DYING FOR YOU | Larry

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈: Chapter 12

Harry was pretty sure that he had fucked everything up for himself. Maybe he should have behaved differently, nicer or maybe cheekier? He should have stayed there, should have waited until they wanted to release him.

But no, he stormed petty out of the room. Most likely, they will rate him badly now. Then no one will want to sponsor him. The small chance he had, if he had one at all, was shattered again with this stupid action.

Harry walked loudly down the hallway to his room. As soon as he was in the room, he slammed the door loudly shut, hoping that no one would come looking for him. He sat at the end of the bed. Sat there motionless for at least an hour, tears stinging his eyelids.

The bad thing is, he doesn't even know why he's about to cry. Maybe he was just too confused, frustrated, afraid, stressed. All of this combined cannot put anyone in a good mood or leave them mentally stable.

Effie and Haymitch knocked a couple of times on his door, asking him if everything was okay. However, Harry just yelled at them to leave him alone for a while.

The sun was low on the sky when he woke up. It surprises him that he was able to fall asleep that quickly. He was too stressed the last few days to get any restful sleep. Sighing, he stood up and strolled into the connected bathroom. His eyes were slightly red as he stared at himself in the mirror, as were his cheeks and the tip of his nose.

After quickly washing his face, he went into the dining room.

Everyone was there. From Effie and Dallas, to Haymitch and Zayn. Honestly, Harry would have preferred it if the stylists hadn't shown up, or at least not Zayn. After the conversation on the roof terrace everyone could literally feel the tension between them. He doesn't really want them to see his poor performance either. But even that is an idiotic thought from Harry as everyone will see the review from the capitol whether they like it or not.

Harry nibbled on a piece of bread that went with the soup, but couldn't get much into his stomach. Either it was because there was complete silence at the table, making him uncomfortable, or it was just because he wasn't hungry. After all, he had been eating a lot lately.

Haymitch took the last sip of his liquor, then gave his full attention to the tributes. "Okay, how bad did you do today?" Dallas laughed dully, shook her head slightly.

"The idiots haven't even looked at me." She took a long swig from her glass. "I would have loved to ram a knife through their chests. But I threw a ball at them." She said it like it was something completely normal to say. When Dallas said this, Harry was feeling a little better.

At least he didn't attack the game makers. Physically. Effie looked at Dallas disturbed, her pale skin suddenly even paler.

Haymitch had to smile slightly, then said: "You're crazy." Dallas just shrugged her shoulders. With raised eyebrows, Haymitch asked the question again, only this time to Harry.

"Not really different from Dallas. I, uh, kinda screamed at them.. " It wasn't even really screaming, just taking but a little bit louder. "I didn't throw a stone at them, but I left without waiting for permission..." Zayn raised his eyebrows in surprise. Maybe that's not what he expected of Harry. Haymitch only laughed briefly.

"Do you think we will be punished somehow?" asked Dallas after several minutes of silence between them. "Hm, hard to say. Most likely they will make your time more difficult in the arena."

This time it was Harry who laughed. "They're already doing that outside of the arena."

-

Finished with dinner, everyone moved to the parlor where they will watch the ratings on television. No sooner did the scoring begin than Harry felt as if he might fall over at any moment. He would like to have that too, then he wouldn't have to feel his own panic.

A moderator with blue hair explained what was going to happen. "As everyone knows, the selected tributes completed a three-day training. After a private training session, they were rated by the gamemakers. You can get a score from 1 to 12, with 1 being the lowest..." Harry didn't listen to him for a short while.

District 1 tributes got 9 and 10 points, of course, nothing surprising. But when it was District 2's turn, Harry sat even more on the edge of the chair as he stared intently at the television. He hoped Louis didn't get a bad score. Although it is very unlikely because he is a career tribute.

"From District 2. Louis Tomlinson, a score of 10." Harry was having a hard time keeping his joy in. He would love to jump up from the couch and then cheer. But then that wouldn't come off well with the others.

The girl from District 2 appeared on the screen. The girl that reminded him of Gemma on the train ride. However, Gemma's eyes were warm and also frightened. But the girl from District 2 had cold eyes. "District 2, Olivia Walsh. A score of 11."

Harry watched as Niall got a score of 9 and Liam a score of 10. Several faces flew across the screen, their score quickly following, a variation from 4 to 7. It took a while until it was District 12's turn.

"From District 12, Harry Styles." Harry leaned forward a little, his entire body tense. His body was cold, his hands were shaking and his heart could be heard in his ears. He dug his fingernails into his palms, prepared for the worst. "A stand of 8."

Zayn and Effie gasped for air. Harry's tension vanished with one, his mouth opening in surprise. Haymitch put his hand on Harry's shoulder, rubbing it encouragingly. "I thought they were going to hate me?" Haymitch laughed out loud. "Who can hate you?" Harry only saw in the corner of his eye how Dallas rolled her eyes.

"And finally, District 12, Dallas McGregor. A score of 7."