Introspective Strangers [h.s.]

Chapter 53

*** TRIGGER WARNING:

This chapter contains some pretty dark themes, mentions/insinuations of suicide and death.

There is a summary of the chapter at the end if you would like to skip it.

Please only read if you are in the right headspace and please, PLEASE remember to take care of yourself and put yourself first. <3 You are worth the entire world and deserve everything good! Remember that I am always a message away if you want to talk.

***

Chapter 53

For a moment, it was all silent.

Every shout, every groan, every grunt – I couldn't hear any of it. The world had gone quiet. I was stuck, still and rigid, watching as Harry punched Isaac over and over. It was all still silence when I watched him lose his footing, a feeble attempt of someone trying to pull him back, allowing Isaac to get a good number of hits in himself.

When everything finally came back, it was loud. So fucking loud and confusing.

My arm ached. I glanced down at it, realizing that Amelia had her nails dug deep into my skin and was saying something. Yelling at me. I shook my head in an attempt to rally my thoughts. Once. Twice.

"Do something, May! Please!"

The confusion in my head cleared. The fog in my vision dissipated. I sucked in a breath, my mouth falling open with a choked sob as I finally realized what was going on.

"Stop!" someone yelled. Multiple people yelled. My feet moved without me asking them to, dragging me quickly in the direction of the two men absolutely beating the shit out of each other. It was chaos. More voices joined in. "Stop! Please!"

Gemma materialized at my side. She was bawling, yelling out her own pleas for cease fire.

Neither of them stopped. They continued, mercilessly and viciously. It was awful. It was like something out of a movie, like some sort of fucked up, violent beating that had been building for months.

"Stop," I whined in a breathless plea, running my hands over my face. Louder, I half-shouted, "Please. Please stop. Harry."

At first, I wasn't even sure I had actually spoken and had only thought the words in my head. It wasn't until Harry stiffened that I realized he had heard me. It was like out of everything, he had chosen to hear me speak his name. That his ears, which only seconds before had ignored every plea and cry from him to stop, had picked up on my voice.

He froze for a split second, turning his head to look at me. The moment our eyes met, his body slackened, and his mouth fell open, uttering the single syllable that was my name in a breathless croak. He looked terrified, he looked confused, he looked... almost relieved to see me. He let go of Isaac's collar just in time for Isaac to hit him once more in the jaw.

I screamed.

This time, Isaac turned his head toward me too. He dropped his fist, stumbling on his feet. They both looked at each other only once before stepping back, almost in a daze. Immediately, they were swarmed. It took only a few seconds before a handful of guys had Harry by the arms, keeping him restrained.

The same could be said for Isaac, who was also currently being held back by a number of people, despite the fact that neither of them looked ready to continue the fight. I stood, watching for a few seconds, before Amelia brushed my shoulder to get past me and was advancing our friend.

This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen. The worst part was that I felt confused, I felt torn. I wasn't sure who –

"I'll deal with Harry," a soft voice spoke reassuringly, albeit a bit apprehensively. Gemma gave my arm a squeeze as I turned to her. Her voice was hoarse from shouting. "Go to your friend. I... I don't know what happened or how it started but... I need to talk to my brother, okay?"