Broken || h.s. AU (old version)

Chapter 30 - Reflections

Chapter 30 - Reflections

Soft breath dances through my hair and I realize numbly, I'm waking up. But I don't want to wake up. The real nightmare is life.

So I keep my eyes squeezed shut, trying to force the awful flashes from last night away from my mind. But the pain slowly sets back in, the sheer weight of it digging a hole through my chest.

I can feel Harry's body stir around mine, rough material chafing against my bare arms. Giving up, I open my eyes, rubbing at my burning eyes.

Harry's arms are covered in a thin, stiff white material. It takes me a moment to put it together, but he's still in his suit. He'd only taken off his jacket.

I lift my head slowly to look back at him. His gelled up hair now lays in a mess of curls around his face, dark rings etched into the delicate skin under his eyes.

When I look down at the outfit I'm wearing- loose sweats and a massive tshirt- something inside of me softens.

Harry is still wearing his dress shoes.

He hadn't even bothered to take off his shoes before climbing into my bed to try and comfort me.

For a moment, a brief thought crosses my mind. Are we missing school? But then I realize today is Saturday.

Last night was prom.

Last night, my mother died.

With this realization comes a wave of crippling pain.

Thousands of needles have been hurled at me all at once. The pain is almost too much to bear.

I'm going to be sick.

I desperately squirm out of Harry's grip, crawling to the end of the bed and smacking to the floor in a less than graceful manner. But I ignore the dull pain in my knees as I scramble to my feet, dashing to the open bathroom door.

"Julia?" Harry asks groggily, his gaze burning into me until the door slams, cutting off my view of the sleepy boy rolling out of bed.

I barely have time to fumble with the doorknob, locking it before I crumple to my knees, sending a muted crack through the small room as my knees come into contact with the tile.

My stomach heaves and whirls, leaving me fearing the burn of my throat. But it doesn't come. I'm sitting alone on the icy bathroom floor, hunched over my stomach for the illness that's only coming from the heartache.

I can hear Harry knocking frantically on the door, pleading for me to open the door. But I'm terrified if I move, I'll be sick. I don't know how long I sit there, all I know is that after a period of time, Harry stops knocking and he is no longer calling my name.

But then the pain in my stomach moves to bombard my chest, sending me into ugly, heaving sobs as I clutch at my heart as if trying to claw it out of my chest. It would be heaven compared to this pain.

I don't know how to handle the pain. The pain is killing me. I can cry out, I can scream, I can call for help, I can sob. But there's only one thing that will help the pain.

"H-Harry? Are you there?" I croak hoarsely, clenching my eyes shut.

"I'm here, sweetheart.." He immediately responds, his voice right behind the door. "I'm always here..." He adds quietly and I can hear him move against the smooth wood.

I draw in a deep and trembling breath, choking back the tears. My head swims dizzily as I grip the edge of the sink, pulling myself to my feet. And when I catch my reflection, I'm horrified. The girl in the mirror isn't me.