Cruel Summer // H.S

00

"What do you remember on the night of the accident?"

Tick... tick... Boom. Tick... tick...

The same clock mocked Harry as they stared at him from across the table. He rolled his head back, shutting his eyes and looking up to the ceiling. She gripped his hand as in a way to calm his nerves, which only made the ticking louder. He didn't want to talk about the 'accident' anymore. He wanted to go home and kickback with his girlfriend without everyone thinking they know everything.

"Harry please, do you remember anything after your car got hit?" The woman asked again. Question after question he got more annoyed and they got more critical. "We're you guys drinking that night? Did Cress have a drink too much?"

"Don't answer that, it's a trick. They want to take me away from you for good Harry."

Quiet. The ticking had finally died out and he can hear himself think again.

Harry refused to look at anyone but Cressida and a few quick glances at Benny. She had her head hung, looking ashamed to even be here. "Don't call her that." He finally answered. He opened his eyes again, the only look being ones of distaste and annoyance. The same green eyes that once spoke in love letters and poems to her were now ones of pure hatred of what they did.

"I'm sorry, Cressida was it?"

They knew her name. Cressida. His beautiful beautiful Cressida. His golden girl. It was real fucking pathetic, creating a false reality and holding onto what wasn't there. She wanted to be in New York, he wanted to be with her. He didn't like the cold, but what was he to do? Say no?

He was in love so who could blame him? It was a never ending fever dream, never knowing what was real or what was fake. He didn't care though, no, what was there to care about other then each other?

Harry started to get restless the longer the questions went on. He didn't have to have to be here, he agreed to this shit to stop the eyes. He didn't need to feel guilty about something he didn't do, he needed to call up Leo to pick him up so he can't smoke and let off the built up anger.

Finally reaching his breaking point he stood. "I'm done here, I answered your stupid questions now leave us alone." He snapped. "That includes Lucy and Leo, they told me you've been harassing them too." The built up tension was pouring out of him like the drinks he wanted to pour from the liquor cabinet. He wanted to scream, to cry, to curse them out for doing this to him. He wasn't insane, like everyone in that room claimed him to be. Gripping at his roots, his cheeks were turning red and he swore he was about to faint.

And God, the ticking that filled his head was back making it harder to breathe. He needed a drink, a smoke, anything that'll mute his mind for a couple hours. Cressida brought their linked hands to her mouth and kissed it lightly, almost that he didn't feel it. She knew what he was feeling and it was making her anxious as well.

Neither of them were good at this type of thing, Harry was used to getting in trouble but not to this extent. The nagging, the photos, the false accusations were too much for any normal person. No sane person would really do this to a kid right?

Any sane person would see how distraught he was and call it a day by now. But no, they loved seeing him pleading for them to stop through the unspoken words in his eyes.

He didn't know how many hours or minutes had gone by when Leo walked through the doors and grabbed him without saying a word. Cressida had gone somewhere out of his reach but he couldn't find himself to be afraid anymore. Harry was a shell of a person without her, but that had to be better then what he was feeling right now.