Hazard

Chapter 19- Sharing Stories

"You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back."

~Barbara de Angelis

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Harry and I have both shifted to a laying position in the grass, the tree directly above us provides an amazing source of shade that keeps us at least semi-cool. He had opened up to me, not much, but he still did. This made me realise that he doesn't really have any friends at school. He resorted to sitting at a table with Dakota and I at lunch for heavens sake! If that does not say something then I don't know what will. He needs a friend to talk to just as much as the rest of us and a small part of me is encouraging me to be the one he can confide in. It is not something that happens everyday for him, I can tell. If he is willing to open up to me and tell me, I think it is only fair to do the same.

"Harry" I say and turn my head to the right so I can get a better visual of him. The sun is shining down on half of his face while the shadow of the leaves protects the other half. He turns to look at me and his green eyes seem to be looking into my soul.

"Yes?" He smiles and his dimples become more prominent as his lips spread apart to reveal his teeth. I give him a gentle smile before deciding my curiosity would not die down any time soon.

"How come you don't live with your family?" I ask and I notice the immediate toll it took on his emotions. The smile that was previously on his face falls in an instant and a scowl takes its place. Behind his eyes is and emotion much different than the anger on his face. It looks more like hurt. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

"I-I'm sorry, you don't have to answer if you don't want to" I stutter an apology.

His eyes close as he releases a quiet breath through his pink lips. I notice his hand starting to pat across the grass in search of something and quickly realise he is looking for my hand. My arm reaches out a little further and I lay it next to his until he finally feels it. His fingers lace through mine and he gives it a gentle squeeze. The features of his face relaxed at the comfort that my hand provided.

"They left me" He says after a moment. His eyelids are still peacefully shut and it doesn't seem like he intends on opening them anytime soon. My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion at his confession They left him?

As if sensing my curiosity and lack of understanding, he continues to say, "About a year ago, my father left us because he simply didn't love us like he used to. His love for my mother died and he didn't want the hassle of taking care of my sister and I anymore. He left".

I didn't know up until now that Harry even had a sister. He seems to really be opening up to me now and my heart feels like it is cracking at the seams with every word that falls from his mouth.

"What about your mum and sister" I ask. He had only mentioned that his father left but he didn't explain why his mother and sister are not still living with him. The grip on my hand becomes a little bit stronger and I know he is trying his best to continue telling me his story. This beautiful boy that lays beside me has a past that he clearly isn't very proud of. His hesitation is as clear as day.

"After he left, I had to take care of them. One day my mum had brought home one of her co-workers to have dinner with us. He seemed to treat her with respect. The respect that bastard was very much lacking. When we had finished our dinner, my mum and sister had gone into the kitchen to fetch the dessert. I was left at the table with him. When I initiated a simple conversation he immediately snapped at me, tellling me to 'shut the fuck up'." He bitterly laughs at the memory but I can see the pain still etched on his face. I roll over on my side to wrap my upper half around his arm and rest my chin on his shoulder. My eyes stayed trained on his face. No words left my mouth as I patiently waited for him to continue.