Keeping Hope

Harry was sitting on the foot of Emma's bed. He refused to go home, too cross with his mum. When his dad turned to speak to Emma he flipped, screaming at him not to even look her way. Anne started crying, and Jon came out to see what all the noise was about.

He was the one offering Harry to stay by them for the night, just to let things quiet down.
Emma was watching Harry carefully, waiting for him to lose it again, though he was silent, refusing to talk also to her.

She got up and stepped down stairs, deciding to make Harry a hot cup of tea, thinking it might help to ease him.

"How is he?" Her dad was sat at the counter reading over a file.
"He's really upset, I wish I knew what happened between them to make him so angry," She sighs, switching the kettle on.
"That is something you should ask him," Jon closes the file.
"I'm off to work, call me if anything happens," He beckons to the top floor.

When the tea is made, Emma takes the cup up to Harry, to find him looking through her sketchbook.
"I made you some tea," She offers him the cup.

"Is this me?" He questions showing her a rough sketch.
She nods, her cheeks growing hot.
"From memory?" He ignores the redness in her face. She nods again.
Harry puts the sketchbook aside taking the cup from her.
"Thanks,"

Emma's POV

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask him.
"No," He answers swiftly.
I know not to push him, trying to avoid another outburst.

Watching Harry go mental on his family was terrifying and heart breaking and all I wanted to do, is wrap my arms around him, and pull him close to me, and just stroke his curls, letting him know he is all right, and loved and everything will be fine.

I leave the room to get some clean sheets for the spare room, my dad is coming home tonight and I know he will flip if he finds Harry sleeping in my room.
I put a clean towel on the bed and head back to my room to see if Harry needs anything else.
When I enter he is asleep on my bed, my pillow between his arms. I don't want to wake him, so I step out quietly shutting the door behind me.
I go down stairs and sit down on the couch.

I wonder once again what kind of bad blood runs between Harry and his father to make him react that way.

These past two days were just terrible. We get away from one problem just to get to the next. My thoughts go to Sam and what he said about Harry having gun powder on his hands.
There is no way to find anything about that from Harry, but as I think about it more and more I get unease, and I decide to do something that I wouldn't do if Harry was in a better place. I call Dylan.

Harry's POV

I know I shouldn't have pretended to be asleep, I should have just told Emma I wanted to be alone, but I was afraid to hurt her feelings and I couldn't hurt her too, not after the way I treated my mum just before.

I can't believe he is back. I hate him! I hate him so much! I remember the way Hope used to cry because of him and it makes me hate him even more.
He didn't even show his face at her funeral, he never called never sent a letter.
I slam the pillow onto my face trying to block out those memories.

I turn over in bed, not able to find a comfortable position, when I come across Emma's tshirt she sleeps in. I pull it to me, taking deep breath, taking in the smell of her. I hold it close to me, thankful for having her. She is the only one who is truly on my side.
With that thought in my head I am finally able to fall asleep.

Emma's POV

"Thanks for coming over," I hold the door open for Dylan as he steps into my home.
"Is he asleep?" He asks.
"Yes, can I get you anything?" I walk over to the kitchen opening the fridge.
"No, I'm good, why don't we talk some?" He gestures to the back garden and I nod, leading the way outside.

Dylan takes a seat on the chair Harry always uses when he joins me outside. I sit down on the one next to it, not sure how to start.

"So.. Sam said something the other day… which doesn't make sense to me, and I thought you might be able to help me understand, since you and Harry are so close," I say in a low voice.
"Sure.. What do you want to know then?" He questions in a caution voice, which makes me wonder what more don't I know.

"I wanted to ask you about the night Hope died," I watch him carefully, he holds my gaze with a poker face, but I notice the slight drain of colour from his face.

"What about it?"

"Well, Sam said something about Harry having gun powder on his hands.. which was what helped send him away, and I wondered how was that possible?" The words tumble out before I have a chance to change my mind.

Dylan is staring at me not saying a word and I feel as if I have to fill up the silence.
"And I mean.. I just can't help but feel that I am missing a big part here, since Harry said he will explain, but how can he? What can he say to make this sound right? Did Tyler really shoot Hope? How did the powder get on Harry's hands but not Tyler's?"

"Emma, calm down there is an explanation for all this," Dylan finally speaks up.

"SO please tell me! I am going mad with my thoughts," I exclaim.

"Tyler also had Gun powder on his hands.. Because he did shoot Hope," He says quietly.
"Why did Harry have it too then?"

"Because he shot the gun twice after," Dylan wasn't looking at me now, but at the tree, as if he can see it himself, what happened two years ago.

"But why would he? That can't be true!" I whisper, hoping Dylan will tell me I am right, that it's not, that Harry was framed.

"It is true, Harry pulled the trigger twice," Dylan replied.

"How can you be so sure?" I am pushing my tears away.

"Because.. I saw him.. I was there," Dylan's eyes met mine and they held the truth.


Harry's POV

When I wake up it is only a half an hour later, though it feels as if I've been sleeping for hours. I make my way down stairs to find Emma. I owe her an explanation. She was so caring and understanding of me, trying her best to be there, and I just pushed her away.

Where the fuck is she? I look out the window and notice Dylan's car parked out front. When did he get here? I go back up stairs to see maybe they are in one of the rooms. When I step into the spare room, I find the bed made with clean sheets but no Dylan and Emma. As I turn to leave I hear Dylan's voice. I step back into the room. His voice is coming from outside. I pace over to the open window and take look. Emma and Dylan were out, sitting on the chairs her and I use.

"It is true, I was there," Dylan tells her. Where was he? What is he talking about?
"You were there? The night Hope died?!" I hear Emma's Shock. I want to smash the window! I was supposed to tell her about that!

"I heard the gun go off and came running. Harry was full of blood- Hope's blood.. Everything.. his face mixed with her blood and tears, and he was holding a gun up at Tyler while hugging Hope's dead body.. It was.. It was.." Dylan's voice cracks and he stops to control himself. I freeze in place. I have never heard his side. We never spoke about that night again.

"Harry was crying promising to kill Tyler for what he's done. When I walked in Tyler begged me to help him, and that Harry was crazy… I knew Tyler was lying.. He is a good lair- the best, but Harry's face told the truth.. I tried to get Harry to put the gun down.. That he shouldn't do anything stupid, but he went on about Tyler needing to pay for what he's done, for taking Hope away.. He then pulled the trigger, firing to shots, but he wasn't pointing the gun at Tyler, it was pointed at a window, and then Harry dropped the gun, crying over Hopes body.. Tyler the nitwit tried to pick up the gun Harry dropped, holding it from the barrel which was piping hot, and burned his hand.

That was when I turned to Harry, and when I looked back Tyler was gone," Dylan stops there, and they both stay silent. That is when I back away from the window and go back to Emma's room, sitting on the bed.



The confusion inside Emma's mind must be overwhelming, the questions racing one after the other. If Dylan was there, why wasn't he ever mentioned? How did he let Harry take the fall? How does such a thing go unsolved? How could one live with such a secret?

It seemed that Dylan was done talking, having enough of revisiting these old memories, but that was all right with Emma, she knew it was time to hear it from Harry. After all he is her boyfriend. They should be able to talk about things like this, about secrets. Though Emma was scared of the truth, afraid she will not be able to keep it from her father. After all she came from the law, and she could never ignore the truth.

Once Dylan has left, Emma made her way up to her room, only to find Harry up, waiting for her.

Notes

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