Change // H.S.

13. Support

*Harry's POV*

It's Friday and we're standing right outside the support group building. I can't believe she signed me up for this. To calm my nerves, I took out a cigarette and lit it. It was a bad habit of mine to smoke when I was nervous. I felt a bit of guilt when I saw that Dani was leaned against the brick wall of the building, watching me with her arms crossed. She watched me carefully. Even though her face showed no sign of disgust or disappointment, I can tell she's hurt just by looking at her eyes. She was making it difficult to enjoy smoking.

"You're making me feel guilty," I frowned. Dani looked at me confused. "You're watching me smoke and I can tell that you're disappointed in me," I continued.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," she sighed. "I'd love for you to stop but I know it's not that easy. Take your time. Don't say that I'm disappointed because I'm not. In fact, I'm quite the opposite. I'm proud that you're trying to change. In the meanwhile, I'll stare at something else so you can smoke in peace." Dani turned to face the other direction, watching a group of students climb onto the city bus. I took the opportunity to finish smoking.

I tried my best to linger around outside as long as possible. I really didn't want to go to the support group. It was so embarrassing!

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go in," Dani said, practically pushing me through the door. I entered the building and checked in. I found myself in a room with chairs arranged in a circle. Most of the seats were taken. I sat down in an empty seat and looked at the people around me. They were all conversing with each other and I suddenly felt lonely and out of place. Why am I here again?

Out of nowhere, a middle-aged balding man came in and sat down next to me. "Hello everyone!" he yelled. "Great seeing you all here! And look who we have here...." The man eyed me and looked down at his clipboard. "You must be Harry, my new client."

"That's me," I said quietly. I was fully aware that all eyes were on me. I felt like a caged animal at the zoo. I picked at a loose piece of string on my jeans.

"Welcome to the support group, Harry! Everyone--this is Harry. He's new here. Please make him feel at home." Must he always shout? I felt the need to plug my ears but I knew that would be rude of me. Everyone in the circle murmured hi to me. I waved at them awkwardly and smiled.

"My name is Richard," the middle-aged balding man continued. "I'm your counselor. I'm here to listen to your problems and to encourage you to stop whatever it is that you want to stop. Would you like to introduce yourself to the group?"

"I...uh...." I started. I was at a loss for words. I didn't like the sudden spotlight on me.

"Oh right! You don't know how things work here. Let me have other people go so you have an idea of what to say. Let's start with you, Zayn."

"Hi. I'm Zayn Malik," said a young man with black hair. "I'm proud to say that I haven't smoked a cigarette in three months." Everyone clapped their hands and congratulated Zayn. "Thank you! I owe it all to the love of my life, Perrie. She told me that if I wanted to marry her, I had to quit smoking. I love her and I'll do anything to marry her." I smiled at how cute his story was. That's a lot to sacrifice.

"That's great, Zayn! I'm so proud of you. Have you had any cravings lately?" Richard asked.

"No I haven't. I'm quite surprised, really. I do art to keep myself busy so I don't think about smoking," Zayn answered.

"Awesome! Keep it up, Zayn. Bring some of your art next week. I'd love to see it! Now on to you, Louis," Richard said, gesturing to a boy with brown hair. Richard then started scribbling non-stop on his clipboard--no doubt writing an update on Zayn's progress.

"Hi, I'm Louis Tomlinson. I haven't smoked weed in three weeks," Louis said with the biggest smile I have ever seen. Everyone cheered for Louis. Louis thanked the crowd.

"Great job Louis! Have you had any cravings?"

"I think about it once a day but I manage to keep away from the stuff by spending more time with my girlfriend Eleanor."

"Perfect! A great way to avoid cravings is to keep yourself occupied. You two are doing the right thing. Keep up the great work, you two," Richard praised. He then turned to look at me. "Now that you've heard a few examples, why don't you give it a shot, Harry?" Richard prodded. I took a deep breath before speaking.

"Hi. I'm Harry. Styles. I...uh...the last time I smoked was ten minutes ago." The crowd was silent. All they did was stare at me. I felt pathetic. I shrunk back into my chair, afraid of what would happen to me.

"We're here to help you, Harry. So you want to quit smoking?" Richard asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah. I'd also like to stop drinking," I added.

"Well a good way to kick a habit is to first of all find a good reason for doing so. The next thing to do is to find something to keep you occupied so that you're not constantly thinking about it. So tell me why you want to quit smoking and drinking, Harry."

"I want to quit smoking and drinking for my mum. I want to make her proud of me."

"That's a great reason! Whenever you feel the need to smoke or drink, think about your mom--I mean mum! Mum. I sound so British, ha-ha!" It took a few seconds for him to compose himself. "Now I know that that may not be enough to stop yourself from smoking and drinking so it's important to keep yourself busy. Can you think of anything to keep yourself occupied so that you don't think about smoking and drinking?" he continued.

"Maybe get a job?" I asked.

"Having a job is a great way to keep yourself occupied! Have you found a job yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well keep looking. Don't give up. In the meantime, you should find something to keep yourself busy. Maybe chew gum every time you feel the need to smoke or something."

"I'll try that."

"Great! I'll check back on you next week to see if you've made any progress." Richard then moved on to another person in the circle. The first half of the hour was spent listening to people's success stories. For the second half, we were taught tips on how to kick a habit. Before I knew it, the hour was up and I was back at the apartment.

"How'd the support group thing go?" Dani asked.

"Alright," I answered. "Everyone there is doing well except for me."

"Don't kick yourself, Harry. You just started." She's right. I'm going to have to put a lot of effort into quitting. My thoughts instantly went to my mum. I'm changing for you, mum. I hope you're proud of me.

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I don't know how support groups work. Can you tell? Haha. This chapter was kind of lame but I promise the next one will be good! Please vote and feel free to comment all over my story. :D