FINGERTIPS ║ Larry Stylinson

4 ║ First Time

July 6th

The sky was tinted with blue, orange and a bit of pink, a beautiful sky while the sun was going down slowly minute after minute. Louis took a look at the sky as he left his house to go to the neighbour's one at the opposite side of the road, a plate of cookies in his hands and a black backpack on his shoulders. His mother had made and gave him cookies filled with chocolate and nougat chips. She always said it was easier to learn and study when you were full.
Even if the neighbour's house was obviously in the same street, it was smaller, had probably less rooms then his, the front little garden had been abandoned by the previous owners and the white paint of the short wood gates was crumbling. He walked to the wood front door and ringed, knocking right after. He sighed a bit. He did want to be there, he was just stressed, being helpless, failing, usual fears actually. After a minute or so, the door opened on a young girl about his age, she smiled and he noticed dimples popping, he smiled back at her.

"Hi, I am Louis, hum, the neighbour, I think I am here for..."

Louis frowned, did he even know how the boy he was supposed to help was called. He was pretty sure his mother didn't think about telling him and he felt embarrassed standing there, scratching the back of his neck and trying to find the answer in his mind.

"Harry, my little brother! Come in." she moved away on her left to let him in.

He entered the house, his eyes looking around a little, it looked a bit like his own house, just a bit smaller, with less painting on the wall and less pictures on the furnitures. He was pretty sure they hadn't put all of their stuff in place and he could notice some boxes in the living room.

"I am Gemma by the way!" she offered his hand to him and he shook it.

She ran her fingers through her long hair, smiling before scratching the back of her neck. She looked a bit hesitant, nervous even.

"So, should I go get him or..." she started.

He breathed in. Where should he start.? What should he do? He didn't really know honestly. He had written down everything he knew on the subject, everything he could remember from his training course at the only blind school. Everything teachers had done, said or anything that sounded important to help the boy. It was stressful. What if he couldn't help? What if he didn't work, if he wasn't good enough to help someone take back their life?

"I think I should go to his room, maybe?"

She nodded slowly. Maybe Louis was anxious but Gemma was probably as stressed as him. She hadn't really saw Harry at all since the accident, he was always locked in his bedroom and sometimes she could hear him sobbing when she was walking past his door. It was heartbreaking. She was certain he wanted to get helped but he wouldn't ask, he was too independent and proud to do so.

"Follow me?"

She crossed the living-room before walking upstairs slowly. He noticed all the pictures hanging on the light pistachio wall. He followed the girl in the hallway until they stopped in front of a white door. There was a big wooden "H" letter hanging on it and she knocked softly. A loud thump was heard followed by some curse.

"My brother is a bit anxious and.. he didn't get over what happened yet so..." she was suddenly cut off by a loud voice yelling from the other side of the door.
"Gemma, you know I'm blind, not fucking deaf, right?"

She looked down and sighed silently.

"Sorry, the neighbour just arrived, can you open the door, please?"

The thing about Harry was that he liked being alone, he wanted and demanded to stay alone all the time. So Gemma wasn't sure what would happen. After some seconds of heavy silence, she believed he wouldn't open, he would probably stay locked inside and she wouldn't know what to do.