Counting Stars

Five: The Street

He watches a hand throw in what looks like a hundred dollar bill and some twenties and Harry quickly traces the arm up to find a familiar face squinting down at him through the afternoon sunlight.

"Lidia texted me."

"L?" Paula wraps the pink satin robe around her body and searches the back room for Lidia, knowing for certain the younger girl had wobbled her way off the stage only a minute before she had. Normally, Paula didn't worry herself too much with Lidia because she always handled herself just fine on her own, but getting a glimpse of the ghost-like appearance on Lidia's face before she disappeared backstage was some cause for concern.

"I'm in here." Paula follows her voice into the staff bathroom at the back, finding Lidia on her knees in front of one of the toilets, apparently not even having had time to throw on some clothes before subjecting her skin to the heaps of bacteria on the grimy tile floors.

"Shit, are you alright?" Before Lidia can respond, she heaves up what is left of the breakfast she'd eaten earlier with Harry into the toilet, causing Paula to cringe away from the scene and try not to become sick herself.

Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, Lidia flushes the toilet and gets herself up onto shaky legs after removing her heels that would have made the process impossible. Paula moves out of her way as she leaves the stall for the sink to wash her mouth out.

It doesn't take long for Lidia to find Paula's thoughtful expression in the mirror as she watches Lidia gargle and spit a few times. "What?"

Paula shrugs one shoulder and averts her eyes to the toilet Lidia had just been bent over, "Nothing just... that boy didn't get you pregnant, did he?"

Lidia stares at herself in the mirror now after flipping the tap off to leave them both in almost complete silence, apart from the hum of music from the main room seeping in. "I don't know what to do, P."

Upon her admission, Paula quickly meets her at the sinks and wraps her own robe around Lidia in a sort of motherly way that comforts Lidia in just the slightest. Rubbing her hand across her newly clothed back, Paula watches Lidia through the mirror as she speaks, "Have you told him?"

Dropping her eyes in shame, she shakes her head and bites down on her bottom lip before responding, "I don't want him to know."

"Is that a good idea?"

Lidia breathes in heavily, "There's no other option than getting rid of it and he'll never have to know."

Paula shakes her head in clear disapproval, "Babe, look at me." She waits until Lidia finally lifts her head up again. "You have one of the good ones. Don't lock him out."

"Exactly. He doesn't deserve to live with that."

"Neither do you."

Lidia runs her fingers through her hair and rubs her hand at the back of her neck, lost in thought. "I don't even know for sure yet."

Liam closes the lid to his guitar case and uses it as a seat in front of Harry before answering the unspoken question written all over Harry's face. "I got caught with weed. They suspended me from my job and took my kid."

"Shit." Harry mutters, feeling guilty for every single bad thought he'd had about Liam over the last couple hours.

"You guys can stay with me for now. I don't feel right leaving either of you on the street."