Mistreated
Unexpected - Part 2
Hours earlier
Harry’s POV:
“Hello sister dearest,” I set all of my stuff on the kitchen counter. I walked into the living room and plopped onto the couch next to Gemma before wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “You look lovely today.”
She shot me a weird look, “What are you so chipper about?”
I shrugged, “Can’t a brother compliment his sister?”
“Yeah, but you’re extra happy,” she spoke slowly and squinted her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes popped open and her smile grew extra wide, “You spoke to Iris today.” It’s crazy how well she knows me.
I bobbled my head from side to side, “Kind of.”
“How do you kind of talk to someone?” she laughed.
“Well, all we said was ‘hi’ and ‘bye’,” I stated, removing my arm from her and placing my hands on my legs.
“But that’s more than she’s said to you in a while.” That is if you don’t count prom. “That’s progress, Baby Bro.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, “Why do you always insist on calling me, Baby Bro? I’m not a baby.”
“I beg to differ,” she smirked. She stuck her finger in her mouth, slobbered all over it, and then stuck it in my ear.
I swatted her hand away. “Ew, Gem, that’s disgusting,” I whined, using the bottom of my t-shirt to clean the spit from my ear.
“Baby,” she snickered.
“That’s it.” I pinned her down on the couch and brought my fingers to her sides to tickle her, making her laugh and squirm uncontrollably.
“Stop it!” she laughed.
“Say I’m not a baby.”
“Never!”
“Then I’m gonna keep tickling you.”
“H-H-Harry, I have to pee!”
I chuckled, “That’s your problem. Say I’m not a baby and I’ll stop.” Before I knew it, she kneed me right in the stomach. I immediately brought my hands to my stomach, wincing from the pain, and collapsed on top of her. “Ow, Gem, that fucking hurt.”
“That’s not my problem,” she mocked my earlier statement. I just glared at her and held my stomach tighter. “Oh stop being a child. You’re pathetic, you know that? Just be glad I didn’t get you in the nuts.”
“I would’ve had to kill you if you did that.”
“Yeah, like you could do that,” the sarcasm was evident in her tone. “Now get off,” she tried shoving me off, but I didn’t budge.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because apparently I’m a baby, so I’m gonna act like one.”
She groaned, “Harry, you’re crushing me.”
“Good.”
“Wow,” I heard my mum say. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you two like this in years. It’s nice to see this again.”
I lifted my head up to smile at her before glancing at Gemma, “Yeah, it is.”
“Such a beautiful moment. We fought, we laughed, and we cried,” Gem said dramatically. “Can you get off now?”
I rolled my eyes and crawled off of her, sitting back in my original position. Mum decided to join us on the couch, and Robin walked in from the kitchen to join us as well. I didn't even notice him when I walked in. Oh well.
“You know what I just realized?” my mum asked. “We still haven’t met your boyfriend, Gemma. You should call him over for dinner tonight since we’re all home.”
“Yeah,” I nudged her. “I’d like to meet this bloke.”
“Okay, okay,” she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll call him right now. He’s actually really excited to meet all of you.”
I raised a brow, “Really? Is it because you told him about your incredibly handsome brother?”
“I have one of those?” she joked, and I pinched her arm. “Ow, what the hell, Harry?”
“Knock it off,” my mum warned. “God, I’ve missed saying that.”
Ding dong!
“That was fast,” I furrowed my brows at Gem.
She waved her hand in my face, “Shh, I’m calling him right now.” If that’s not Gavin at the door, then who is it?
BLAM! I heard the front door get slammed shut and noticed my mother was no longer sitting with Robin. Robin shot me a worried look and stood to go find my mum.
“Robin, call the police,” I heard her say. Then, there was pounding on the door.
“What’s going on?”
“Call the police, Robin.”
“Mum?” I stood up and walked over to find her shaking in Robin’s arms. The pounding on the door sounded again.
“Go back in the other room, Harry,” she said sternly. I shook my head and took a step towards the door. “Harold Edward Styles. Do as I say, and go back in the other room, now.”
I ignored her and walked towards the door that was vibrating from the excessive pounding on the other side of it. I unlocked the door and swung the door open to find the last person I ever expected to see: my father.
“Harold,” he smiled. He fucking smiled. I tried slamming the door in his face, but his foot stopped the door in time. “Don’t do that, Son,” he frowned.
“Son?” I chuckled darkly. “You’re not my father.”
“Well, your birth certificate says otherwise,” he smirked. “And the fact that you still have my last name proves that as well.”
“That’ll change soon,” I countered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go call the police.” I tried shutting the door again, but, yet again, he stopped it. This time, he walked right into the house like he still owns the place.
I grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards me, not wanting him to see Robin. Although, it appears Robin is in the other room, probably calling the police like mum had asked him to do. “Maybe you don’t remember, but this isn’t your house anymore. You can't just waltz right in.”
“Like hell I can’t,” he scoffed. “I paid for the house.”
“Why do you think we’re moving?” I rolled my eyes. “You can have this shithole when we’re gone.”
“We are not moving because we’re gonna fix things,” he said sternly, emphasizing the word ‘we’.
I chuckled, “There is no ‘we’ that includes you. You must be an idiot if you think we’re letting you back in our lives.”
“Watch it,” he warned, his fists clenching at his sides. “We are family whether you like it or not. I’m letting it go this time, but the next time you try to break our family apart, I’ll-“
“What?” I smirked, crossing my arms. “You’ll hit me? Like you did day after day while we were a so called ‘family’? Is that what you’ll do?”
“I’ve only been going easy on you,” he gritted his teeth as he stepped closer to me.
I shook my head and uncrossed my arms, “If you say so. Now, are you done here? You said what you had to say, so now I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“Look at you,” he laughed. “I left you guys, and suddenly you became a man. The man of the house.”
“Try not to be so jealous,” I smirked. “You might want to get a reality check by the way, Old Man, because I’m pretty sure mum kicked you out.”
“That’s two strikes,” he glared.
I raised my brows and mocked him, “Look at you, trying to be a father.”
“Harry, stop,” my mum warned from behind him.
“Yeah, Harry. Listen to your mother,” he smirked. He turned on his heels and started walking towards my mum, “I’ve missed you, Baby.” She just glared at him, taking a step backwards.
I gripped his arm, “Hey, don’t call her that!” The next thing I knew, he twisted towards me and his fist collided with my mouth.
“Harry!” Mum gasped. I stumbled backwards and placed my hand on my lips. Of course, when I pulled my hand away and looked down at it, I found blood on it. That fucking Son of a Bitch.
“Don’t touch me,” he snapped.
“Leave him alone!” Robin’s voice boomed in the room.
When my father turned towards Robin, he noticed Robin had his arms protectively wrapped around Mum’s waist. That poor Bastard, he should’ve just stayed in the other room. My father pointed at Robin and glared at my mother, “Who’s this? You’re cheating on me?”
“Last time I checked, you two were divorced,” I spat.
He turned and smiled at me, “Last time I checked, the papers haven’t been finalized yet. That means she’s still my wife.”
I furrowed my brows and dug my fingernails into the palms of my hand, “Are you calling my mother a liar?”
“I think I am,” he nodded with a smile still plastered to his face. He turned back to face Mum, “Didn’t you tell them it takes months for these kinds of things?”
“Why does it matter?” she waved her hands. So she did lie. “We’re going to be divorced anyways. There’s no way I’m allowing you back in our lives to traumatize us all any longer.” He shook his head, a small chuckle falling from his lips as he steps closer to my mother.
Robin stepped in front of her and held her tightly behind him, “Don’t come any closer.”
“Or what?” my father tested him.
“So Gavin’s on his wa-“ Gemma stopped talking once she noticed our father. God, sometimes she can be so oblivious. She also should've just stayed in the other room.
“Hi Gem,” our father smiled at her, disgustingly if I might add. She started shaking like a leaf and took a few steps backwards. “You look beautiful.”
A loud growl slipped from my mouth as I charged at the fucking Bastard, knocking us both to the ground. I landed on his back and gripped his hair to hold his head up before punching him in the side of the face. I ignored Gemma and Mum’s screams and continued the assault on the bloody prick’s face. The only reason I hadn’t hit him yet is because he could’ve used that against me when the police come, but nothing is holding me back now that he hit me first. This position wasn’t very effective though, and before I knew it, he had flipped us over so I was laying on my back and he was straddling my lap.
His fist made contact with my mouth again, causing me to hiss in pain. It doesn’t feel any better getting hit in the same fucking spot twice. I was able to throw a punch at his nose, and I’m hoping I broke it. This only made him angrier, his face burning red with rage. He brought his hands to my neck and squeezed tightly, blocking my airway and leaving me gasping for air.
“Feel so tough now, you Little Shit?” his voice was strained as he applied more pressure to my throat. I tried removing his hands from my neck and kicked my feet around, trying to escape his grip.
Suddenly, his weight was no longer on my body. I laid there coughing uncontrollably and rubbing my burning throat. Gemma was quick to run to my side, sitting me up so she could pat my back as I breathed in the air that was missing from my lungs. As my coughing died down, I looked up to find my father and Robin going at it. Robin had him pinned against the wall and was punching him in the gut repeatedly, shouting things like, “You’re a sick Bastard!” My mum was just crying, unable to grasp what’s happening.
Finally, the police showed up, barging their way into my house.
I sat on the front steps of my house with Gemma. She had her head rested on my shoulder as we both watched our father get placed in the back of a police car. We had already given our statements to the police which is what Robin is doing right now. I don’t really know where my mum is.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Gemma asked. I didn’t say anything, only staring at the police car my father is sitting in. “What if Robin hadn’t been there? Harry, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Shh,” I hushed her, wrapping my arms around her and rubbing her shoulder. “It’s okay now.”
I’m sure she had more to snap at me about, but suddenly, the guy from all the pictures she had shown me got out of his car across the street. Gavin. He looked at the police cars questioningly before glancing at Gem and I. Gemma pushed herself out of my grasp and ran swiftly into Gavin’s arms. She cried in his chest as he rubbed her back in attempt to soothe her.
I can tell he really cares for her by the way he kisses the top of her head and holds her protectively against him. This is something I hadn’t seen my parents do in years. I could tell they weren’t happy anymore, and things slowly began to unravel from there. That must be why that vile prick decided touching my sister was okay.
“Hey Sweetie,” Mum sat down next to me. “I filed a restraining order against him with our lawyer. If he gets bailed out anytime soon, we’ll still be safe unless he wants to go back to jail. Now, the only time we’ll ever have to see him is in court.”
“Okay,” is all I said.
“Sweetie?” I could see her looking at me quizzically from the corner of my eye. She placed her hand on my back, but I shrugged it off. “Harry, I’m sorry I lied to you about the divorce. It may not be finalized yet, but it will be eventually, so I didn’t think it mattered.”
I scoffed and glared at her, “Is that what you think this is about?” Her puzzled expression only grew. “I don’t fucking care about that shit. This…” I pointed at all the cops. “This never would’ve happened if you would’ve reported him to the police in the first place.”
“He probably still would've showed up, Harry,” she sighed. “He and you fighting in our home isn’t exactly going to keep him in jail for a long time.”
“No, Mum,” my voice was deep, slow, and filled with anger. “When he first hit me.” She frowned and looked down at her lap, but I have no sympathy for her. In fact, I started raising my voice, “You say you loved him, but that hadn’t been true for a long time! I didn’t see it that well then, but I know that now! You two were at each other’s throats constantly, but you kept hiding it from Gem and I! Did you think I hadn't seen you two fight?! You hadn’t loved him, but you let him hit us! What are you gonna do when Robin starts beating the shit out of me?! I mean, you obviously care for this guy, so we’re probably never escaping him!”
“Harry,” Gemma said sternly from behind me.
“You weren’t there!” I turned to yell at my sister. “I was alone and neither of you cared enough to be there for me! Why do you think I’m always trying to be the fucking tough guy?! Isn’t that what you want?! Me to handle all of your shit and take all of the blows while you sit there and watch?!” I glared at my mother. “And for me to be abused rather than you?!” I directed at Gem. “Neither of you fucking cared!”
My mum reached out to me, tears in her eyes, “Har-“
“No,” I swatted her hand away. “I’m going for a walk.” I ignored their protests and my name being called as I walked away from the neighborhood, and away from it all.
Present Time
Iris’s POV:
I hopped out of my car and grabbed the blanket from the back seat. I closed the car door and locked it before wrapping the blanket around me and walking into the dark forest-like area that leads to the tracks. I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to see. I don’t think he would’ve tried harming himself, especially since he didn’t take anything to do that with. Well, not that I know of…
I’m mostly expecting full on rage. He’ll probably be throwing around the rocks and kicking the grass, maybe even screaming at the world like we did once. It’s possible that he’ll yell at me for showing up and say "it’s not safe to be around him" or some garbage like that. The thing is, no matter what I’m walking into, none of it will push me away. I want to be there for him, even if it meant ditching Niall for the thousandth time. Harry needs me.
Once I finally reached the tracks, I noticed a figure standing on the train tracks. As I got closer, I noticed Harry wasn’t moving from his position at all. He just stood like a stone, his head tilted up as he stared up at the moon and stars. No rage, no anger, no emotion. Maybe he had already gotten it all out. I mean, his mom did say he’s been gone for hours.
“Harry?” He didn’t even budge at the sound of my voice. I don’t know how Anne expects me to get him home. “Harry.” Nothing. “Harry, look at me,” I reached up and placed my hands on either side of his face. God, his skin is so cold. I brushed the blanket off my shoulders and wrapped it around him. I rubbed his shoulders to create fiction as I tried to look at his face through the dark. It’s too dark to even see his eyes.
“I’m right here,” I whispered. I wrapped my arms around him, under the blanket, and placed my head against his chest.
Minutes. Minutes in the cold and dark outdoors passed by before he made any movement at all. He leaned down so his face was pressed against my shoulder as his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I buried my face in the crock of his neck and rubbed his back as we stood like that for even longer.
“I’m right here,” I repeated.
After a half an hour of hugging in silence, I suggested that I take him to Perrie’s since he probably doesn’t want to go home. He didn’t say anything, but he nodded in response. That’s something, I guess.
When we got in the car, I sent Anne a quick text to let her know I found him and that he’s okay. I also told her I was taking him to a friend’s place for the night. Then, I texted Perrie and asked her to leave her front door unlocked so Harry and I could get in.
We rode in silence as Harry stared straight ahead. I can tell he’s trying to hold in everything he’s feeling. Maybe for my sake, but I’m guessing he just feels like he has to. So many questions ran through my mind as to what happened, but I was too scared to ask. He’s obviously not in the mood to talk since he hasn’t even said one word, so why would he answer a question? I guess I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to ask him anything.
We got to Perrie’s and immediately headed towards the guest bedroom. Thankfully, it’s pretty late, so everyone’s asleep. I’m sure the last thing Harry needs is for everyone to be in his face about the earlier events.
I turned on the lights in the room and closed the door before looking at the curly-haired boy. “Oh my God,” I lightly gasped. His lip was busted and stitched up, but there was one thing I was more worried about. I traced the hand shaped bruises on his neck with my fingertips. “He choked you?” my voice was barely audible since I was trying to hold back my tears.
He cupped my face with one of his hands, stroking my cheekbone with the pad of his thumbs. His eyes looked sad, but maybe that’s because I was upset. He finally lightly nodded to answer my question. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and pressed myself hard against him. I can’t believe his father would be so cruel to do that to him. What kind of sick person thinks it’s okay to choke their children?
“I’m okay,” his voice was hoarse as he hugged me back.
I looked up at him, shocked he even spoke to me, but I saw no expression on his face again. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?” He nodded. I wrapped my hand around his and pulled him closer to the bed. “Why don’t you get out of those jeans? I’m sure they’re not comfy to sleep in.” He nodded.
I sat down on the bed and stared at the wall as I waited for him to take his jeans off. When it sounded like he was done, I turned to find he had removed his shirt as well. Of course.
I pulled the covers back for him and patted the bed for him to climb in. He slowly got in and patted the space next to him before I could pull the covers over him. I probably shouldn’t lay with him because I might fall asleep. I have work tomorrow, and I really should head home now, but I want to be here for him. I kicked my shoes off and climbed in next to him, pulling the covers over our bodies. We laid in the bed on our sides, facing each other. His neutral expression still had me worried.
“You’re allowed to be sad,” I said cautiously as I played with his curls. “What happened to you today was not okay.” He shook his head, and I swear I heard him sniffle. “It’s okay to be sad about it. You have every right to.”
He blinked and few tears fell from his eyes. I pushed myself closer to him, and he buried his head in my chest as he let out a few soft cries. I wrapped both of my arms around his head and held him closer to me, running my fingers through his curls since he likes it when I do that. He snaked his arms around my torso to hold me closer, if that is even possible.
We just laid there, holding each other protectively, as he cried into my chest.
Harry’s POV:
“Hello sister dearest,” I set all of my stuff on the kitchen counter. I walked into the living room and plopped onto the couch next to Gemma before wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “You look lovely today.”
She shot me a weird look, “What are you so chipper about?”
I shrugged, “Can’t a brother compliment his sister?”
“Yeah, but you’re extra happy,” she spoke slowly and squinted her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes popped open and her smile grew extra wide, “You spoke to Iris today.” It’s crazy how well she knows me.
I bobbled my head from side to side, “Kind of.”
“How do you kind of talk to someone?” she laughed.
“Well, all we said was ‘hi’ and ‘bye’,” I stated, removing my arm from her and placing my hands on my legs.
“But that’s more than she’s said to you in a while.” That is if you don’t count prom. “That’s progress, Baby Bro.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, “Why do you always insist on calling me, Baby Bro? I’m not a baby.”
“I beg to differ,” she smirked. She stuck her finger in her mouth, slobbered all over it, and then stuck it in my ear.
I swatted her hand away. “Ew, Gem, that’s disgusting,” I whined, using the bottom of my t-shirt to clean the spit from my ear.
“Baby,” she snickered.
“That’s it.” I pinned her down on the couch and brought my fingers to her sides to tickle her, making her laugh and squirm uncontrollably.
“Stop it!” she laughed.
“Say I’m not a baby.”
“Never!”
“Then I’m gonna keep tickling you.”
“H-H-Harry, I have to pee!”
I chuckled, “That’s your problem. Say I’m not a baby and I’ll stop.” Before I knew it, she kneed me right in the stomach. I immediately brought my hands to my stomach, wincing from the pain, and collapsed on top of her. “Ow, Gem, that fucking hurt.”
“That’s not my problem,” she mocked my earlier statement. I just glared at her and held my stomach tighter. “Oh stop being a child. You’re pathetic, you know that? Just be glad I didn’t get you in the nuts.”
“I would’ve had to kill you if you did that.”
“Yeah, like you could do that,” the sarcasm was evident in her tone. “Now get off,” she tried shoving me off, but I didn’t budge.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because apparently I’m a baby, so I’m gonna act like one.”
She groaned, “Harry, you’re crushing me.”
“Good.”
“Wow,” I heard my mum say. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you two like this in years. It’s nice to see this again.”
I lifted my head up to smile at her before glancing at Gemma, “Yeah, it is.”
“Such a beautiful moment. We fought, we laughed, and we cried,” Gem said dramatically. “Can you get off now?”
I rolled my eyes and crawled off of her, sitting back in my original position. Mum decided to join us on the couch, and Robin walked in from the kitchen to join us as well. I didn't even notice him when I walked in. Oh well.
“You know what I just realized?” my mum asked. “We still haven’t met your boyfriend, Gemma. You should call him over for dinner tonight since we’re all home.”
“Yeah,” I nudged her. “I’d like to meet this bloke.”
“Okay, okay,” she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll call him right now. He’s actually really excited to meet all of you.”
I raised a brow, “Really? Is it because you told him about your incredibly handsome brother?”
“I have one of those?” she joked, and I pinched her arm. “Ow, what the hell, Harry?”
“Knock it off,” my mum warned. “God, I’ve missed saying that.”
Ding dong!
“That was fast,” I furrowed my brows at Gem.
She waved her hand in my face, “Shh, I’m calling him right now.” If that’s not Gavin at the door, then who is it?
BLAM! I heard the front door get slammed shut and noticed my mother was no longer sitting with Robin. Robin shot me a worried look and stood to go find my mum.
“Robin, call the police,” I heard her say. Then, there was pounding on the door.
“What’s going on?”
“Call the police, Robin.”
“Mum?” I stood up and walked over to find her shaking in Robin’s arms. The pounding on the door sounded again.
“Go back in the other room, Harry,” she said sternly. I shook my head and took a step towards the door. “Harold Edward Styles. Do as I say, and go back in the other room, now.”
I ignored her and walked towards the door that was vibrating from the excessive pounding on the other side of it. I unlocked the door and swung the door open to find the last person I ever expected to see: my father.
“Harold,” he smiled. He fucking smiled. I tried slamming the door in his face, but his foot stopped the door in time. “Don’t do that, Son,” he frowned.
“Son?” I chuckled darkly. “You’re not my father.”
“Well, your birth certificate says otherwise,” he smirked. “And the fact that you still have my last name proves that as well.”
“That’ll change soon,” I countered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go call the police.” I tried shutting the door again, but, yet again, he stopped it. This time, he walked right into the house like he still owns the place.
I grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards me, not wanting him to see Robin. Although, it appears Robin is in the other room, probably calling the police like mum had asked him to do. “Maybe you don’t remember, but this isn’t your house anymore. You can't just waltz right in.”
“Like hell I can’t,” he scoffed. “I paid for the house.”
“Why do you think we’re moving?” I rolled my eyes. “You can have this shithole when we’re gone.”
“We are not moving because we’re gonna fix things,” he said sternly, emphasizing the word ‘we’.
I chuckled, “There is no ‘we’ that includes you. You must be an idiot if you think we’re letting you back in our lives.”
“Watch it,” he warned, his fists clenching at his sides. “We are family whether you like it or not. I’m letting it go this time, but the next time you try to break our family apart, I’ll-“
“What?” I smirked, crossing my arms. “You’ll hit me? Like you did day after day while we were a so called ‘family’? Is that what you’ll do?”
“I’ve only been going easy on you,” he gritted his teeth as he stepped closer to me.
I shook my head and uncrossed my arms, “If you say so. Now, are you done here? You said what you had to say, so now I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“Look at you,” he laughed. “I left you guys, and suddenly you became a man. The man of the house.”
“Try not to be so jealous,” I smirked. “You might want to get a reality check by the way, Old Man, because I’m pretty sure mum kicked you out.”
“That’s two strikes,” he glared.
I raised my brows and mocked him, “Look at you, trying to be a father.”
“Harry, stop,” my mum warned from behind him.
“Yeah, Harry. Listen to your mother,” he smirked. He turned on his heels and started walking towards my mum, “I’ve missed you, Baby.” She just glared at him, taking a step backwards.
I gripped his arm, “Hey, don’t call her that!” The next thing I knew, he twisted towards me and his fist collided with my mouth.
“Harry!” Mum gasped. I stumbled backwards and placed my hand on my lips. Of course, when I pulled my hand away and looked down at it, I found blood on it. That fucking Son of a Bitch.
“Don’t touch me,” he snapped.
“Leave him alone!” Robin’s voice boomed in the room.
When my father turned towards Robin, he noticed Robin had his arms protectively wrapped around Mum’s waist. That poor Bastard, he should’ve just stayed in the other room. My father pointed at Robin and glared at my mother, “Who’s this? You’re cheating on me?”
“Last time I checked, you two were divorced,” I spat.
He turned and smiled at me, “Last time I checked, the papers haven’t been finalized yet. That means she’s still my wife.”
I furrowed my brows and dug my fingernails into the palms of my hand, “Are you calling my mother a liar?”
“I think I am,” he nodded with a smile still plastered to his face. He turned back to face Mum, “Didn’t you tell them it takes months for these kinds of things?”
“Why does it matter?” she waved her hands. So she did lie. “We’re going to be divorced anyways. There’s no way I’m allowing you back in our lives to traumatize us all any longer.” He shook his head, a small chuckle falling from his lips as he steps closer to my mother.
Robin stepped in front of her and held her tightly behind him, “Don’t come any closer.”
“Or what?” my father tested him.
“So Gavin’s on his wa-“ Gemma stopped talking once she noticed our father. God, sometimes she can be so oblivious. She also should've just stayed in the other room.
“Hi Gem,” our father smiled at her, disgustingly if I might add. She started shaking like a leaf and took a few steps backwards. “You look beautiful.”
A loud growl slipped from my mouth as I charged at the fucking Bastard, knocking us both to the ground. I landed on his back and gripped his hair to hold his head up before punching him in the side of the face. I ignored Gemma and Mum’s screams and continued the assault on the bloody prick’s face. The only reason I hadn’t hit him yet is because he could’ve used that against me when the police come, but nothing is holding me back now that he hit me first. This position wasn’t very effective though, and before I knew it, he had flipped us over so I was laying on my back and he was straddling my lap.
His fist made contact with my mouth again, causing me to hiss in pain. It doesn’t feel any better getting hit in the same fucking spot twice. I was able to throw a punch at his nose, and I’m hoping I broke it. This only made him angrier, his face burning red with rage. He brought his hands to my neck and squeezed tightly, blocking my airway and leaving me gasping for air.
“Feel so tough now, you Little Shit?” his voice was strained as he applied more pressure to my throat. I tried removing his hands from my neck and kicked my feet around, trying to escape his grip.
Suddenly, his weight was no longer on my body. I laid there coughing uncontrollably and rubbing my burning throat. Gemma was quick to run to my side, sitting me up so she could pat my back as I breathed in the air that was missing from my lungs. As my coughing died down, I looked up to find my father and Robin going at it. Robin had him pinned against the wall and was punching him in the gut repeatedly, shouting things like, “You’re a sick Bastard!” My mum was just crying, unable to grasp what’s happening.
Finally, the police showed up, barging their way into my house.
I sat on the front steps of my house with Gemma. She had her head rested on my shoulder as we both watched our father get placed in the back of a police car. We had already given our statements to the police which is what Robin is doing right now. I don’t really know where my mum is.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Gemma asked. I didn’t say anything, only staring at the police car my father is sitting in. “What if Robin hadn’t been there? Harry, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Shh,” I hushed her, wrapping my arms around her and rubbing her shoulder. “It’s okay now.”
I’m sure she had more to snap at me about, but suddenly, the guy from all the pictures she had shown me got out of his car across the street. Gavin. He looked at the police cars questioningly before glancing at Gem and I. Gemma pushed herself out of my grasp and ran swiftly into Gavin’s arms. She cried in his chest as he rubbed her back in attempt to soothe her.
I can tell he really cares for her by the way he kisses the top of her head and holds her protectively against him. This is something I hadn’t seen my parents do in years. I could tell they weren’t happy anymore, and things slowly began to unravel from there. That must be why that vile prick decided touching my sister was okay.
“Hey Sweetie,” Mum sat down next to me. “I filed a restraining order against him with our lawyer. If he gets bailed out anytime soon, we’ll still be safe unless he wants to go back to jail. Now, the only time we’ll ever have to see him is in court.”
“Okay,” is all I said.
“Sweetie?” I could see her looking at me quizzically from the corner of my eye. She placed her hand on my back, but I shrugged it off. “Harry, I’m sorry I lied to you about the divorce. It may not be finalized yet, but it will be eventually, so I didn’t think it mattered.”
I scoffed and glared at her, “Is that what you think this is about?” Her puzzled expression only grew. “I don’t fucking care about that shit. This…” I pointed at all the cops. “This never would’ve happened if you would’ve reported him to the police in the first place.”
“He probably still would've showed up, Harry,” she sighed. “He and you fighting in our home isn’t exactly going to keep him in jail for a long time.”
“No, Mum,” my voice was deep, slow, and filled with anger. “When he first hit me.” She frowned and looked down at her lap, but I have no sympathy for her. In fact, I started raising my voice, “You say you loved him, but that hadn’t been true for a long time! I didn’t see it that well then, but I know that now! You two were at each other’s throats constantly, but you kept hiding it from Gem and I! Did you think I hadn't seen you two fight?! You hadn’t loved him, but you let him hit us! What are you gonna do when Robin starts beating the shit out of me?! I mean, you obviously care for this guy, so we’re probably never escaping him!”
“Harry,” Gemma said sternly from behind me.
“You weren’t there!” I turned to yell at my sister. “I was alone and neither of you cared enough to be there for me! Why do you think I’m always trying to be the fucking tough guy?! Isn’t that what you want?! Me to handle all of your shit and take all of the blows while you sit there and watch?!” I glared at my mother. “And for me to be abused rather than you?!” I directed at Gem. “Neither of you fucking cared!”
My mum reached out to me, tears in her eyes, “Har-“
“No,” I swatted her hand away. “I’m going for a walk.” I ignored their protests and my name being called as I walked away from the neighborhood, and away from it all.
Present Time
Iris’s POV:
I hopped out of my car and grabbed the blanket from the back seat. I closed the car door and locked it before wrapping the blanket around me and walking into the dark forest-like area that leads to the tracks. I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to see. I don’t think he would’ve tried harming himself, especially since he didn’t take anything to do that with. Well, not that I know of…
I’m mostly expecting full on rage. He’ll probably be throwing around the rocks and kicking the grass, maybe even screaming at the world like we did once. It’s possible that he’ll yell at me for showing up and say "it’s not safe to be around him" or some garbage like that. The thing is, no matter what I’m walking into, none of it will push me away. I want to be there for him, even if it meant ditching Niall for the thousandth time. Harry needs me.
Once I finally reached the tracks, I noticed a figure standing on the train tracks. As I got closer, I noticed Harry wasn’t moving from his position at all. He just stood like a stone, his head tilted up as he stared up at the moon and stars. No rage, no anger, no emotion. Maybe he had already gotten it all out. I mean, his mom did say he’s been gone for hours.
“Harry?” He didn’t even budge at the sound of my voice. I don’t know how Anne expects me to get him home. “Harry.” Nothing. “Harry, look at me,” I reached up and placed my hands on either side of his face. God, his skin is so cold. I brushed the blanket off my shoulders and wrapped it around him. I rubbed his shoulders to create fiction as I tried to look at his face through the dark. It’s too dark to even see his eyes.
“I’m right here,” I whispered. I wrapped my arms around him, under the blanket, and placed my head against his chest.
Minutes. Minutes in the cold and dark outdoors passed by before he made any movement at all. He leaned down so his face was pressed against my shoulder as his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I buried my face in the crock of his neck and rubbed his back as we stood like that for even longer.
“I’m right here,” I repeated.
After a half an hour of hugging in silence, I suggested that I take him to Perrie’s since he probably doesn’t want to go home. He didn’t say anything, but he nodded in response. That’s something, I guess.
When we got in the car, I sent Anne a quick text to let her know I found him and that he’s okay. I also told her I was taking him to a friend’s place for the night. Then, I texted Perrie and asked her to leave her front door unlocked so Harry and I could get in.
We rode in silence as Harry stared straight ahead. I can tell he’s trying to hold in everything he’s feeling. Maybe for my sake, but I’m guessing he just feels like he has to. So many questions ran through my mind as to what happened, but I was too scared to ask. He’s obviously not in the mood to talk since he hasn’t even said one word, so why would he answer a question? I guess I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to ask him anything.
We got to Perrie’s and immediately headed towards the guest bedroom. Thankfully, it’s pretty late, so everyone’s asleep. I’m sure the last thing Harry needs is for everyone to be in his face about the earlier events.
I turned on the lights in the room and closed the door before looking at the curly-haired boy. “Oh my God,” I lightly gasped. His lip was busted and stitched up, but there was one thing I was more worried about. I traced the hand shaped bruises on his neck with my fingertips. “He choked you?” my voice was barely audible since I was trying to hold back my tears.
He cupped my face with one of his hands, stroking my cheekbone with the pad of his thumbs. His eyes looked sad, but maybe that’s because I was upset. He finally lightly nodded to answer my question. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and pressed myself hard against him. I can’t believe his father would be so cruel to do that to him. What kind of sick person thinks it’s okay to choke their children?
“I’m okay,” his voice was hoarse as he hugged me back.
I looked up at him, shocked he even spoke to me, but I saw no expression on his face again. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?” He nodded. I wrapped my hand around his and pulled him closer to the bed. “Why don’t you get out of those jeans? I’m sure they’re not comfy to sleep in.” He nodded.
I sat down on the bed and stared at the wall as I waited for him to take his jeans off. When it sounded like he was done, I turned to find he had removed his shirt as well. Of course.
I pulled the covers back for him and patted the bed for him to climb in. He slowly got in and patted the space next to him before I could pull the covers over him. I probably shouldn’t lay with him because I might fall asleep. I have work tomorrow, and I really should head home now, but I want to be here for him. I kicked my shoes off and climbed in next to him, pulling the covers over our bodies. We laid in the bed on our sides, facing each other. His neutral expression still had me worried.
“You’re allowed to be sad,” I said cautiously as I played with his curls. “What happened to you today was not okay.” He shook his head, and I swear I heard him sniffle. “It’s okay to be sad about it. You have every right to.”
He blinked and few tears fell from his eyes. I pushed myself closer to him, and he buried his head in my chest as he let out a few soft cries. I wrapped both of my arms around his head and held him closer to me, running my fingers through his curls since he likes it when I do that. He snaked his arms around my torso to hold me closer, if that is even possible.
We just laid there, holding each other protectively, as he cried into my chest.
Notes
Subscribe and vote if you haven't already. Be sure to leave me a comment as well. Love you guys<3THANK YOU FOR THE 200 SUBSCRIBERS AND THANK YOU FOR KEEPING MY STORY ON THE POPULAR PAGE! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!
Poor Harry :(
I love this story so much!!!
11/18/17