Chapter 31 - Clinic
I'm paralyzed with panic. Walking towards me is the boy from the cafeteria who Harry had saved me from. But what panics me most is his face. His face is completely blank as he closes the distance between us, stopping nearly a meter away.
"Diana." He states quietly, dipping his head once as an acknowledgement.
"What do you want, Josh?" Kyle asks from behind me and I feel my respect for the young boy grow as he steps forward, the back of his hand brushing mine reassuringly.
"I'm sorry." The older boy -Josh- states, his icy eyes locked on mine. I feel my brows furrow in confusion but I can't make myself speak up. "For everything." He clarifies, swallowing hard as he shifts his weight to his back leg.
This one moment in time. There are so many emotions coursing through me. Fear, confusion, grief, and yet somehow there's a small flicker of awe. People pass by, unaware of the impact of these few short moments with nothing more than a sidelong, sympathetic glance or hushed whispers. But they still walk by, not any clue towards the significance of this seemingly meaningless conversation.
"I know what I did was... extremely wrong. You don't have to say anything, but I'm sorry ...About your mom too." He says quietly. Kyle stands faithfully by my side like a golden retriever. He's completely clueless yet he stands next to me as if ready to jump into action although we haven't hardly known each other two minutes, despite his obvious size disadvantage.
"I forgive you... And thank you..." I barely whisper without thinking, pulling my book bag closer. Surprise crosses his face. And then panic on both boys' faces.
I internally groan. What now? Just as I turn to see who they're both gawking at, I look up in time to see Harry's arm pull me into his side.
His face is calm but his eyes are furious. Livid. By the slightest step he takes, barely noticeable as he pulls me away from Josh, his anger shows through. With a quick gesture towards both boys, my voice comes out as a small mumble. "Harry, this is Kyle and Josh. Kyle, Josh, this is Harry. You've both met Harry once."
When he beat the crap out of both of you, I silently add.
Harry tears his gaze from Josh to look at me, slight confusion in his eyes. The questions are written all over his face. Are you okay? Why are you here? Why are they talking to you?
I can't help but feel bad for both of the boys before us as they simultaneously take the slightest of steps away from the towering, tattooed boy at my side. I thought Josh was tall but next to Harry, he's dwarfed. And then poor Kyle is nothing but a crumb next to Harry's impressive height.
Harry looks away from me to look down at the small boy, squinting slightly as he struggles to dredge up their encounter. And then his eyes widen in recognition. "Hey, I know you." He recalls, a smile crossing his face. And then it slips into an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry for that, I really am. I shouldn't have done that... I'm sorry..." His smile slips away as he assesses Kyle's face carefully. Kyle's grey eyes widen in surprise before he barely nods, choking out a quiet "S'fine." before Harry turns to Josh.
"I'm not sorry for what I did to you, touch my girlfriend again and you'll be nothing but a stain on the ground." He states calmly.
"Harry." I snap quietly, whacking him in the stomach. He looks down at me, stating with confusion in his voice. "Well I'm not." I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "He apologized." I quietly whisper, watching as his face turns to surprise. Harry looks back to the icy eyed boy, a small and apologetic frown crossing his face and furrowing his brows.
"I'm sorry, then. But seriously, touch her and you die."
I guess that's about as good as it gets.
Josh smiles slightly, opening his mouth to say something when Harry interrupts him. "Sorry, boys, Diana's gotta go, bye now." He kicks my locker shut, pulling me away from the two surprised boys. I follow him, slightly shocked. But confusion stops the question at my lips when he pulls us towards the stairwell. Our class is downstairs. Just as we're about to take the first step up, he suddenly turns, pulling me under the stairs.
"I thought you were staying home today." He murmurs quietly, brows furrowed in concern as his hands move up to cup my cheeks. I barely shake my head, looking down. There's no logical reason to it, but I can't meet his gaze.
"Are you feeling okay?" He questions softly, hands moving down to mine, his fingers tangling through mine. I barely nod in response, frustration building up when a lump forms in my throat. "How did you get to school? You should've at least called me. Actually you should've stayed home." He whispers, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles into the back of my hands.
"I walked here." I barely croak out, my voice cracking. Immediately Harry's arms are around me.
"Hey, hey.. It's alright, you don't have to talk..." He whispers, rocking us back and forth. All I can do is wrap my arms around his waist, hiding my face in his shoulder as I fight back tears.
"I miss my mom..." I whimper, my chest tightening. Harry's grip on me tightens, his lips pressing against my hair.
"Sweetheart, you should go home, you need rest..." He pleads softly, his large hand rubbing up and down my back. I shake my head in response, the cries pulling at my throat, begging to deepen into sobs.
"I hate being alone." I choke, feeling my shoulders bounce once with a sob.
"Hey, hey, don't cry.. Don't cry, please.. I hate seeing you cry.." He whispers, his cheek resting in my hair.
"I'm sorry..." I blubber out pathetically.
"Don't apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for." He laughs breathlessly, stepping back a little and lifting my chin so I have to meet his gaze. As soon as his green eyes meet mine, my bottom lip trembles furiously.
His face softens, one hand moving to brush his thumb across my lips. "Can you manage to pull yourself together for at least five minutes? Just enough to get to the nurse?" He asks quietly.
"The nurse?" I echo blankly, watching his green eyes.
"Pips, you're obviously not in any position to be going to class. Nobody will blame you for missing one or two more days of school. Finals are next week, all they're gonna be doing is stupid team games and flash cards. Go home, please. If I have to, I'll fake sick if you don't want to be alone. You just have to go in a few minutes after me and then meet me at my rental car. I still have till Wednesday with it." He smiles slightly at the end, unaware that he's drifting off topic.
His thumbs brush along my cheekbones again, wiping away any evidence of crying. I barely nod, reaching up to try and smooth down my hair that's now frizzy from hugging him. He frowns slightly, trying to help push down the few rebellious hairs as he talks.
"You just have to be able to make it to the clinic. Once you get in there, just hang on a few minutes until you get out. And if you can't, it's alright. Nobody will judge you, they'll understand." He murmurs reassuringly, finally pulling the beanie off his head and tugging over mine. I can't help but smile slightly as he combs his fingers through my hair, parting it so half drapes over each of my shoulders. Then he smiles in approval.
"You look good in my beanie. Nobody will know you were crying. You look beautiful." He smiles. I barely sniffle, nodding as I keep my lips sealed to keep from crying again. "See you in a few, Pips..." He whispers, pressing his lips to my forehead before disappearing back into the crowded hallway.
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Harrys P.O.V.
I weave through the halls, making my way through the throng of people towards the nurse's office. I still can't even begin to fathom what on earth possessed Julia that she tried and come to school today when I could hardly even get her to eat.
She looks like a mess. It's obvious she's been crying in the time she's supposed to be sleeping. Not that anyone would question her for it but it still concerns me.
As I approach the nurses office, I slow my pace outside of the door, taking a moment to let my tense shoulders relax and hang, combing one hand through my hair once before letting my face go blank, pinning on a weak grimace before pushing the door open and walking in.
Two women sit behind their desk, one playing with a Rubiks cube, a bright neon "volunteer" sticker plastered onto her shirt. The other woman looks up, her grey hair pinned into a tight bun.
"Hello, Harry." She says softly, standing with her brows knit in concern.
"Hello, Mrs. Gladstone.." I reply just as quietly, giving a shaky smile. Mrs. Gladstone is a short woman, thin glasses perched on her nose and always a kind smile on her face. In the past I've had many trips to the nurse's office but it had been a while now since I had gotten into a fight.
"No bloody nose this time, Harry?" She asks with a small smile, turning back to the counter to pick up one of the thermometer strips. I shake my head, walking up to the counter and plucking a plastic-flower-adorned pen from the flower jar, signing my name on the clinic log.
"I haven't been in a fight for a few months." I reply, looking up to her concerned smile. She hands me the thermometer strip and I take it, slipping the uncomfortable piece of plastic under my tongue.
"Why are you here today, Harry?" She asks, picking up her pen as she writes onto the small note card-report. "I feel flu-ish." I mumble around the thermometer, snatching it quickly from my mouth, rubbing the heel of my hand against it furiously until I feel my hand burn from the sudden friction.
I pop it back under my tongue just in time for her to look up, holding out a hand for me to give it to her. I fight back the smug smile, taking it back out again and handing it to her, adding a hoarse cough for good measure.
"100° Fahrenheit." She reads, a frown making its way onto her face. "Why don't you sign out, dear. Do you have to call anyone?" I'm about to reply when I hear the door open behind me, a soft sniffle coming from the doorway. I say a quick "I have a car." to the nurse, turning to look at the doorway.
Julia stands at the door, my beanie tugged over her tangled hair, her arms folded firmly across her midsection, her book bag barely hanging onto her. I give her the slightest of smiles, turning back to the paper and writing down the time before nodding a quick thanks towards the nurses. As I pass by Julia on my way out, my hand brushes hers. I feel her gaze on me, all the way until I walk out the door.