Save Me (In Editing)

Chapter 12 - Harry

"Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come to infrequently. And if you don't collect all those tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything" - Norman Lear

                                                          ******* 

I watched Poppy through the entire meal, observing her tight posture and little input into the converstations. I would think that she should show a little more enthusiasm, since her best mate got the job of her dreams, yet she remained blasé. 

Rarely did our eyes meet, and on the few occasions that they did, she turned bright red and looked away. What had happened to the girl who had laughed with me in her apartment? Where had she gone too? I liked her better than this uncommunicative, shy girl that had overtaken Poppy's body. 

Was all the talk of my drunken self bringing memories back? I could tell she has hiding something by the way she held herself. Slightly hunched as if she was clutching something to her stomach, something so important that she couldn't celebrate the most important event of her friend's life. 

As the waitress took our plates and Felix and I fought over who should pay, Poppy excused herself and slowly walked to the bathroom, her features hunching over more and more as she left our company. Letting Felix win and allowing him to pay the bill, I left the table as well, quietly following Poppy. 

Poppy entered the ladies room, which caused me to contemplate how badly I wanted to know what she was hiding. Was it worth the risk of her finding out I was spying on her? I decided it was, because I had a terrible feeling it was my fault. 

Noislessly entering the head, I watched her from the powder room. Poppy lifted up the sleeves of her knit, exposing her thin, pale arms. Pulling them over her shoulder, she exposed several jagged lines running from her shoulder to the middle of her forearm. Three raised red trails on each arm, turning her flawless pale skin a pinkish color. Whoever did this would pay, I would find them and make them hurt. 

As I dashed behind a chair as she left the restroom, I heard her mumble something in the quietest of tones

"These didn't look so bad last night. I didn't even think Harry had such long nails"

The statement, spoke in a tone softer than cashmere, hit me harder than any man had before. I had done that to her. In my fit of drunken stupidity, I had grabbed her. Remembering back to our chat in her living room, she had even mentioned that I had grabbed her. How could I have harmed something so fragile? I had punched many a time before, with no effect on my conscience, but hurting Poppy almost proved too much. 

Rushing back to the table, my eyes on the ground, I explained that I had to go. An emergency at work and I was the only one who could fix the problem. Leaving in a hurry, I stole one last glance a the small group. Most of them looked confused, but Poppy knew. I was guessing that it was because as I left one fleeting glance, my eyes had drifted to her arms. Though covered up by the thick sweater, it didn't prevent me from picturing the red tracks that lay under the green wool