Different (1) (Patreon)

“So, are you coming?” Mitch asked him as they sat in the dining hall of the university and attempted to eat what they had chosen as their meal. Harry had ordered a warm tortilla soup and a side salad with some lemonade. He was a messy eater, and so he was careful not to spill any soup on his white sweater or, worst yet, stain his sleeves.

“To Y/N’s party?”  He asked, unbothered and disinterested in the idea of partying at some rich girl’s house. “Are you even invited?” Harry had no intention of getting in trouble, especially for such a superficial thing as attending a party of an almost stranger.

“Obviously not” Harry rolled his eyes at him as he looked through the notes of his upcoming biochemistry class. “Emma was, and I am sure if we ask her she’ll help us get in”

“We are barely friends with her!” He argued,  getting annoyed by his persistence. “Why are you so interested in going?” Harry challenged, wanting to know the true reason. “We rarely see her. She is in another major and most importantly, you don’t know her!”

“Isn’t she studying psychology or something ?” Sarah asked as she continued eating the grapes that she had carefully packed that morning. Mitch only nodded and took a sip out of his vitamin water.

“So what? I want to get to know her. It’s senior year, H.  Let’s finally do something fun” Harry snorted but eventually gave in. Mitch had always craved to be popular and well-known around campus. Although he could barely count his friends on one hand. He blamed it on not having enough time to manage everything. Yet he barely turned in assignments. On the other hand, Harry was an introvert. He hated the uncomfortable silences that surged in conversations with strangers. Therefore, he avoided talking and making conversation altogether.

But either way, no matter how annoyed Harry got with Mitch, they were still best friends.

That weekend they found themselves crammed into a small vehicle heading north, where Y/N’s family house was situated. In a small town named Lake Forest. The town was known for its enormous and pricey houses. As soon as they pulled up into her street, Harry already regretted leaving the dorms.

Mitch decided to park the car a few blocks away from the house due to the high congestion of vehicles. Emma was already waiting for them at the front of the gate with a drink in her hand.

“It’s about time you showed up! I am freezing my ass!” She complained, evidently cold from the already low temperatures at the North Shore in early August. Y/N’s house was right on the coast of the Michigan River, making the breeze even colder. “Come on already!” She stumped her food on the ground, just like a little kid would do when throwing a tantrum. Nonetheless, she reached over and dialed the intercom.

“Hello?” A soft voice greeted them.

“Hey babe is Emma, could you open the door?” Her tone was completely different from the one that she was using a few minutes ago with them. She was cheerful and happy and kind.

“Oh hey! Yeah, sure! Let me buzz you in!” Then within a matter of seconds, the front doors of the house opened up to them, revealing a long driveway towards the house. The sides of the driveway were decorated with trees and bushes. Emma led the way as the rest of them looked around, awestruck.

“Who needs such a long driveway anyway?” Sarah questioned, clearly annoyed by the attention that they were all giving Y/N without even having to meet her.

“Please don’t be weird” Emma pleaded with them when we came to the end of the road and across her huge house. “She is really nice. So no need to be assholes” They all nodded before Sarah opened the door.

It wasn’t like Harry expected it to be. He had assumed that the party would be filled with snobby super-rich kids complaining about their lives, but to his surprise, there were people from all over, including people from their major.

There was also space to walk, talk and even sit without having to push or shove people around. Harry knew it was one of the perks of having a big ass house.

“Emma! Hey!” A girl smiled at her and began approaching them. She leaned in and hugged her tightly. “I am so glad you made it!”

“Hey! You look great!” Emma smiled widely at her, “How’ve you been?”

“Good! How about yourself?” Emma goes on to explain her boy problems and the issues about the current gossip going around involving her. All while the rest stood back and tried their best to follow. “Oh! These are my friends Harry, Sarah, and Mitch” She introduced them after a few minutes. I looked up and smiled at her, still not sure what to make of her. “This is Y/N guys”

Y/N Y/L/N was pretty known around campus. She was an extrovert. She had at least one friend in every class. Y/N would befriend anyone who seemed lonely. She had this resting bitch face which people misinterpreted.

Harry’s eyes scanned her body and face, wanting to confirm everything that Mitch had told him. He spoke about her none stop and even stalked her social media and followers for a week.

She had this gorgeous, thick hair that ran down her back and stopped a few inches above her butt. She had doe-eyes that could move crowds. Y/N wore some type of black shirt, with blue jeans and an oversized cardigan. Her hair was pushed back, and she wore a shiny necklace that stole everyone’s attention. It had been a gift from her grandfather. It held a special place in her heart. She has never taken it off ever since it was gifted to her.

“Hi, guys, nice to meet you” Her voice was even appealing — Harry thought. She shook all of their hands, and she shook Harry’s hand last.

Y/N had never before interacted with him. She had seen him around campus with Emma, yet she had never had a conversation with him. Let alone notice his natural beauty. She instantly found him attractive. He wore a simple black hoodie, beige jeans, and vans. His hair was stunning, and his facial structure reminded her of the carved statues in the museum.

Harry licked his lips and looked away. He felt intimidated by her glaze. His mouth was suddenly too dry, and he needed a drink.

“Please help yourself in the kitchen and enjoy yourselves. Let me know if you need anything else” Y/N insisted just before she disappeared in the wave of people.

“What the fuck was that?” Mitch gasped for air, seconds after she left. “Did you see that ass?” Harry chuckled and shook his head at him. “Isn’t she stunning?”

“Yes, Mitch” Harry muttered. Mitch dragged him towards the kitchen in search of some drinks and snacks. “And you wonder why you are still single”. Harry said to him.

Mitch chuckled and continued to pour vodka into three red cups.

“That kind of girl only dates guys with trust funds,” Sarah remarked, reaching out for a cup. “And you two don’t qualify”.

“Somebody’s cranky” Mitch poked her on her side. It was clear that Sarah wasn’t too happy. She knew it was silly, yet she couldn’t explain the feeling that bubbled within her. She was pretty, but her confidence made her uncomfortable.

“Somebody needs to shut the fuck up” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Now what?” Harry walked behind them as she exited the kitchen.

“Now we look around the house and try to guess how much everything is worth” Mitch winked, there were two huge glass doors that gave out to the backyard. They were open, expanding the length of the living room. People stood out around a small fire pit.  Green grass extended and covered all of the property, ending by the wooden dock over the lake. “She has a fucking boat. Unbelievable” Mitch gasped under his breath.

“It’s my father’s” Her voice startled them as she walked up to them from behind. She barely used it anymore because the weather was starting to get cooler “It’s useful during the summer” Y/N would use it as a car and would drive to her other friends’ docks. “What’s your major?” she finally asked.

“Biology” Harry responded, “Mitch’s is engineering and Sarah is in economics”.

Y/N leaned against the back of the couch, looking for some support for her back. She had been spending too much time hunched over the books in the library.

“That explains why I rarely see you on campus” Harry was studying biology with the intention of entering medical school. He had even already presented all the standardized exams to enter. He was just waiting for the results. Meanwhile, Mitch was staying in Chicago and Sarah was looking at job opportunities on the east coast.

“Y/N” a guy roughly around their age, walked up to them. His name was Brian and was pretty known around campus. His friends and he studied economics with Sarah. She tried her best to ignore him most days. She sat in front of him and detested the way he talked with superiority to others. Brian wrapped his arms around Y/N as if he owned her. Like she was his and the world needed to know.

The gesture generated a small spark of jealousy within Harry.

“Hey. I am glad you made it” She slowly and gently tore off him. Y/N felt uncomfortable and so she took a step backward, trying to gain some distance between them.

“I bought more drinks. The boys are taking them into the kitchen”. Sarah rolled her eyes at the mention of the ‘boys’. She felt like she was back in high school when the popular kids were in this one group that was untouchable and desired by many. “Sorry and who are you?”

“These are my friends” Y/N warmly smiled.

“Right” he nodded as he stared down at them. “Sarah! I didn’t know you came to these types of things”. She faked smiled back yet held back from insulting him. Brian would really get on her nerves.

“Go get yourself a drink” Y/N suggested, embarrassed of him.

Harry paid no attention to him. He was too invested in holding stares with Y/N.

“Will I get to speak to you later?” Brian looked down at her with a hard state, “ Alone” he added. Y/N nodded slightly earning a soft stroke on the side of her face before he left them.

“Sorry about that. Brian plays hockey and his father is the owner of this amusement park corporation and he thinks he is the big shit” They laughed but Harry could tell that she was still bothered by his attitude.

The party picked up after a few hours. Everyone was spilling drinks and the floor had gotten to that point where it was sticky, but people were having fun. Harry sat on the kitchen floor because all of the couches were occupied by horny couples. He was tired from all the dancing that Sarah and Emma had forced him into.

“Tired?”

“A- a bit” he stuttered surprised to see Y/N sitting beside him. “Y-you?”

“Very much” She admitted. She lived in an apartment in the city that her parents had bought for her during her freshman year. It was a small studio apartment. It was her safe haven which is why she never threw parties there. That and the fact that it was too small.  Therefore, she had driven just like everyone else.

“Aren’t you worried they are trashing the place?” He was curious as to why she wasn’t kicking everyone out of the house and she was so relaxed.

“They are having fun” Y/N watched Sarah and Mitch holding each other’s hand and spinning around in her living room and hysterically laughing at one another. “That’s what matters. Plus, it’s my parent's house” she shrugged.

“Aren’t they going to kill you?” Y/N’s parents were a touchy subject for her. She tensed up and quiet down. Harry instantly noticed that his comment had made her uncomfortable.

“They don’t really care” The psychology student confessed. She was surprised at herself. Y/N never spoke about them. She had a difficult relationship with them.

“I- I understand the feeling” He smiled at her weakly. And so, they allowed the comfortable silence to engulf them.

A few hours later, Mitch was drunk and so was Emma. Most people had already left. It was mostly them and three other friends of Y/N’s.

“I guess we should get going” Harry rose to his feet, pulling Mitch up too.

“Would you like some help?” She asked as she pulled Mitch’s other arm over her shoulder. They quietly dragged him out of the house and sat him on the steps leading up to the main entrance.

“Why don’t you go get the car and I’ll buzz you in so you don’t have to drag him all the way down the street” She suggested. Harry remained quiet and ran out for the car. Meanwhile, Y/N woke up Sarah who had passed out on the couch in the living room.

Harry pulled up and unlocked the car doors so moving/ carrying  Mitch was easier. Sarah got in the car by herself. Meanwhile, Harry and Y/N helped Mitch sit upright on the seat.

“You are so beautiful” Mitch slurred to her as she leaned over him to buck him in. “Date me” he divulges. Y/N laughed at his drunken state.

“Next time big boy” She kissed his cheek and winked. Mitch threw his head back and passed out with a big smile.

“Oh! forgot about Emma!” Harry exclaimed, he felt Y/N’s hand on his forearm which instantly stopped any movement.

“She can stay here. Let her sleep. My parents aren’t home so the company would be nice” She pointed out. “I’ll drive her tomorrow”.

“O-okay” Harry stuttered then cleared his throat “Thank you for having us” Y/N leaned in and hugged him gently.

“Thank you for coming” She muttered before she pulled away. “I had lots of fun! Drive safe”

Harry smiled at her before getting into the car. He watched her through the rearview mirror as she waved. He found himself perplexed by her kindness, her beauty, her eyes, and her simplicity. It was too bad that they belonged to different worlds — he pondered.