minutes later, and I spotted Ella waiting for me next to the main door.

"How did drawing that beautiful asshole go?" She asked as soon as I neared her.

"Decent enough" I replied, "I can't wait to be done with him."

She laughed. "Now that's a lie. We both know you like him. I don't blame you, he's hot."

"I don't like him" I sighed, "Besides, he scares me. I don't like to spend time with him, he manages to make me feel like a failure without even opening his mouth." And even worse when he, indeed, opened his mouth. But I wasn't going to tell Ella what I'd overheard him tell to his friend.

"You're so dramatic. He's just a boy" she replied, "Now let's go, I don't want to be late for class."

Deciding not to say anything about what had happened the previous week when he had, totally, rejected her, I followed her.

• • •

Needless to say, I was miserable during maths. I kept glancing at him, wondering what would happen after he saw my drawing. Would he like it? Would it make him change his opinion about me? Or would he keep thinking so lowly of me? On one side, I couldn't help to find out, on the other, I was worried, and kept thinking of all the possible outcomes of that day. And so I did during English. By the time art came around, I was terrified at the simple thought of meeting him again.

I entered the room with my heart in my throat, just to realise that... he wasn't there.

Nobody was, if not the teacher and the students that were supposed to be there.

I was safe.

"Now that Sierra decided to join us, we can proceed. I'll call your name, and we'll review your artwork together" the teacher said sending me a glance.

I took a seat as silently as possible, ignoring the hard looks sent my way, and waited for my name to be called.

"The colouring is surely interesting. The proportions are a bit messed up though, see, this eye is bigger than the other. You should've been more careful" the teacher said, before calling the next name.

Knowing that I was towards the end I took my notepad and started sketching eyes on a white page. I loved drawing them, for they were what always caught my attention first when I looked at someone. I had always believed that eyes could tell a lot about a person. Someone could fake emotions, fake a laugh, fake a smile, but somehow, nobody could keep their own eyes from showing what they were truly feeling. It had always fascinated me.

"Why did you draw her teeth like that? They look terrifying" I heard the teacher say, "I like the blue theme you have going on, though."

The girl passed next to me as she went back to her seat.

"Sierra!"

I stood up as she called me and made my way to her desk. I handed her the drawing and stood next to her, silently waiting for the verdict, and hoping that it would be good anyway.

"This..." she said after a while, "This is a drawing, not an artwork."

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine at her words.

"There's no emotion here. It's possibly the most impersonal drawing I've ever seen from you. I'm disappointed, Sierra."

I sighed, not knowing what to say to defend myself. I knew she was right. I should've worked harder on it. And I shouldn't have used such a classic picture. That wasn't me, and she knew it.

"Who was your partner?" She asked, and my eyes widened.

"It's not necessary..."

She interrupted me. "I want their name."

"Harry Styles" I said in defeat.

She nodded. "Someone go call Harry Styles!" She said out loud, earning a few squeals from some of the girls. "Matthew, you go" she said, and a blonde boy with piercing grey eyes stood up and walked to the door.

"It really isn't necessary. It wasn't his fault, I swear. It's only on me" I said looking at her with pleading eyes, but she didn't stop the boy from leaving the classroom.

"I'm not gonna scold him or anything, he's not one of my students" she said raising an eyebrow at my worry, "I only want him here."

I let out another sigh and looked down, still standing up next to her, waiting for him to come.

I didn't have to wait for long. After a while the door opened and Matthew entered with wide eyes, stepping to the side before scurrying back to his seat.

As soon as he walked in, something in the room changed, and a deep silence fell over everyone.

"Mr Styles, come here" the teacher said, referring to him with his last name since she wasn't one of his teachers and didn't know him, completely unaware of the altered atmosphere.

He stepped gracefully closer to her and she gave him an attentive look.

"At least you drew him well" she muttered, "But that still doesn't make this acceptable. The technique is flawless, but I asked for art, not a display of your skills. You disappointed me, Sierra. And I refuse to grade this. You have two weeks to show me an acceptable artwork, featuring Mr Styles of course."

I gave her a fast nod, not even daring to look at him to try to understand what he thought of the entire situation.

"Mr Styles, you're dismissed. Your presence is no longer needed here" she said without even second glancing at him.

I wondered how it made him feel. But if it bothered him, he didn't show it, and left without needing to be told twice.

It was only when he left the room that I realised that he hadn't glanced at the drawing, not even once, during the whole ordeal. For some reason, that hurt my feelings. I had taken some hours out of my time to draw him, after all. It would've been nice to find out what he thought of it. If he liked it, or not.

But of course, he hadn't wanted to give me that satisfaction, and, even knowing that his portray was right under his eyes, he hadn't once lowered his stare to look at it.

For some reason, I would've preferred to have him tell me that he didn't like it. That indifference had made me feel irrelevant. But that was probably what I truly was in his eyes. Completely irrelevant.

The class was dismissed soon after, and, having taken my things, I rushed out, dreading the thought of having to meet him again.

•  •  •

The next day, I knew I had to talk to him. I really didn't want to, but the drawing had to be done, and there was only one way that could happen.

For this reason, as soon as I entered my maths class, I put my books on my desk and I went to stand next to his. Or at least, the one he always sat at.

He gave me a fast glance as he entered the room before going back to listen to Niall ramble about nobody knows what, standing next to the door. After a while, as I was about to consider going back to my desk, they both walked towards me.

Niall sat down giving me a curious glance, and Harry stopped right in front of me, as silently as always, without even putting his stuff down on the desk.

"I'm sorry" I whispered, not even daring to look up at him. "I thought she would've accepted it anyway." I knew I didn't have to specify for him to know what I was talking about. "Would you... mind to, you know, come to my house, like, whenever you're free this week? It won't take more than an hour of your time, I promise." I glanced up, and wasn't surprised to notice that he was, once again, staring me down, a hard look in his green irises.

"He'd love to!" Niall chimed in all of a sudden, contrasting the look his friend was giving me.

I took a whole second to realise that Niall Horan had actually talked to me. Voluntarily. I looked at Ella, she was sitting on the other side of the room, giving me a suspicious glare. I was so gonna get murdered.

"Is tomorrow fine?" The boy with blue eyes continued, making plans for his friend without a care in the world.

I nodded.

"Perfect!" He said excitedly, "Now just..." he stopped for a second, thinking of something, and then looked at Harry. "Hey Harry, do you have a paper or something?"

I was about to offer to get one myself, but then he dropped his notepad on his desk harshly, making me take an involuntary step back. He was clearly annoyed.

But Niall didn't care. "Great!" He said, opening it and ripping a blank page away. "Is 4:30pm fine? Yes?" He asked hopefully, and I nodded. "Perfect. Write your address down darling, and I'll make sure a Harry Styles will be delivered at your house at 4:30pm tomorrow" he said playfully.

I bit my lower lip to refrain from laughing, given the murderous glare he sent his way.

Niall turned to look at the raven haired girl sitting behind him. "Hey darling, do you have a pen I can borrow?"

She looked at him in surprise, and swooned when she noticed who had asked her, giving him her pen right away.

"There you go" he said turning around and giving me the pen and the paper.

I scribbled my address down fast under Harry's harsh stare and put the pen down, looking at him again.

"Thank you so much" I told him even though he hadn't played a single part in the whole thing, and I got no reply at all. "Uh, bye" I said when I realised that, of course, he wouldn't have said anything, and I made my way back to my seat.

When I sat down next to Ella, feeling her incredulous glance on me, I couldn't help but look at the two boys on the other side of the room.

Harry was turned in Niall's direction, shielding his face from my view, but something in the way his index was angrily tapping on his desk told me that he wasn't pleased at all.

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