flower. h.s ✔️

forty one.

"What?"

"Were you, y'know," Harry mumbled, "Raped?"

I didn't like the tone of his voice and even though I knew the truth it still made me sad to know that Harry might be thinking of me in a different light.

"No. I wasn't."

"Good."

I rolled my lips together as Harry nodded, I couldn't help it but it stung knowing that if I had been, he'd look at me differently.

But neither of us said anything else as Colin carried on teaching and I carried on taking notes; trying to not let my anxiety of Harry being weird and being back near the place I was abducted from take over my body.

"Poppy!"

I jumped and stopped walking as someone called my name, almost fearing the worst but I turned slightly and I caught Harry glaring at me from the corner of my eye and once I'd realised who it was, I turned properly.

"How are you?" Tom asked tentatively, his eyes darting between Harry and I.

"Why do you care?" Harry grunted before I could even open my mouth and I nudged him discreetly.

"Because she's my friend, don't be so fucking rude to me. I thought you said he wasn't around."

I swallowed awkwardly as I shifted on my feet, why did Harry always have to be rude?

"I never said that," I tried to placate the situation, "you asked if he was my boyfriend."

"Why's that any of your business?" Harry drawled and I rolled my eyes.

"She said you weren't." Tom snapped, his eyes narrowing at Harry who didn't seem bothered by Tom's growing anger.

"Are you the one sleeping next to her at night? Didn't think so."

I flushed as Harry spat at Tom, his loud voice attracting the attention of several people and I shifted on my feet. Harry wasn't doing that either.

This really was a bad day.

"Don't talk about her like she's some sexual object." Tom hissed and I pulled a face as I tried to ignore the two of them.

My nerves and anxiety had been building all day and now finally I felt like I was a living wreck, my eyes darting around us, as people looked at me, looked at Harry and Tom and I swallowed, feeling like I was trapped in a box that was gradually getting smaller and smaller.

"Why don't you try not talking about, or to her at all." Harry snapped back, his attention fully on Tom until I tugged on his sleeve.

"I want to go home." I mumbled, feeling like I was going to suffocate despite being out in the open.

I could see the spot where it happened last week and it wasn't doing me any favours. I could still see Harry falling to the ground, the noise echoing around my head, the feeling of arms around my middle.

The bruise around my eye, even now covered in make up felt like it was burning at a thousand degrees, screaming out for everyone to look at it. The panic clawing up my throat as everything happened again in front of my eyes.

But this time I was watching it. I was watching Harry being hit, watching a girl that looked like me being grabbed, the fear on her face burnt into her skin, water streaming from her eyes as she tried to escape.

I was watching all the things I should have done last week but didn't.

"Poppy..."

"Poppy!"