The Essence of Time (Harry Styles Fanfic)

The Falling Out

A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist.

Stewart Alsop

I remember the day of my mother's funeral. It rained that day, as if the weather knew the catastrophe happening on the humble ground. I remember walking into the church clutching tightly to my father's hand. I cried into his arm and he held me tight as the tears escaped his eyes. At the end of the service, all of my mother's friends and family walked up to where she lay so quietly, and kissed her cheek. They walked solemnly toward my father and me. The men would shake my father's hand and pat me on the head. While the ladies who used to come over every afternoon for tea hugged my father and me. They wailed of how sudden and unexpected it was. How tragic. But there was something missing. More like someone. Harry wasn't here. Why wasn't he here? He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to make everything better. And he wasn't here... Where on Earth could he be? My heart was breaking under the loss of my mother and my missing best friend. That's when I broke down in tears. My father held me and tried to make everything better. He picked me up and carried me off to the car. He handed me to my Aunt Pat, who was waiting in the car. Then he headed back inside to spend a few minutes alone with my mother for the last time. I wanted to be there with him, but it was better if he went alone; to say goodbye, one last time...

*Ten Years Later*

I was in the bathroom stall at school, holding my breath and praying to God that nobody would find me. I felt a single tear find its way down my cheek. I heard the voices outside of the door and I bit my tongue.

"Hey, So-fat, come out here so we can see you waddle." The voice that was once friendly called out.

The laughter was plenty and I heard the sound of skin hitting skin, indicating a high five. When did everyone become so cruel? pushed the door open and stood in front of the mirror. My eyes were brimmed with red and I couldn't feel my heart beating. The door slammed open, but I didn't have time to hide. Sarah, the meanest person I have ever met, walked in with a venomous smile and shoes tall enough to break her ankles. I stood facing the mirror determined not to let her see the pain. She walked toward me and stood behind me. She was a few inches taller than me; her lips were even with my ear. She leaned in closer to me and I got a whiff of her over priced perfume. Her lips brushed my ear as she said,

"Tell me, what it is like to be ugly. To have everyone laugh at you. What's it like to have hair that looks like spaghetti? You're a cow. A fat, ugly, motherless cow. Moo." She laughed at this as if it were funny.

Her over powering perfume hung in the air as she turned around and pushed open the bathroom door. I got a view of the crowd outside of the door. Coldness filled me and another tear strayed down my cheek. I heard the laughter as she retold her story to the over eager crowd. I had no way out until the bell rang. I sat on the counter praying no one else would come in.

Soon enough the bell rang and the crowd dispersed. I slid off of the hard counter and poked my head out of the door. That was a huge mistake. It felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of me, punched me repeatedly in the stomach. It was him, walking away with his back to me; my old best friend. The one I could turn to in times of need. He held hands with Sarah and threw his head back in laughter. His brown curls gently swished when he did this. My heart pulled toward him. He should be mine. We were supposed to be friends till the end. And now he spends his days teasing me and haunting my mind. I wish my mother were still around, she would tell me what to do. She would ask what happened between Harry and me. I wish I knew what had happened between the two of us. He woke up one day just hating me. When the day ended I fled from the building like it was burning. I would have made it out if he hadn't caught me.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." He told his group of friends. The brutes laughed and enclosed me. I was in the middle of the tight circle with no escape. "You thought you were so clever today, hiding in the bathroom eh? I would have paid to see your face when Sarah told you what she thought of you. I would have laughed."

The menace in his green eyes shot me through the heart. There was no compassion in him, hatred and evil had corrupted him. I felt the tears prick up in my eyes. He leaned in very close to me, our faces only inches apart.

"You're no better than your mother." He spat at me.

I broke past him and ran out of the door. I ran down the road hoping he wasn't following me. I knew he wasn't but his words were. And they spun around inside of me like they were on a constant loop. The tears were freely flowing down my cheeks at this point as I ran home. When I reached the house I saw my father's car in the driveway. I wiped the tears and ran through the door. I took the stairs two at a time up to my room. I did my homework and didn't say anything; I stayed quiet about what was happening. If only I knew what was waiting for me the next day I would have never gone to sleep.