Lizzie Green - Chapter 1

Lizzie Green had been Harry’s friend since the very first day of High School. Both were terrified and alone, and shoved onto the same table. Harry often thought back and wondered if they ever would have even talked if things hadn’t happened exactly that way.

They were best friends.

Lizzie had about three times as many friends. Her lunch times were spent rushing between countless people, a wide grin and an insincere word for all of them. But she never told any of them the things she told Harry. And that was why they were best friends.

Lizzie was the sort of person who was in love with somebody different every week. She constantly asked Harry’s advice and he tried his best to give an unbiased answer. Little things would change everything in her head. She was dramatic. At first it seemed like she was just being attention seeking, but he realized it really felt that bad to her, it really was that dramatic in her head. He tried his best to be patient, listened to all her troubles, and always had a smile and a hug for her. Lizzie was the type of girl you couldn’t say no to, the sort of person who smiles so brightly she casts everyone else in the room into shadow. It was hard to explain just what it was, but her happiness was the best thing in the world, and her sadness was cold and harsh and to be avoided at all costs.

Tomorrow, on Saturday, they were going to a concert together. She’d had to lie to all her friends, spent two weeks convincing them she was going on a family camping trip. Harry smiled to think he was the only one who knew the truth.

Her other friends were the most annoying people Harry had ever met. The all spoke in squealy voices, giggling and whispering, playing with their hair and checking their make up in every reflective surface they could find. Unless, of course, they were offended, in which case they went into steely-eyed, cold-hearted goddess bitch mode. The would glare down coldly at the offender like they were so inferior it wasn’t worth words, spreading rumors, laughing nastily and playing with the other girl’s mind. Queens of the school, desired by the sheep-like majority of boys, caked in makeup and so pleased with themselves.

And Lizzie was one of them. It wasn’t quite right, it didn’t quite fit. She wasn’t really like them. But she didn’t want to be unloved; she would do anything to have everyone love her. So she played their games, and everybody loved Lizzie.

One day last holidays, Lizzie had said something that made everything better. He had stayed awake for hours that night, smiling.

She had smiled up at him, sunlight shining through her hair and gleaming like gold “I wish I could just be friends with you, and forget all those idiots. I’m never me around them, you know that, right? You’re the only person I can relax around. I love it”

It was so good to be needed. When Lizzie was happy, when it was just them and Lizzie was looking straight at him with a smile on her lips, Harry was happy and the world was complete.

He wasn’t always so lucky.

Harry chewed his pencil in subtle display of irritation, glancing from time to time to time at Lizzie, seated two tables away. She was chatting animatedly with Arin Miles-Smith, brainless footballer crush no.28. He was smirking in a very self-satisfied way, looking around the class as if to say ‘Ha ha. I win the girl. Aren’t I clever’. He smiled at her, sweeping a piece of hair out her eyes that didn’t strictly need to be swept at all. She flushed with pleasure at this age-old, subtle, non-verbal indicator: you’re in. They spent the rest of the lesson giving each other eyes in a way that was sickeningly familiar to Harry. When the bell rang, Harry passed Lizzie by as if she wasn’t there, pretending not to hear her friendly greeting. He fumed all the way to French. He was Okay with only ever being friends, but did he have to watch her give her heart to the same cocky wankers over and over and over...? He didn’t want to be forgotten again.

He slammed his bag down on the desk. Did Arin even know her? All he saw was a prize, an object; something like a pet. Arin would mess with her; break Lizzie’s stupid, naive heart again. With great effort, Harry opened his book and wrote the date with his pencil instead of breaking it.

Several auxiliary verbs later, he regained his calm. Tomorrow, the two of them would be going to a concert, and Arin would be far away. Arin wouldn’t even know. A smile spread across his face as he imagined Arin sitting around at home while him and Lizzie moshed to pure indie-rock magic. Cheered considerably, the lesson passed quickly.


Lizzie was waiting at their traditional sitting place under a crooked old tree with a muffin and a smile. “Here you go.” She handed over the muffin and gave him a hug. She was the perfect height for hugging, almost a head shorter but not quite.

“What’s this about?” He smiled.

“Well... you seemed a little bit upset or something. And I wanted you to know you’re my best friend and you do understand why I didn’t sit with you don’t you? I mean, I really think I’m in love this time.” She gazed up at him earnestly “And I really just want to be happy and oh Harry,,, I think he loves me too! I think it’s really real this time.” Her eyes shone “It’s really important to me. You do understand, don’t you?”

Harry paused, biting his lip “Yes. You want to have someone who’s always there, you want to always be there, you want to love someone completely and for the feeling to be mutual” He tried to keep the bitterness from his voice, hide the irony she was so unwilling to see.

“Yes! Exactly!” She looked pleased and relieved “And I really think I’ve found it. So I’m sorry if I’m not being the greatest friend at the moment. I really am sorry.”

“Yeah, it’s fine” He smiled despite himself “I really don’t mind, It’s fine. And...” he looked up at her “I really hope this makes you happy.”

“Thank you!” She smiled and hugged him tightly, lingering for a moment “ You always understand...” She broke the hug. “Enjoy your muffin. I’ve got to go talk to Susie, she’s been acting funny, thinks I’m neglecting her...” Lizzie sighed, “I want to stay here, but...”

“I understand” Harry smiled.

“Thank you” She said again, turning away “And I’ll see you tomorrow” She winked back at him.

“Bye...” And she was gone.

He looked down at the muffin. So very Lizzie... give him a muffin and a hug and everything’s fine.

Well, he couldn’t deny it had worked.

He wandered over to his usual gang of misfits. Luke: a thin, sickly looking boy who played videogames until three every night; Lisa: a quiet little gothic girl with a secret passion for anime boys; Michael: a slightly aggressive kid with messed up parents; James: a kind, quiet guy who stuttered when he tried to talk to someone he didn’t know, and Sarah: a lonely sort of person who possibly hated Lizzie’s popular friends more than Harry did. She wasn’t too keen on Lizzie either.

“She’s so loud...” Sarah had complained one time, pulling a face “And so fake. She’s never even there for you”

Harry sighed. “She is. And she’s not fake, you haven’t seen her really, when she’s not with her friends...”

“I guess so. Sorry. I’ll try to understand”

“Thanks.”

Today, Luke and Michael seemed to be having an argument about school.

“But really...” Luke reasoned, speaking in an irritatingly superior way “It’s more important than fun. It’s the difference between a nice home and the gutter-”

“God you’re annoying. You must be fucking gay or something” Michael’s expression suggested he had settled the matter.

“I’m just saying-” Luke was getting annoyed.

Michael frowned “But really, what does it all matter in the end? We’re all going to die. So why not enjoy the time we have? Why do we waste our time in this dump when-”

“Well, we’ll see who’s better off in ten years, when I’ve got a nice home and a comfortable job and you’re scrounging ‘round the streets-”

“Is that all you fucking care about? Fucking money and nice little things??” Michael was starting to get heated “You little douche, don’t you ever want to feel alive?!?”

“Michael-” Lisa looked worried.

“Everybody’s the fucking same, no-one wants to do something against the rules, they just want to live neat little lives inside fucking cages-”

“MICHAEL!” Everyone stared at Lisa. “That’s enough. I know what you’re talking about, but you’ve got to stay calm, you can’t just start yelling every time-”

Harry leaned over to Sarah “How did this start?”

“Michael wants to leave school.” Sarah bit her lip “I kindof get what he’s saying, but I hope he doesn’t. Luke may be annoying, but he has a point. I don’t want Michael to end up all broke and fucked up.”

“Yeah...” Harry took a bite of his apology muffin “So you’re going to do year 12?”

“I guess” She didn’t look enthusiastic “What choice do we have, really?”

“I guess.”

“Are you?”

“Think so. Don’t know what I want to do yet though.”

She smiled “You’ll think of something. A doctor maybe?”

“Sure. Doctor Forester. Why not?”

Sarah laughed “Definitely”

“Hey... I should probably go to my locker before lunch is over.” Harry stood up and swung his bad over his shoulder. “See you later, then”

“Bye...”