Limits
5
The next day at school, I was looking forward to last period. During the day, we had schedules on opposite sides of the building so in between classes I never saw him in the hallways. I walked into class and harry was actually there on time. I quickly walked to my seat and sat down. He turned around as I did.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he said. “You’re right, I do owe you an explanation.”
“You don’t have to tell me right now,” I said.
“After school?”
I smiled and nodded. I was happy to be hanging out with him again.
When the bell rang, I quickly packed up and we walked out of class. As we were walking towards the door, Will turned the corner.
“Hey, Emma!” he said. “I need to talk to you.”
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, but he had noticed Harry standing behind me.
“Hello,” Harry said. I watched Will’s smile drop.
“What are you doing with him?” he asked me.
“We’re hanging out,” I told him.
“You’re hanging out with him?” Will repeated. “Why?”
“Because I can, Will,” I said, annoyed.
“You know what, I’ll tell you later,” he said bluntly and walked past us.
“What the fuck?” Harry chuckled. “What’s up with him?”
“I don’t know if you remember or not, but you punched him in the face at the party on Friday,” I told him. How could he possibly be wondering why Will was acting like that around him?
“Oh yeah, that was fun,” he said. I looked at him in confusion.
“That’s my best friend, Harry,” I snapped.
“Alright, sorry,” he smiled. “He shoved my first, though.”
“Because you were being rude to me,” I reminded him. He nodded but didn’t say anything. “Did you and Hannah do anything?”
My question came out of nowhere and took Harry by surprise.
“At the party?” he asked. “Yeah?”
“Oh,” I said quietly. I hoped he hadn’t. I hated Hannah from drama that had happened in sophomore year and she hooked up with the guy I liked. Great.
“Are you jealous?” Harry asked.
“No,” I snapped. My tone of voice gave everything away.
“She wasn’t even that good,” Harry tried to comfort me.
“That doesn’t help,” I groaned. By then we were in the parking lot.
“Come over?” he asked me. Without thinking, I nodded. “Good, I’ll drive.”
“But my car,” I told him.
“We’ll get it later,” he promised me and opened the door to his car for me. I got in and he closed it behind me. I smiled to myself. He had tattoos and piercings and obviously some dark secrets, but was still a cool guy. It made me happy that there was a living example of someone who shouldn’t be judged by how he looks, and that was Harry.
As we drove through town and over the tracks my stomach tightened. I’d heard countless stories about terrible things that have happened here. Shootings, stabbings, and even murders but those were probably dumb rumors that people at my school made up when they were bored. Harry pulled into the driveway of the infamous house near the tracks and turned off the engine.
I got out and looked at the house. It was grey and the window panels were painted white. The porch was white and had a swing that looked as if it hadn’t been used in years. We walked up to the door and Harry opened the door. They didn’t even keep it locked. I walked in behind him. I couldn’t believe I was there. When Harry closed the door behind us, I looked around and saw there wasn’t much furniture. Just a few necessary things like a couch, a few chairs, and a TV. There weren’t any decorations.
Just then, a woman walked around the corner and scared the shit of me.
“Harry?” she said. “Oh, sorry!”
“Hey, mom,” he told her, and turned to me. “This is my mom, Anne.”
“Nice to meet you,” I smiled. “I’m Emma.”
“Emma,” she said and hugged me. “What a nice name!”
“Thanks,” I smiled as I stepped back.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” she said and went back into the kitchen.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said and I followed him up. We went into a room on the right which was his. It was painted white and didn’t have a lot in it. It had a bed with sheets on it, a side table, a desk, and a suitcase thrown in the corner which had clothes spilling out of it.
“When did you move here?” I asked him.
“Last Thursday,” he replied.
“Harry, I’m worried about you,” I blurted.
“Why?”
“Why do you owe so much money? And why did you double it?”
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“You said you’d tell me!”
“I got involved in some pretty bad stuff in Washingtonville,” he said. “Zayn is a dealer and my mom was struggling with bills so to get some extra money I helped him out. A few months ago I got robbed of all of the weed I had from him that I was supposed to sell, and that was a lot of weed. 2.5 grand worth.”
“And you have to pay him back?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“Why’d you let them double it?” I pressed. “Now you have to pay five.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged.
“Harry.”
“I didn’t want them to hurt you, so the only way I could get them to go away was to agree to that,” he said softly. The statement hit me like a train. It send shivers down my back and my stomach swirled.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, not knowing what else to say. Because of me he owes $2,500 more to them.
“Yeah, I did,” he half smiled. “It’s okay, I’ll get it.”
“If you got the- weed stolen, did you get any money to your mom for the bills?” I asked. He shook his head.
“I’ll give you the money,” I say without thinking.
“No, you won’t,” he said sternly.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said. “I feel responsible.”
“Don’t, I’ll figure it out,” he assured me.
“Don’t go back there, to that town,” I nearly whispered. “Do they know you moved here?”
“No,” he told me. “And I won’t.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a little better.
“Will you go out with me?” he asked. “On- like, a date?”
“Yes,” I answer quickly.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he said. “You’re right, I do owe you an explanation.”
“You don’t have to tell me right now,” I said.
“After school?”
I smiled and nodded. I was happy to be hanging out with him again.
When the bell rang, I quickly packed up and we walked out of class. As we were walking towards the door, Will turned the corner.
“Hey, Emma!” he said. “I need to talk to you.”
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, but he had noticed Harry standing behind me.
“Hello,” Harry said. I watched Will’s smile drop.
“What are you doing with him?” he asked me.
“We’re hanging out,” I told him.
“You’re hanging out with him?” Will repeated. “Why?”
“Because I can, Will,” I said, annoyed.
“You know what, I’ll tell you later,” he said bluntly and walked past us.
“What the fuck?” Harry chuckled. “What’s up with him?”
“I don’t know if you remember or not, but you punched him in the face at the party on Friday,” I told him. How could he possibly be wondering why Will was acting like that around him?
“Oh yeah, that was fun,” he said. I looked at him in confusion.
“That’s my best friend, Harry,” I snapped.
“Alright, sorry,” he smiled. “He shoved my first, though.”
“Because you were being rude to me,” I reminded him. He nodded but didn’t say anything. “Did you and Hannah do anything?”
My question came out of nowhere and took Harry by surprise.
“At the party?” he asked. “Yeah?”
“Oh,” I said quietly. I hoped he hadn’t. I hated Hannah from drama that had happened in sophomore year and she hooked up with the guy I liked. Great.
“Are you jealous?” Harry asked.
“No,” I snapped. My tone of voice gave everything away.
“She wasn’t even that good,” Harry tried to comfort me.
“That doesn’t help,” I groaned. By then we were in the parking lot.
“Come over?” he asked me. Without thinking, I nodded. “Good, I’ll drive.”
“But my car,” I told him.
“We’ll get it later,” he promised me and opened the door to his car for me. I got in and he closed it behind me. I smiled to myself. He had tattoos and piercings and obviously some dark secrets, but was still a cool guy. It made me happy that there was a living example of someone who shouldn’t be judged by how he looks, and that was Harry.
As we drove through town and over the tracks my stomach tightened. I’d heard countless stories about terrible things that have happened here. Shootings, stabbings, and even murders but those were probably dumb rumors that people at my school made up when they were bored. Harry pulled into the driveway of the infamous house near the tracks and turned off the engine.
I got out and looked at the house. It was grey and the window panels were painted white. The porch was white and had a swing that looked as if it hadn’t been used in years. We walked up to the door and Harry opened the door. They didn’t even keep it locked. I walked in behind him. I couldn’t believe I was there. When Harry closed the door behind us, I looked around and saw there wasn’t much furniture. Just a few necessary things like a couch, a few chairs, and a TV. There weren’t any decorations.
Just then, a woman walked around the corner and scared the shit of me.
“Harry?” she said. “Oh, sorry!”
“Hey, mom,” he told her, and turned to me. “This is my mom, Anne.”
“Nice to meet you,” I smiled. “I’m Emma.”
“Emma,” she said and hugged me. “What a nice name!”
“Thanks,” I smiled as I stepped back.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” she said and went back into the kitchen.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said and I followed him up. We went into a room on the right which was his. It was painted white and didn’t have a lot in it. It had a bed with sheets on it, a side table, a desk, and a suitcase thrown in the corner which had clothes spilling out of it.
“When did you move here?” I asked him.
“Last Thursday,” he replied.
“Harry, I’m worried about you,” I blurted.
“Why?”
“Why do you owe so much money? And why did you double it?”
“It’s a long story,” he said.
“You said you’d tell me!”
“I got involved in some pretty bad stuff in Washingtonville,” he said. “Zayn is a dealer and my mom was struggling with bills so to get some extra money I helped him out. A few months ago I got robbed of all of the weed I had from him that I was supposed to sell, and that was a lot of weed. 2.5 grand worth.”
“And you have to pay him back?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“Why’d you let them double it?” I pressed. “Now you have to pay five.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged.
“Harry.”
“I didn’t want them to hurt you, so the only way I could get them to go away was to agree to that,” he said softly. The statement hit me like a train. It send shivers down my back and my stomach swirled.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, not knowing what else to say. Because of me he owes $2,500 more to them.
“Yeah, I did,” he half smiled. “It’s okay, I’ll get it.”
“If you got the- weed stolen, did you get any money to your mom for the bills?” I asked. He shook his head.
“I’ll give you the money,” I say without thinking.
“No, you won’t,” he said sternly.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said. “I feel responsible.”
“Don’t, I’ll figure it out,” he assured me.
“Don’t go back there, to that town,” I nearly whispered. “Do they know you moved here?”
“No,” he told me. “And I won’t.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a little better.
“Will you go out with me?” he asked. “On- like, a date?”
“Yes,” I answer quickly.
10/4/13