Carolina [h.s]

chapter ten

TW: hard drug use.

south carolina
june 1990

***

HARRY
//

"What time is it?" I ask

"Almost eight," Niall answers from next to me.

We're backstage, setting up equipment. The loud chatter from the crowd behind the curtain sounds, followed by heavy music and a thumping bass.

We're playing our biggest show yet tonight, over one thousand people. My head spins because of the lines I took in the bathroom five minutes ago. My side aches and head throbs but the drugs numb me like nothing else can.

I take a drag from the cigarette that's hanging from my mouth, fumbling with the cords of the strings on the white guitar. My hands wrap around the front microphone and I have to focus on keeping them from visibly shaking.

"Are you sure you're good to go on?" Louis then asks "your rib cage-"

"Don't be so soft, Tomlinson." I smirk at him as he rolls his eyes going back to hooking up cords to his guitar.

"Whatever, just don't be a dumbass out there. I'm not stitching you up again." he lies because he will if he has to.

"Where the hell is Li?" Zayn comes out from the curtain, drumsticks in hand. "she was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, we go on in five." he looks out from the curtain.

I look up at him through ray bands, even inside the lights are too bright. Niall speaks up. "Can you stop bitching about your girlfriend for two fucking seconds and help set up?" his voice is clipped as he glares at our band mate.

Zayn flips him off but continues to help set up, and two minutes before we go on my eyes catch pink tips and her best friend's strawberry blonde in the crowd. The two push through the crowds of people, determined to get to the front row because it's their promise to us every show.

The curtains open and I hear the crowd cheer. I'm too far gone to remember most of it but I do know that I didn't listen to Louis about taking it easy, because my stitches are ripped open by the end of it.

The crowd of girls surround me in the parking lot, their voices give me a headache as my shirt stains red from bleeding through ripped stitches. Niall is eating their attention up, and I don't have the patience to do the same, so I break free from them and walk over to the familiar four instead.

"I don't wanna go to some lame ass house party," I hear Louis, he lights up a cigarette as they all stand by Zayn's car. "We gotta go big tonight."

Strawberry blonde stands close by her best friend, always looking a little on the outside in a group like ours. It seemed such a waste, and I wondered why she hung around such a place.