Texting Styles / hs

Chapter 43

Harry POV
Shelby had gone upstairs for a snack, leaving me to wallow in my misery. As usual lately, my mind wandered to Lexi. I hoped she was okay, wherever she was now. I wasn't worried much about being rescued; we had security guards, a management team... not to mention - and I don't mean to sound conceited - practically the whole world knew us. I would be found. Lexi, not so much. Sure, I could send people after her...

But she was safe now. Right?

Wrong. She would never be safe now.

Once word of this got out - and it would get out - she'd be mobbed. Everyone would follow her everywhere, just dying to get a glimpse of Harry Styles' girlfr- friend. Because Shelby, the little bitch, said I wasn't interesting.

That wasn't all she said, but I was trying not to relive it.

God, she made me seem like a massive douche.

I scratched my forehead, when - wait.

What?

I could scratch my forehead.

At some point, the rope had come loose, and I didn't even know it. Wow I'm dumb.

I was about to head over to the window, when I heard a scream. I spun around, startled.

Shelby stood there, nearly crying. "P-Please. Please, Harry, don't go. Please," she wailed. "you can't leave me alone with them again!"

Something in the tone of her voice made me stop in my tracks.

I walked tentatively over to her. "Your parents seem like very nice people, Shelby. You're lucky I haven't called the police. I need to leave now."

"N-No! Not my parents... Them!"

I inched toward the window slowly, and she didn't appear to notice.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." she mumbled, but I didn't think she was speaking to me; just herself.

Then she looked at me with such anguish that I almost forgave her then and there. But I couldn't forget what she'd done to Lexi.

"Do you hate me?" she whispered.

"Hate you?" I asked. Yes. "No, Shelby. I don't hate you. I just don't understand why you would do this..."

She looked down. "They... they told me to."

I frowned. "Who told you to? Your parents? Kids at school? People online?"

She shook her head. Who, then? Siblings? I didn't think she had any.

"You'll think I'm stupid," she cried. "You'll think I'm crazy."

I shook my head. "I won't think you're crazy." That was a blatant lie, as I already thought she was crazy. But I couldn't say that.

"The... the voices told me to," she muttered under her breath.

"What- what was that?" I asked, hoping I'd heard her wrong.

"I hear voices, sometimes," she said. "They like to tell me what to do. I tried to say no, Harry, but they wouldn't let me! I'm sorry... they said that if I didn't do it you would never know about me and I would have nothing to live for and... I'm so sorry! I can't make them go away! I'm s-sorry!" she wailed.

I was shocked. So I pulled her close, hugging her tightly while she cried, because that was all I could do right now.

Never had I ever felt so useless.