As soon as we got downstairs, he let go of my hand and put it in his pocket like nothing happened.
But it did.
And the next thing I knew, my buddy and I were bombarded by a flurry of blurred hands and feet. The blur stopped moving, and four figures materialized from it.
"We're going to my house!" Harry shouted. Rather excitedly, I must say.
"Okay," I said. And image of a house popped into my head, and I instantly knew whose it was. Anne.
The dark room went silent. Shadows cast by the lanterns sat unmoving on the walls and on faces.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"That my mum's name. I never told you about my family," Harry said quietly.
"Well, you didn't tell me about the clearing, either, and I know about that, too," I shot back. "Whoop-de-doodlie-fricking-doo. Are we leaving or not?"
Harry just stood there with his mouth open in a wide O.
"Shut your mouth or you'll catch flies," I said crabbily, yanking on my cowboy boots and pulling an umbrella from the hall closet.
"Choose your buddy!" Louis said, lunging forward. Harry started toward me, but I linked arms with Niall before he had a chance. Louis linked his arm with Harry's, and Liam and Zayn just kinda drifted to be buddies.
Harry took a sidelong glance at me, but i pretended not to notice. He looked like a lost puppy.
"I'm gonna go pack a change of clothes, so I'll be back in a few minutes," I said, desperate to get away from Harry's gaze.
"Take your buddy!" Louis said loudly, waving his flashlight in the air above him.
I pulled Niall up the stairs with me again, making sure I grabbed his wrist and not his hand. When we got to the top, I let go of him and kept walking, Niall keeping up with me. He didn't hold my hand again.
Grabbing a duffel bag, I threw some clothes on top of it, and Niall retrieved them and tucked them inside haphazardly at random.
"Whoa," he said, dropping the bra I had thrown. "Too far. I did not need to see that."
I shrugged. "You caught it. I just threw clothes at the bag. I didn't tell you to put them in there."
He blushed, but put the bra in the bag anyway, then sat down on my bed and stared at the ceiling as I continued to throw stuff at the duffel bag.
When I was finished, I tucked everything inside and zipped it shut, picking it up and throwing it in the hallway. I turned around to pick up my phone, but Niall beat me to it. He held the phone out to me and I took it from him to put it in my pocket, but he wouldn't let it go.
"Niall!" I protested, laughing. "Give it to me!"
"You'll have to catch me first!" he challenged, running into the hallway and down the stairs.
"What happened to the buddy system?" I shouted after him, following suit and grabbing my bag. I raced after him and out into the rain.

Notes

Okay, okay. I know I haven't updated in a LONG time and I am a horrible person for that. (This is where you say, "No! You aren't a horrible person!" No? Okay. I see how it is. Hmph.)
I PROMISE I have really good reasons. And I'll tell you what they are.
1) I started my freshman year of high school two weeks ago, and I've discovered who Homework Hitler is. It's the new algebra teacher, who I happen to know. My mom used to play piano for his school's choir when I was in kindergarten, and I was the choir's favorite. :) He doesn't remember me. Ha. Anyway, he gives us an assignment and is all like, "Oh, it's not that long!" and I'm like, "Bullshit! I'm not gonna get this done in class!" Except only I don't say it out loud. ..... :)
2) Guitar. I have taken up relearning how to play the guitar since I got one for my birthday. YAY! I had a class last year, but it was an elective, so I couldn't learn at my pace and I almost flunked.
3) I'm never home alone. I usually update when my parents and sisters aren't around, because it gives me more privacy. And I can't have the computer in my room for reasons that I would rather not discuss. (No I was NOT watching/looking at porn, you dirty-minded freaks.)
4) I don't have the time. Or the inspiration. Between doing homework and studying (who knew you actually have to LEARN stuff?!) Spanish, my parents usually get home JUST as I finish doing that so it's not like I could update anyway.

The only reason I had a chance to update tonight is because my little sister is at a dance, my older sister is at my cousin's (I think..... NO! She's at a football game), and my parents are having dinner with the sister of the man she almost married and HER husband.

So I have a pretty hectic life right now.
Did I mention I'm sick? No? Okay. Well, now you know.
So for those of you that read my fanfic "In A Heartbeat", I caught this cold from the person that I used as inspiration for Katrina Varno. She's starting to get over her cold, and I'm just starting it.
Oh! And I got my hair dyed today. YAY! School pictures are on the eleventh, so my mom texted me during school today and asked if I wanted to get my hair dyed before pictures on Wednesday and I said yes. I didn't really have much of a choice, though, because she had already made the appointment.
I now know how to curl my hair.
With a flat iron.
Yes. You read correctly. I do NOT know how to curl my hair. But now I do.
...... sort of.
ANYWAY..... I'm thinking about being a foreign exchange student next year. I'm thinking about going to England or something. Or maybe somewhere in Mexico, because I LOVE Spanish. I don't get it, but Spanish is my favorite subject. It's not the FUNNEST class (that title is reserved for ag and English), but it's my favorite.

Anyway, the question I randomly ask on occasion today is:
Who's seen the movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?
.... and ....
What's your favorite movie?

Mine's Mary Poppins.

ANSWER AWAY!