"just leave it alone, Anders," i begged as i tugged on his arm pleadingly.
Hampus wasn't bothering anyone—he hadn't even spoken since he walked in. all he'd done was sit in a corner and get drunk.
that was all he ever did when he came to Anders' parties, anyway. but Anders always felt the need to start something with him.
"fuck off, Klara. where's Gus? this kid's insane. maybe he just needs to learn his lesson. again."
Anders and Gustav didn't hesitate when it came to beating the poor kid up; even if this was a party we were going to remember. today was the last day of school, we were adults.
"you don't have to fight him Anders! stop!"
there wasn't any music playing. the room grew silent and everyone's eyes were on me, yet mine were still on Anders.
"don't listen to her, hon är manisk! she's manic," Anders shouted.
i was instantly surrounded by laughter, insults slipping from others' mouths. i put my red cup down nervously and exited, slamming the door behind me. the cool air smacked me in the face as i crossed my arms and sat on the sidewalk.
i'd left my jacket inside.
"shit," i murmured, taking my phone out of my pocket and texting Lars, another one of Anders' friends.
tja. hey. i left my jacket in Anders room. bring it outside for me?
the chances that he would see my message were slim, but Lars was one of the nicest guys i'd ever met. i had a crush on him during first year, but Anders liked me and asked me out before i could speak to him. i only said yes because i knew it would bring me closer to Lars—and it did.
the door opened and i turned around to see Hampus. i looked away shyly, pretending to be doing something on my phone.
"hallå. hey," he said, sitting beside me and pulling out his phone.
"hallå."
"what Anders said—"
i scoffed, putting my phone away and looking at the sky. "i don't want your pity. why're you even out here sitting next to me, he hates you."
"yeah i know," Hampus said, his voice stern. "i'm not giving you pity, i was just going to say that he's just afraid and he wasn't thinking. jävla idiot, fucking idiot."
i turned to him and he looked down, kicking at the ground.
"yeah, but—"
the door opened behind us. Hampus and i turned around to see Lars, my jacket in hand.
"hallå Hampus. Klara," he greeted us with smiles.
i smiled back. "Lars. hallå."
Hampus rolled his eyes and stood, walking towards the curb.
"i got your jacket. i'm sorry about Anders, you know how he gets when he's drunk. he'll apologise in the morning, yeah? he always does," he told me, sitting beside me.
i shook my head. "that's how it always is. i'm tired of dealing with him, Lars. he's a huge asshole, he's egotistical..."
"hey." he looked very serious. "this is my friend you're talking about."
we both laughed.
"so you're unhappy with him?" Lars asked after a moment. i nodded, pulling my hair behind my ear.
my phone rang and he stood. "sorry," i said, putting my phone on vibrate.
"it's okay, i should get back. text me when you get home, alright?"
"yeah," i told him. "have a goodnight."
he disappeared into the house.
i then answered the phone. "tja. hey." i sighed.
"Klara. when are you coming home? i'm going to sleep soon."
it was my roommate, Evelina. she'd dated Hampus for a pretty long time, but they broke up merely a few days ago.
he's always upset, always drinking, always talking about how terrible Stockholm is. you know this one time he told me that he hated everyone here. everyone. he didn't even exclude me. that was when i knew i had to leave him.
"Klara?"
i cleared my throat, my eyes on Hampus. he was still standing near the street.
"yes? sorry. i'm going to be home in a minute, i was just leaving," i informed her.
"okay. love you, bye."
"love you too, Lina."
i hung up, putting my phone in my pocket. i put my hair into a ponytail and pulled my hoodie over my head before walking over to Hampus.
"do you need a ride home?" i asked, my hands in my pockets.
he shook his head. "no. i'm catchin' th' fucking' bus." he pointed at the bus stop sign above us.
"i can take you home, Hampus. come on, vi stikker. we're leaving."
he shook his head. "i don' even wanna go home. i'm just gonna stay out for a while."
"you can come to my place," i said softly. "don't stay out here all night. please."
Hampus looked at me angrily, his jaw clenched and his blue eyes dark. i stood my ground, daring to take a step closer and look directly up at him. "don't stay out here all night," i repeated.
his eyes softened and he turned away. "i know you. you live with Eve. she broke up with me last week."
i sighed. "i know you. you live with your mum. she probably doesn't want you out all night."
"my mother doesn't care about me," Hampus said. "if she did, i wouldn't be drunk."
i looked at him for a long time. i don't know why i cared about him so much or what was pushing me to be so kind to him, but i wasn't leaving this boy outside of Anders' house.
"Evelina and i don't share a room. she won't even know you're there, she's asleep. and you can lock the door if you want," i persisted.
it wasn't long before we were in the car, Basic by Declan Mckenna playing on low volume, Hampus asleep in the passengers seat.
