5 Leagues Above ➸ Larry Stylinson

Chapter 24

I reached over and put my hand on her shoulder and she looked up at me.

"Gem, that's totally fine, take all the time you need okay?" She nodded. "Do you want me to go and talk to Zayn?"

"Yes please," She nodded again, "You can tell him about the cuts, but also tell him I was in such a dark place yesterday that I've never felt before, which prompted the self-harm. Tell him it wasn't his fault, Harry, and that it won't happen again, I promise."

I gave her another huge hug before standing up.

"Gem, I hope you know that whatever is going on, you're the strongest, bravest, and best person I've met in my entire life. Whenever you feel like you're struggling, you can always come to me with anything, and I'll be here. I want you to stay safe, and I'll help you through whatever you're feeling."

She gave me a small smile and mouthed a thank you before I gave her one last hug. I took our dishes and put them in the sink before going to put my shoes on again. After putting them on, I stopped momentarily to pull out my phone and text Zayn. Thankfully, I'd never met someone who relies faster than he does.

Harry: Hey Z, do you have time to hang out? I need to talk to u about Gem

Zayn: Yeah you can come over to my place, my parents are out doing who knows what. How's Gem?

Harry: Okay, I think, but I'm not sure. I'll be over in ten mins

I pocketed my phone and said bye to Gemma before heading out the back door and into my truck.

* * *

As I drove, I thought about what to actually tell Zayn. Clearly, I wanted to tell him about the cuts, but I also wanted to see if he had a better idea of what caused it. Zayn was the main person Gemma confided in, so he would know the ins and outs of what was going on before last night.

Pulling into his driveway, I saw him waiting on the curb just like he always does for Gemma when they go on car rides together. I parked and got out.

"Hey, Zayn. Sorry for the short notice." I said.

I could see the worried look in his eyes as he anxiously played with one of the strings on his sweatshirts.

"Is Gemma okay?" He asked quickly.

"You're going to want to sit down for this one." We walked around the back of his house and onto the deck, where he has a nice table and chairs set up year-round. Sitting down, I continued.

"I came home yesterday to find Gemma crying on the floor of her bedroom with her wrists all cut up."

Zayn's hands flew to his face as his eyes went wide. Zayn was never someone who wanted to hurt other people or be the root of their problems.

"Did she do that because of me?" He was at a mere whisper and it was hard to hear him when he was covering his mouth with his hands.

"She originally said yes, but I talked to her this morning when she was level headed and seemed to be in a much better mood. She explained that it wasn't your fault at all and that she has her own things going on."

He slowly lowered his hands from his mouth, biting his lip.

"Do you know anything about what could've happened that led her to self-harm?" Zayn was quiet for a minute.

"Well, she said something about me not staying for lunches," He said, "But I think there's more to it than that."

"How so?"

"These last few months, she's seemed more tightly wound and a bit more closed off than I'm used to. I talked to her once about it and at first, she was hesitant to tell me anything, which is what it sounds like she was for you too, but after a while, she started to spill everything."

"Can you tell me what's going on? I want to help,"

"She's so overwhelmed with having to look after you both. It's not something you can really help with, but I think with your mom working so much and never being home, Gem is getting overworked and it's getting to her. She always tells me that she loves looking after you but I think all of the pressure of that responsibility has caused lots of anxiety. She might have an anxiety disorder or something, I'm not quite sure."

"Do you think she would benefit from a therapist? Just for someone to talk through all of this with her who isn't you or me?"

"I think that'd actually be a really good idea. I've been to therapy before and it really helps."

"Thanks, Z. I'll head back to the house soon and schedule an appointment for her, or at least offer to."

"In the meantime, is there anything I can do?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Come back to my house and talk with her, I'll leave you two alone. Be careful of what you say and don't bring up self-harm too much, okay? She misses you and I know you two can get through this and be better on the other side."

"Thanks, mate. I just love her so fucking much and I don't ever want to hurt her."

And with that, Zayn and I got up from the porch to drive back to my house.

Operation Gemma is a go.

***

I know Zayn, Liam, and Niall aren't as main of characters as you might be used to in a fanfic, but I'll definitely work them in here and there. 

Thoughts or comments?

VOTE if you stan Zemma