"Kate!" the brunette's mom screamed, eliciting an exaggerated eye roll from the girl upstairs. She simply turned the music louder, drowning out her overbearing mother's yells with the beat of the music, focused on her precious notebook in front of her. The pages were littered with her elegant scrawl, thoughts and ideas transferred from her mind to something tangible. Writing was Kate's way of escaping from reality, the only thing that managed to sooth her, calm her down. It was only on the pages that the girl could organize her thoughts in an orderly fashion, make sense of her hectic life.
The door slammed open, her mother in an enraged state. The brunette's features contorted into a smirk as the older woman unplugged the speakers, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I am your mother," the frazzled woman started, "You should show a little more respect." The girl continued to sit in silence, watching her mother with her electric blue eyes. I would respect you if you were a tad more respectable she thought to herself, not voicing her opinion.
"Like I was going to say before," the lady snarled, her hands resting on her hips, "Two boys are going to stay at our home for the school year. I put our house up for the foreign exchange student program, so we will be taking in two English boys. One will be in your grade, the other will be a senior. I expect you to be on your best behaviour, you hear me?" The brunette rolled her eyes, the gesture obviously saying the untold words. Do you think I'm deaf? Of course I hear you, you blithering idiot.
Kate gave her mother a tight smile, no other emotion flitting across her pale complexion as she placed yet another mask upon her features. It had always been a game to her, keeping her feelings locked away in a drawer in which the key was lost, a stoic being who let no emotions out. After her father had left her at a young age, the brunette undertook a transformation like no other, hiding behind a façade of indifference, slowly but surely building up a wall that was seemingly impenetrable.
After the older woman had left the room, the brunette got up and punched the wall, gasping softly as her fist began to throb in pain. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she grumbled, allowing such annoyance to come out while being in solitude. This was not how she planned her junior year of high school, burdened down by two boys that would ruin everything. "Kate! Get in the car" her mother bellowed once more, the girl grudgingly complying with the woman's wishes as she slipped on her beaten up converse.
"Where are we going," the girl asked in a monotone voice as her mother hit the gas, the pair of them driving along the highway. Kate kicked her feet up onto the dashboard, simply to spite her mother, something she did rather successfully. "Get your feet off the dash," the lady snapped, the girl internally smirking at her little win. "Where are we going," Kate inquired once more, the question never having been addressed.
The older woman was obviously not going to answer her question, the rest of the car ride being in complete silence. Kate's blue eyes flickered in recognition as the airport loomed in front of them, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to piece the puzzle. Why the fuck are we at the airport? Mom going to deport me already? The brunette scoffed, discarding the idea immediately. As much as the two fought, she would never do that. Kate was all she had left.
They drove up to the curb of British Airways baggage claim, Kate's jaw hanging slightly open. That's why. That's why she told me about the boys. The girl felt her mother's nervous gaze on her, waiting for her reaction. The brunette merely shut her eyes for a prolonged amount of time, exhaling deeply but making no other sound. She crossed her arms over her chest and kicked her feet back onto the dashboard, though her mother didn't say anything this time. Relief spread through the enclosed space as Kate's mother let out a deep breath, her daughter's reaction being less dramatic than she had anticipated.
Two boys wandered out of the glass doors, carrying their luggage and looking rather lost. Kate's mother got out of the car and greeted them, leaving the girl to sulk in the car and glare at the two rather attractive boys. "Boys!" her mother cooed, the two of them kissing her on her cheeks. We're in America, idiots. This isn't England. No kissing on the cheeks. Touch me, and you've got yourself a one way ticket back home Kate thought to herself, studying the exchange between the three people.
Having met at the orientation for foreign exchange students, Kate's mother and the boys conversed easily; helping the boys put their baggage into the trunk of the car. "Remember how I was telling you I have a daughter, Katie?" The girl's eyes widened at the name, shedding off the nickname and denying it immediately. After her father left at her young age of 6, she refused to go by Katie. That name held a special place, being the only thing her father called her. Whenever people evoked the name, she reprimanded them, the name bringing about rejection and isolation.
"She's going to be in Harry's year, only one year younger than you, Louis," her mother continued, the brunette listening as footsteps approached the sides of the door. "Hello," Kate said in a sarcastic manner as the boys piled into the car, a smile with no emotion accompanying her tone. "Why don't you go join the boys," the older woman said lightly, the girl obliging as to not create any drama.
"This is a nice car, Ms. Fueller," a blue eyed boy said, admiring the insides of the vehicle as he opened various compartments. "Please, call me Penny. No need for formalities, as we're going to be a family!" the woman said in an excited voice, eliciting yet another eye roll from her daughter.
Kate felt a pair of eyes boring into her, frowning and turning to face a rather curly haired boy. Not bad she thought to herself, mentally slapping herself for letting such thoughts cross her mind. She was determined to hate these intrusive boys, as demonstrated by the other boy rummaging through the car's various drawers. "I'm Harry," he smirked, his emerald eyes locking onto her electric blue ones. He boldly wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders, unable to do anything due to the small confines in which she was trapped in.
"Arm. Off," she scowled, glaring at Harry who merely winked and gave her a cheeky smile. "And I'm Louis," the other boy smiled, offering a hand which she hesitantly shook. "Don't mind Harry, love. He's like this with every fit girl he sees." Kate shook her head in annoyance, picturing the rest of the school year, having to spend it with such annoying, cocky, irritating males. Goodbye privacy she thought to herself, sighing in defeat and leaning back in her seat, inevitably allowing Harry's arm to stay.