After The End: Book 1

11. Are you afraid of dying?

Harry's POV

Louis was taking an awful long time with Naomi. I peeked into the silent living room where the door sat closed. I wondered what they were talking about. I was, despite my own problems, genuinely worried about them. I liked seeing Louis happy and I like Naomi. I didn't want to see her go.

"Harry," Niall called me back. "Come try this drink! It's great!"

I turned back into the kitchen, letting the kitchen door swing closed behind me.

"We need a lighter!" Zayn called. "For the candles."

"Hold on!" I said exiting the kitchen again. Addicts always have lighters. I had a million in my room.

Louis POV

"I'm tired of this. Let's just get it over with."

Jade shrugged and moved aside so that the guys could pass her. I sized up to fill the whole doorframe with my arms. These guys, though not much bigger than me height wise, we both heavily muscled and thick. I was a stick figure by comparison. I had always been small. Even in school, I'd avoid losing fights by running way faster than the other guys. In the empty hallway, with nowhere to run, I stood no chance.

"Get away from my door!" I snapped more confident than I felt. I thought about calling for Liam. His muscle would have been nice but the kitchen was on the opposite side of the flat and I knew nobody would hear me. And even if they did, I didn't want them to see all of this. I was just being praised for taking care of Harry's mess, not confronting it in my flat during a party.

The bigger guy grabbed me by both of my shoulders and threw me down on the ground like I weighed nothing. I hadn't expected such aggression so fast. My head hit the floor and for a moment I was disoriented but as soon as I saw the smaller guys hand on the doorknob I dove blindly in front of him and used all my weight to push him back. Immediately I knew it was a mistake. He was like a brick wall and I was like a feather, disoriented by the lump forming where my head had hit the ground. With a single motion, he back handed my cheek, sending me tumbling towards the door with a thud.

How had this gotten so violent so fast? I'd never been in a situation like this. I'd never felt so in danger. In all of the messes Harry had brought home, I'd never expected this.

"This is going nowhere," Jade muttered. She'd been watching this whole ordeal with mild interest but looked bored now. "He isn't going to stop."

"Give up then," I laughed. So did they. I knew I sounded pathetic. I had figured out my chances of winning to be non existent seconds ago when I had been thrown on the floor. My face throbbed and my vision was cloudy.

Jade laughed and started digging in her purse. The seconds that followed were a blur.

The two guys tackled me to the ground again, this time somehow more painful than the first. They didn't leave room for me to get up, instead slamming my head down harder with each move I made to struggle away. And then Jade was there. She swung her hand like she was going to slap me. I inhaled sharply in anticipation, and breathed in the white powdery she'd been holding without even realizing what happened. Until I felt the burn.

Harry's POV

I've never been the most trustworthy person, I'll admit. I tried to be. Genuinely. I used to feel like, no matter what I did, I was just incapable of making good choices. It was just too easy to act impulsively. Back before I started to get into trouble, I never kept agreements. I was always late. I was always getting side tracked and forgetting to text back. I would show up at Louis unannounced all the time. Then, I started getting in trouble and the impulsiveness just made it worse. I stopped questioning my actions all the time. I just went with the flow, tried drugs, had sex, and didn't think of the consequences until the were glaring me in the face. Big consequences like losing my career and Emma and my mum pretending I didn't exist.