Lola lifted her head from the desk to view the equations being written into the reflective plastic whiteboard. The pen squeaked as it curled around the number six, followed by the slow motion of an X. Lola felt her eyes begin to flutter shut at the slow and heavy boredom of this lesson and the irritating sound of pencils scribbling, chairs shuffling and chavs chattering. She wished she could turn around and tell them to shut the fuck up without getting beaten up, but she was smart enough to have learnt that’s not a good idea.
Lola glanced beside her at the sleeping young man with his head slumped into his arms on the desk. His eyes were shut and tangly curls sprawled out across his head, his upper body slowly making rise and fall motions as he breathed peacefully. Lola wondered if he’d actually fallen asleep, but didn’t want to disturb. She wished she was doing the same thing.
“I’m going to come round and check your homework so have it out ready please” the teacher announced, clicking the lid back onto her whiteboard pen.
Lola gave Harry a small nudge. “Harry”
He didn’t stir.
“Psst, Harry” Lola prodded him. Harry yawned widely, water gathering in his tired eyes. He was tempted to stretch but didn’t want to make it obvious that he’d taken a nap during Math class.
“How long was I down?” he asked peering down at his watch
“About fifteen minutes. Same amount of time it took for her to copy out one sum from the book” Lola answered, rolling her eyes.
“Homework please guys” the teacher appeared infront of their desk, holding her mark book in one arm and a pencil in the other hand.
“I did most of the questions, but I got stuck on the last two and forgot to come to you before class” Lola said, feeling the womans intimidating eyes fixed on her listening intently to the excuse. She paused before sharply exhaling and giving a nod, checking off Lolas name in her mark book.
“Harry?”
Lola chewed her lip and glanced to the side to Harry who didn’t even have any paper in front of him, let alone completed any work. He swallowed and looked at Lola’s work, realising he had missed out yet again. He scratched the back of his neck, rolling the sleeves of his school jumper up to slouch around his elbows.
“I..I haven’t done it Miss”
“Harry this is the fourth time in two wee-“
“I know, i’m sorry” Harry dropped his head, looking down at his lap. Lola felt bad watching him not bother to tell her his valid excuse, he just wasn’t interested enough anymore to try and justify his laziness. School was an inconvenience to him right now, and he couldn’t wait for the summer to start.
”Miss?” Lola spoke up, seeing Harry look at her too out the corner of her eye “It’s not Harrys fault…things are happening at home and it’s been difficult..” she said hesitantly, hoping Harry would be okay with her revealing his personal life to their teacher. Probably not, but she didn’t want him to get in trouble and sabotage his education over what had happened in his family life. Even if he got annoyed with her later, she figured there was some good outcome from it.
The teacher nodded slowly, giving Harry an understanding look of acknowledgement and moved onto the next desk.
Lola looked down at her Maths book, her eyes trailing over all the individual blue lines creating hundreds of square shapes in the paper. She felt Harry give her a gentle nudge in the side, and looked up to him.
The ends of his mouth turned up slightly as he looked her in the eyes, giving her an appreciative smile. “Thanks”
Lola nodded slowly and mumbled a quiet “No problem”
After class had ended, the bell had never sounded so heavenly. Lola packed up all her books and stationary within five seconds and shoved it into her bag. She pulled a lightweight jacket over her and rushed to the door, in need of some fresh air.
The corridors were packed as students travelled to their next class, their voices merging together to create a low droning sound throughout the halls. Lola squeezed past everyone, heading towards the double doors, sunlight bursting through them begging for Lola to come outside.
“Lola!” a familiar voice called after her. “Lola wait”
Lola turned around to see Harry jogging to catch up with her, panting slightly. His curls were dishevelled after his power nap and he shook them in his hands, sweeping them to the left.
“Look…” he started, swallowing as his plump pink lips formed a straight line “It was decent of you to help me out before and stuff, but I just wanna tell you that…well..”
Lola raised her eyebrows, hoping for something good to come out his mouth. He hadn’t shown much anger towards her since his Dad passed away, and the help and comfort she provided, or tried to provide. Lola felt like his death had bought out a new side of Harry, one that is more appreciative and less aggressive. Like he’d come to some realisations.
“I don’t need your pity anymore”
Lola’s hopes dropped and she frowned in confusion, seeing Harrys face stay still. He looked at her blankly, not showing any signs of remorse or any attempt to make that sound less rude. Lola looked down at her feet, feeling unappreciated and uncared for. She made an effort to help Harry out, and this is how he responds?
“Things should…just, go back to how they were before”
“What? Why? Even though we were almost getting alo-“
“No it works better this way okay?” Harry stated firmly, his voice stern and authoritive “And besides, it’s not like we were ever gonna be ‘friends’ anyway”
Lola felt like an idiot for previously thinking Harry might have changed his ways. Why did he always have to be her enemy? Didn’t it please him to get along with Lola like it pleased her? Or did he despise her that much, that he couldn’t stand spending time with her the way he had been after his Dad died?
She knew Harry was reluctant to accept comfort from Lola in the first place. When he asked for a hug, it was purely out of sorrow and loneliness wracking his feelings, rather than seeking her out to have her particularly cuddled into his chest. He just needed someone; anyone, at that time of grief. And she just so happened to be there.
But she felt like if Harry was willing to ask his arch enemy for comfort, he must have been desperate. And if he was rejecting her from now on, what else was he supposed to do? He didn’t want anyone, and she knew what that felt like. She knew what she turned to, and what Harry would also turn to. The method of self harm that gave him so much relief from the painful reality of the outside world.
“I know you’re going through a rough time” Lola spoke, using her hands as gestures as she spoke “And even though as you say, we are never gonna be friends, I still hope you won’t cut yourself”
Harry slipped his thumbs under the black straps of his backpack, the tip of his tongue poking into his cheek. He adjusted the bands on his wrist and looked at Lola
“Can’t promise anything” he shrugged, before spinning on his foot and walking away in the opposite direction.
**
Two days later it was Friday, and Lola was looking forward to spending it in. She was originally planning to see Zayn, as she’d seen less of him lately but cancelled on him. She was bloated, her hair was damp and tangly and she couldn’t be bothered to make herself look better to impress anyone tonight. She just wanted to relax.
It was around 12pm when Lola hopped off her bed to fetch a glass of water from downstairs. The living room light was still on, as John was watching a film while finishing up some work on his laptop. Lola passed him into the kitchen, filling up a glass with cold water and taking it with her.
She was met in the front room by Harry who had just rolled in from going out with his friends. He was still wearing a jacket and had his phone clutched in his hand. His eyelids were heavy and he wobbled as he stepped, a drunken grin on his face.
“Harry, how much have you had?” John asked. Lola went and sat down on the sofa, trying not to butt in.
“What the fuck Dad i’ve had one beer, stop hassling me man” he slurred, his eyes shutting closed as he lolled his head back
“Listen to me” he demanded. Harry pushed his eyes open, seeing his Dads figure whirling infront of his dizzy eyes. His head was spinning and he felt sick, but it was better than being sober and having a million depressing thoughts running through your mind.
“No, I need another drink first. Lola, fetch me a beer babes“ Harry called out, his voice dry and husky, followed by a coarse cackle at his derogatory demands.
“No, you’ve had enough Harry. Look at the state you’ve gotten yourself in, you can’t even stand” he said, watching his son struggle to stay upright on his feet “You shouldn’t be abusing alcohol to deal with your grief, you should be at bloody home with your Mum, not going out and getting wasted!”
“Yeah yeah” Harry ignored his comment and slouched back onto the sofa Lola was on, resting his head back. He rubbed his forehead, sweeping back his curls. He pulled his phone out, holding it in his hands resting on his belt and texting. Lola glanced at him, seeing how ignorant he was being as he didn’t listen to anything his Dad said, too busy tapping away at his screen.
John sloped off upstairs, not wanting to make an effort with his son when he was intoxicated. Lola caught the faint smell of stale cigarette smoke waft under her nostrils as Harry had sat down, and felt the warmth radiating from his body.
“What have you been doing?” she asked
“Went out” he replied bluntly, not taking his eyes off from his text message.
“Obviously. Where did you go?”
“Out with my mates?” Harry replied sarcastically as if it was obvious and she was stupid “Went to have a good time for a bit, forgot that’s not allowed is it”
Lola felt irritated by the sarcastic tone of his voice, and how rude he had been to his father. Especially since his widowed Mum was probably sitting at home alone right now, and he had been out drinking with his friends. And doing other things obviously, she wondered if it was only cigarettes he had smoked.
“You smell disgusting” she muttered without thinking, quickly praying he hadn’t heard it.
Harry finally took his eyes off his phone and turned his head to Lola, giving her a dirty look. He dropped his gaze down her body quickly as she was dressed in booty shorts and a pastel pink tank top.
“Yeah well you look worse, so sort yourself out” he answered
“I have no reason to so that’s not gonna work if you’re trying to put me down. Maybe you should take a look in the mirror and sort yourself out” Lola said, referring to the state he’d gotten himself into the deal with his problems and the other methods of coping he regularly indulged in. He looked paler than usual for the past week since Andy died, dark circles underneath his usually radient eyes.
“I don’t need to change anything, your reason is that no lads will go near you-“
“Zayn seemed pretty keen to” she said, knowing it wound Harry up. He shifted up from his slouching position to an upright seating position and turned to Lola.
“Oh yeah?” he said, his mouth turning up into a cocky yet angry grin “I’ve always been better than Zayn, I taught him everything he knows about sex”
“You’re so full of yourself” Lola huffed, unravelling her legs from beneath her bum, reading to stand up and go back to her room.
Harry grabbed her by the hips before she could get up and tugged her body roughly down the sofa, causing a small yelp to leave her throat. His vision spun as he hovered over her, trapping her smaller body beneath his by placing a knee either side of hers.
Lolas breath halted momentarily and she tensed all her muscles as she felt Harry tilt his head, his damp lips press into the warm skin of her neck. She had no idea what he was trying to do, or prove. She smelt the alcohol stench of his breath on her and the soft curls tickle her cheek as he grazed his plump lips across her ear.
Without thought, Lolas palms instantly found Harrys flexed biceps either side of her and gripped them gently, her stomach clenching. It was a reflex.
She felt Harrys smirk print into her skin at that action. That was what he wanted to prove.
“Just like that mm, I fucking knew you wanted it” he chuckled hoarsley, his deep voice running a shiver down Lolas spine as it pressed flat against the sofa cushions “Slut”
Harry bought his face back up infront of hers, staring intensely into her eyes. She could see how rich the green specks of his irises had turned in the dim lighting, his pupils dilated, and the white of his eyeball was bloodshot. Their tips of their noses were an inch away from brushing and she felt the warmth of his intoxicated breath on her chin. Her heart was pounding against her chest.
What was happening.
Lola noticed Harrys eyes dropped down to her lips for a brief second, the vein throbbing in his neck beneath the tanned skin. She also noticed how his own set of lips were flushed deep pink and moist, the very tip of his tongue peeking out between them as he licked them slightly.
It was only a few seconds but felt like a lifetime of Harry trapping her body between his and the sofa, his pelvis pressing heavily onto her own, restricting movement.
She felt strangely disappointed at the loss of pressure as Harry abruptly pulled himself up from her. He shook his head, getting rid of the past few seconds in his head. Lola simply couldn’t figure him out. One minute they were getting along okay, the next he was treating her like dirt. She was completely confused.
“Go get some beauty sleep darling” he said with a small smirk, his eyes struggling to stay fully open as he approached the door “You need it”
THIS IS NOT MY STORY. All credit goes to xxfan1direction.tumblr.com go follow and check her out. She has an amazing blog and is a beautiful writer.