Stop and smell the roses

Harri's POV

"You're home late."

"Thanks for the time update, Bro," I snipe as I walk in the door. I'm not sure what's come over me but somewhere on my walk home, I entered all out grumpy bitch territory. So help me, should Theo push my buttons today.

Sensing my mood he holds his hands up in defence, "woah lay down your guns, it was just an observation."

"Sorry, lack of sleep," I mutter taking off my shoes.

I really need a shower. I had one at Jazz's but with the amount of hairspray and makeup I was wearing last night, I feel that will I need to scrub for weeks to cleanse myself fully.

"So were you out late with whats-his-name?" Theo runs his hands through his hair flattening the top for good measure. I'm not even sure who he is trying to impress since I'm the only one here.

Grumbling I throw my bag back over my shoulder, "SJ?"

"Yeah SJ that's him! Were you two out late?" he asks again.

It's amazing that just the mere mention of his name makes me smile. "Yeah, we were. Jazz and I didn't get back to hers until this morning."

I hear him take a deep breath, "Jazz was there?"

"Yeah, she was," I confirm in the most sympathetic tone that I can muster in my current mood. "What happened with you two anyway? All that effort and then in one night, boom!" I add simulating an explosion with my hands.

He looks away from me, "She's a good chick, you know?"

"Uh, yeah. I know. That's why she's my best friend and that's why I didn't want you to play any games with her!" I reply frustrated by his lack of answers. "So what's the deal?"

"She's too good for me. She deserves better..." he says so absentmindedly that it sets me off.

"God, you're a bonehead!" I yell, anger burning in my cheeks.

His eyes widen in shock. "What? I thought this would make you happy?"

"Believe me it does. She's better with Jackson anyway. Seriously why go to all that effort just to blow her off?" I cry, trying hard to contain my emotions as I stomp up the stairs.

He looks away from me, his hand hanging lazily on the bannister. "Jackson?"

"Yeah Jackson. The guy she gave her number to after you dropped her off." I know it's probably wrong to use Jackson to hurt Theo like this but I'm grumpy and after all the crap he has put me through over the years, I kind of think he deserves it. Plus he did blow Jazz off and she really does deserve better.

He balls his hand into a fist and bangs it lightly on the handrail in frustration. "So I guess that's it then..."

I calm down somewhat after detecting the hurt in his voice. "Yeah, I guess. Seriously, Theo I don't get you. What happened?" I ask again hoping for some kind of answer that will explain his behaviour.

He looks me in the eye and makes an expression somewhat like a duck face but poutier. "I don't know Harri. I think I just realised that a girl like that needs someone who can give her everything, and with Lacrosse, I can't even give her my Friday nights."

"Maybe you should have figured out that you weren't ready to date before you asked her out," I say, stating the obvious.

He clenches his jaw, "probably."

"I can't with you," I say ending the conversation by slamming my bedroom door.

I throw myself onto my bed and wake up to Mum to pounding on my door and the rays of the morning sun pouring through my blinds. "You're going to be late, Missy. Get up!"

I drag my peach out of bed and am greeted by a text.

"Morning. Have fun at school. Lol xx"

Smartarse, I mutter as I reply.

"Morning. Not looking forward to seeing Mr Grayson today especially after our run in on Saturday ;) xx."

I jump in the shower, smiling as I scrub away my bad mood. I even start feeling bad for the way I spoke to Theo and think I might actually apologize. Maybe... we'll see.

Jazz and I meet at Betty's Cafe and grab a takeaway unicorn frappe. For some reason, it feels like the right way to start the day. "So Jackson texted me," she says her face lighting up.

"Oh yeah, what did he say?"

"That I'm the greatest person in the world and that he can't live without me," she sings.

I look at her from over the top of my unicorn frappe. "Somehow I don't believe you."

She throws her free hand in the air, her bangles clanging. "No Harri. You're meant to say, ah young love!"

"Delusional as ever, I see."

She gives me a flick of her brows, "of course."

"So what did he really say?" I ask biting down on the straw.

"That he had a great time hanging out," she replies, blushing.

"Ah, young love!" I say sarcastically while mimicking her earlier hand gestures earning myself an eye roll.

I grab her by the arm in an attempt to speed up our trip to school. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

We were late. Ten minutes late to be exact. We probably would have been on time but Jazz insisted on literally stopping to smell some roses. She even felt the need to point out that in life you should always make time to stop and smell the roses. I told her that it was a figure of speech and that she didn't actually have to stop to smell them, but I knew better than to argue the point further when she started quote Romeo and Juliet.

"Ladies," Mr Grayson says as we sheepish open the door.

"Sorry we're late, Sir," I reply, keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the floor.

"Another bad shiitake reaction?" he asks annoyed at our second tardy in as many lessons.

"No roses this time," Jazz answers, not really taking in the rhetorical nature of his question.

Mr Grayson makes his way to the front of the room and hands us both a slip of paper. "Well I hope the roses were worth detention."

"Shiitake," I mutter under my breath.

"Sorry Miss Harlow, what was that?"

"Nothing, Sir," I say taking a seat at the front of the class. I make the mistake of looking back and seeing Cleo and her resting smug face and feel last nights mood returning suddenly. I curl my fingers under the edge of the desk and dig my nails in for good measure.

"Did you see the photos of Sax at dinner last night?" Jazz asks at lunch. I look across the table and past Jazz to Theo's table and watch as he pushes a piece of lettuce around his plate. "Harri?"

"Sorry, what did you say?" I ask, distracted by the lettuce circling his plate like it is a Nascar track.

"Did you see that Gate Thirty Four are home and that Jax went to dinner with Senna, his Mum and sister."

"No, I didn't. To be honest, I didn't even know Senna had a sister," I say not really paying attention.

Jazz answers the question I didn't ask, "yeah well he does. Her name is Peyton."

"Ah, that's SJ's sister's name to—"

"We're not talking about him. We're talking about an actual Sax sighting," she half yells, cutting me off.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Harri. Get with the program. We've barely seen any evidence of Sax for months. It confirms they're still together. And that's not even the best bit!" she says getting more excited with each word spoken.

"It's not?" I ask, unintentionally lengthening the conversation that I so desperately wish was over.

She all but jumps up from the table, "no, Harri! The best bit is that Jax was wearing Senna's clothes!"

I throw my hand to my mouth feigning shock. "He was?"

"Yeah. He was wearing Senna's iconic black tee with the text 'people scare me' written across the front and even had on a pair of Chelsea boots"

"Sooo?" I ask exasperated by the conversation.

"So? Soooo? At the very least it shows they spent the night together. More evidence that Sax is real!" Her voice echoing through the cafeteria, attracting the attention of a few people. Including Theo, who instantly looks away upon seeing who caused the disturbance. He really is making me feel bad, I might actually have to apologise, I think; anger burbling away just with the idea of saying sorry.

"That doesn't mean your crazy bromance idea is real, Jazz. It only means Jax borrowed his clothes," I state gesturing for her to keep her voice down. Which she not surprisingly dismisses.

"Hater! Why do you have to go and bring logic into it?" she laughs, fully aware of the absurdity of her excitement.

"Why would you want Sax to be real anyway? Wouldn't that mean that you haven't got a chance?"

She lets out a deep sigh and scrunches up her face. "Let's be real, Harri. Jax doesn't know about me anyway. Plus I'd much prefer Sax be real, and us Saxers be right, than see him with that Candy chick anyway."

"Candy?"

"You really never listen to me, do you? We went over this. A few weeks ago from the club?" she complains in an annoyed tone.

"Oh yeah," I reply with some vague recollection of the discussion. I don't dare ask for details because I don't want to risk being stuck in another discussion about Gate Thirty Four's groupies, which Jazz has informed me are called The Elite Thirty Four.

I try and break the silence that has drifted over the table, "heard from Jackson again today?"

Jazz brushes her hair behind her ears with her hand and looks down at her lunch, "yeah..."

"You like him, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" she queries while blushing so hard that it would be evident from the moon.

I think me choking on my sandwich gives Jazz the answer she is looking for. "More than Jax?"

This time is it her that it laughing. "They're two different people, Harri. Plus like I said Jax doesn't even know who I am?"

"But what if? I mean, what if you had to pick?"

She remains silent for a little while thinking about her answer. "Why do I have to pick? Can't I have both?" she replies with a giggle.

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Author's note:

Peace ✌️ love ❤️ and unicorns 🦄 awesome people! How are we all doing? What have you been up to?

Soooo Theo. What's his deal? Speaking of people with deals, Mr Grayson...Clearly he has an issue with fungi and roses. haha

Overall thoughts on this chapter l? (If you have any, I always love the feedback).

Oh as. I finally sat down and wrote down my plan for the rest of the book (rather than working chapter by chapter). And I'm pretty excited! I still have so many ideas swirling around in my head and not ready to let these guys go just yet so will try and fit everything in. But have at least another 13 chapters to go...

Also Tennis finishes this week so I'll be back to a more regular schedule (although proud to say I have maintain posting at least once a week). Yey! But also return to my full time job. Boo!

-Trudz