Lights (2013)

52

My heart seems to drop straight down to my feet. The pain of Jane's words almost outdoes the pain of my slit wrist. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

"You--you what?" I ask Harry.

Harry turns around. "Blair--"

"You slept with her?" I ask, trying to keep my voice strong. He looks to the floor with guilt and my tears spill. "When?" I manage to ask.

Harry looks away. "That night...the night you pushed me against my house...I got drunk and..." He trails off.

"How could you?" I shout. "After everything you said to me!"

He takes a step forward and I flinch, holding my arms up in defense. His eyes land on the blood soaked towel that covers my arm. Perrie is on the phone, probably calling an ambulance.

"Did--did I do that?" He asks, reaching out for me, dropping the half broken bottle on the floor. I step back, my tears flowing as fast as the blood from me arm.

"Don't touch me," I spit. "You don't have the right to touch me."

I whirl around and weave my way through the crowd, trying to ignore the pain in my arm and my heart.

I see Louis passionately kissing Eleanor up against a wall. I stumble towards them, my head pounding. I'm dizzy, and the whole room seems to be spinning. I lean on a wall when Louis looks up from Eleanor and his eyes focus on me. He runs up and grabs me before I tumble to the floor.

"Louis, he slept with Jane," I say, my tears finally spilling down my face. Louis looks down at me sadly. Another sob rakes my body.
"You knew," I gasp in realization. "You fucking knew!"

"We all did," he admits. "Jane made it a known fact to everyone but you."

I push hair out of my face. "What did I do wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," he whispers, reassuring me. "I'm so sorry." His eyes fly to my arm. "What happened?"

"Harry," I say bluntly.

"I'm going to kill him," Louis growls, pulling me into his safe arms. "I'm going to fucking murder him."

"Blair!" I recognize Harry's voice behind me. Louis holds me tighter. My blood has begun to seep through the cloth onto his shirt. "Just let me explain--"

"What the fuck have you done?" Louis screams at Harry.

"It was an accident," Harry says.

"I told you to fucking stay away from her, you fucking ignorant prick. And now you've hurt her!"

I feel my head begin to spin as their battling voices blur in my mind. I take a look at my gushing arm that has turned the previously white cloth to crimson. Dizziness overcomes me and Eleanor grabs me just as everything goes black.

...

"Is she awake?"

"Not yet. They just stitched her up."

"Damn."

I cautiously open my eyes, surveying the room in front of me. I'm laying in a hospital bed and white sunlight seeps through a window to the right. A vase holding a single red rose--my favorite--sits on a bedside table. My eyes float to the people occupying the chairs close to the door.

My father and Jay sit closest to the door, their hands clasped tightly together. Next to my father sits Louis, who leans back, staring at the ceiling. Eleanor leans against the wall adjacent to the door, chewing on her lip. And finally Harry sits closest to the wall, his elbows on his knees, his leg bouncing up and down anxiously. He chews on the inside of his cheek.

"Blair," Eleanor says, relief washing through her eyes when she notices that I'm awake.

I try to smile. "Hi," I croak.

Everyone immediately jumps up, worry and relief etched into their faces. Harry sticks his hands in his pockets. When his tired green eyes meet mine, the events of the night before come crashing down on me.

Harry slept with Jane.

He cheated on me.

"We're so glad you're okay," Jay says. "How do you feel?"

I look at the neatly stitched gash on my wrist. "I'm fine," I say.

"You lost a lot of blood, but you're going to be okay," my father says.

I nod. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"The doctor will be here soon, and she'll tell you."

I notice that Harry is silent. I don't want to speak to him, anyway.

As if on cue, a blonde doctor pushes through the door, a clipboard in her hand.

"Morning, Miss Price," she addresses me. She sticks out her hand. "I'm Dr. Keegan." I shake it, forcing a smile. She scribbles something on her clipboard. She looks back at me and smiles. "Fortunately, the cut wasn't too deep, so it was easy to stitch it up. You did, however, lose a lot of blood and your blood sugar is low. You're going to want to eat something as soon as possible."

I nod. "Thank you," I say.

"You are free to go as you please by five o'clock this evening. Return immediately if there is any tenderness or redness around the site. You should be able to get those stitches out in two week's time." She smiles and shakes my hand again. "Have a lovely day."

With that, she turns on her heel and bustles out of the room. A nurse comes in and wraps my arm in gauze and takes my temperature before helping me slip into some clothes Eleanor brought me. My father and Jay go to sign me out and I wait in my room, swinging my legs off the bed.

Harry clears his throat. "Can I speak to you privately?" He asks me quietly.

Louis looks at me and I nod. He takes Eleanor's hand and they walk out of the room, shutting the door quietly.

Harry slowly makes his way over to me. He reaches for my hand, but I pull it away coldly. He squeezes his eyes tight, his lips form a thin line. He gently touches the gauze around the cut, his eyes fixed on the bandage. His chin trembles, as if he is going to cry. He shouldn't be the one crying.

"I can't believe I did that to you," Harry says, gesturing to my gash. "I hate myself for hurting you."

I swallow. "This cut is the least of my worries."

"Blair, I'm sorry," Harry says. "I was drunk, and I--"

"Sorry is supposed to fix things?"

He sighs. "No," he says. "I was going to tell you sooner."

"Did you think I would just forgive you even if you had told me sooner? Did you think I would just brush it off?"

"I don't know what I was thinking," he says. "I'm a prick."

"I can't see you anymore," I say flatly. "You don't deserve me, or anyone, for that matter."

Harry nods. "I love you," he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You should have thought of that before," I hiss before standing and walking out of the door. My heart seems to shatter all over again.

Author's Note:
Hiya! Sorry this is so short. Thank God, it's almost spring break!
-Lauren and Tess

P.S Happy Birthday to one of our readers, AlexDae <3