After exams were done, Harper received a letter from her school inviting her back for a graduation ceremony. Other schools normally did this on their last day, but their school liked to do it after their exams on the morning of their prom.
"Because you're head boy, you're giving a speech today right?" Harper queried as they put their shoes on at the door. "Have you written it down or…?" He shook his head and explained that he didn't need to write it down as he finds it really easy to memorise things. His Mum came out of the kitchen and started fussing with him, telling him that he needs to take pictures with Harper later today when she comes with her camera so he is not to leave immediately. He got frustrated by this and shrugged her off before walking out the door.
Harper ran after him stating that it being their last day it might be nice if they walked together, to her surprise he didn't disagree or tell her to get lost. "It's strange to think that our high school days are almost over" Harper commented, trying to keep up with him, "out of all the five years though, I think this one has been the best"
"This has, hands down, been the worst year of my life" Oliver retorted, stopping Harper in her tracks. She had a sour look on her face as she thought about what he had just said and he turned back around when he noticed she wasn't following. "Come on, the bus will be here soon" he urged to get her to move, he did not need to be late for the graduation ceremony.
As they reached school, Harper ran on ahead to greet her friends who were waiting on the school grounds. "Niamh, Sarah!" she called and they both turned to greet her. Kunal was also nearby and started giggling to himself like a little schoolboy when he saw her.
"Hey guys, guess what?" he could barely control his laughter as he pulled his friends aside to tell them his secret, "today I'm going to be carrying out my greatest mission yet" he explained to them. His friends leant in and listened to him intently and he explained his plan to get a moment alone with Harper at the prom and finally share his first kiss with her. His friends agreed very enthusiastically and assured him that they would help in any way they could to ensure that his plan went smoothly and without a hitch.
The headteacher greeted everyone and gave them a generic speech about how they are now moving onto the next phase of their lives and how she speaks for all the teachers there that it has been a pleasure teaching them for the past five years. She then invited them all up one by one to receive their certificates and shake their hand, stopping briefly so that parents could quickly run up and take a picture of them. Harper's Dad was beaming with pride, tears falling down his cheeks as he watched his only daughter walk up and collect her certificate. Oliver's Mum told him not to worry and that she would get lots of pictures for him for her graduation.
Once that was finished, Oliver was then invited by the head teacher to come and give a speech to the students as their head boy. He got a loud clap from the crowd as he made his way up to the stage and Harper felt a sudden sense of deja vu, flashing back to that day 5 years ago when she saw him for the first time. At that time, she fell in love with him at first sight, she had never felt something so powerful and she has had crushes on other boys in the past. The feelings she felt now though were somewhat different. She couldn't confirm to herself whether she still liked him the way she did when the year started and she got rejected. She had gotten to know a completely different side of him since and that made her feel very confused about what her feelings could be now. She shook the thoughts out of her head as she heard Oliver adjust the mic to his height and begin his speech.
"Hello everyone, you probably already know but I'm Oliver Rivers. We are all about to embark on very different journeys that will decide the course of our futures forever. These past 5 years have been about bettering our understanding of the world as we have grown from children, into young adults ready to face the challenges that come with that responsibility. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we all are to the teachers who have taught us everything we need to get through our exams but also everything we need to face the uncertainty that comes with a change as big as this one." A smile warmed Harper's face as she listened to his speech, this really reminded her of why she fell in love with him all those years ago. She was still trying to get over her crush on him but that was proving more difficult than she thought it would. Feelings don't change overnight. Realising she had zoned out she snapped back into reality and carried on listening to Oliver's speech, she could have sworn that he looked at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the crowd. "Someone told me recently that you go to college to find out what you want to do and who you want to be and that you just need to take the time to search for it" he paused for a second. "I wish you all the best of luck in everything you do. Thank you" His eyes locked with hers for a split second and for a moment she felt like they were the only people in the room. The crowd erupted into an applause as he walked off the stage and took his seat back in the front row.
What on earth was that, Harper thought, her body completely stiff from shock. Did he really think that much of what she said to him the other day? It was really only a passing thought and she didn't think any of it when that conversation had finished. She couldn't muster up the courage to look at him again for the remainder of the assembly but something stirred inside her the moment his eyes locked with hers and she wouldn't forget it.
"Congratulations" Eleanor shouted as they left the assembly hall and pulled them into a big hug.
She ran over to greet her Dad, who was full of praise for her graduating school. Beaming with pride he reminisced about when she was a small girl and her very first day of school when she wouldn't even let her Mum put her down. "If only she was here now" he cried, even though he was smiling, this was a very emotional day for him. Kunal then came over to speak to them, congratulating Harper and making another speech to her Dad about him taking care of his daughter no matter what.
"Is this your friend that made that pasta dish you came home with the other week?" Ian asked, Kunal looked very smug as Harper explained that it was. "Can I have a chat with you?" Ian grabbed Kunal and walked away with him to have a private conversation, Harper was unsure what they were talking about but assumed her Dad would tell her later.
Eleanor suddenly grabbed Harper and her friends and pointed over to a couple who were standing together in the distance. The boy pulled his second button off of his blazer and handed it over to her, she seemed overjoyed by this and threw her arms around his neck. "What's that about?" Eleanor questioned, shocked by the display.
"Oh, that's just the school superstition" Niamh replied nonchalantly "it's said that if a guy gives you his second button then your destinies are intertwined forever"
Just like that a lightbulb went off in Eleanors head, "Harper" she shouted, pulling her over. "You must go and get Oliver's second button".
Harper shook her head furiously, "I don't think he'll give it to me and I've embarrassed myself in front of everyone enough."
"Oh nonsense!" she replied, "OLIVER, COME OVER HERE!" Oliver looked over from a crowd of girls who were also very keen to retrieve his second button from him. He made his way over to his Mother who gestured to Harper expectantly. Harper wasn't even looking at him, after what happened earlier and now this, she could die of embarrassment right there and then.
There was an awkward silence where Oliver was looking at Harper and Eleanor was waiting with baited breath for something to happen. "I'm not giving her my second button so don't even ask" he told them both before turning on his heel and walking away. Eleanor shouted at him as he walked away which only added to the embarrassment that he felt, he stormed out of the gate and made his own way home. "Never mind" Eleanor sulked, "come on dear, we need to get you to your hair and makeup appointment for your prom!" she prompted as she hurried her out of the school grounds and over to her car. Harper had almost forgotten they had their prom this evening with everything that had happened today, but she had been excited for this for weeks. She went out with Eleanor for a girly shop the other week and found the perfect dress and they also booked her an appointment with a great stylist to really make sure she looked her best. Harper couldn't put into words how much she appreciated it.
Once Harper arrived home and changed into her dress, she really felt as good as she looked. Her dress was a rose gold A-line gown with feather detailing on the bodice and a full length tulle skirt. The skirt even had extra sparkles underneath the first layer of tulle which Harper particularly liked. Her hair was kept down but fashioned into large curls with a tiara pinned securely on top of her head.
"Oh sweetheart, you look beautiful" Ian mused, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. In real Eleanor fashion she continuously took pictures of Harper, asking her to do several different poses in the living room.
A few moments later, Oliver descended down the stairs in his own tuxedo, he was wearing a blue blazer jacket with matching waistcoat, trousers and tie. Harper's breath caught in her throat as she stood there expectantly, waiting for him to notice her. As he entered the living room he looked her up and down, she could have sworn that for the first time he was actually checking her out, even he couldn't deny that at that moment she did look rather pretty. He looked up at her and nodded, "you look nice" he commented before looking in the mirror to ensure his tie wasn't crooked. Eleanor almost squealed so loud that you would have thought half the vases in the house should have broken from the pitch.
"Oh! Come here and let me get a picture of the both of you." A photo opportunity with Oliver was a great thought, but he was never one to pander to his mother's antics so Harper fully expected him to say no.
"Sure, where should we stand?" Oliver queried, surveying the area around him for a good spot. Harper was once again left in shock, she never would have thought he would actually agree to have a photo taken with her but he did so easily without a second thought. She walked over to where he stood and stopped next to him, turning to face Eleanor. "Oh come on you two, stand a little closer" Eleanor called, beaming from behind her camera. At that moment, Oliver put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him, leaving Harper completely dumbfounded by his sudden shift in behaviour. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "you still like me don't you". Harper pulled away from him immediately just as Eleanor pressed the button to take the picture resulting in a photo of Oliver laughing to himself while Harper was leaning to the other side looking horrified. "Oh, that wasn't a nice one, let's take it again" Eleanor insisted, but it was too late. Oliver had already walked away from them and started to put his shoes on ready for when their ride would arrive.
"Okay, so the limousine has picked Niamh and Sarah up already so we'll get them to hop out when it arrives and take some pictures and then send you on your way" Oliver's Mum informed them while they were waiting outside for the limo to arrive. The rest of the journey to prom was completely uneventful, Oliver kept to himself on the opposite side to the girls who sat and enjoyed some champagne (non-alcoholic) whilst chatting and singing all the way there. It was the worst car ride that Oliver had ever had to endure.
The prom was really fun, they got to have a 3 course meal and catch up with all their friends that they hadn't seen in a few weeks. Kunal found Harper pretty quickly and insisted that he get to at least dance with her couple of times during the evening; she didn't have a problem with that though and they took to the dance floor together for a few songs and really looked like they were having fun.
For some reason, this display infuriated Oliver who was sitting with his friend William over on one of the tables. William caught sight of who Oliver was death glaring and commented on how happy Harper looked with her boyfriend.
"He's not her boyfriend" he retorted, Oliver could not stand that guy. "As if she would date someone like that." This was dumb, what did he care if she wanted to dance all night with that useless moron, just because he hated the guy doesn't mean she had to. As he tried to turn his attention to something else he noticed that Kunal had taken Harper by the hand and started to lead her outside. Oliver found the curiosity overwhelming and decided to take a walk to see what they were up to. When he arrived in the garden, Kunal and Harper were huddled together on a bench laughing about something. "Oh you have something on your face" Kunal told her and he raised his hand in order to wipe it off for her, she closed her eyes and leaned her head upwards so he could get better access. With his hand on her face, he knew this was the ideal opportunity to have the first kiss that he was planning to have with her tonight, but he was overcome with nerves and paused with his palm resting on her face. She opened her eyes, wondering why his hand was lingering for so long and suddenly realised how close they were which caused her to blush and move away from him, much to his dismay. That was when she spotted Oliver standing at the entrance of the building.
"I'm gonna take a walk," she told Kunal before scarpering off into the gardens.
When she was gone, Kunal sat on the bench and stared at Oliver with a smug look on his face. "What's the matter Mr Genius" he questioned, "could it be that the ice king is jealous." Oliver rolled his eyes, obviously that was completely impossible, it was just the idea that anyone (especially Harper) would want to be with this complete moron really pissed him off. "Well, do me a favour" he asked, getting up and placing his hand on his shoulder, much like Oliver did when they had dinner at his house. "Next time you see us, walk the other way. Me and Harper are planning to make a special memory tonight. We're going to have our first kiss."
"Yeah right" Oliver commented, brushing his arm off of his shoulder. "Harper doesn't want to kiss you."
"It was her idea though" he lied, "she told me that she realised how blind she has been this whole time and that we should share our first kiss at prom. I mean, I'm sure you know that she's a hopeless romantic." Kunal laughed as he disappeared back into the building.
Oliver knew that what he was saying was false, how could it not be? He decided to take a walk to clear his head and headed in the same direction that Harper had when she disappeared.
"Hey Harper" a girl called from behind her as she tried to find her way back to the venue. Harper turned to see who it was and saw there were 3 of them, she only recognised the girls as some people from Oliver's class, but had no idea what they would want with her, or why they looked so annoyed. "What's up with you and Oliver then?" they questioned.
"Ever since you moved into his house, you've walked around school acting like you have some sort of claim on him" another girl commented, looking equally as annoyed as the first. As their questions continued a small crowd gathered around them and Harper started to panic a little with all the questions and accusations.
"That's enough" came a voice from behind everyone, Oliver stood there with his arms folded across his chest. "Did any of you really think I was the least bit interested in that person?"
The crowd went silent as Oliver and Harper's eyes met, sparks of fury flying between them as Harper pulled herself to her feet. The girls whispered amongst themselves. Of course there was no way Oliver was actually interested in this idiot girl that caused him so much trouble.
"You don't have to call me that person you know! I have a name!" she screamed as he approached them.
He scoffed, "you have been nothing but trouble for me since you started living at my house, forcing me to tutor all your friends and enabling my Mum's crazy behaviour."
Harper had gone red in the face, partly from embarrassment and partly from anger. "What is wrong with you, you cold-blooded jerk!"
"And yet, you like that from what I recall. Or should I tell everyone what you said in your letter again?" Oliver smirked, he seemed to be enjoying this.
Harper turned back around to face the crowd, a sudden unsettling smile on her face. "Fine, you wanna play dirty. I'll show you dirty" she chuckled and she pulled up a picture on her phone. Oliver only got a glance at it before she turned around and revealed the picture of Oliver dressed as a little girl, curtseying for the camera.
Oliver was mortified as he watched the other students fall over themselves trying to get a glimpse. He walked up to her and grabbed her hand that was holding the phone, pulling her away. "Come with me now!" he commanded, not expecting to see Harper looking up at him laughing. She had gotten him, and she got him good.
"What do you think you're playing at?!" Oliver shouted as he stopped in a grove of trees. Harper flinched slightly as she leant up against one of them, Oliver was very close to her and she had never seen him get this angry. "Why would you openly invade my privacy like that?"
"Why would you think it's okay to make a mockery of me in front of all those people? Taking the fact that I liked you and turning it into a joke!" she retorted, he was just as much in the wrong as she was. Oliver didn't have a response, it was deadly silent where they were with only the faint sound of the music coming from the venue. Harper turned her head away and let out an exasperated sigh, "I give up. I'm done playing these mind games with you, once I get to college I'm going to completely forget about you and move on with my life."
Oliver felt that tense feeling in his chest again, which he could only assume meant that this remark annoyed him. She was just going to forget about him? As if it was that simple, you don't just forget about people, especially not people you were claiming to be in love with a few months ago.
Harper looked back at him, he had his arm up against the tree she was leaning on and was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her cheek. It was tense. She let out a sigh and went to say something else but before she could she was cut off by Oliver pressing his lips against hers. He lingered for a moment before pulling away, she had no idea what he was thinking and if he was going to be honest with himself, neither did he. Call it a primal urge or something along those lines but at that moment it was all he wanted to do and with her so close to him he physically felt himself give in. They stared at each other briefly before Harper broke eye contact and looked down at the floor. She had nothing to say, she didn't believe he did that for any other reason than to tease her again, just like he has teased her many times before.
Oliver shook his head and mumbled something along the lines of "that's what I thought" before walking back towards the prom venue. Once he was out of sight Harper's legs buckled and she found herself sitting on the floor trying to make sense of what just happened.
