The Styles Twins (Marcel + Harry Styles)

Chapter Three (Part One)

I love the comments I've been getting! You guys are the sweetest. I'll update regularly, so keep checking back! Thanks for reading. I appreciate it! ♥

Sorry! I would've posted sooner, but I was on vacation!

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Everyone stared at me as I gathered myself up from the desk, tightly clenching onto my backpack and notebook. I made a mad dash towards the door and hurried out in a scramble, nearly running towards the office. I was on a one-track mind, praying that Marcel was okay. He was so sensitive about things, and anything could tip him off. He had mental breakdowns frequently, and was considered emotionally inept.

When I came to the office I burst through the door like a madman and hurried towards Marcel. He was cowering in the corner, rocking his body back and forth while crying profusely. The tears streamed down his red cheeks in pools, splatting against his sweater vest.

"Marcel, buddy, it's okay." I cooed to him softly, taking him in a warm embrace. His face buried into my shoulder, and he continued bawling. Everyone in the office stared at him as if he were insane, and I was on the verge of snapping.

After a few minutes of consoling, Marcel tore himself away from me, and looked at me with bloodshot eyes. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with balled fists, and sniffled. I grabbed a tissue and helped him blow his nose, then disposed it.

Ignoring everyone else in the room, I stroked his arm in a comforting manner, hoping to ease his anxiety. His body trembled and a few tears continued to leak from his eyes, but he was calming down. "What happened, Marcel? You can tell me." Instead of letting him answer, a woman in the office spoke up.

"He was in class and he began crying! God only knows what set him off, but once he started crying, we couldn't stop him. We finally managed to bring him down to the office, but he wouldn't stop. He only wanted you." I was slightly peeved that this woman took the initiative to answer for Marcel, when he was perfectly capable.

"Are you okay now?" I asked him. He sniffled and smiled, and I ruffled his hair. He loved that. I had been doing it since we were little kids. "Good." I turned towards the pudgy red-headed woman I had talked to this morning, and leaned forward, so only we could hear the conversation. "Do you think Marcel and I could cut out a little early today? I think he's had enough." She nodded in agreement and grabbed a pink slip of paper, writing Marcel and I a pass to leave. She signed it and slipped it towards me.

"Thank you very much," I nodded towards the door, "C'mon, Marcel. Let's get out of here." He followed, and we pushed through the door, leaving the heavy stares of everyone in the office behind.

I dug my keys out of my pocket and gripped them in my hand. Marcel walked at a slow pace, staring down at the ground while continuously wiping his eyes. We rounded the corner, heading towards the double doors when we were stopped by a familiar, new face.

"Hey guys," Gracie smiled, "is something wrong?" Marcel's head lifted to meet Gracie's, and he immediately straightened his back and grinned widely.

"We're going home a little early." I told her. She nodded, then faced my brother, "Do you need a hug Marcel?" Her abrupt question took us both by surprise, but Marcel happily obliged, nearly jumping in place from her proposal. Opening her arms, she took him in a tight embrace, and he wiped his nose on his sleeve. Watching her hold onto him like that made my heart soar. She showed such compassion, which was something I admired in a person.

He broke away from her, still grinning. "Thanks, Gracie. Thanks a million." Marcel said with a sniffle. He took off his glasses, wiping his eyes, again.

"No problem. Anytime." She turned towards me, "I gotta go. I'll see you around. I, uh, hope you take my question into consideration. Literature club could always use... a nice, fresh face." Her voice came across as flirty, though I doubted that was what she was aiming for. She was just friendly, and very outgoing.

"I definitely will." I told her, honestly. She chuckled, and began strutting off. She threw a wave over her shoulder, "Bye, Harry. Bye, Marcel."

Standing there awkwardly, I gave her a wave and watched her disappear. Marcel tugged at my sleeve, "Let's go, Harry. Come on. Let's go." Tearing myself away, Marcel and I exited the school and went towards my faithful Chevelle.

~

At home, things were a nightmare. My parents were a wreck, and that was putting it nicely. Their entire lives were dedicated to putting on a charade, hoping to convince the outside world that we were the most perfect family in the entire world. The truth was, we were far from.

Marcel and I shared a room again, which I didn't mind. My mother assured me it was only temporary. We had bought a three bedroom house in the suburbs, and found the new space to be odd. I was completely disoriented.

My parents got the Master Bedroom, of course, while Marcel and I were cramped into one of the smaller bedrooms. The other room was occupied by my father's "office space", which he hardly ever used in Chicago, so why would it be different here? I could hardly stand my parents, and all their crazy "ideas", tactics, tantrums, and fits.

It was 7:13 PM when I looked at the clock. Marcel was curled in a ball stuck in a fetal position on his bed while I laid flat on my back, staring up at the speckled ceiling on my own bed. My mind kept twisting and wandering down winding roads, leading my thoughts astray. 

Through the closed bedroom door, Marcel and I could hear my parents bicker while preparing dinner. My father slammed something down on the counter, my mother raised her voice, and my father did the same. Marcel hated their fighting, but it was common occurrence around the house.

Their speech was muffled, so I wasn't able to make out exactly what they were saying, but I knew it was the same thing that it usually was. Money, bills, stress, work, and sometimes, even me and Marcel. Two years ago, I had walked in on my parents discussing Marcel's "condition", and how much money it cost to cover all his medication and doctor's appointments. They acted like it was a burden. Something that they didn't "deserve".

If anyone didn't "deserve" it, it was Marcel. I cocked my head to look at his bed, watching him sit in peace. His body didn't fidget, and he was completely still, minus his rhythmic breathing patterns. I watched his chest raise and deflate, then turned towards the ceiling again.

The day Marcel and I turned one, my parents noticed a difference between the two of us. From the outside, we were completely identical: blue-green eyes, wobbly, pudgy legs, light brown hair. But mentally, we were different. I had begun walking. In fact, I took my first, individual steps the day of our first birthday. Everyone doted over me, cooing and awing like I was the new baby Picasso or something. But Marcel was different. His mind was stuck in a six-month old stage, is what the doctor's said. His mental age wasn't growing, though his body was.

Ever since then, he had been developing slower than me. Sure, we started puberty at the same age, and we both got our twelve-year molars at the same time, but I was developing social skills, while he wasn't. I could tie my shoes, and he couldn't. I could drive a car, and frankly, he still can't. He never will. That's what the doctor's say. I have faith in him, though. In fact, one time I took my old Chevelle out to the wide open country and let Marcel take a little test drive. It didn't go well, but I promised we'd try again. I'll be damned if I break that promise to him.

I never wanted my brother to think of himself as a burden. It was a pretty sick thing for my parents to think so, too. Like Marcel's condition ruined their "perfect family" dream, or whatever.

Whatever the case may be, my family sickened me. Everyone besides Marcel.

But Marcel? He's my best friend. It's my duty to protect him, and to love him.

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Sorry for the abrupt ending! Thanks again so much for your lovely comments and messages! This chapter is really two parts, but I wanted to break it up so it wasn't very long. Thanks so much. ♥