seraphic [h.s]

chapter forty three.

I retreated from the bathroom door so fast, I didn't even remember doing so. Somehow I ended up back against the hallway wall where I wasn't seen, so it must've happened.

My trembling hands steadied me against the cold plaster, my body feeling far too warm in comparison. I was sure I'd broken out into a sweat. I tried to take deep breaths, hoping that would stop the urge of tears demanding to escape.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Evie shouted again, "Do you think I wouldn't have found out about this?" I really needed to go in there but something in me had my feet glued down to the floor.

There was some heavy breathing going on before Harry spoke, "You don't know the fuckin' half of it." I could hear the tightness in his voice, the strain to not react more. "Tell me the fuckin' half of it then." Evie snapped back. My eyes wandered over to the newspaper sitting discarded on the floor again, I couldn't even grasp how this had happened. Or rather, I could. But these things didn't happen to me.

It was quiet for a little while, I made sure to not move an inch. "Just let us in on what happened, Harry, the more we know the more we can help you out of this situation." Welp. That was Leon. And by help him out of this situation, he totally meant me. I knew I hadn't really thought about becoming involved with Harry, before I just dove right in, but I didn't think I'd needed to prepare for something like this. I totally hadn't seen it coming.

"There's nothing to tell," Harry croaked out, but his voice was calm, not unsteady, not shaky, "It's nothing, I just, I knew it wasn't going to be forever. God fuckin' help me that I wanted to have some fun while we were here."

There my heart went again. Off its tracks and rolling over hills. I couldn't even reach for it back, it was too far gone.

"Because this really counts as fun. You've got a shitload more to fill me in on, Harry." Evie argued. "I didn't think something like this was going to happen." Harry said in that tone, the kind where I had no idea what his words were eluding to. "You go out on one of the busiest streets with a girl nobody knows and you think you're not going to get fucking papped, Harry? You're fucking dumb." Evie was almost growling her words out now. I wondered why they all let her call the shots in their little foursome.

"I did this shit my way so you wouldn't react like how you're reacting now," Harry shouted, "Am I tellin' you that I'm fuckin' gone? That I'm in love with your sister? No I'm not. I'm still in this fuckin' band and you don't hear me askin' for an out."

I rose my hand to wipe away the tears that had suddenly come, without my permission that was for sure. They were just words. I'd get over them. It didn't stop a sob from escaping past my lips though.

It did hurt a lot more hearing those kind of words come from Harry. And curse my body for being so emotional, because that one sob— that was then followed by another— had caused one of the shadows I'd been keeping my eye on to move backwards.

Evie stepped back, out into the hallway, giving her the best view of my body as it practically stuck to the wall. She had hell in her eyes. I'd never seen her look so crazy. She was quiet for a moment, while she took me in, her eyes trailing to the newspaper and then back to me.

For a brief, extremely short second, I saw that sisterly look wash over her, but it left just as quick as it had come.

"Get your fucking ass over here." She looked at me expectantly. I really didn't want to go over there. "Oh what? Now you don't wanna be in the same room as the guy you've been fucking? Come on. Get. Over. Here." My gaze softened as I looked at her, pleading with her to remember who I was for just a second. It didn't work though, she stomped her way over and dragged my arm to where she had been standing.