At First Glance//(Harry Styles FanFic)

26. Life

Harry's POV

Trigger warning, sexual assault in this chapter ⚠️

   The weeks following the video of Shannon had been nonstop. For Bea and me both, but just for different reasons.

My mom had disappeared again and hadn't been home in over a week, which was fine because that meant Kurt hadn't been back either. To make matters worse though, I was having to work as much as possible and Gemma was babysitting more than ever.

She had made a couple friends that were Towneys surprisingly and had been babysitting for those families that didn't care where she lived. She made more watching for them than she ever would watching Downey kids.

We were making it, but barely. And I had sinking suspicion that when someone had groceries brought to our house the other day, that it wasn't Gemma who bought them.

    Mom never brought home much money, but every little bit count, and sometimes was the difference between us having heat that night or not.

    Bea's life, which was much better than mine financially, had been a huge cluster fuck. Thanks to yours truly.

    Shannon had been suspended from school that first week, but when she came back it was a free for all. Girls now sneered when Shannon walked by, and guys steered clear, not wanting to be the next one on trial for any reason at all.

    Not to mention the laughs the evoked when everyone saw what Shannon was wearing. No longer was she dressed up in her expensive jeans and low cut tops, she now worse a white button up shirt, blazer jacket over top, a plaid skirt that went to her knees, knee socks, and some hideous type of black shoes.

    Shannon walked around everyday with a dead look in her eyes, and never even reacted to the many remarks and digs that were thrown her way. It was almost like she didn't even hear them.

    "She's like that at home too." Bea told me one afternoon. "She doesn't speak, not even at dinner unless she's spoken to first. I've tried a couple times to go into her room and see if she'll talk if it's just the two of us, but she doesn't even acknowledge me."

    "Why do you think she's being that way?"

    "I don't know. I know she's probably embarrassed and upset at being caught and in trouble, but what did she think would happen after doing those things to people?"

   "Do you feel bad for her?" I wonder out loud.

    "Yes and no," she says after a deep sigh. "I feel bad for her in the sense that I don't want her to feel like she's been abandoned, but I don't feel bad at the same time. She should never have thought it was okay to treat people that way, and she needs to never do it again."

    "Well hopefully this will be the last time she ever does anything like that again."

    "Yeah, hopefully you're right." She had said, and the conversation had ended there.

    Gemma had been babysitting and we had my house to ourselves with no need to leave my bed for hours.

    I had explored just about every square inch of Bea's body, with my hands and tongue, memorizing all the bumps and dips and the way she tasted. She was ready to go further, as in all the way.

    And I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a raging case of blue balls most days when I dropped her off at home, but it just didn't seem like the right time yet. Being her first was something important to me, that I wanted to make sure I did right. I was probably more nervous about it than she was, and that was saying a lot when compared to Bea's nerves.