Change // H.S.

12. Plans

The next day....

*Dani's POV*

I called Harry's aunt a little before noon today. Surprisingly, she asked me if I could meet her today. I agreed since I had a two hour gap in my schedule that I could fit her in.

I'm currently sitting at a table in Starbucks which is where we agreed to meet. I'm early but I have nothing else to do so I took out my psychology textbook and began reading, drinking my coffee occasionally. Half an hour later, I see her come through the door. She acknowledged my presence then ordered a cup of coffee before sitting down across from me.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Half an hour but don't worry--I came early," I told her.

"So...about Harry," she starts, her hands wrapped around her cup of coffee. "I guess I'll start at the beginning....

Harry's mum is my younger sister. She was pregnant with Harry when she was only eighteen. My parents weren't too happy about it. They thought she was far too young to have a baby and they also didn't think the father was committed. They were unfortunately right about the father not being committed. Soon after Harry was born, he left. He couldn't handle the stress of having a baby at such a young age with a dead-end job.

My parents offered to help take care of Harry but she didn't want their help. She was angry at us for not thinking she was capable of taking care of Harry and wanted to prove us wrong. We lost contact with her for a few years. When we eventually did reconnect, we found out that she was working three jobs in order to pay the bills. My parents offered to help again but she rejected their offer."

She paused to take a sip of her coffee. She then sighed before resuming her story. "She finally admitted she needed help when Harry was in his teens. She told us about Harry's drug use and coming home drunk. We tried to talk to Harry but he wouldn't listen. At that time, it was too late. Harry was too far gone.

All of this was too much for Anne. She was working three jobs and Harry always made her worried sick. She died of a heart attack when Harry was just a senior in high school. After she died, Harry disappeared from the face of the planet. We couldn't find him. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally saw him at the homeless shelter. A homeless shelter. Can you believe that? He's supposed to live with me but he refuses to. The reason for that, I have no idea." She crossed her arms, sat back in her chair, and sighed.

Harry's story was sad. He went through so much at a young age. He grew up without a father and hung out with the wrong crowd. I couldn't stop thinking about his mom. His mom loved him so much despite who he became. "Do you think that's the guilt he's living with?" I asked.

"What?"

"Harry told me that he wanted to stop smoking and drinking. He also told me that he wished to live with no guilt. He never told me what he was feeling guilty for, though."

"Are you saying that he feels responsible for his mum's death? It's very possible."

We sat in silence as I processed the new information given to me. Harry feels guilty for his mom's death. How on earth am I going to make him forgive himself?

"His birthday is coming up soon," Harry's aunt says, snapping me back into reality. "His birthday is the first of February. Can you give this to him?" She hands me a small box wrapped neatly. "Don't tell him it's from me, though. Just say it's from you." I took the small package in my hands and promised to give it to him.

His birthday is coming up. I should do something special for him.

.

.

*Harry's POV*

Once I wasn't sleepy anymore, I opened my eyes. I stared up at the ceiling and sighed before getting off the couch. I stood up and stretched my arms. It was a pain sleeping on the couch, but then again, I shouldn't be complaining. Sleeping on the couch is a whole lot better than sleeping at the homeless shelter.

Dani won't be back for a while. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and showered. Once I was done, I stepped into the kitchen looking for something to eat. I settled for cereal. I need to be productive today and turn in these applications and look for more places to apply to. I also need to stop by my boss' smoke shop to see if he has anything for me.

I put on a warm jacket and stepped outside. I breathed in the cold, fresh air. The snow was melting and the sun was shining. I smiled. I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head and new clothes to wear.

I decided to stop by my boss' smoke shop first. I smoked a cigarette before stepping into the shop and I felt disgusting. I'm trying my best to stop but it's hard to kick the habit. The good news is that I only smoke four times a day now. That's something, right?

"Do you have anything for me today?" I asked my boss.

"I do," my boss replied. "I have someone who wants to buy a gram of coke at 6 PM."

"Awesome. I'll stop by later." I said my goodbyes and walked out of the shop to return the job applications I filled out. While returning the job applications, I found a bookstore that was hiring and got a copy of their application as well.

~

I came back to the apartment around 7 PM and found Dani in the kitchen making dinner. We sat at the table to eat and then asked each other how our day went.

"So," Dani started. "I was thinking that you should go to a support group to help you quit smoking and drinking." I looked up at her.

"Support group?" I asked, turning my head to the side and furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, for smoking and drinking. You'll meet other people there just like you. I think hearing other peoples' success stories may help you quit smoking and drinking. And who knows? You might make a few friends as well."

"I don't know about this...."

"Just give it a try. Your first session is tomorrow at 5 PM. It's only one hour long and the place it's at is within walking distance." It's tomorrow? Why so soon? I was getting nervous just thinking about it.

"Okay, I'll go," I said in a shaky voice.

"That's great! Oh, and one more thing. Do you have any plans this Saturday?" This Saturday is my birthday. I'm going to be turning 21. I should be ecstatic, but honestly, I could care less about turning 21.

"No I don't," I answered. Dani's face lightened up at my answer. What is she planning?