Chasing Angels - ON HOLD
Six Miles
"It's so nice to finally see you again!" Harry's mom gushed. "Gemma will be so excited that you're here."
I sat with my hands wrapped around my cup of hot tea, staring at the translucent liquid silently. I may have remembered Anne's name and face, but I don't have a clue who Gemma is.
"Mum," Harry said quietly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Uhmm..."
"Mum," Harry said through his teeth.
"Oh, alright," she said, sounding exasperated. "You tell me if you want anything, Eva, and I'll get it for you."
I nodded at the table, and I heard them leave the kitchen. I peered up through my hair to make sure they weren't nearby, then sat up a little straighter and looked around.
"Eva," I muttered. "That's a new one."
"Nice place, isn't it?" Louis said, materializing in the doorway.
I nodded, but didn't say anything.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked, sitting down across from me. I raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed. "Right. Bad question."
"I'm just tired," I said. And it was true. Just not what was bothering me.
"You sure that's it?"
I started to nod, but I stopped myself and shook my head instead. I stared at my tea again.
"Just remember," he said, patting my hand, which was now resting on the table. "we're all here for you. You're never gonna be alone, okay?"
I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes. I blinked hard, but a tear dropped and landed with a small splash in my tea.
"Aw, Lina," he said, moving around the table to sit next to me. "Don't cry." He hugged me while I unintentionally used his shirt as a tissue.
"You have no idea how much that means to me," I said, my voice cracking. I sat up and stared at the wet spot on his shirt. "I'm sorry about your shirt."
"Don't worry. I have more," he said. Then he grinned. "Snot your fault."
I just stared at him for a minute while he was laughing. Then it hit me, and I started laughing, too.
"I don't suppose you've ever wondered why pineapples don't wear bathrobes?" he asked.
I laughed. "No. Where would you get such a stupid thought anyway?"
"I don't know," he answered. "It just seemed random."
"Well it was," I agreed.
I stared up at the sky, which was threatening rain, but held it back. I was laying on my back, the top of my head touching Harry's, and our feet extending in opposite directions.
It was a rare moment of peace, and I was enjoying every second of it.
"I'm going to audition for X-Factor."
The statement startled me, and I rolled onto my stomach to look at him. I punched his shoulder playfully. "No, you're not. I know you, and you wouldn't have the nerve to go up there and audition in front of hundreds of people."
He rolled over and looked me in the eye. "Then maybe...." he started, then stopped and tried again. "I guess you don't know me, then."
The small smile that was playing on my lips disappeared. "But then you're going to get through." I looked down at the grass and started pulling it out of the ground.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
I didn't reply.
"And you don't know that."
"Yes, Harry. I do know that," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. "Because you're an amazing singer, and you're gonna win and be famous and forget about everyone here. You're going to grow up and become an addict or something and one day you're going to look back on your life and think, 'Why?'."
Harry chuckled. "That's an interesting scenario."
"It's not funny, Harry!" I said sharply. "You're going to move on with your life and never look back. You're going to forget about everything and everyone and the whole world will love you, when the people who truly love you will always be here, and you won't even care!"
He stared at me in disbelief. He looked hurt, but I didn't care. I stood up and started walking, tears blurring my vision.
"Angel!" Harry called after me. "Angel!"
I kept walking, wiping away tears. I never turned around.
Hours later, a police officer found me huddled on a sidewalk bench six miles from the park. I had no recollection of how I had gotten there. I was soaking wet and shivering when he found me, and I had mild hypothermia from sitting in the rain for so long, plus a bad cold.
When I returned home from the hospital the next day, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of uneaten food and an untouched cup of now cold tea in front of him.
He had obviously been crying, and it was evident that he had not slept. When he saw me, he gathered me up in a hug and wouldn't let go until I started shivering.
When I was sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in several blankets and wearing many layers of clothing, he hugged me again and whispered, "I won't do it."
I pulled away from him, shocked. I nearly slapped him. "You can't give up your dream!"
"If you don't want me to go, I won't," he said simply.
This time I did slap him. "Shut up. You're going," I said. "You're not letting me be the stupid bump in the road that keeps you from it."
He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled and hugged me.
I let him have his moment, then pushed him away and kept my hands on his shoulders, holding him at arm's length.
"Just promise me one thing," I said in all seriousness.
"Girl Scout's honor," he said, grinning.
I rolled my eyes. "Be serious!"
"Okay."
"Promise me you'll never forget."
He hugged me again. "I couldn't forget you even if I tried."
I sat with my hands wrapped around my cup of hot tea, staring at the translucent liquid silently. I may have remembered Anne's name and face, but I don't have a clue who Gemma is.
"Mum," Harry said quietly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Uhmm..."
"Mum," Harry said through his teeth.
"Oh, alright," she said, sounding exasperated. "You tell me if you want anything, Eva, and I'll get it for you."
I nodded at the table, and I heard them leave the kitchen. I peered up through my hair to make sure they weren't nearby, then sat up a little straighter and looked around.
"Eva," I muttered. "That's a new one."
"Nice place, isn't it?" Louis said, materializing in the doorway.
I nodded, but didn't say anything.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked, sitting down across from me. I raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed. "Right. Bad question."
"I'm just tired," I said. And it was true. Just not what was bothering me.
"You sure that's it?"
I started to nod, but I stopped myself and shook my head instead. I stared at my tea again.
"Just remember," he said, patting my hand, which was now resting on the table. "we're all here for you. You're never gonna be alone, okay?"
I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes. I blinked hard, but a tear dropped and landed with a small splash in my tea.
"Aw, Lina," he said, moving around the table to sit next to me. "Don't cry." He hugged me while I unintentionally used his shirt as a tissue.
"You have no idea how much that means to me," I said, my voice cracking. I sat up and stared at the wet spot on his shirt. "I'm sorry about your shirt."
"Don't worry. I have more," he said. Then he grinned. "Snot your fault."
I just stared at him for a minute while he was laughing. Then it hit me, and I started laughing, too.
"I don't suppose you've ever wondered why pineapples don't wear bathrobes?" he asked.
I laughed. "No. Where would you get such a stupid thought anyway?"
"I don't know," he answered. "It just seemed random."
"Well it was," I agreed.
I stared up at the sky, which was threatening rain, but held it back. I was laying on my back, the top of my head touching Harry's, and our feet extending in opposite directions.
It was a rare moment of peace, and I was enjoying every second of it.
"I'm going to audition for X-Factor."
The statement startled me, and I rolled onto my stomach to look at him. I punched his shoulder playfully. "No, you're not. I know you, and you wouldn't have the nerve to go up there and audition in front of hundreds of people."
He rolled over and looked me in the eye. "Then maybe...." he started, then stopped and tried again. "I guess you don't know me, then."
The small smile that was playing on my lips disappeared. "But then you're going to get through." I looked down at the grass and started pulling it out of the ground.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
I didn't reply.
"And you don't know that."
"Yes, Harry. I do know that," I said, tears welling up in my eyes. "Because you're an amazing singer, and you're gonna win and be famous and forget about everyone here. You're going to grow up and become an addict or something and one day you're going to look back on your life and think, 'Why?'."
Harry chuckled. "That's an interesting scenario."
"It's not funny, Harry!" I said sharply. "You're going to move on with your life and never look back. You're going to forget about everything and everyone and the whole world will love you, when the people who truly love you will always be here, and you won't even care!"
He stared at me in disbelief. He looked hurt, but I didn't care. I stood up and started walking, tears blurring my vision.
"Angel!" Harry called after me. "Angel!"
I kept walking, wiping away tears. I never turned around.
Hours later, a police officer found me huddled on a sidewalk bench six miles from the park. I had no recollection of how I had gotten there. I was soaking wet and shivering when he found me, and I had mild hypothermia from sitting in the rain for so long, plus a bad cold.
When I returned home from the hospital the next day, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of uneaten food and an untouched cup of now cold tea in front of him.
He had obviously been crying, and it was evident that he had not slept. When he saw me, he gathered me up in a hug and wouldn't let go until I started shivering.
When I was sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in several blankets and wearing many layers of clothing, he hugged me again and whispered, "I won't do it."
I pulled away from him, shocked. I nearly slapped him. "You can't give up your dream!"
"If you don't want me to go, I won't," he said simply.
This time I did slap him. "Shut up. You're going," I said. "You're not letting me be the stupid bump in the road that keeps you from it."
He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled and hugged me.
I let him have his moment, then pushed him away and kept my hands on his shoulders, holding him at arm's length.
"Just promise me one thing," I said in all seriousness.
"Girl Scout's honor," he said, grinning.
I rolled my eyes. "Be serious!"
"Okay."
"Promise me you'll never forget."
He hugged me again. "I couldn't forget you even if I tried."
Notes
Okay, my lovelies. I know I haven't updated this story in forever but now I have inspiration. I think. Maybe......I had to make a sappy chapter. I'm just in a really sappy, chick-flick mood right now. I should really stop watching ABC Family. That might help.
ANYWAY, for those of you who don't already know, it will be harder for me to update because I am in hockey this year and it is my first year of high school, so I'm really busy and still trying to adjust to the senior high school. Not only that, but I'm apparently really popular for babysitting right now because I have had six babysitting requests in the past two days. I'm trying to update all my fanfics tonight, so I can't write much more here because I also have to find an outlet for my laptop. They're all full around me right now, so I'm kind of at a moot point here.
I really need to get a new computer.
....or just a new battery for it...........
Whichever one is cheaper.
I love this <3
5/7/14