𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐀! | harry styles

𝐗𝐗

DAD grips the magazine much like Harry did. I can see the veins in his wrists pulsing as his stare gets darker and his mouth forms into a thin line under his mustache.

"Where did you get this?" he asks, and even though I know he's not really asking where, I answer with the obvious because I don't know what else to say.

"The pharmacy."

He places it down in front of him and his hands make fists. His voice comes out calm, but there's no question he's anything but. "I'm gonna kill him."

For a second, I'm worried he's thinking this was Harry.

"I'm going to go down to that used car lot, bring every state trooper within a twenty-five-mile radius to witness me choking out that bastard."

I'm surprised he knows about Vince. "Wouldn't you get arrested right away? I mean, you wouldn't want the cops there, I'd think."

Dad doesn't look up from the magazine, but his voice remains even. "Anna, shut up."

I'm not dumb. "Yes, sir."

Lori is oddly quiet next to Dad. She's not looking at the magazine but she's not looking at us, either. I'm about to ask her if she's okay when I see one tear slide down her cheek. I can't even imagine how heartbreaking this is for her to find out.

"Did you have any idea this was going on?" He looks up at me with fire in his eyes. I know he's not mad at me, but it sure feels like it.

I think of the coke packet. "No, I didn't know she had done… this." I debate telling them about the drugs, but I'm scared to bring it up. "How do you know about Vince?"

He looks at Lori, then at me. "He's come up in conversation." I think about the fight between Lori and Rosalie I overheard. "You probably know more than her mother and I do about this guy?"

I squirm a little. "I have seen him before with girls that look like that," I nod towards the magazine, "I didn't guess this, though. I know he rubs me the wrong way. Everyone thinks he's shady, hanging out at Mac's and stuff."

"Why didn't you tell us how you felt about him?" Dad accuses.

My eyes bug out at him. "Tell you? What was I supposed to tell you? 'Hey, Rosalie's now dating a drug dealer and skeezeball'? That would've gone over great with her."

"Drug dealer?" Lori gasps.

"She's your sister, you have to look out for each other!" He slams his hand down on the table. Inside, I repeat to myself he's not really mad at me, but it hurts nonetheless.

"Yeah, well this sister of mine had him over and I told her I didn't like it. That I didn't like him. You know what she did? She slapped me."

Lori finally looks at me. "She slapped you?" She brings her hands to her face and that's when she starts crying for real. My stomach sinks and I almost wish I hadn't said anything. I can take a slap in the face. What I can't take is the guilt that I might've just ruined their perception of Rosalie further.

Dad slides closer to Lori and puts his arm around her. He looks at me and sighs. In the span of five minutes, my young-at-heart father has aged a decade. "I'm sorry for taking this out on you. But why didn't you tell us any of this? About Vince or the drugs. Why didn't you tell us you fought?"

My lip quivers and it hits me that my family is never going to be the same. We've turned a corner we're never going to be able to get back around. I stare at the magazine, at the image that's been branded behind my eyelids every time I close them. I do feel guilty. I should've said something when I saw the coke and when I knew she was seeing him and when she hit me. Maybe I should've talked to her more or talked to someone. Anyone.