Juliet.
I took off my work clothes and entered the shower to wash my tiredness away. At the hospital, the day was very long. Kids who cry nonstop and kids who are in pain wear me out.
The hot water streamed down my back, warming my once-cold body, even though it was late and I hadn't yet had my first meal of the day. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths because, like it does most days, my mind was racing.
Once I was done with my shower I changed into my pajamas and headed to the kitchen to grab some leftover tacos from the previous night. I sat on my couch with a warm plate on my legs and a controller in my other hand, looking for my show.
Zayn's words still hadn't left my head. I can't believe he kept this from me just so he could protect me. I feel so guilty. Like it was all my fault.
I knew it wasn't but that feeling didn't stop. Someone banging on the door has me jumping into place. I set the food down and prepared myself.
I already knew who was at the door, but what did he want?
I slid onto the couch, burying myself deep between the cushions, and closed my eyes as soon as I heard my name and the door open. "What do you want?" I abruptly stood up and looked over at him.
Harry took quick steps in my direction and looked enraged; his eyes were black and crimson. Harry entered the room with eyes that were glaring at me and a hollow, strained look.
"You don't even bother to listen, do you?" He shouts so loudly that I flinch. I stood there stunned.
"What?" Harry walks straight by me, and I instantly follow him into my hallway.
"What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?" He opens the door to my bedroom and enters. " Harry!"
He turns away and glares down at me, his body hovering over mine. "Juliet, I'm so sick of you." I swallowed forcefully as my heart continued to beat rapidly.
"What did I do now?"
"You complain about all little things, but you never know how to fuckin listen, n'that shit's going to get you killed." He moved toward me while clenching his jaw, "Fuckin' killed."
He moves in the direction of my drawers and takes everything out of them. "Harry, what the fuck?" I approached him and tried to shove him, but he wasn't having any of it. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"I asked you to do one thing, and you chose to ignore it in the hope that I wouldn't notice?" I watched as piles of clean clothes began to appear one by one on my floor. Harry takes a deep breath, turns abruptly, and looks at me. We were inches apart, his eyes staring at me.
"I don't understand what you're saying." I finally got out, and Harry let out a dry chuckle.
" Oh yeah?" I nodded, biting my lips nervously.
"Harry, what did I do now?"
"You never seem to comprehend what's going on." Then he's back to rummaging through every drawer and throwing items on the ground. "You're useless."
" Harry!" I yell even harder. "What are you talking about?" I was becoming furious as I noticed my room getting dirty. "Was it what I said to Zayn?"
He pauses once more and looks at me. " No. But did you seriously think I wouldn't find out about that?" I gulped. "Fuckin' pathetic. You thought telling your brother would do something."
I remained silent as Harry tightened his hold on my jaw, but his touch seemed odd and rough. "Don't touch me," I say. I rip his hands away from me and wipe my face, taking a step back. "Don't you fucking touch me."
He gritted his teeth and demanded, "Answer me," moving forward until my back collided with the wall. "You thought I wouldn't find out, huh? "
I say, feeling the burning in my throat, "It wasn't a lie. For goodness' sake, it wasn't a lie. Look at you!" I fixed my gaze on Harry. "Look how you're fucking acting! Zayn has been manipulated into thinking that you are a truly good person."
He hissed through his teeth, "Shut up."
"You know I'm right, and that makes you mad."
" Don't make me do something I'm going to regret." Harry's eyes flashed with so much anger like he was about to kill me.
" Does it get you mad knowing I'm right?"
Harry looks away with a smile plastered on his lips. "You don't know what you're talking about, Juliet. Now shut up and find me the fucking note."
"You did all this because of the note?" I laughed and looked away. "I told you--"
"No, don't you lie to me. Find me that fuckin' note right now, and if I have to, I'll find it on my own."
"And you wonder why I think you're a jerk; I'm not looking for anything." I try to leave, but Harry grabs my arm and pulls me back until I'm in front of him. He then firmly holds my jaw while staring me in the eye.
"You have five minutes to look for the fucking note; do you understand me?" I started at Harry, afraid. My lips parted with the urge to say something. I stood there looking up at him, trying to understand how a person like him could have so many emotions in just a few minutes.
How a person like him can be so full of himself? "Use your fuckin' words," even though all I could feel was the rage as I peered back into his stares with my breath coming in sharply through my nose.
"I understand," I whispered, the words feeling bitter as they left my tongue and flowed through the air.
"Good girl." Harry releases his grip on my jaw, and we exchange a silent look. For the first time today, he glanced over my body, noticing the thin underwear poking out from beneath my long t-shirt. Before he looked at my brown eyes, and for a moment, just a moment, they sparked like he was a new person, almost like he switched personalities, and I stood there stunned, wondering if this was normal. Harry gulped greedily. " Go."
I avoid him and head toward my closet. Although the note wasn't crazy, it nonetheless touched me deeply. Before she passed away, my mother had me in mind. Although I don't like the words, she did this for me, and it seems like she still believes in me.
I let her down. I failed my mother by not doing what she needed—and it killed me. Every day was a reminder that I had let my own family down and was of no use to them.
Useless. That's the right word. I am useless.
It's a reminder that I'm nothing compared to what she left; I didn't find out who did this to her—and I never will. Her death will truly remain a murder mystery.
Now, Harry is waiting to read what made me vulnerable. The final memory I had of her, the single thing about her that nobody knew, was waiting to be taken. The note was evidence that perhaps my mother did love me despite all of our disagreements, her abuse, and the disgusting looks she gave me.
I knew my mother was going to die that night. There were too many people for just her, and I sat there watching them slowly take turns. I was too terrified to help, so I just sat there and waited for them to leave.
My mother died and didn't plead for mercy.
Dear Juliet,
It just had to happen. Perhaps it was inevitable that something like this would have happened to at least one of us, given the life I lived and the world I married into with your father. We haven't always gotten along, but you are still my daughter, and at least I can pass away knowing it was me and not you.
Find them and kill them. Stop waiting for everyone to help you figure things out yourself.
"That's it?" Harry turns to face me while still possessing a furious expression with his jaw clenched. "You did all this fuckin' shit for this?"
My eyes glanced at the notes and saw how the edges were tinted with blood. "No, you made a big deal about it." I shook my head and looked into Harry's eyes; his eyes were so dark that not a single emotion was visible there.
He laughs—and, grabbing the tip of the note, he rips it. I reach out, "Harry," but he pulls back, causing me to trip over myself. " Stop"
My heart began to beat faster as I witnessed the final remnant of my mom being erased. "Why are you doing this, Harry? Stop!"
My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest, my brain ran like a train, the room spun for a bit, and I couldn't breathe—my hand fell on my heart, and I sucked in a breath, pleading
"Harry, please don't do this, please." My eyes pricked with tears, and what once reminded me of my mom was gone. I don't know why it bothered me so much to watch him rip it, but it was breaking me. He throws the remaining papers on the floor.
I was frozen in place, unable to move, with one tear streaming from my eye and my mouth gaping as I stared at the ground. He was truly behaving like a child. To finish it up, Harry steps on the torn pieces of paper, causing them to turn brown because of his shoes.
"Listen to me!" I was panicking; the room was spinning, and my head was pounding.
I stumble to the ground and pick up the pieces, attempting to put them back together, but it didn't work. Harry kneels in front of me and reaches out to touch my cheeks, wiping away my tears while tutting.
"Listen to me." Harry dropped his hands from my face as I turned away.
I gulped greedily, feeling like my throat was burning, "Don't touch me."
"Unfortunately, the note is gone." He murmured, obviously amused by what he had done. "I hate having to say the same thing over and over with people, but I had to with you."
I got angry. I was so furious that I started to cry. "And you had to do that just because you hate repeating yourself" I yelled so loudly that I had no idea it was even possible; it came from a deep place within me that I had been holding in my anger at how Harry had made me feel.
"Does making me feel bad, make you feel good?" I scream once again. "Does it satisfies a void in you?"
" Juliet."
"Answer me! Do you just enjoy being a mean, unreasonable person who has no respect," I yell. I laughed as I gulped, my vision hazy. "You're a terrible person, Harry, a terrible person, and I don't think you'll ever change."
He observes me and laughs while remaining silent. "Is this how you're going to show your daughters how to treat people?" I was standing just inches away from him when his hands caught my arm, and he pulled me in.
"Keep their names out of your fuckin mouth, is that understood? I don't play around with my daughters. If you do such shit again, I won't think twice about killing you."
"It's true," I finally said, and I chuckled, "You treat people so terribly. You make me feel shitty, will you one day make them feel the same way? Words kill people."
He spat out "Juliet," and I wince when I felt his hands on my arm.
I cried out, "Harry, stop! You're hurting me!" His deep emerald eyes look down at my arms, and he pulls away, my hands shoot up to rub my arm. "What is wrong with you? what the hell is wrong with you"
"You're a little tragedy, aren't you?" I gulped and kept looking at him. "Continually mention your mother's death—this and that." Laughing, he says, "Were you there?"
I struggled to keep my head up while gazing intently into his eyes. He pulled in a breath and said, "I saw the picture of how your mom looked after—So much blood."
My mouth begins to part. "Without a doubt, no one would have known that was Rose."
I choked down the recollections that Harry started flooding my mind. " Please."
He tutted, appearing amused, "Skin no longer on her body, fingers... missing." He hums, "What else?"
" Stop," I yell, feeling a scorching sensation in my throat. " Stop. Stop. Enough okay? Just leave me alone. Please."
"I heard her heart was gone. Is that true?" Tears rolled down my face, and Harry was no longer directly in front of me. "Don't cry," he whispered, "Pretty girls don't cry." he held my face in his hands—and for some reason, I leaned in.
I need comfort. Even though he's the reason why I felt this way, he's the reason why I couldn't breathe.
I took a nice breath in and one out while closing my eyes. My eyes finally opened when he spoke to me again, this time in a gentle voice. Like he didn't finish making me feel like shit. "Hmm, we have to talk."
Then I remember how he just made me feel and I shook my head. "I do not want to speak." I turned around and left the room, determined to get away from him at this very moment. "Just leave me alone, please." I took a large gulp, feeling defeated and confused by my feelings.
His voice came out from behind me, "I didn't ask if you wanted to; I'm telling you." I scoff as I sit down on my couch and hear his voice.
"Juliet."
"What?" I exclaim. "I'm sitting down so we can talk. Fucking hell, you're annoying."
He sits on the couch in front of me without saying anything. "That's what you're eating," he asks, before turning to look me directly in the eyes.
"You wanted to talk about something? Talk. We are not discussing my eating habits here."
He only looks at me and says nothing. "I need you to do a mission on Halloween."
Halloween
I remember Louis talking about this.
I took a deep breath and squinted my eyes. "What missions?"
"There's a club that hosts one of the greatest parties in history every year; everyone is dressed up," Harry says with a sneer. He glances into my eyes as I nod.
"Like with most deals, we had to get dressed up and deliver some cocaine to some guys in exchange for some meth."
"Meth?" my eyes widen, "I don't get why you need my help."
"This one is a little different; I need you to complete the transaction for me," he said with pursed lips and a tilt of the head.
"What do you mean, like, do the deal for you?"
"Atta girl, I need you to exchange the cocaine for some meth." My mouth opened wide as I exhaled. If we get caught, my career will go downhill, and my face will be everywhere. "Plus one more thing."
"I don't think I can pull that off, Harry. I took a deep breath, and he looked at me, shaking his head. "What if we get caught?"
"You won't," he mumbled, "Are you still underestimating me?"
"I need you to let him know that there is a little less cocaine than what he requested."
"Oh my God, do you want me to get killed?"
"You won't die, Juliet, I promise."
"I've seen this shit in movies—where they demand cocaine, something happens, and then, bang, they're dead,"
"You seem a little over the top."
"Oh, that's fancy coming from you." I laughed. "You tore a piece of paper I've held for years and shared specifics of my mother's death simply because I didn't show it to you; it's the only memory I have of my mother."
"It wasn't a good memory. Are you going to kill the person who killed your mother now?" Harry appears to be suppressing laughter as his lips roll within his mouth.
I nodded while narrowing my eyes at him. "That's just what I'm going to do."
Harry hums and leans to grab the cigarette package. "No smoking in my apartment." He didn't pay any attention to me and lit the other end of the cigarette with a lighter, he was carrying in his pocket.
"You stress me the fuck out." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "First things first, you need to dress up as a ghost face. Abby will bring you the mask; you can wear anything as your outfit. Something black though."
"I know what color ghost faces use." I give him a blank look, and he raises his arms in surrender.
"Sorry? Sometimes you can be a little slow.
" Asshole." I gritted my teeth and thought, "How am I expected to do this? Do I have a say in this?"
"What do you think? Do you think I care about what you want?" Harry questioned with an eyebrow raised.
His words sting a bit, and I try to cover my frown with a smile. "How am I supposed to do this?"
"Well, when it's time to sit, you walk up to him," Harry mumbles. "Talk.."
"Talk about what?"
"I don't know the fucking weather." He exhales a puff of smoke and swallows firmly. "You talk for a while, and when he decides to trade cocaine for meth, you tell him that it's worth a fraction of what he's asked but as much cocaine as what he's giving you."
"Wait—you were planning on giving him more than what he's giving you?" I stared at Harry, confused. "Are you stupid? Wouldn't that fuck up your numbers of how much money, you're bringing in?"
Harry grumbles and makes an effort to contain his rage. "Well, it was the only way we were able to convince him to accept the agreement." he gritted his teeth and added, "This is how things work. Before you say something idiotic, like, "How will he agree to get less when you assured him he'll get more?"
Harry took my words out of my mouth. "What if he says no? How can I persuade him to accept?"
"A pretty girl like you can convince anyone to say yes,"
I bit my lips. "All you have to do is flirt with him and explain that things got muddled up. He can choose to accept it or not."
"So you're not going to get mad when he says no?"
"Oh no, I am. I expect you to do it."
"What if he asks to speak with you?"
"You tell him I'm not there." I nodded and then turned to stare at my hands. "Louis made an earpiece you'll wear—you will be able to hear us—you will be able to hear me; you'll be able to hear everything I say," he spoke out. "I'll be around, keeping an eye on you."
"Is that all?"
"That's everything. Can you do that for me?" Harry asks, nodding.
"Well, as you stated, I have no say in this. So yes."
" Good girl—" he stands on his feet. "When I pick you up on Halloween, I want you to be prepared. Don't fucking pull any shit."
I drew my brows together and parted my lips to speak. "Is that it then? You ignore me for a few days, act rudely, and then ask me to help you."
"Well, we're not friends for me to talk to you every day or care how you're doing or how you're feeling. If I'm going to watch over you, you can might as well be useful."
I clenched my teeth. "Oh, and if you ever try to tell Zayn how badly I treat you while I'm here, I'll kill you."
"Why does it matter? Not like Zayn believes me."
"Yeah, but then there he is, asking me all these fuckin' questions I don't have time for. Be a big girl and suck it up, Juliet."
A/N
Halloween next chapter!! I wonder what can happen.