Panting as she sprinted fast, Wednesday caught up to the ball, slide tackling the girl on the other team who possessed it. She went down quickly, but Wednesday managed to remain on her feet. Hearing the cheers of the others on her team, she dribbled the ball skilfully, her eyes flicking between the approaching goal and the ball at her feet.

When she was close enough, with no defender present to stop her and the goalkeeper momentarily distracted, she lifted her foot back. Swinging it forward powerfully, her shoe connected with the ball and launched it towards the top right of the goal. It hit the back of the net flawlessly, earning celebratory cheers from the other girls on her team.

She grinned as they ran to her, patting her on the back.

Ten minutes later, the game ended with them winning 3-0. Wednesday victoriously walked to the side of the pitch with her team, grabbing her water bottle and pushing her hair off of her sweaty forehead. Picking up her bag and the ball, she walked with a grin over the field to the changing rooms in the sports hall.

Pushing the door open, the studs on the bottom of her football boots clinked against the tiled floor. Sat in the corner of the room were the popular girls in their year, the ones who often made nasty remarks about Wednesday behind her back without much care for whether she heard or not.

Swallowing nervously in their presence, she walked to her locker, opening it up and gathering her school clothes.

"Look at the grass stains all up her back," someone commented behind her after a moment of silence, snickers echoing out immediately after.

"She's way too big for those shorts," another said, to the same chorus of laughs.

Wednesday felt her face heat up as she tried to drown out the laughs, not letting herself look back to them or even acknowledge them. Because it would give them the response they so desperately wanted. She looked to the football at her feet, her leg twitching to kick it. Directly at their heads.

"Wednesday, do you know you're a girl?" one of them asked her directly, their voice loud and clear.

She ignored them, placing the clothes into her bag, deciding that it would be better to just get changed in the toilets instead.

"Wednesday!" the same girl shouted, making her breathe out and turn towards them. "Did you hear me? Do you know you're a girl?"

She bit her cheek harshly, trying to diminish some of the building anger within her.

"I'm well aware, thank you."

"So why do you look and act like a man?" she asked, her lips turning up slyly.

Her hair, like the rest of the group, was peroxide blonde. Their faces were caked in foundation, their eyelashes thick with mascara. They wore tight tops and trousers to highlight their bodies, no doubt for the boys to see. Wednesday couldn't be more different if she tried. But unlike them, she didn't see them as below her, just because they looked different. That was the difference.

"I don't look like a man," she sighed, turning back around and shaking her head. Her actions quickened. All she wanted to do was get away from them.

"You know that no boy will ever fancy you if you're covered in mud and play football all the time, right?"

Wednesday ignored the harsh sting of their words, hating that they were riling up something within her. She took off her football boots, finding her normal trainers.

"Or maybe..." the girl behind her proceeded to speak, her tone unnerving. "You don't want a boy to like you. Maybe, you're into girls."

The girls laughed even harder then, all of them callously giggling at her nastiness.

"We better get out of here, before she starts trying to kiss any of us," one of them said after, earning even more laughs.

"I bet she fancies us!"

That was it. Slamming the locker, she turned around.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I like boys. But I can guarantee that if I did like girls, you lot would be the last people on earth I'd fancy."

With that, she picked up her bag and walked out quickly with only her socks on her feet, holding her trainers in her hand as she felt the redness in her cheeks.

She quickly paced back over to the main building once she'd put her shoes on, looking down to her muddied kit with glossy eyes. Rounding a corner, she bumped into a group of people, not bothering to watch where she was going.

"Hey, Wednesday what—are you alright?" Harry asked, his brows furrowed as he noticed her reddened eyes.

She brushed her hair back, pulling her bag farther over her shoulder as she looked up to him.

Her entire group of friends were gathered next to him and looked to her with concern as she stood awkwardly, trying to hold back tears.

"I—it's nothing. Just the popular girls being bitchy again, that's all."

She forced a smile, not caring to explain further. Truthfully, she wanted to forget about it. That encounter wasn't the first of that kind and she was sure it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Don't let them get to you Weds," Michael piped up from the opposite side of the circle. "They're just jealous that you're one of the boys and they're not!"

Wednesday felt her stomach drop and her chest deflate. One of the boys. Not a girl, not someone they could come to like. One of the boys.

"I can't be one of the boys if I'm a girl," she said quietly, looking to the other girls in the group. Hannah was tucked under Danny's arm. Eve was play fighting with Luke.

"Well obviously we know you're a girl," Michael said, like it was apparent. "But you're cool and funny to joke around with. We can tease you and know you won't get hurt over it. So, it's like you're one of the boys."

She nodded, understanding slightly but not really. Looking to Harry, she noticed him smile tightly at her, rubbing his neck as he remained silent. What had never been an issue to her before, seemed to be all she could think about now in that moment. Did boys at her school see her as someone they could possibly fancy? Someone they thought was attractive? Or was she just one of the boys? The girl that no-one really saw in that way.

Yes, she liked football. Yes, she liked being muddy and playing sports and getting sweaty. Yes, she did prefer dressing casual over girly. But did that mean she was less of a girl than the others? Her brows furrowed as she realised for the first time that maybe that was exactly what it meant to the boys. And she hated that it made her feel sad. The girls' cruel words, that she'd tried hard not to let affect her, had wormed their way in and sewn a seed of doubt.

She'd never cared for anyone else's opinions before. Headstrong and confident, she liked that she was sporty. She liked her casual clothes. But she was only human. She wanted boys to like her. To have crushes on her. To sometimes think that she was pretty. How could that happen if they saw her as one of them?

As she lost herself in her own overactive thoughts, Emilie, arguably the prettiest girl in the year, passed by with two of her friends. Immediately, the heads of all the boys in the group turned towards her, admiration painted on their faces.

Wednesday looked round at them all with a tight expression. Each one of them stared at her like she was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen. Her eyes landed on Harry next to her, seeing that he too was looking from under his eyelashes, admiring the way she walked past. Usually, she'd nudge him. Tell him to stop ogling her like she wasn't a person.

But this time, she quietly walked away from them all, hitching her bag further over her shoulder with a sad look down to her muddied knees.

"God, I'm really gonna be the only girl going to prom alone," Wednesday groaned, smashing her face into her fluffy pillow as she laid on the bed.

"No, you won't be!" Hannah replied, curling her hair as she sat at her vanity table. "Hasn't Harry asked you?"

"Harry?" she questioned, her lips curling. There was no way. "No, of course not. He's been asked by just about every bloody girl in school though. Ever since everyone found out about his X-Factor audition."

"Well, that's not what I've heard," Hannah said, turning away.

Wednesday sat up quickly, looking at the back of her head with her brows pulled together. She'd heard something...about Harry?

"What have you heard?" she quizzed, wanting to know more of whatever gossip she was withholding.

Hannah turned back around with a smirk, looking down to where he was laid.

"Well, Michael told Eve who told Danny who told me, that Harry had turned down all the girls who'd asked him to prom and was waiting to ask one special girl to go with him."

Wednesday swallowed, feeling a sudden swirl of nerves. Hannah raised her eyebrows, cocking her head to the side.

"I reckon that special someone is you. And he'll be asking you any day now."

Wednesday shook her head. "No, you're completely wrong. Harry doesn't like me like that and...and he just doesn't see me as anything other than a friend. It must be someone else."

"Oh Weds, don't be so naïve! You two spend pretty much all day, every day together and even when you aren't together, you find a way to talk about each other at every opportunity. Plus, he looks at you like the sun shines out of your ass. It's definitely you he's going to ask!"

She looked at Hannah's imploring gaze, rubbing her arm nervously.

"You really think so?"

"Girl, it's so obvious! He's definitely keeping the suspense going to make you nervous and then he's probably going to ask one day when it's just the two of you. Oh my god, what if you go to prom and get voted king and queen? That would be so cute!"

Wednesday bit her lip, feeling herself blush. The longer she thought about it, the more it made sense the way Hannah described it. Anytime she'd asked whose offer he'd accepted, he'd said he hadn't decided and changed the subject quickly. And when she'd complained about not being asked yet, he'd calmy told her she would definitely get asked by someone, she just needed to be patient.

Though she knew she shouldn't allow herself to get caught up in Hannah's theory, she couldn't help but feel a bundle of excited nerves begin to grow in her stomach, stretching out throughout her whole body.

"I don't know..."

"Right, well you'll see when he's professing his love for you and asking you to be his date for prom," Hannah replied, turning and making a pouty face, mimicking Harry's voice. "Oh Wednesday, it's always been you. Will you do me the honour of going to prom with me?"

Wednesday laughed as Hannah made disgustingly sloppy kissing noises, throwing the pillow at her.

"Shut up!"

But despite her insistence against it being true, she couldn't help but feel anticipation in every cell of her body. The next day at school, she spent the whole day keeping her distance from Harry, watching him from afar to see if Hannah's theory was true. At lunchtime, she sat on a different table with a boy from her maths class, citing her need to study, though she could have sworn she kept feeling his gaze on her every so often. During their afternoon lessons, she sat silent next to him, hyper aware of her own body in proximation to his. And then, just when she was ready to walk home with Hannah and Mollie, he ran over to her, reaching out to stop her.

"Hey, Wednesday, can I talk to you?"

She swallowed, looking back to both of the girls. Hannah's eyes widened and she shot a quick, excited smile in her direction, before grabbing Mollie and pulling her away.

"You two can walk back together, we really need to get back. See you tomorrow!"

She mouthed 'text me' at Wednesday, before turning and walking away.

Wednesday looked to Harry with a nervous smile, pushing her hair behind her ear. She remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"Are you okay? You've been really quiet today," he asked, sticking his hands into his pockets as they began to walk slowly.

"Me? Yeah, sorry. I've, uh...just been a bit preoccupied, I guess."

"With schoolwork?"

She forced a smile, clutching her books to her chest.

"Yeah. Something like that."

They continued to walk slowly, neither of them saying anything. Wednesday cleared her throat, the anticipation of whatever he was going to say to her too much to handle. Why did she feel so weird?

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask you if—"

He was cut off by one of the boys from their school running past and ruffling his hair, earning a laugh from him. Wednesday watched the interaction with an impatient gaze, feeling her heartbeat quicken as she waited for him to ask whatever he wanted to ask.

He sorted his hair back out and looked back to her.

"Anyway, like I was saying. Will you come—"

"Oi Styles, I heard you finally asked Emilie to prom. Nice one man," another boy in their year said, sidling up to Harry with a grin.

Emilie. He'd asked Emilie to prom. Wednesday's gaze fell, along with her heartbeat. She was so stupid. How could she have let herself be swept up in Hannah's ridiculous theory so easily? Harry was her friend. They were just friends. She sighed silently as Harry chatted to the boy, wishing she could walk away quickly and save herself the embarrassment.

The boy walked off, still grinning as Harry turned to Wednesday sheepishly, forcing a smile.

"So, you asked Emilie to prom?" she asked with a forced smile, trying her hardest to seem nonchalant.

"Yeah, it just kind of happened," he replied with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

Wednesday nodded, ignoring the sting of internalised humiliation. She swallowed, looking forward. "I mean, she is the prettiest girl in our year. I don't blame you."

"Yeah," Harry replied unsurely, clearing his throat.

She didn't look at him for fear of him seeing the redness in her cheeks and the way she was gripping her books like her life depended on it. Instead, she looked forwards, incredibly aware of the silence between them as they walked side by side.

"Anyway, like I was saying. Would you...would you be able to help me practice for bootcamp? I'm just really nervous about it and don't want to end up bombing on stage. And you're always honest with me. Mum and Gemma just tell me I'm good, even when I know they're lying."

Bootcamp. He wanted her to help him prepare for bootcamp. She looked at him, seeing his curls flopping over his forehead, a nervous expression on his face. Pushing down her own disappointment, she nodded.

"Of course I'll help you," she said, smiling at him.

"Really?" His eyes lit up, his lip catching between his teeth. "Thanks, you're the best."

He quickly wrapped his arms around her neck sideways, planting a sloppy kiss on her head and making the noise for added effect. She laughed, pushing him away.

"Get off me, loser."

He pulled away but kept his gaze on her, his eyes crinkled from how deeply he was smiling. Wednesday tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, looking up in front of her. She watched a couple not too far away from them holding hands, sweetly looking at each other.

Swallowing back whatever she was feeling, she clutched her books tighter to her chest.

Wednesday stepped onto the train platform, her carry-on bag heavy on her shoulder. Swarms of people walked forwards towards the exit and with a nervous glance, she followed the direction of the crowd.

Announcements filled the air from the station operators, directing people to certain platforms and welcoming arriving passengers to London Kings Cross.

She squinted her eyes as she got closer to the doors, looking to the place he said he'd be. Making it through the barriers, she entered the outside, her eyes scanning the area. People were running to their friends, scurrying away doing into the underground. She walked a few steps to the right, towards the road.

As she rounded the corner, she spotted him stood in the shadows. He had on his black wayfarers to shield his eyes and a khaki beanie on his head, though his curls still managed to peek out at either side. His legs were crossed, with one kicked over to the side as he leant against the brick wall, looking down to the phone in his hands.

She smiled, feeling nervous all of a sudden. After all, it had been a long time since they'd last seen each other in person. Now, the boy she knew so well was also known by people from all across the globe. She still couldn't process it – the fact he'd blown up so much in the space of two years was utterly incomprehensible. And every time she saw him, he looked so...different.

Making her way towards him slowly, he locked his phone and looked up. Though his shades covered his eyes, the smile that grew on his lips told Wednesday that he'd spotted her. He pushed himself off of the wall, walking towards her and she had to ignore the sudden rapid pace of her heartbeat banging against her ribcage.

"Hi stranger," he grinned, licking his lips as got closer to her.

In a second, she'd thrown down her bag and stepped into his embrace, smiling into his shoulder. He smelt so...manly. Was that aftershave? She felt intensely aware of her body against his as he kept his arms tight around her neck.

"I've missed you," Wednesday said before she could help it, clasping her hands round his middle.

He laughed into her, drawing small circles into her back that made goosebumps erupt under her t-shirt. Her bare thighs brushed against his black jeans and she noticed how much taller he'd gotten since their last meeting.

"Is that why you're hugging me like this?" he asked, and she could hear the grin in his voice.

She pulled away, mirroring his expression as she pushed the flyway hairs away from her face. Small beads of sweat lined the top of her forehead. Summer in London was hot.

Rolling her eyes, she bent down to pick up her bag from the floor.

"Yep. And that's your only one, so I hope you cherished it."

She stood up, looking back to him and seeing his eyes quickly dart up from somewhere else and back to her eyes.

"Oh, how I've missed that attitude," he said, grinning as he took the bag off of her shoulder and threw it over his own. "Come on, my cars parked down here."

Wednesday's eyes widened as they walked further down the street, watching him unlock the sleek grey Audi R8.

"That's your car?" she asked, her mouth agape as he opened the boot and placed her bag inside.

He looked down to the car sheepishly, a smile breaking out on his lips.

"Yeah. Nice, isn't she?"

"Nice?" Wednesday repeated, rounding the vehicle and not even wanting to touch it for fear of leaving a finger mark. "Maybe I should take my chances and apply for X-Factor too."

Harry laughed, opening the driver door and slipping inside. She followed suit, dipping into the passenger's seat and instantly being greeted with the smell of luxury leather. Looking down, she saw how out of place her dirty white converse looked against the spotless interior.

He set off and Wednesday was immediately impressed with how it drove so smoothly, feeling like she was in some type of James Bond movie.

"So, are you nervous for tomorrow?" he asked, watching the road, though his eyes flicked over to her in the rear-view mirror.