Cherry Weekends

Chapter 13

TW: Mention of violence - explicit
Sexually explicit content 
*These warnings are simply to caution you of what will be mentioned, and I will list subject matter of this nature ahead of any chapters including them, or any other explicit content regardless how limited.

Harry stepped around the corner and saw Sam pinning Nicole to the back bookshelf by a tight hand around her neck. His body pressed tightly against her, and a look of pure shock still written across her features. One of Sam's idiot friends was standing nearby, apparently as some poor excuse for a lookout, but taking far too much joy in watching the spectacle before him to have noticed Harry come up behind them. With one punch from Harry to the back of his head toward the base of his skull, Sam's stooge fell to a heap on the floor, and Sam froze with another hand poised to strike Nicole's face.

Harry was beyond surprised that had worked. He knew better than to believe that was a normal reaction like they make it out to be in movies but was grateful that he must have hit the kid just right; or wrong depending upon how you look at it. His hand was pounding though, but the adrenaline, which had built up from seeing the way Sam had Nicole, was preventing him from really feeling any discomfort just yet.

Sam's face was a twisted blend of confusion, surprise, and fear. He had no idea what Harry's next move was going to be. Sam wasn't dumb enough that he couldn't understand Harry's point the night at the cabin when he had tried to get Harry to help him find Nicole, but he had seen the way the two of them interacted, especially recently. Things had gotten worse between Harry and Nicole, and Sam knew how much Harry hated her. Everyone did.

A part of Sam was hoping that the angry glare being shot in his direction was truly meant for the girl who, just that afternoon, had embarrassed Harry in the lunchroom by dumping half a plate of spaghetti over his head. Admittedly, Harry had called her quite a few colorful names before her acting. Still, Sam would have held a grudge, and didn't have the emotional capacity to understand anyone who wouldn't.

Any hope of ending up on Harry's good side was quickly washed away, however, as Harry swiftly moved his hands to the back of Sam's neck and ripped him off Nicole. Sam tumbled to the floor, and Harry was on him throwing punch after punch before Sam could even comprehend the actions being taken against him.

All Harry could see were images of Candice flashing through his mind, another appearing before his eyes every time his fist made contact with Sam's face. He had promised. He had promised her that he would look out for Nicole, and yet this was the second time that Sam had gotten his hands on her. The second time that he had seen her so terrified. The second time that he had broken his final promise to the person who had meant the most in the world to him, and with those thoughts taking over his mind, he lost all control.

Sam was already unconscious, and Harry was still throwing punches, when Nicole finally swallowed hard and pulled her frozen form from the wall she had still been pressed against by shock. She threw her body at Harry, pulling him off Sam, and causing them both to fall to their butts. Nicole saw Harry move to go at Sam again but jumped in the way and, from her knees, holding her hands out to stop him.

"Harold," she panted, and then slowly moved closer to him, his eyes almost black and still fixed on Sam. "Harry," she breathed more desperately, knowing that it would get his attention as she pressed herself to him this time, wrapping her arms around his neck, and finally pulling his gaze to meet hers. The informality of his nickname caused his heartbeat to pick up all over again but also pulled him back from the rage clouding his judgement.

She caressed the sides of his face with her thumbs, and his heavy breathing stopped for a moment, causing her to grow nervous, until he slowly moved his hands to the sides of her face. Staring straight into her eyes, he watched hers searching his, and he smiled. Seeing him smile, Nicole finally released the breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.