"Hey Niks" Victor greeted his daughter as she walked into the house after school that evening. Nikki sighed quietly as she shut the door behind her. The house wasn't as warm and welcoming as Harry's was and she found herself missing her friend and his mother already. She thought it was funny, she had known him a week and already she had spent the weekend at his house and spilled her guts and fears to both him and his mother. They had both made her feel like she belonged somewhere and was wanted, but she knew she couldn't overstay her welcome and invade on their family.
"Hi dad" Nikki replied as she walked into the living room to see her dad sitting there with a beer in his hand. 'As usual' she thought, shaking her head.
"How was your weekened?"
"Boring" Nikki lied, shifting her bag on her shoulder slightly. "I'll see you at dinner, I have homework to do"
She then turned and walked upstairs, only just remembering that he had forgotten her birthday. Her hand instantly went up to the necklace around her neck and she smiled, walking into her room and making sure her door was locked. Nikki was amazed at how two people could make her feel so at home and loved even after only just meeting them. She sincerely hoped that Harry was serious about the friendship thing, she was still wary of it and didn't want to get her hopes up for them to be dashed in seconds. Nikki knelt by her bed and pulled a box out from under it, flicking through some of the pictures inside before she picked up one that would be perfect for her necklace. As much as she hated cutting it up, she knew that she had more and it was going to be with her anyway in the necklace.
Once Nikki had finished throwing up the next morning, she dragged herself off to school, the only thing keeping her from just not going was Harry, and the thought that she needed school to get to where she wanted.
"Good morning" Harry grinned as he met Nikki on the corner of the road next to the school.
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you of course" Harry chuckled and Nikki gave him a small smile "How are you today?"
"Fine"
"Nicola"
"I was ill again, okay" Nikki snapped, crossing the road to the park, Harry following quickly, they knew they had time before school started for a quick chat. "I know that you're here for me, it's just habit you know, I think of school and instantly I feel physically sick. That and I think you're going to leave"
"I've told you I'm not" Harry protested as they got to a sheltered part of the park, sitting down on the bench. Nikki curled her legs under her chin and shrugged. "You'll believe me one of these days. Anyway, every beautiful lady needs a handsome man to accompany her" he added cheekily and Nikki blushed.
"Beautiful lady?"
"I mean.." Harry stuttered, he hadn't meant to say that, not out loud anyway. "I'm a man, it hasn't escaped my attention that you are quite beautiful" he tried to amend himself and Nikki scoffed.
"Yeah right" she shrugged, shaking her head "pull the other one"
"I'm not.." Harry trailed off, before attempting to change the subject to avoid any more embarrassment between them both "Only two weeks left Niks" he smiled, reaching over and rubbing her arm gently, smiling when she leant into his touch slightly. "Then study leave and a long summer"
"It should be better next year" Nikki told him, turning to look at him "Because there will be lots of new people anyway, coming to sixth form"
"and most of the people in the year who are horrible to you won't be coming back anyway" Harry grinned at her and Nikki smiled, nodding quickly and looking very happy about it. "and we can all be individuals"
"Good" Nikki murmured, her eyes flicking over Harry's face as she spoke. Harry watched her closely, his own eyes flicking down to her mouth and then up to her eyes again. God he loved her eyes.
'Where did that come from?' he thought to himself, watching Nikki blush slightly under his gaze. He opened his mouth to say something but the school bell sounded across the road and into the park.
"We should go" Nikki said quickly, standing up and grabbing her bag, avoiding looking at Harry as he did the same.
"Can I meet you at break?" Harry asked as they crossed the road again, walking through a group of younger years who parted instantly for them. He couldn't help but chuckle at that and Nikki rolled her eyes at him. "Just wait until sixth form"
"You abuser of power" Nikki giggled and Harry smirked at her as they entered the school building.
"You love it" he winked at her "See you in the park at break"
He then turned and walked down a different corridor to Nikki, both going to their form rooms. Nikki found that for some reason she couldn't get the blush or the smile off her face.
Thankfully no-one bothered her in her first two lessons, which was a double, they were small classes anyway and the pupils liked to spread out around the room. She sat herself in her usual seat at the back of the class and tried to ignore the teacher as he droned on about something they had learnt at the beginning of the year.
"Why do we even have to be here?" Harry moaned as he walked over to Nikki who was already sitting on the bench in the park. "Last two weeks of term are useless"
"I just spent the last two hours trying to tune out Johnson wittering on about German grammar" Nikki replied and Harry winced sympathetically as he sat down next to her. "Can't wait to drop that subject"
"What do you want to do for A level?"
"All three sciences and maths" Nikki replied quickly and Harry grinned at her and nodded.
"Me too, I suppose we need them for what we want to do. I suppose if we get in we'll be in all the same classes, if we're doing the same thing"
"When we get in, I'm determined" Nikki giggled at him and Harry nodded "and I'm going to have to put up with you for two years in all my classes? How horrible"
"I know" Harry chuckled, his eyes flicking to her lips and then back to her own eyes, feeling something stirring in his stomach as he looked into the deep brown colour. "Don't think I can put up with you for that long" he hoped that he hadn't gone too far just yet, he needed to know how far his jokes could go. Nikki however giggled again and shook her head, sighing loudly.
"Who will you copy from?"
"Excuse me Miss Alexander, I do my own work thank you very much"
"I know" Nikki laughed, nodding slightly, smiling at him.
"You know you're always welcome at my house" Harry told her "Please come round during study leave, I want to...mum wants to make sure you're eating properly. I mean with so much time off we don't want you wasting away"
Nikki smiled bashfully at him and picked at a stray thread on her school trousers.
"I don't want to overstay my welcome"
"Don't be silly Nicola" Harry shook his head, poking her in the ribs and making her giggle "By the end of study leave both me and mum want you walking into the house like it's your own, whenever you want"
"Your mum doesn't mind?"
"Nikki, mum likes you. She wants to make sure you're okay"
"I like your mum" Nikki smiled at her friend "She makes me feel..like I have a mother again" she flushed slightly and looked away from Harry who smiled kindly at her.
"Mum does that" Harry agreed "You're always welcome" he repeated himself, making sure that Nikki understood that she wasn't invading or taking advantage.
"Okay" Nikki nodded and Harry grinned at her.
"Right, good. That means you're coming to mine after school to be fed properly" Harry poked her in the ribs again and Nikki giggled loudly, batting his hand away and making him chuckle. "Mum's cooking a roast dinner"
"You have me convinced already" Nikki grinned at him and laughed as Harry pouted at her.
"So you come for the food and not my extremely good looks and sparkling personality" he mock glared at her and shook his head "I'm hurt"
"You'll survive" his friend giggled, ruffling his hair as she spoke and making him scowl at her.
"Have you.." Harry changed the subject as he motioned towards the necklace that Nikki had on. Nikki glanced down and nodded, reaching up to clasp it gently in her hand. "Can I see?"
"Of course" Nikki nodded, scooting closer to Harry so she was leaning against him slightly, both of them trying to ignore the close contact. Harry tried not to show how he was affected by this, this was the closest he had got to a girl, physically and mentally, so it wasn't a surprise that he was acting like this. Although he did like the smell of her shampoo and her perfume when it mixed together. Harry shook his head as he looked down at the picture in the necklace that Nikki showed him.
"Wow, you look like her" he told Nikki, looking from the picture to his friend and then back again.
"I'm the spitting image of her..or was" Nikki whispered "I wonder if that's why dad is like he is, because he can't bear to look at me"
"I'm sure it's not" Harry shook his head, looking away from the picture again and closing the necklace gently, neither of them moving away from the other.
"He left us you know" Nikki told Harry as he turned to look at him "Left me and mum alone in South Africa because his debts got too much and he was going to be sent to prison. Then when mum...died, he was forced to take me on. I don't know if he was willing or if I was just shoved on him because I'm his daughter"
"I don't know why he's like that Nikki" Harry shook his head, reaching down and hesitantly entwining their hands on her legs, trying to ignore the sensations that this sent through him. Nikki smiled at her friend and nodded. "But it's wrong"
"Two more years and then I leave" Nikki told him with a wide smile "Then he's out of my life for good"
"Good"
"Hmm" Nikki nodded, the smile not leaving her face as she looked down at their hands. "We better go back" she murmured as they heard the bell go, signalling the end of break. She took her hand from his, not looking at her friend as she stood up, waiting for Harry to follow her. "Biology?"
"Yep" Harry nodded, a smile on his face as he watched his friend. She looked a lot happier and more carefree than she had when he had first started talking to her, he only hoped that it would continue this way.
My German exam was a complete pile of rubbish, and that is me being nice, so my muse decided to be mean to Nikki..again :(. I've just had a thought while writing this chapter...it might come into play soon I don't really know.
Anyway..how far do you want this story to go? I can keep writing when my muse allows me but I don't want you to all get bored of it. Any suggestions about what I can put in it? I want to make sure you like what's in it, so suggestions would be very welcome :D.
xxx
