The Accident

Chapter Four

  Harry had rolled out of bed Sunday afternoon to a text from Louis. He spent his whole day sprawled across the sofa watching crappy television shows while drifting in and out of a catnap, simply because it was his day off. Gemma was gone the whole day gathering furnishings with Zayn for the new apartment that the two of them were going to share, and Harry was grateful for the alone time that he’d gotten. The only person he bothered to talk to was Louis, but even that was just a text message thrown here and there.

  Much too Harry’s dismay, Sunday had passed and the week had begun. Just as everything in Harry’s life had seemed to be picking up, the universe had decided to throw it in his face that he had jumped to that conclusion too soon.

  “F.” Mr. Morris sighed, his voice unimpressed, as he set a sheet of paper face down on Harry’s desk.

  “How is that even possible?” Harry asked, cocking an eyebrow at the grouchy old man. He flipped the page over to see his answers marked up with condescending red ink.

  “I guess you’ll just have to try harder next time,” Mr. Morris said just as he left Harry’s side to pass out the rest of the students’ papers, whose work he’d most likely nitpicked at as well.

  An angry Harry hoped for a much better shift at work that night, but as it turns out, when he got home he found a voicemail message on his answering machine from Tom. “Sorry Harry, we’re overbooked for staff tonight, we don’t need you to come in. See you tomorrow night.”

  Well, fuck.

  Harry felt his cellphone dance with vibration in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check the text message, ‘Yo Haz I’ll be at ur place in 5’ wrote his friend Niall. He responded with a quick ‘sounds good mate’ before hitting send and collapsing onto the sofa behind him.

  “Zayn’s coming over for dinner tonight,” Gemma announced as she left her bedroom and sauntered to the living room. She smiled at her brother with bribing eyes before asking, “So what are you making?”

  “I’m not cooking for you and your boyfriend, Gem. Niall’s coming over.” Harry refused. Gemma sighed in annoyance and put her hands on her hips, waiting for her him to change his mind. He wouldn’t budge.

  “Hello?” Niall called from the front door where he let himself in. He joined the two in the living room and mouthed a “Hey Haz,” before taking a seat on the sofa.

  “Come on, Harry!” Gemma pleaded, however Harry was getting quite annoyed. He sighed and shook his head no.

  “What’s with your bickering?” Niall asked half-heartedly. Although he loved the two of them, he thought their arguing sometimes was just mad. Before he could barely even finish asking the question the two of them began to squabble on about nothing and everything all at the same time.

~

  “Smells good,” Zayn commented as he sniffed the steamy pasta and tomato sauce that was drizzled on top.

  “Should be, I made it myself,” chimed Niall from the kitchen, wearing a ridiculous striped apron. He had sauce smeared across his cheek and he grinned as Harry threw a towel at him from across the room to wipe it off. Niall set four bowls and the appropriate silverware on the table, and the group began to dig in immediately.

  “This is great, Niall,” Gemma smiled at the blonde boy who’s cheeks flushed rosy. With a nod of his head he was face down staring at the bowl of food again as though it were a prized possession.

  “Yeah thanks for making dinner mate,” Harry began. “But where’d you get the apron? And why the hell are you still wearing it, goof?”

  “Actually I got it from your pantry, Haz,” Niall said, followed by sticking his tongue out at his friend. And now that Harry had pointed it out, he was still wearing the silly thing even though he had no reason to. He simply untied the knot from behind his waist and pulled it over his head and tossed it behind him onto the kitchen floor, and he shrugged. Everyone at the table chuckled at how carefree he was.