Song for this part is All the things she said by t.A.T.u.
Louis POV
"You're wasting your time Lou," the cop said. He'd been called by the neighbors to investigate sounds of screaming during the party. Now he stood in our nasty living room talking to me. It wouldn't be nasty later. I was going to power clean until it was presentable to Naomi. Right now however it was 2 in the morning, and I was being forced to endure yet another lecture on my poor friend choice, while Harry slept off his drug use.
"He just needs someone to care about him!" I insisted.
"I know you care about him Louis. You gave up your entire career to do it, but its not working okay? He needs rehab...and specialists."
We were talking about Harry of course. The local cops had been patronizing me about him for months now. Every time they were called to our apartment, which was more often than I was comfortable with, they would give me this exact same speech. They were kind about it but the message was always the same. Give up and make him someone else's problem.
"He's getting better," I added firmly still.
"Louis I can smell it in the house." I stiffened at his words. "I have half the mind to search it and take him in right now but I doubt he's left anything to find because he's already used it all."
My face fell from hopeful to hopeless.
"He shouldn't be out free Louis. He should be in a home where he can't reach the bad stuff anymore. You just cant help him anymore."
I'd bought us a flat. I'd gotten him nearly clean, given up singing, given up a social life, taken him out of the public eye, bought him the lightest liquor I could, bought him patches, gotten him in AA, NA, and therapy, I'd done everything. And somehow he kept finding his way around it. Somehow everyone was telling me it wasn't enough. It was all I could do not to break down and scream right here.
"There's got to be something I can do." I said hopefully. "I can't just give up on him."
"If the cops are called again, I have to take him. I've got no other choice. And I don't want to see him taken away from you like that. We don't want to see you hurt. You're a good kid Lou, but you have to do what's right. You're in over your head with this one."
I gaped. "Even if I told him to go to rehab, he wouldn't."
"Then get it court ordered," he suggested.
"I would never," I didn't even hesitate to say it. "I have no reason to. I'm managing him well on my own."
He didn't answer me.
"Me and him are fine," I continued trying to convince myself. I wouldn't let them take him. I couldn't let them. He was my best friend. I'd promised to take care of him no matter what. After everything, I couldn't just let it all go.
"If I get called again Lou.... He's gone." He turned to leave. He was almost gone when I stopped him.
"If he was to go to a rehab facility..." I paused biting my lip. "What ones would be.... Easiest for him?"
He nodded sadly looking somwhat pleased with my possible compromise and handed me a handful of pamphlets. "I already asked these 3. They'll take him as soon as he's ready."
* * * * * *
"Your girls cute," Harry said leaning across the arm of our couch watching me. He winked suggestively. "I like her hair."
I smiled remembering her soft wispy hair. It was light coco brown as was her deep eyes. Her face was light and smooth and rosy in the cheeks. She was more than cute. She was absolutely beautiful.
"Earth to Louis!" Harry snapped his fingers in my face pulling me out of my thoughts. He laughed, doubling over. "Dude, you're so getting laid."
My eyes widened surprised. "What?!"
"Whats Eleanor gonna think when she finds out you're dating someone else?" He asked humorously. "Oh wait! What's Eleanor gonna think when she finds out youre getting laid with someone else?"
"I'm not getting laid!" I said irritated, shoving his shoulder mock angrily. "And who cares what Eleanor thinks?"
"Oh right... You broke up with her for sleeping with that one asshole," Harry mused.
"You were that asshole," I reminded him frustrated.
He just laughed again.
Believe it or not, Harry wasn't high. I hadn't really allowed him to do much of anything out side of my presence today. I'd given him a can of beer and then locked up the liquor in my own room. He was shaking slightly, but I needed him atleast somewhat sober. We'd been cleaning the house all day. Washing the booze out of couches, and the smoke out of the rooms. We had fans in every window filtering out the smell and I'd used at least 2 cans of air freshener to filter through the heating ducts into the house.
I could still smell something though. Something here in the living room and I couldn't find it. With 3 hours until Naomi would get here, I was determined to exterminate the pest.
"What is it?" I asked Harry pointedly again. "And where?"
"I already told you it's weed and I'll tell you where if you give me another beer. Seriously this ones been empty for a while and I had to make it stretch." Harry had a bad tendency of being a complete jerk to get what he wanted. "Actually, how about you get me one of the vodka bottles instead?"
"Please," I begged trying to mask my anger. "You don't know how important this is to me."
He laughed. I usually liked Harry's laugh. It made him seem younger and happier. But right now it was making me want to punch him in the face. "Yes I do," His lazy smile widened. "Which is why I know you'll give in."
I could feel my face turning red.
"Its only one drink Lou! It's not like I'm doing crack, though let's be honest its not like I'm against it. C'mon it's Christmas and I don't really want to go through withdrawals this week!" He said it all as if it meant nothing. As if his problems were comical. He said it as if the past years hadn't been absolute hell for us. He said it as if I hadn't given up my job, my family and the girl that I'd thought was the love of my life for him.
I pulled the cushions off the couch looking for it. I checked the elevator doors and the vents. I checked and rechecked the cabinet. Then, by chance as I was moving to check the armchair, I found the loose floorboard.
"Oh my god Harry, please tell me you didn't hide drugs in my floor," I said in awe rubbing my hand a crossed the rivets in the boards
"I didn't," he said though his smug smile as he held back laughter revealed his lie.
I used my nails and pulled up the board from its place. The bag was huge and filled with a leafy green substance smelling strongly of marijuana with a few pills mixed in to the mess. "How did you get it in the floor?" I asked casually, putting the floor board back in place and holding up the bag at him smugly.
"I'll just put it in my room," he said boredly standing up. He seemed dissapointed that his game was over.
I thought of the cop last night. I wondered..... If he had tried to search the house would he have found the loose floor board? Would Harry still be here if he had?
"No." I stepped back away from him. "I'm getting rid of it."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, undoubtedly trying to figure out my thought process. It wasn't often that I moved away from my role as the pushover. "No, you're not. Look, I promise not to smoke it while Naomi's over okay?"
He held out his hand expectantly.
I backed away towards the kitchen. "Harry no. I'm not giving it to to you. I told you no more. You're done with this stuff in my house."
He looked at me confused. Shock at my actions were clearly displayed in his voice. "No.... Louis.... What's gotten into you?"
"Maturity," I smirked. "You should get some."
He looked really angry, but I just headed to the kitchen sink and started running water, then he garabage disposal.
Harry stood in the doorway. "You wouldn't dare!" He tested.
I decided in a split second that I did in fact dare, and dumped the entire bag down the drain. It swirled in the sink before getting captured by the garbage disposal, most of the smell being caught by the water. Harry looked horrified, running to the sink and watching it all pour down.
"Did you have any idea how much all that costs?" He said stiffly.
"I'll probably take it out of the rent you're not paying," I said laughing. "Consider it your rent money Harry."
He went to hit me but I sidestepped lightly. "Really Harry?" I said with a cold smile. "You're going to hit the only person keeping you out of jail?"
"This is jail."
"No," I shook my head sidestepping his next swing. "Jail keeps you there. You're free to leave here Harry.... Though I daresay you have nowhere else to go. That's the reason you came here in the first place... isn't it?"
"No! I have other friends!" He was getting angrier now. Part of me wanted to stop, the other part was to frustrated and scared by the cops words the previous night to care.
"Sure you do," I said sarcastically. "As long as you have parties and buy the drugs with the money you get from me driving you to the bank 30 minutes away because you totaled both your car and your replacement car and me remembering your account number because you can't even remember to put matching socks on."
I didn't move fast enough to avoid his next swing. His fist hit me straight on the right side of my face, his ring causing a cut in my skin. His face fell from anger to sorrow as I fell off balance onto the ground, somewhat stunned.
"What are you waiting for? Hit me again! I'm down already! I can't do anything about it can I?" I taunted coldy. Two years ago, I would have been sympathetic to his painful expression. Things had changed now. Things were different. Worse.
"No...." Harry muttered softly.
"Why not?" I paused. "Because you know better right? Because you know I'm the only one on your side and I'm the only one whose going to care about you when the drugs run out." I could remember the days clearly. The late nights when Harry would accidentally run out of his supply, and find himself inconsolable on the ground as the painful withdrawals gripped him. Some days, though they were few and far between, he'd do it intentionally in a poorly coordinated attempt to quit. Those were the days that I would have to hold him while he shook, and cry with him, and dream that it would be the last time. "So God dammit Harry can you please actually put some effort out and try to quit? For me? Please?"
He leaned over the counter next to me staring into the marble surface and running his hands through his long curls and rubbing his eyes as he always did when he was frustrated. His lip was trembling. "Don't you think I would if I thought I could actually do it? Louis I can't okay. Four months clean and a shitload of fucking heroin proved that!"
"I know you could Harry," I smiled kindly and sat up looking at the blood from my cheek. "Jesus, you hit me really hard that time."
"I'm sorry," his voice had gone quiet.
"I know you are," I said back to him.
The tension had deflated a considerable amount all of a sudden, as it always did when Harry and I fought. "I'm sorry for wrecking your house last night.... I'll- I'll be out of here soon." Harry didn't meet my eyes.
"Theyre not going to take you Harry. I already told you I won't let them," I told him firmly.
He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "I know but what if I went to one of those places the cop told you about?"
I tensed. Until now I'd been under the impression that he had been asleep when I talked to the officers the previous night.
"Harry you don't have to go. I like it when you're here," I assured him. "Sure we have our fights, but you're still my best friend. Its not a big deal. We'll figure it out on our own okay?"
He nodded. "Get off the floor.... You're getting blood all over. And you're girls gonna be here soon."
I smiled. I totally had forgotten about Naomi.
He held up an arm and helped me up from the floor with an awkward smile. "C'mon Harry, we have to put the Christmas tree back up and go to the store."
We left in better spirits but an uneasiness weighed me down. Harry's consideration of going to rehab made me nervous in a completely unjustifiable way. He'd been by my side almost constantly for the past few years since he'd moved in. Even if Harry was ready to go, was I ready to see my best friend leave?
Question of the chapter: How do you think Harry and Louis interactions with eachother portray the friendship?