The Other Half || Jerrie

Chapter Two

Perrie Edwards lived the first five years of her life on the Upper East Side of New York City until her parents finally decided to move to the suburbs, moving their family to Connecticut where Debbie was hired as a general surgery attending surgeon. Perrie was quickly enrolled into a co-ed prep school where she met the son of the state’s governor, Desmond Styles.

Starting from the first day of kindergarten, Perrie Edwards and Harry Styles were in separable. The Styles and Edwards would often joke that when the two kids reached puberty they’d either decide that the other had cooties and they couldn’t be friends anymore, or they’d end up becoming childhood sweethearts, eventually falling in love and getting married.

Perrie and Harry were seven when Alex first taught them how to play chess. They were immediately hooked. The two best friends were the only second graders in the chess club normally reserved for fourth and fifth graders. And they were the best.

When other kids their age were out riding bikes or smacking their ankles with their Razor scooters, Harry and Perrie were inside playing chess or watching football with Desmond and Alex. They never felt left out when the rest of their peers had birthday parties at bowling alleys or laser tag and didn’t invite them because they had each other and they were best friends. That’s all that mattered.

Perrie’s best friend’s life changed their second week of third grade on a day that changed not just his life and not just Perrie’s, but the entire nation’s.

It was a Tuesday when Perrie heard her and Harry’s names called over the loudspeaker, telling them to head to the front office, that they were getting picked up early. Perrie didn’t know what to think, but she secretly hoped their parents were taking them on a surprise trip to Disney World. Harry was upset that they were going to miss minute madness for their multiplication tables.

Alex picked the two friends up and took them back to the Edwards’ house. It wasn’t until they walked inside that Alex broke the news to them. Debbie was waiting on standby at the hospital in case they transferred patients to Connecticut and Desmond was at the state capitol, waiting to hear anything.

What Alex hadn’t realized was that while he sat Perrie and Harry down at the kitchen table to tell them why he had pulled them out of school early, the television was on behind him. The news was playing on the channel Alex had been watching before he picked the kids up.

“Daddy!” Perrie exclaimed just as Alex was about to tell them what was happening so close to them. She pointed behind him at the television. Alex turned around just in time to see the first tower crumble to the ground, the same tower where Harry’s mother had been working for four years.

Perrie held her best friend’s hand throughout the entirety of his mother’s funeral. She promised to never let go. Because that’s what best friends are for.

Harry’s mother had been like a second mother to Perrie, but she held her head high and let Harry cry for the both of them, because that’s what best friends do. They stand silently beside their friend in pain and protect them from whatever they can.

They were in fourth grade when their teacher announced that they would be receiving pen pals with nine-year-olds like them, but nine-year-olds from Hong Kong. Their pen pals were attending an English speaking school in Hong Kong, many of whom were international students who had already moved around a lot in their lives and were used to writing letters to friends.

They picked names out of a hat to write to. Both teachers on opposite sides of the world had decided to have each of their students pick a nickname. It was the first year of the pen pal program and for safety reasons they didn’t want the kids to use their real names. Just in case.

“Who’d you get?” Perrie asked, leaning over to look at the piece of paper Harry was unfolding on his desk beside him.

“Someone named Goggles. That’s a dumb nickname,” he laughed.

“So is King,” Perrie retorted.

“The king is the most important chess piece.”

“I think the Queen is more important,” Perrie insisted, bringing up an often fought debate between the two friends.

“Whatever, so who did you get?” Harry asked.

“Biscuit,” Perrie read from her slip of paper. “That’s a funny name. I wonder if it’s a boy or a girl.”

Harry shrugged and pulled out two pieces of loose-leaf, handing one to Perrie. You can ask in your letter.

Perrie nodded and wrote her letter to her pen pal in slightly messy handwriting.

Biscuit,

Hi! My name is Grandmaster. Well, not really, but it’s the nickname I chose. Do you know what it means? Well it is the highest level of chess player. I want to be a chess grandmaster one day. Or an artist. Or a doctor like my mom. What do you want to be when you grow up? What is Hong Kong like? Do you speak Chinese?

Grandmaster

PS: are you a boy or a girl?