Already Gone

Chapter 26

"Hi can I help you with something?" I asked. 

"Yeah" He stood up "I'm looking for Tim Wills I'm pretty sure he hasn't moved, I've been knocking-

"He's dead" I said monotone stopping him mid sentence.

His easy going smile drop and I see the way I coldly told him affecting him more then I thought. He press his lips together his eyes turning red and glassy making me feel guilty for telling him so harshly. I'm not quiet to sure who this person is but I can see from his face that my dad meant something to him.

"That can't be real I told him I'll be back for my 21st birthday, I told him to wait for me, I told him I'm going to come back successful and I'm going to make him proud. I told him that I'm going to make it up to him and he was to wait for me." He rambled on tears staining his tears. 

Staring at him at the way his lips trembled and his face fall from all the joy he held. The way he tug on his hair in frustration and anger and the way he crouch down sitting back on the porch studying his every movement.

My mind suddenly flash back to when I was six and he was 10. He wore a band tee shirt and long black pants that was too long for him. He had the same brown hair and big grin that stretches half his face. The boy that lived next door, his mom walking out on him and we soon found out he's been living by himself for nearly two weeks. He came at our door step asking if we could make him dinner because he hasn't eaten for the past two days. 

My dad the great man he is brought him in and soon found out he didn't have any other family and he didn't want to belong to another one. He didn't want to be put in an orphanage and with all the begging and pleading my dad decided he is going to stay with us for awhile. At age 13 he left us, he got taken away by his Uncle that he didn't know about. That was the last I heard from him.

The boy that slung his arm around my shoulder protectively laughing and making jokes. Always so happy even through the dark times of his life he always wore a smile on his face. 

"Harry?" My eyes softened. 

His eyes lift up wiping away his tears looking at me as if it's the first time he saw me. He stood up without a second tick by pulling me into his arms hugging me tightly. I can feel the sadness rolling off him as he bury his face on my neck. 

"Hailey I missed you so much" He sniffs I can feel his tears falling on my skin. 

I pull back not believing my eyes finding him back to us and I knew dad would have been so happy. He would even leap out of that wheel chair to hug him tight. The boy that we came to love and got taken away from us too soon. 

"You didn't call" I cried on his shoulder causing his grip to tightened more. 

"I know" He spoke brokenly. 

"You should have called" I whispered sadly. 

He pulled back a frown lingering on his face that doesn't suit him. The last image I had of him is him crying hugging dad closely until he force to let go dragging by his Uncle. Seeing him that way he roughly took him by his shirt and tug him away had dad walking right up to him and shoving him away from Harry. There was name calls and punches but in the end Harry was shoved in the car looking at us drench with tears. It was that memory that broke my heart watching him leave.

"I'm too late aren't I?" He blink the tears away his words heavy with pain. 

"He loves you Harry, he knows how much you love him." I wipe away my tears "It's okay" 

"How did he die?" He whispers as if he's afraid of the answer. 

"He had lung cancer" 

He squeezed his eyes shut rubbing his hands roughly down his wet cheeks. He then hugged me again whispering how sorry he is and how deeply he regrets not being here.