Note To Self (Harry Styles AU)

Chapter Seventy.

Wednesday was the one week mark of Aubry completely and totally shattering what was left of Harry's spirit and he still felt no better than he had then, seven full days later. Tuesday night was the first night he successfully ate dinner without feeling like he could throw up afterward, which he took as a good sign until later in the night when his body rejected it in the form of stabbing stomach pains and hours on the toilet. Seven days had dragged by, and that was seven days spent wondering if he even wanted another day to come.

Every night was spent out on the porch, with moths flocking to the lights illuminating the fenced in yard and he listened to the crickets sing. Their song was loud after humanity had settled in bed for the night, leaving him with the sound of nature that existed in the quiet town. It reminded him of simplicity, and let his mind slip away from the complex twists and turns, ups and downs, and stressful days that made up his life. Night time was dark, much like his heart, and he relished in the reminder that he wasn't the only one that was filled with a lack of light and unwanted screaming. Mother Nature had a lack of warmth from the sun and noisy insects, perfectly complimentary to Harry's dim outlook on life and the berating thoughts in his head.

Of course, however, his nightly companion was a fluffy grey cat with white paws and a bad attitude. He turned up every night almost as if on cue, when Harry's rear end would touch one of the chairs on the porch, the cat would hop the fence and settle on the railing just feet away. The horribly mangled dead mouse the cat had gifted to him late one night was disgusting, but also elicited just the smallest of chuckles from the irony.

"Here is a real life view into what your soul looks like now, enjoy."

Maybe it was cynical, melodramatic, and dark, but Harry related to the partial remains of the rodent. Socks made good company, even if he was almost just as evil as his owner.

Thursday was the seventh lunch period he shared with Sophie, and finally she was no longer acting like he was a nuisance. She saved the seat beside her for him to take, and it sort of began to feel like nothing bad had happened between them all over again. The bitterness from the period of time where Harry had been shitty and mean, and Sophie had been difficult, had disintegrated. That, surprisingly, left Harry laughing along to the silly things she said and a genuine smile after lunch was over. A smile that didn't fall when his eyes caught Aubry's on the way out of the room, accompanied by Sophie as they headed off to History class together. Hardly a fraction of a second passed when they held eye contact before he reverted his attention back to the freckle faced blonde. He chuckled at something she had said, their conversation carrying on as if nothing had happened, and suddenly Aubry's lunch didn't agree with her stomach.

Even Liam gave him the tiniest bit of acknowledgement when gym class came around, after they'd gotten to the field and it was announced soccer was their game for the day. Harry felt hands on his shoulders and a voice he missed so much spoke to him. "Protect your balls this time."

Harry snickered when his eyes flashed behind him to see a smile on Liam's face, but soon he vanished. Harry got to be goalie like he'd wished to be the last time, and despite the lingering tension between the two boys, Liam was the first person he picked for his team. It was his first decently okay day in ten painfully long ones.

When he returned home, he wasn't on the verge of tears for the first time in what felt like too long to remember. His bag was dropped to the floor in the foyer and his footsteps were loud when he bolted up the stairs. Quickly, he changed out of his school clothes into a pair of jeans and an Aerosmith T-shirt. No time was wasted because he had somewhere to be, and his stockinged feet clambered back down the polished wooden staircase loud enough for it to echo through the house.

His name also echoed, called through the home by his father's voice, but Harry's rushed footsteps made it difficult to notice. He lead Winnie to the back door to be let outside before he had to leave for work, and his name was repeated. He actually heard the second time.