Prideful {l.s.}

6- Secrets

The Story So Far:

Olivia saved Adam from bullies, but Raymond punched her. Although she saved the day, she dreads walking to her house with Adam to face her dads. 

"How noticeable is it?"

Adam glanced over at Olivia. Her left cheek was red from the solid punch Raymond threw. It hurt Adam to see his best friend injured because of him, but he was so thankful. He gets scared when he thinks about what could happen if Olivia hadn't gotten there before they got violent. 

"It's a bit red..." Adam replied with some hesitance. "I'm really sorry, Liv."

"For what? Punching me? Because last I checked it wasn't your fist," Olivia countered back. She wasn't going to let Adam try to take the fall for Raymond. 

"But it was because of me."

"You didn't deserve to be harassed," Olivia argued. "It is not the victim's fault. My dads taught me that."

Adam got a bit nervous at hearing that. "This is the first time I'm meeting them."

"I swear they're harmless. I mean my one dad is short and sassy, but he won't be mean to you. All of the artwork in our house is from him and Uncle Zayn. My other dad is tall. He has long brown hair right now, and you can't tell Louis but he's planning on donating his hair soon," Olivia rambled proudly about her two dads.  "He's a professional photographer, so sometimes they go on vacations to exotic places for pictures. They say they're gonna take me someday."

"Your parents sound really cool... and accepting." Adam felt a bit heartbroken by his own comment. He glanced down at his hands. He could still see the remnants of color that the nail polish remover couldn't get. 

"I just hope they're happy to see you despite the injury," Olivia mumbled. She put a brave face on as she approached the steps to her house. Adam followed behind. 

They were both scared. Olivia was scared that her dads were going to yell at her and ground her. Adam was scared that he may get in trouble by two men he had never met. He wanted to keep being friends with Olivia. What if they didn't let Adam see Olivia after they learn why she got hit?

"Hello?" Olivia called out into the house as she unlocked the door. Olivia forgot Harry's schedule and wasn't sure if he was home today. 

"Hey, Liv," a voice replied, and Harry walked into the hallway to see a young boy standing with his daughter. "You must be Adam!"

Adam shyly nodded his head. He stepped forward and shook Harry's hand. It was a bit too proper for an eleven-year-old to do, so Harry covered up his laugh with a smile. 

"Nice to meet you, Mr..." Adam hesitated. He wasn't sure how last names worked for a gay couple. Did Harry take Louis'? Did Louis take Harry's?

"Technically Styles, but please just call me Harry."

Adam calmed down a bit from Harry's reply. It made him feel a bit more at home, but the tension in the room skyrocketed when Harry noticed the color on his daughter's cheek. 

"Olivia?" Olivia wouldn't look Harry in the eye. "Why is your cheek red?"

Harry reached out to touch her cheek, but she flinched. The cheek was already sore and soft to touch. Harry felt anger rise in his body at the thought of someone touching his daughter. 

"Who did this to you?" Harry asked quickly as he crouched down to inspect her face more. "Was it those boys who stole your pencil? Do I need to call the school because I have them on speed dial-"

"Dad, I'm fine." Olivia looked at her dad finally. "I bumped into someone in the hall. They were swinging their backpack over their shoulder, and it smacked me in the face."

Harry looked at her skeptically. He knew when Olivia was lying. She always glanced away when she lies and bits her lip. Harry saw her tell, but he didn't know what else to say to get her to be honest. He didn't want to pry when her new friend was over. He promised himself to update Louis when he came home to get his advice on this. 

"Well, if that's all, Adam and I are going to paint our nails," Olivia said before rushing past Harry. She grabbed Adam by the arm to have him follow her up the stairs. 

"Alright. The black nail polish is in my bathroom if you need it," Harry replied as he watched the two run up the stairs. He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. He never liked making parenting decisions like this when Louis wasn't home. They always went about these things as a team. 

Harry slowly made his way to his office on the main floor while his mind was trying to figure out who would hurt his girl. He opened up his emails with no interest in particular. He had applied to some far-fetched jobs a while back, and he wasn't too hopeful about it. His resume wasn't as impressive as other candidates. He has more photography gigs, but he still felt like there were so many better applicants. 

Harry's eyes opened wide when he saw his unread email. He opened it and couldn't believe what he was reading. He got an interview. Harry was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He read through the email two more times before reality struck. 

What is he supposed to tell Louis?

A/N

Sorry for the slow updates. It's the anniversary of my sexual assault, so it's been rough recently. Hope you enjoy. 

xoxo Claire