what a time (ft. niall horan) by julia michaels

Before I knew it, school was out for the summer and, final exams were over. I had managed to pass my math exam with a C, thanks to Mrs. Young's curve. It was truly a miracle.

With the stress of school gone, I spent most of my time with Jack and Layla. Almost every day, Jack took his dad's boat out and, the three of us spent hours on the lake. We were trying to make the most of our last summer before we graduated and even though that meant baking in the sun, I was having the time of my life.

Today after Layla had picked me up for lunch at our favorite restaurant on Main Street, we spent the afternoon shopping. It was one of our favorite pastimes even though, neither of us ever had money to spend.

"What do you think of this?" She held up a magenta-colored dress with thin straps.

"What's the occasion?"

"I can't just buy a dress?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes at me, but kept the dress in her hands as she moved onto the next rack.

"You hate dresses, Layla."

"That is so not true."

"Layla..."

"Okay, okay. Jaylin asked me on a date..."

"You're joking," my mouth dropped open, "You've had a crush on him for like... ever."

"I know. That's why I need a new dress." I completely agreed. Her closet was limited and consisted mainly of t-shirts, jeans, and sweatpants. A new dress was exactly what she needed.

"What about this one?" I held up a lavender dress.

"Hope. Where is the rest of it?" I guess she had a point, it was kind of short.

After searching the racks for hours, Layla finally agreed to buy the magenta dress. She was going to look absolutely stunning.

As we were leaving the store, Layla suddenly stopped.

"Did you forget how to walk or something?" I peered out from behind her and, my heart sank. "Oh."

A moving truck and a parade of cars were driving down Main Street. At the back of the line, was the truck that I was so familiar with: Connor's.

It was like everything went into slow motion at that moment: my heart shuttered and, my breath got stuck in my chest.

As Connor turned the corner to follow the line of cars, he looked over and held my gaze. Even from across the street, I could make out his blue eyes. They were the color of the ocean, and I used to get lost in them for hours on end. They would bring me peace and calmness, but today they made me feel like I was trapped in the middle of a hurricane.

"Oh my God..."

"You saw him too, right?" I asked. Could you imagine if I had just hallucinated the whole thing?

"I did and let me be clear; he definitely saw you. Hope..." Layla turned towards me. Her face was full of concern, "Are you over him?"

"Absolutely."

"Hope-"

"I love Jack." I could answer that without a doubt in my mind.

"I know you love Jack, but that's not what I asked."

I gnawed on my bottom lip as I looked at Layla, "I love Jack."

"It's time to go home, Hope." Layla linked arms with me, and we walked back to her car. Everyone was whizzing past us, but we were in our own world.

The entire way home, it was silent. Neither of us knew what to say. I didn't know what to think, let alone speak. My mind was putting up a barrier and I was shutting down, but at the same time I couldn't stop my mind from buzzing.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I slammed the door to Layla's car and scurried inside.

I was chewing my bottom lip so hard; I wouldn't be surprised if it started bleeding. My heart thumped at an erratic rate, and my breaths were uneven. Connor was home. Holy shit. I didn't know if I was going to puke or pee my pants.

Running up the stairs, I blew past the living room where my mom and Raeanna were sitting. I was still livid with Raeanna and we weren't speaking to each other. It was honestly kind of tiring considering we lived in the same house, not to mention we shared a bathroom.

"Toby, Toby, Toby." He was sitting at his desk, watching his college football highlights. What a loser.

"What's wrong?"

"Toby."

"Hope?" His eyes were staring into mine, and his strong hands were latched onto my shoulders.

"He's here."

All I had to do was mutter those two words, and Tobias wrapped me in his arms. My head was in the crook of his neck, and he rubbed up and down my back.

"Okay, so here's what we're gonna do," Toby pulled away from me, and I sat on his bed. "Me and you and whoever else wants to go, are gonna go over there."

"We're what?"

"Yeah. We are gonna march our happy asses over there and chit chat it up with his grandpa."

"Why would we do that, Toby? Nobody is happy that they are here." My brother had surely lost his mind. Those hits that he had taken in high school football were finally catching up to him.

"Because if you let Connor know how twisted up inside you are over him, he's going to hold it over you forever. Let him know that he doesn't bother you."

"But he does. Did you not see my crying five minutes ago?"

"You can put on a brave face for a little while, right?" His voice was sincere, and his brotherly tone was evident. Toby knew how afraid I was to see Connor again, and he was only trying to help me get over that.

"Okay," I sighed.

"Great," he smiled, "Why don't you whip up one of your pies, so we don't show up, empty-handed? This is gonna be great."

What did I just get myself into? This was gonna be a shit show.

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things are starting to heat up. what do you think is going to happen next? how will connor react to hope or vice versa?