Unscripted. (H.S.)

47

Penelope Atwoods

Bondy came to my house, stole Sarah, and now I'm alone.

She was really upset about it all, and rightfully so, but the bindy showed up all apologetic and confessed his love for her in my own house, and she ended up leaving with him. It was hard to watch, he was all 'there's nobody like you', which is hypocritical of me to say considering when Harry acts all cheesy I'm going weak in the knees.

As soon as they left though, I put my shoes on and headed straight to his place, because this magazine has been playing in the back of my mind all day, and if I've learned one thing about being in a relationship under the public eye, it's that you've got talk through things together instead of letting time fix things. Also, gossip magazines do no good, I refuse to believe a word that paper says until I've spoken with Harry.

I was nervous though, the whole walk there I felt physically sick because the fear that Harry might just look me in the eye and tell me it's all true had my ears ringing. Love is a scary thing, terrifying to say the least. I love Harry a lot, and love requires trust. I'm trying to trust that he meant when he said he'd never hurt me again, I'm trying to trust that all those things Timmy said will be false.

Climbing his apartment stairs, the nerves only seemed to grow, until I knocked on his door and he opened it, standing there in his pink sweatshirt and white shorts with the biggest smile on his face. Then he let out a relieved sigh and opened his chin arms, pulled me right in and held me closer than ever.

"Thought you weren't gonna come," Harry sighed, kissing my cheek, holding me close as he led me inside. "C'mon, let's have a chit chat about all this bullshit, I'm not losing you."

I sat down on Harry's couch, he flicked the kettle on and started making two cups of tea for us both. Something about the bright pink sweatshirt makes me smile, along with the yellow sheets, blue cushions and all the colour in his apartment. He's all leather jackets and Levi jeans in public, but I like his colourful side. He says I'm the sunny one and he's all cloudy, but I see things differently.

He sat next to me, one leg kicked up and the other flat on the floor as he handed me my tea and reached for the magazine. There was a pen tucked behind his ear which he grabbed dramatically and flicked open the magazine to a page full of Harry's scribbles.

"Okay, let's fuckin' go. I feel like a proper brainbox, annotated the shit outta this crap," Harry chuckled, taking a deep breath. "Right, okay. Little nervous Pen, but ask away if something doesn't make sense, 'kay? I wanna explain all his lies to you, and I swear it's lies! I mean-"

'It's okay," I interrupted him, smiling. "Talk."

"Talkin', I'm talking...where do I start? Okay, so," Harry took a deep breath, "Drugs. Have you ever seen my high? 'Cause I haven't been in donkeys, I've smoked weed, only ever the weed Timmy got us from his sketchy downtown buddies. That's all the drugs I've ever touched, I smoke, I drink, what's new? Pills 'n shit, not my cup of tea, mum would kill me you see, and I love my mother."

"So no drugs?" I nodded my head, "My boyfriends not a crackhead, got it. Maybe a massive whore, but no-"

"Retired whore." Harry cut me off, nudging me in the side as he looked all offended. "I love you. Right, let's talk about that. Timmy said I'm not a relationship guy, you know why? 'Cause I've never been in a relationship. You're my first girlfriend, and you'll be my last, 'cause we're end game."

"My boyfriend isn't a crackhead, he's a retired whore, and thinks we're end game," I smiled, "okay, continue."

"No think. I know." He squinted his eyes, "Switch those two words around for next time. Next up...that girl while you were back home. When I said I didn't sleep with her, I meant it. On my beautiful mother's life, I never slept with her. Timmy and I weren't friends Penelope, we stopped being friends ages before that. He said I told him, why would I? I've not even looked at the knob in weeks, barely spared him a thought till now. You believe me? Please believe me, Penny,"