"I'm glad that you're out now." I smiled, walking by Harry's side.
"Trust me, me too. More than you probably know." That was true. I had never been in the hospital and definitely not for that long. I had never known anyone that was.
"I was starting to spend far too much time in that hospital. I hate hospitals. Believe it or not." I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I think that I had told him this before, but I wanted to make my point again. It was ironic that I hated hospitals so much because I had been spending so much time in them as of late. First for my sister. Now Harry. What next? I worried that I would be the next one in the hospital. Hanging around Harry probably didn't lower my chances of being hospital bound.
"I know." he laughed, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I tensed up again. I was still nervous every time he touched me. I hoped he wouldn't notice, but I also couldn't understand how he didn't feel the way my body reacted when he touched me. He used to be afraid of our touching too. What had happened to that? And why hadn't it changed the way I felt too? "Hey, is it ok if we stop at the pharmacy before I take you home?"
"Yeah, what for?" I asked.
"Need to pick up some medications." he said, rolling his eyes. He thought that he was too tough to need medicine. Or he thought I was just dumb for asking why we were going to the pharmacy. What else would we be getting there? Duh. How like him... I looked the other way and frowned. Maybe I never should have said anything. I just was afraid to make him mad.
"Thank you, Ms. Rhonda." Harry smiled after taking the two different prescriptions from her.
"You're welcome, Baby." she said, sliding him a candy bar and smiling sympathetically. Harry grinned and accepted it, graciously. It was weird to see him act like this- so nice to other people. I'd only seen him be nice to me before. Maybe he was really changing for the better. I could fall for someone that acted like this. I kind of liked this side of Harry.
"Are these pain medications because of the accident?" I asked, curiously. I didn't remember the doctors saying anything about prescriptions, but people usually did leave the hospital with pain medication.
"One is." he said simply. "This one is for the depression." he smiled, shaking the bottle. The grin on his face made it hard to believe that he had just proclaimed his depression with not a care in the world. My mood deflated again, feeling horrible for him.
"Oh... um... I didn't know it was that bad." I confessed. That must've also been why she slipped him a candy bar. She felt just as bad for him as I did. And she obviously knows a lot more than I do. I wondered how long she had been giving Harry his prescriptions.
"Of course it is, Charlotte. My sister's dead. What d'you expect?" he chuckled, like it was nothing. No wonder it's so hard to tell how he feels. He covers his real feelings with humor. But I never even understand that it's humor in the moment. He always sounds serious to me. I hate that he's so cynical. Even though I am too.
"Sorry." I frowned, hugging him. I knew I should. He stiffened when I first wrapped my arms around him. I knew he felt it too. But finally, he sighed, giving in and relaxing into the hug, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"So am I." he breathed before opening the candy bar and cracking it in half. "Here." he smiled. I knew better than to insist that he eat all of it. That'd only make him feel worse. I thanked him and downed mostly all of it before he had eaten more than two bites of his half. He laughed at me before wiping some off of my face. I grimaced at first, but couldn't help but break out into a grin. It was funny. He was funny.
Finally I'd be able to get back to the library without having to worry about Harry, maybe I'd even see him there. I walked down the sidewalk headed there a week or two later, trying to tighten my jacket around myself. It's so cold outside now. I miss the Summer. "Charlotte!" It was Megan.
"Hey!"
"Where are you headed?" she asked.
"The library." I smiled.
"Can I come?" she asked. I paused for a minute. Very few knew of the library that I went to. Most everyone else goes to the bigger and newer library two blocks over. Over the years it has grown to be a special secret of mine. I liked that no one else really knew about it, but Harry knew about it, and Megan was my best friend. I could take her anywhere. But I secretly didn't want to. I was getting too good at covering up my feelings lately.
"Sure." I smiled. I knew that she loved reading almost as much as I did. It wouldn't be fair to not take her. I kept having to tell myself that. Just like I had to keep telling myself to not be afraid of Harry.
"Wait, this isn't the way to the library." she said when we were almost halfway there. She was talking about the new library that opened a couple weeks ago. I resented it since it had first opened. The whole building was gray with giant windows. It was much too modern for my taste. Everything in there was sleek and perfect. I preferred the library that I went to everyday. It was a little rough around the edges, but perfect and enchanting. The newer one was always so crowded and loud, it was impossible to read there. I only tried a few times. It was pointless to waste my time there. Besides that, it had more computers than it did books. They might as well just call it a computer lab because it certainly wasn't a library in my opinion.
"I go to a different library. I don't like the other one." I said, scuffing my feet across the ground. She wouldn't understand what I was talking about. No one understood. Except maybe Harry did. He likes the library for the same reasons that I do. We talk about it sometimes.
"Did you hear that?" she asked, quietly.
"Hear what?"
"That!" she said again.
"Shut up. You're always trying to mess with me." I scoffed, still unable to hear whatever she was talking about.
"I'm not! Someone's following us. Don't you hear their footsteps?" she scowled, elbowing me lightly in the side. I hadn't heard them before but I did now. My heart started pounding against my ribcage.
"Stop moving." A new voice said. My eyes widened as I stopped in my tracks and glanced at Megan. She rolled her eyes as if to say I told you so. "Take three steps backwards." the voice said. I started to turn around to look who was talking, but they cut me off. "Do not turn around." he said. I swallowed and did as I was told. Megan cursed, almost falling over her own feet. She had never been very good at walking backwards. A strong arm wrapped securely around my neck, locking me in a choke hold. I tried to tuck my chin under his arm to keep him from choking me. I was too late. My breath hitched in my throat and my eyes immidiately glazed over with tears. It was a reflex.
"Charlotte, what's happening?" Megan asked. I turned to look at her. The guy's other arm was around her neck.
"Do you think I know?" I bit back. "Let us go!" I wailed.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that." he spat. I grimaced as the drops hit the back of my neck. "One, two three." the man said, finally spinning me around.
I didn't know the man. And I sure as shit didn't know what he wanted with me or my friend.
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Author's Note: Is anyone else loving If You Don't Know by Five Seconds of Summer? I know I am.
Thank you so much for all the support and for reading. The next chapter should be up in a bit.
Love you!
~Peyt xx
