Sold // Harry Styles

Chapter 29

Harry remains motionless as I explain to him what happened.  His expression is grave and frozen, giving him a mystified look.  But I know that behind those green eyes that he’s scared, just like me.  And unlike his state of uncertainty that remains placid, my emotions roam from one spectrum to the other.

Panic and worry race through my blood.  It builds up in my bones, making them feel like they could break from the overbearing and daunting weight of stress that only seems to stack on top of my shoulders.  My hands start to clam up and my heart and mind and thoughts and pulse begin to race as if in a marathon.  My breathing doesn’t help any and certainly Harry’s stoic state of mind isn’t helping.

“Please, say something,” I say, touching his arm.  My fingertips are numb as the usual sensation of his touch is lost and defunct.  He doesn’t react to my hand on his arm, just continues to stare straight forward.

He snaps out of his thoughts suddenly as he looks deep into my eyes.  It looks as though he lost himself again to the devil that consumes his thinking as he continues staring at me, but he quickly shakes his head as if rendering himself of the endless abyss.

“Whatever he asks you, I want you to deny.  Better yet, just don’t talk.  I’ll do all of the talking, okay?”

“But Harry—”

“No, Jackie.  Don’t say anything.”

I know what he’s doing.  He doesn’t want me to talk because he knows that if I do, I’ll only get in trouble and my actions will cause problems for me.  He’s doing this to protect me.  He’s doing this to save me from any pain.  He wants to play the hero.

Little does he know that a hero is only half a person—the other half belonging to the villain; because while a hero saves a person in one way, he’s hurting that same person by putting himself in danger without a sidekick.

“Promise me, Jackie,” Harry says in a desperate voice.  His face is inches from mine as he holds my hands, pleading me to agree with him.  His green eyes look back and forth between mine, swimming with impatience and worry.  I take a deep breath before nodding my head.

“Okay,” I whisper.

The front door suddenly slams open and I jump to my feet immediately.  My stomach lurches forward and every part of my body is standing on edge.

“How could you be so stupid as to let her outside by herself?” A.J. asks.  He shoves Harry’s chest as soon as he’s close enough to him and Harry stumbles backwards before regaining his balance.  “You are a worthless piece of shit.”  He grabs Harry’s arm and yanks him off his feet towards the door.   “I’m taking Jackie and you can go rot in the—”

“Stop!” I scream.  “Please!  Don’t do anything to him!”

“Get out of my way,” he says, shoving me to the side still keeping a grip on Harry arm.

“It’s not his fault!”

“Jackie,” Harry says harshly.  He frowns at me.

“I snuck outside when he wasn’t looking.  I swear I wasn’t going to run away,” I rush.

“You snuck out,” he sneers, ignoring all the other information I presented with him.  He throws Harry to the ground as he takes a few steps closer to me.  “Where exactly did you think you were gonna go, sweetheart?”

I gulp before pressing my shoulders back, using the technique he once taught me.  “Nowhere.”

A.J. laughs satirically.  “Is it time for another lesson?”