Damaged Goods. (A Harry Styles Fanic)

Chapter Eight

Lola began to settle into her new home fairly quickly. Much to her suprise since she was so reluctant to move here in the first place. The fact that she was living in the house Harry lived in 3 days a week, was made up for by how nice and welcoming John had been. He really made Jake and Lola feel at home, because he knew that they weren’t happy about having to live here. In some ways Lola was grateful that someone was there acting like a Father figure, even though she knew it wouldn’t last.

Since the first day they moved, Lola had become increasingly confused about what happened with Harry and the shed. She hadn’t returned back to the shed since, afraid that he’d find her there. It was evident that he used it as a place to be alone, which she could understand since everyone needed a place of privacy. But why was he so protective of it? Why did he get so angry about her being in there? And more importantly, what had made him so distressed that day?

These were the questions she’d been wondering in the week and a half that had already past. Luckily her new bedroom wasn’t much different in size and shape to her old bedroom, so she found it easier to adjust.

Jackie had come round to visit for a bit after school one day, luckily when Harry wasn’t there. Lola used this as an opportunity to tell her what she witnessed in the shed.

“So you’re sure he had been crying?” Jackie asked, trying to staighten it out in her head

“Yeah” Lola nodded surely “Definitely. His voice was wobbly too even when he was trying to shout at me, like when you have that lump in your throat”

“Right…well…” Jackie shrugged “My guess is that he’s probably just an utter nutcase”

That was all Jackie really had to offer in the way of conclusions. Lola was still anxious and confused, but since that incident she hadn’t seen Harry looking upset or stressed. At school he’d been fairly normal, hassling her in Maths class as per usual and sitting inbetween a dozen girls at lunch.

At the weekends he came to live with his Dad and would usually spend most of the day in bed, before going out with his friends at night. Lola avoided him as much as possible and so far it seemed to be working out okay. But she figured her plan was short lived, and sooner or later they’d have another run-in.

Christina had generally treated this place as if she’d lived there all her life. She went out to work at 8:30am and came home at 5:30pm every day. John worked as a caretaker in the village primary school so Jake could be taken and picked up from school by him. Christina commented on how well everything worked out, and how much of a nice little family they were already becoming. Lola scowled at her comments, refusing to believe that would ever happen.

She liked John and everything, but her Mum still really grinded her gears. She still ignored Lola and Jake every day, just giving John undivided attention in the evenings when she was home. It was like they barely existed. Christina would bring home fine dining proper meals and when John asked what the kids would eat, she’d say they can have microwave chips while her and John crack open a bottle of wine . Sadly Lola was used to this kind of neglect though and Jake barely knew any different.

****

The sun was warm on a Tuesday afternoon as Lola headed down the street towards her house. It beated down on the pavements, causing her to squint as she fumbled in her bag for her keys. It was only 1:15pm and a school day, but Lola had realised she’d forgotten her Chemistry books and came home to quickly fetch them at lunch.

Twisting her key through the lock, the door opened allowing her to relax her eyes as they adjusted to the less bright surroundings. It was almost tempting to stay home for the rest of the afternoon, but with exams coming up it was important for Lola to attend all her lessons if she wanted to pass.