Awkward Beat [H.S]

Chapter 17

In which there is a change of plans

Chapter 17

My alarm clock woke me especially early on Saturday morning. I was groggy and a bit hungover, but a huge glass of water and Tylenol had taken care of that. The previous night, Macy and I had gone to Niall's house – by invitation of Liam and Niall, respectively – to celebrate the end of term. All three boys – Zayn, Liam, and Niall – had finished their exams and would be heading home for the holidays the next day. Quite a few people were in attendance, including Lola, so naturally, I drank heavily and engaged in five minutes of conversation in total with Zayn.

Sigh.

But I had a paper to write. Because there loomed ahead a long shift at the Hub Cub, I had to start early. Feeling grungy, I made myself toast with peanut butter along with a large mug of tea and went back to my room with my breakfast to begin working.

Harry's bedroom door was open but he didn't bother to look up as I passed. He was hunched over his desk, fingers massaging his temples as he muttered to himself while reading the lines in a textbook. His hair was flat and greasy, his skin ashen. There were dark circles under his eyes and I was fairly certain that he was still wearing the same outfit he'd worn the day before. If I had to bet on it, I'd say he hadn't slept at all. And from the way his eyes remained glued to the page and didn't even blink, I was also willing to bet that he had taken those extra Ritalin tablets that Niall had procured.

"Harry?" I asked, knocking gently at his door.

"Hmm?" he said, his head flying up in an almost frightening manner. He really hadn't been aware that I'd been watching him or that I'd woken up at all – he'd been entirely inside his own head.

"Have you slept?"

"No time," was his quick reply.

I figured as much. "Have you eaten?"

"No time," he repeated, pointing to the material on his desk. "Exam in one hour."

"Harry, you need to eat," I scolded him. "You can't subsist on Ritalin and coffee. You'll destroy yourself."

"No time!" he cried with impatience, his hands clenched into fists. "I'll eat later. I just need to make it to noon. Fitz, please. I need to study. Just... I'm fine."

Realizing I'd been dismissed, I backed away from his door. Harry was regularly stressed, but he had never been so snippy with me. I assumed it was the drug taking effect, but it could also have been the lack of sleep or the inordinate amount of pressure he put on himself. Whatever it was, he needed some sort of nourishment.

Five minutes later, I returned to his bedroom with another plate of peanut butter and toast along with a mandarin orange. I didn't bother knocking and simply let myself in, sliding the plate under his nose to be sure it caught his eye.

He slowly raised his head, bewildered and unsure of what to do.

"Eat it," I instructed, sternly raising my eyebrows to prove it was no joking matter.

Then I left, shutting myself in my bedroom to get started on my essay. Half an hour later, I heard the water running in the shower, and fifteen minutes after that, the door to the flat slammed shut as Harry left to write his final exam.

I was on a roll with my paper, so I stayed in my room for a while longer. When I finally checked the clock and knew that it was time to get ready for work, I peered into Harry's room on my way to the loo. His desk was a veritable mess, with papers and post it notes strewn everywhere.