a/n: I'm a doofus and realised after writing this that, because Meg did early decision for Stanford, she would have heard back earlier than the other schools. Let's just ignore that for this chapter

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"Okay, okay, nobody panic," Francis says as he begins to pace around my room. I watch him from my bed with an amused smile. Harry pulls me onto his lap--a habit that he recently picked up. I don't mind this at all and I cuddle against his side.

"Francis, I think it's you that needs to calm down," Harry chuckles as he rests his chin on my shoulder. "I know you got into at least one of the schools you applied to."

"Thanks mate, that makes me feel so much better," Francis replies sarcastically. "I swear, if I don't get into UC Santa Cruz, I'm going to shave my hair off," he says as he holds six letters from various universities.

"It's too late for that," I say with a slight smile. "You already did that yesterday."

"Well excuse me for wanting to show some solidarity with my best friend," Francis grumbles. I grin at him before carefully getting up so I can hug him. A few days ago, more of my hair was falling out so I had made the executive decision to just shave it all off and donate it so it would be made into a wig. Francis had immediately joined me in shaving his hair off and donated money. Harry tried to do the same but I wouldn't let him.

"You need to calm down, Francis," I say softly. "Even if you don't get into Santa Cruz, things will still work out. You will be okay." I know how scared he's been about not getting into any of the schools he applied to.

"I'm just...scared," he admits as his arms wrap around me. "I've only just realised how bad I want to get into Santa Cruz."

"It'll be okay, Francis," Harry says jovially as he gets up and wraps his arms around the both of us. "How about we open the lower priority schools first? That way the suspense will build," he adds when we pull apart.

"Okay," I say, nodding as I go to sit on the edge of my bed. Harry and Francis sit on either side of me. I grab the letters from Oregon State and University of Oregon and slowly open them. Harry opens the one from University of Colorado-Boulder while Francis opens the letters from the two Oregon schools. My eyes scan over the letters and I let out a sigh of relief.

I had gotten into both schools on scholarships. Even though I don't intend on going to either one, it still feels nice to have been accepted. I have safety schools which is all that matters. Francis got into University of Oregon but not OSU, and Harry didn't get accepted into Boulder. I grab the letter from UCLA, and Harry and Francis do the same. The three of us had applied to that school. Francis is the only one who got in. We continue to open one letters and I keep getting rejection letters. I don't mind this at all because there's still hope with Stanford and Berkeley. Those are my top choices and I let out a sigh of relief when I got into the latter school.

"Alright," Harry says as he clears his throat. We all hold our number one choices and I suddenly feel a rush of nerves. I know that the other two feel the same way because I hear them take deep breaths. "Remember that we'll all be okay if we don't get into these schools. We all got into really good alternative ones."

"Shut it, Styles," Francis says gruffly. "I am getting tired of your positivity."

"Don't be mean," I say with a small smile as I elbow his side. "I know you got in."

"I don't need your positivity either," he huffs. Harry and I let out a quiet laugh and the three of us take a collective breath as we tear open the envelopes. My eyes scan the words that are on the first piece of paper. My heart is beating wildly and I cover my mouth and I let out a quiet whoop as I stand.

"What's the response?" Harry asks as I turn to look at him and Francis.

"I got in," I say with a wide smile. "And I got a full ride." Tears are beginning to form and Harry gets up before pressing his lips to mine.

"I guess we're both going to have a tree as our mascot," he says against my lips.

"I got into Santa Cruz; where's my kiss?" Francis asks as he walks over and purposefully pushes his way between us. He looks defiant and I make eye contact with Harry before we both lean forward and kiss his cheeks. Francis lets out a loud squeal and immediately moves away as he wipes his face off. "I was just kidding about that," he groans.

"Honestly, I think you and Harry make a better couple," I say as I sit on my bed and stare at my acceptance letter in awe. Mom and Dad are at work right now which is why they weren't with us. Francis and Harry's parents were out of town for the weekend and were staying with each other. "You're already living with each other, one of you should just propose," I continue.

"As much as it would be fun to date Francis, I think being with you is way better," Harry says as he sits besides me and wraps his arm around me. "You keep me entertained in ways that he can't," he whispers to me, causing my cheeks to burn from embarrassment. I know he's referring to a few nights ago when we had messed around at my house while my parents were out on a date.

"Judging from how Meg is clearly blushing, you just whispered something dirty to her," Francis says with narrowed eyes. "Do I need to leave so y'all can fuck or am I free to continue being the third wheel?"

"You're free to do whatever you want, Francis," Harry says with a smirk as he kisses my neck.

"Alright, I think that means that I need to go," he groans. "Remember to use protection because I swear to god, I love you Meg, but I am not prepared for a mini you running around. You were quite the devil when you were younger." I roll my eyes at him as Harry smirks against my skin.

"Come back later tonight, I know my parents want to have a celebratory dinner and party," I say as Francis walks out of the room. He lets out a quiet noise to signal that he heard me and let out a quiet laugh as Harry lays me back on my bed.

"I'm so happy that we're going to the same school," he says as he carefully lays between my legs. "You're officially stuck with me for four more years."

"What a travesty," I say sarcastically as Harry begins to leave a trail of kisses along my jaw. "Fair bit of warning, I guarantee you that Francis is going to be over every weekend to bother us," I add as his cool fingers slide under the hem of my shirt.

"I'm fine with that as long as he doesn't interrupt us," he murmurs against my skin. "You're not wearing a bra," he says as his fingers brush against my bare breasts. He pulls away to look at me and I see surprise in his green eyes.

"Oops?" I say as I smile innocently.

"You little minx," Harry says as he rests his forehead on mine. His eyes look into mine as he hesitantly grabs me. We spend the next few hours gently exploring each other's bodies. I'm just grateful that he still wants to be with me even though almost all of my hair has left my body. We're only getting closer and I'm so happy, but I'm also terrified that something bad is going to happen, that this peace is only temporary.

🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼

Harry 🤤: don't forget to meet me by the flagpole 😏😏😏😏

Me: those smirking emojis don't bode well for me

Harry 🤤: 😈😈😈

Me: emojis should never have been introduced to you.

Me: do I need to dress nicely?

Harry 🤤: just dress like you normally do. You'll look wonderful either way.

Me: you smooth bastard

Harry 🤤: 😏😘😻

I grin at my phone before setting it down on my bed. I stare at what I'm wearing before deciding that it's not good enough for whatever Harry may have planned. I have a feeling that he's going to ask me to prom but I'm not going to let myself dwell on the thought in case I'm wrong.

I pull out a pair of black jeans and a white shirt before putting a red flannel over it. Since it's a little cool outside, I put on a black beanie and I head downstairs. Mom and Dad are talking quietly to themselves but they go silent as I approach them. I narrow my eyes at them, wondering if they had been talking about me.

"Harry's going to take me out for a few hours," I tell them. "Do you think that you could drive me to the school? He wants me to meet me by the flagpole," I add.

"Of course we'll drive you, Flower," Dad says with a small smile. "You feel well enough to go out with Harry, right?" he asks as he grabs his keys.

"I'll stay back and prepare the cake that I've been promising you," Mom says as she comes over to kiss my forehead. "Tell that boy to bring  you back at eight, and he's invited to eat with us."

"I'll be sure to tell him," I say as I hug her. "Bye mom," I add before walking out the front door with dad. I hear her call after us and I smile slightly as I get into the car.

"So you and Harry are going to Stanford together," Dad says as he pulls out of the driveway. "I wonder if you'll end up being high school sweethearts," he muses quietly.

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, dad," I say with a grin. "I like Harry a lot, but I don't know if we're going to end up getting married."

"You're still scared about dying, aren't you?" Dad asks, seeing right through me. "Flower, I know that you're scared but you can't let that fear control you. Reed wouldn't want that for you."

"I know," I sigh. "Harry's slowly making me okay with the idea of surviving but it's so hard when I'm constantly in pain or I'm always tried. I hate being this way. I hate that most dates have to be at one of our houses because my immense system's so shit that I could get sick at any time."

"I know, sweetie, I know," Dad says sadly. "I know that you're trying. I haven't seen you as happy as you are right now in a long time and as a father, I couldn't be more happy. I just want my little girl to live a long and happy life and so far, Harry seems to be able to give you that."

"What if things don't work out between us?"

"Well, he'd be a fucking dumbass for letting an amazing girl like you go," Dad says. I can't help but laugh and we continue talking. I love that he manages to make me feel better even when I'm down. He has an amazing ability to do that and I love him so much for that. When we get to the school, Harry's already waiting for me and I let out a quiet laugh when I see that he's wearing pretty much the same outfit.

"We match," Harry chuckles as he looks from my red flannel, white shirt and black jeans to his.

"Well shit," Dad says as he gets out of the car. "I need to get a picture so I can show it to Angela," he adds with a slight chuckle. Harry immediately wraps an arm around my waist and we pose for several pictures. Dad eventually leaves the two of us alone and after his car is out of sight, Harry pulls me closer and lightly presses his lips to mine.

"Alright, lets get going, we've got a very exiting activity to do," he says as he holds my hand. "I know that you're tired, so I promise that the activities aren't very strenuous."

"Are you going to tell me what where we're going?" I ask curiously.

"Nope, but you'll know soon enough," Harry says cheerfully. "So, have you thought about what you want to do with the living situation next year?" I know that this is his not so subtle way of asking if I'll share an apartment with him. He's brought up the idea more than once and I always tell him that I'll think about it.

I want to say yes to him because it would be the best situation for us. He got into Stanford on a sports scholarship so he'll be away a lot but I'd still be able to see him at night and on the weekends. I haven't really given him an answer because part of me is worried that we'd be moving too fast if I said yes. We've already started sneaking out at nights just to spend even more time together. We've nearly had sex more than once and the only reason we haven't is because we've been interrupted or Harry's worried that he'll hurt me. He's been so incredibly gentle and patient with me and I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend.

"I've thought about it, yes," I finally say.

"And?" Harry asks eagerly.

"I guess I'll do it, but I'm a little worried," I admit.

"About moving too fast?" he guesses. "My mother gave me the whole talk when I mentioned getting an apartment with you. I know that it may be pushing it, but I know that I'd much rather get an apartment than live in a shitty dorm room. It's cheaper anyways."

"What if I said no and told you that I wanted to get the authentic freshmen experience?" I ask.

"I would have cried and then made sure that we were going to be in the same residence hall," he shrugs. "But you do want to live with me, right?"

"I do," I tell him. I hear him whisper yes under his breath and he proceeds to talk about various areas that we could live in. He's very excited about this and it actually makes me look forward to living with him. After about ten minutes of walking, we finally stop and I smile wide wide I see that we're at a flower garden.

"I figured that walking around here would be fun for a couple of hours," Harry says shyly. I throw my arms around him and likely kiss him.

"I love this," I tell him. "The hospital would take me out to this garden because they saw that the flowers never failed to make me happy. It helped a lot with my depression, so this garden has a special place in my heart," I explain. He smiles shyly again before leading me inside. He insists on paying the small entrance fee and has a small pair of scissors.

"I got special permission from the garden. We can cut a few flowers to make our own little bouquet," Harry explains when he sees my confused expression. "But we don't have to do anything if you don't want," he adds.

"Well, we can take some of the flowers that are closer to dying," I say, taking the scissors from him. "That way we can preserve the beauty of this place as much as possible."

"I like the sound of that," Harry says with a nod. "Lets start over here," he adds as he gently pulls me towards the farther corner of the garden. He begins to talk to me about trivial things and I have to hide my smile because he's suddenly gotten very nervous. It's kind of endearing to watch. We stop in front of these yellow flowers and I lean down, squinting as I look at the name tag.

Yellow Acacia.

"I really love these," I say softly as I lightly touch the flowers.

"Hey, so I'm going to get us a water bottle in case either of us get thirsty, okay?" Harry says as he places his hand on my lower back.

"Okay," I say, not taking my eyes off the flowers. He chuckles quietly before walking away. As I lean down to pick one of the slightly wilted flowers, I notice a piece of folded paper that's lying somewhat hidden in the dirt. I immediately get annoyed that someone was too lazy to recycle this so they just threw it away. Without thinking, I pick it up and I'm confused when I see that the paper has my name on it. I slowly open it and chuckle quietly.

Ha ha, I lied. I'm not getting us water.
I brought you here for a purpose so
just do me a solid and go find the flower
called 'Angelica'
-Harry :) xx

Luckily for me I know this garden fairly well so I find the flowers he was talking about. They have a lovely floral smell and I know that he'd want me to pick a flower. After doing so, I look around in the dirt for another piece of paper and it tells me to go to the daffodils. I have a lot of fun going through the garden, picking up flowers and little notes from Harry. I begin to realise that all of the flowers that he's making me go to has a message behind them. I'm pretty sure that they've got something to do with relationships.

I've got a weird little mix of flowers but I don't mind it at all. There's something rather relaxing about none of them really matching. I have a feeling that the next flower is the last one. I know that it's the large flowers that look like daisies because he told me to find 'my flower'. When I found the corner, my heart begins to beat wildly against my chest because I see Harry. He's now wearing a black blazer and his hair has been slicked back slightly. I feel my face grow warm when I see that he has the large daisies in one hand and a piece of paper in the other.

"Harry this is wonderful," I say as I take the flowers from him.

"Thanks baby," he says with a small smile. "Before we do anything else, I need you to look at this piece of paper," he adds as he unfolds it while pulling out a pen from his blazer. I lean down to look at what he's written on it.

Will you go to prom with me?

(Please check one)

Yes [   ]    Yes [   ]

I let out a quiet laugh before going up to him and gently kissing him. I can feel his heart beating against his chest and I feel my happiness grow as I pull away. His green eyes meet mine and grab the pen from his hand to check the first box, even though it doesn't matter.

"Of course I'll go with you," I say before leaning up to kiss him again.