lovelorn [h.s.]

s i x t e e n

A.N.
enjoy this chapter, I have a feeling you will ;)

H A R R Y

Even though I want to rush out of the house as soon as I'm back downstairs, I catch sight of Joanne sat at the kitchen island, and from the look she gives me, I get the feeling she wants me to go talk to her. I feel slightly nervous as I walk into the kitchen, but that's probably because I was just laying on top of her daughter only a few minutes ago.

I try to push that out of my mind though, pulling myself up to sit on the stool opposite hers. She has her hands wrapped around a cup of tea, seeming to be warming her hands up from the heat that it emits. We both sit in silence for a while, the sound of the washing machine behind us the only noise in the room. I fiddle with my hands awkwardly, watching as Joanne takes another sip of tea before she finally speaks.

"Thank you again, for bringing Scarlett home," she says, a sincere expression on her face. "I noticed you haven't been around here for a few days."

"It's fine, really," I assure her again. "And yeah....I've been kind of busy."

"So you haven't hung out with Scarlett all week?

"No, I....I assumed she was busy too. You know, working and all."

Joanne nods. "She was. But she's been going to parties every night, stumbling home drunk, in bed hungover on her days off," she tells me, shaking her head in disapproval. "She practically snapped my head off when I asked about you, storming out of the house to who knows where. Were you two fighting?"

"Well, not really." I fiddle with the rings on my fingers, trying to think of the right thing to say. "We had a......disagreement, that's all."

Joanne lets out a small sigh. "I thought so," she admits, her eyes flickering up to mine. "I can always tell when you and Scarlett aren't speaking. She shuts down, ignores me. More than usual. She's been acting so....strange this week."

I furrow my eyebrows, curiosity taking over me. "Strange how?"

"Like she's...... spiralling," Joanne replies quietly, seeming lost in thought. "I swear, seeing how's she been acting this week reminded me of......well, you know...."

"That summer," I finish for her, already knowing exactly what she's talking about.

Joanne nods slowly, taking another sip of her tea. "She was so out of control then," she murmurs, the memories clearly flooding back judging by her expression. "I thought sending her to visit her grandma in Scotland would help calm her down, get her away from everything and everyone here. But then she came back.....and she was even worse than before."

"I know. I remember that."

"Has she ever talked to you about it?" Joanne suddenly asks me. "About what happened while she was away?"