“You seem sad,” Melissa commented as the two girls sat on the dining table, eating breakfast.

“Did something happen?”

Georgia looked up at Melissa, unsure of what to say. A lot had happened, it seemed like a silly question. She missed her parents and her friends. It hadn’t helped that the previous night, Lucas had called her up and told her how much he missed her. Georgia was ready to give anything to spend a few more days with her old life. But she knew none of it would ever be the same. Last night, it had hit her suddenly that sooner or later, she was going to have to accept this life as her own. Her family was Melissa and her aunt. Her friends would have to be Melissa’s friends. Lucas, her parents, her old friends—they were all a closed chapter of her life, a chapter she could only revisit through her memories. But memories faded, and sooner or later, these would too. Georgia wasn’t ready for that.

She shook her head and gave Mel a small smile. “Nothing,” she lied. “I’m fine, Mel. Where’s your mum?” She decided to steer the topic away from her.

Melissa’s mother was away a lot. Georgia wasn’t sure as to what exactly she did; but the two girls never really spoke about her. Neither was sure about what exactly had happened between the two sisters, but Georgia was sure her aunt didn’t like her very much. Even so, she’d got her into her house, and for that, Georgia would be grateful. Over the course of the few months that she’d lived in this house with her cousin and aunt, she’d learned not to take her aunt’s cold behaviour to heart any longer. It was one of the things she was getting used to.

Melissa shrugged. “No idea,” she told her. “You know mum, she’s barely ever here.”

“Maybe she does it to avoid me,” Georgia said without thinking, and then blushed.

Mel chuckled and shook her head. “No way,” she promised her. “Even before you came here, mum was always out. She’s busy all the time, it’s nothing new.”

Georgia nodded, deciding not to press further into the matter.

“So,” Melissa said, “do you remember Nancy?”

Georgia paused, and frowned slightly. In all honesty, she didn’t remember Nancy at all. She didn’t remember any of Melissa’s friends, and there were loads. She only remembered Harry, and that was for a reason she hoped she wouldn’t have to mention again.

Mel smirked. “You don’t,” she nodded. “Doesn’t matter, she remembers you. Anyway, it’s her birthday tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“And we’re invited.” Mel continued.

“Me too?” Georgia asked, raising her eyebrows.

Melissa nodded. “Of course you are,” she said. “And please, don’t say no.”

“Mel—” Georgia started.

“Look,” Mel cut across her. “Uni starts in another month, okay? We’ll get busy then, we won’t
have as much free time. Besides, what are you going to do here, all alone at home?”

Georgia eyed her cousin curiously. “Doesn’t your mother have any objections with how much you go out?”

Melissa snorted. “You’re kidding, right?” she rolled her eyes. “She’s barely ever here, so she doesn’t even realize. Most of the times, she thinks I’m out with girlfriends or something. Now that you’re here, she thinks I’m showing you around.”

Georgia laughed.

“So, you’ll come?” she asked her.

“Do I have a choice?” Georgia shot at her playfully.

The two girls finished their breakfast and then lounged on the couch for a bit, talking and watching reruns of Friends. They talked about their lives and Melissa teased Georgia little about her lack of physical experience even though she had a boyfriend.

“Harry and I fought again,” Mel told her at one point, as she lay on the couch with her head resting on Georgia’s lap.

Georgia frowned. “But you both just made up,” she said.

Mel rolled her eyes. “I know,” she muttered.

“Can I ask you why you both fight this way all the time?”

Melissa sighed. “When Harry and I started dating, about two years ago, I was really happy.” She said, and then with a chuckle, “God, I had this stupid crush on him for the longest time. And then he got to know, and it turned out that he felt the same way. And then we started dating and we got closer and closer and things were so good, you know?”

“And then out of the blue, it just stopped.” She said. “All the affection and the sweet talk and me and Harry just being…ourselves; it all stopped. We didn’t spend as much time, we didn’t even talk on the phone. There’s no spark anymore. I think I’m too emotionally needy for him. I don’t think he can deal with it.”

“I’m sure that’s not it,” Georgia tried to assure her.

Mel shook her head. “Can I tell you something?” she asked, looking up at her cousin.

“Of course you can,” Georgia smiled.

“Halfway through our relationship, Jade came,” she said, sitting up. “You know, the tiny girl who Harry adores? Her mother and Harry’s mum were best friends since their school years or something like that. This Anyway, Jade’s mum passed away about a year and a half ago. Anne and Harry have been taking care of her ever since.”

“Oh my God,” Georgia mumbled, horrified as thought of the little girl’s sad eyes when she mentioned that her hair was like her mother’s.

“Harry doesn’t get too attached to anyone,” Mel said, her head falling on her neck, against the backrest of the sofa and she sighed, her eyes shutting. “I knew he loved me, sure, but most of the time, he wasn’t really into displaying his emotions to everyone. He’s so cut off and detached sometimes, you know? But Jade…it’s like his world revolves around this little girl. I…I can see that she’s constantly on his mind, that he’s constantly worrying about her. In a way, she’s the reason Harry and I aren’t the same anymore. Ever since she’s come, Harry’s started to spend all his free time with her.”

“She’s a kid, Mel,” Georgia said gently. “She just lost her mother.”

Melissa nodded. “I know, I know,” she said quickly. “I understand that, and I’m not blaming her for it. God, I’m not that stupid. I’m just…saying.”

Mel looked down to hide her sad eyes, watching her twiddling thumbs on her lap. Georgia sighed softly and wrapped her arm around her sister. “Maybe you and Harry aren’t good together anymore,” she said, “because you have something better in store for you.”

“Like what?” Melissa asked. “I can’t even think of another guy like that, G. Sometimes, I try. I try to think of other guys and cheat on him in my head or something, but it doesn’t work. I don’t want to think of anyone else like that. It’s only Harry for me. I still love him, but I sort of hate him too. Actually, I hate him quite a bit.”

“But you love him too.”

“I do,” Mel nodded.

The sentence was on the tip of Georgia’s tongue, and she just had to say it. He kissed me. She just had to let her cousin know the truth, and Mel’s entire perspective would change. Loving
Harry and hating him at the same time would not be a problem for her anymore.

Or would it? Would Georgia make things easier that way? Or would she just end up hurting her sister even more? What was the nicest and best possible way to tell your cousin that her boyfriend kissed you in a fit of anger?

Georgia swallowed her statement, the unsaid assertion burning her throat like hot liquor. She squeezed Melissa’s shoulder and gave her what she hoped was a sympathetic smile, but otherwise didn’t say anything.
---

Georgia stood awkwardly by the glass door of the pub, a glass till full to the brim in her hand as she watched people chattering and drinking and having a good time while she stood in a corner awkwardly, unnoticed by all. This was becoming some sort of a norm now; going to parties, being handed a drink and then being ignored. Melissa had walked off to meet her friends, and Georgia was okay with that. She didn’t expect Mel to hang around all the time with her.
She turned slightly and caught herself being reflected off the glass door of the pub in the night. The image was slightly blurred, but not enough for her to appear distorted.

At least according to Georgia, her dress was unlike anything she would ever have worn if she were given a choice. It was something Mel had picked out for her herself, from her own wardrobe. To Melissa, all of Georgia’s clothes were ‘boring’. Georgia didn’t want to argue, because she figured that statement was, in part at least, quite true.

It was a sleeveless dress with a white top and a black skirt bottom, the hem hitting just above her mid thighs. Georgia had made it a point to make sure she didn’t bend, fearing the benefit of all the drunken boys present in the room. Even her shoes were borrowed from Melissa, peep toe platform heels that Georgia was sure to make people wonder how she managed to walk in those. Her hair was curled slightly at the bottom, warm lose curls falling around her shoulders, her make up just perfect, and Georgia looked surprisingly nice. Melissa had even gone as far as to say that Georgia looked hot, something she’d never been called before.

“Hey,” a deep voice rumbled behind her, and Georgia spun around.

It was Harry, holding a glass considerably empty as compared to Georgia’s, dressed quite simply, but looking as good as ever. His hair seemed longer and less curly, disheveled but managing to retain the soft texture you could spot from miles. His lips were curved into a half smile, though Georgia knew very well that it was simply plastered on, and that he had no intention to greet her in a warm and friendly manner. She was still intimidated by him somehow, the way his green eyes seemed to stare at her in a way that made her want to cover herself up and hide from him, the way he towered over her even though her heels made her twice as tall as she really was, the way it seemed like he was almost pressed up against her though he was standing at a considerable and respectable distance from her.

Harry’s eyes fell on the cup in her hand, and he smirked as he looked back up at her. “You know,” he said, “we all know you don’t drink. You don’t have to carry that glass around just to try and fit in.”

Georgia’s jaw hardened and she narrowed her eyes up at the boy before her, anger bubbling slowly but steadily inside her. Every time she looked at him, the image of him kissing her forcefully, forcing her mouth open against his, holding her in a grip so tight it almost hurt her flashed before her eyes and burned into her mind. She wanted to reach up and smack the stupid smirk off his face once again.

“I am not trying to fit in,” she snarled at him, and Harry only grinned more.

He liked the reactions he was getting out of her; that much was clear to both of them. He liked the way her nose flared and her brow furrowed and she looked like she thought that she could actually cause him harm with her tiny, fragile body. She was so silly.

He had to admit to himself, however, that she looked quite good. He thought the dress fit her absolutely perfectly; her long legs on full display, thin but toned like her arms, the curve of her breasts through the material of her top, her curls bouncing around her shoulders. She looked hot today, something Harry had never thought she’d seem. The few times he’d seen her, he’d thought of her as seriously prudish, shy and awkward and he’d laughed at her in his head (and then openly with his friends later on), and he was almost certain she was just that. But today she looked unlike herself but so hot that Harry found it hard to look away from her when she walked in with Melissa. The way she was dressed didn’t suit the way she really was at all. In her dress she looked sexy, confident, when they were both aware that in reality, she was neither.

But Harry knew he had an apology to make. He knew he had no right to kiss her or talk to her the way that he had, and that his fit of anger was no excuse. He also had to thank her for not mentioning it to Melissa, for things were already quite messed up with her, and he could use a break.

“Alright, alright,” he nodded, half raising his free hand as surrender.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him with a roll of her eyes.

“I came here to apologize,” Harry told her, earning a scoff and another eye roll from Georgia. He sighed, already feeling his frustration grow. “Look, I already apologize, what else do you want me to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she muttered. “How about you leave me alone?”

Harry growled. “Jesus, why are you making such a big deal out of it?” he asked her.

“Because you kissed me,” she snapped back at him, as if it really was a big deal. To her, it was. Georgia loved Melissa, and she was nothing short of disgusted with Harry for kissing her that way, without her permission and making it seem like it wasn’t that big of a deal. Well, it wasn’t really to Harry. They were like two ends of a pole.

“So what?” he asked her. “I didn’t mean it! I was drunk, and angry, and you just showed up and you started saying things—”

“I didn’t say anything!” she told him, affronted. “You just started insulting her and then you…you…”

The smirk was back as he watched her splutter angrily at him. He leaned in slightly, and she could smell the slight alcohol on his breath when he whispered, “Or maybe you just liked the kiss.” He said, his voice low and rough, a teasing undertone to it that made Georgia sick to the stomach. “But you’re too stubborn to admit it.”

Georgia’s eyes widened at his suggestion, and she shoved at him so he staggered back slightly. “You’re so pathetic!” she told him angrily. “God, I should have told Melissa about you. She doesn’t deserve you.”

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but she’d already rushed past him, shoving at him and hurrying out of the pub. Her nerves were alight with anger, her hands balled into fists. She pushed open the door of the club with unnecessary force, the cool air hitting her skin harshly. She sped up the sidewalk, already beginning to shiver.

She hated him. She would have forgiven him if his apologies didn’t sound like he didn’t mean them at all, which she was sure he didn’t. He was always acted like she was attracted to him, though it would probably be the last thing to ever happen to her. He was good looking, but there was nothing remotely attractive about this boy. He was cocky and arrogant and he kissed her while he was in a relationship with someone else. She despised him, and right now her hatred for him burned to her core. She could still feel his hot breath on her skin, like the flames of a fire lapping at her, and she could smell the stench of his alcohol tinged breath.

“Hi, beautiful.”

The voice was unfamiliar and something in the tone made her shiver. She didn’t turn around but continued walking, pretending like she hadn’t heard.

“Where are you going?”

She tensed, her spine tingling. She could sense that whoever it was, he was quite close to her. She didn’t make an attempt to run. In her heels, she couldn’t run. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d walk off.

“It’s not safe for pretty things like you to walk alone here at night,” he said, his voice silky smooth and dangerous somehow. She shivered again, her stomach flipping with fear. She should have stayed in the club. God, she was so stupid.

“You can come with me. I’ll show you a good time.”

Her pace increased ever so slightly as Georgia’s heart thumped wildly in her chest, her eyes wide and alert. God no, please no.

A hand caught her wrist suddenly, and she opened her mouth to scream. Less than a second later, her a hand slapped painfully across her mouth and then she was being pulled away from the street, into an alley. Her back slammed painfully against the wall, and she whimpered.
It was too dark for her to see his face, but she could make out that he was young, possibly a few years older to her. He reeked of sweat and alcohol; Harry’s breath almost smelled like mint compared to his. It was no doubt that this boy was intoxicated beyond belief.

“When I talk to you,” he snarled down at her, “you turn around and respond. Didn’t daddy teach you any manners?”

Her plea was muffled against his hand, her eyes beginning to water as she stared up at him, trying to shove him off her. She could feel his skin pressing against hers where her dress didn’t cover her, and she felt disgusted and horrible.

“I saw you getting off the car with that friend of yours,” he cooed in her ear. “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you? You should know better than to roam around the street all alone, dressed like that.”

She screamed against his palm, pushing at him with all her might. He didn’t budge, though.

“Aw, don’t cry,” he cooed again, malicious laughter underlying in every word. “I promise I’ll make you feel good, baby. Do you have a boyfriend? Do you think he can fuck you the way I can?”

His hand slipped away from her mouth, sliding down to squeeze her clothed breast. She screamed loudly and he growled, his hand slamming across her cheek.

“Shut up, shut up!” he roared. “I’ll kill you if you make another sound, you hear me? I’ll fucking kill you. I was going to go easy on you, but now…”

“Please, please—” she begged, her hands trying their best to push him off her, but in vain.

“Oh, you’re begging,” he cooed again. “That’s it, baby. Beg me.”

She could feel him, hard against her thigh and she felt like she was going to throw up at the same time that she felt like she’d pass out. “Please let me go, please—”

“Let you go?” he tsked. “Now, I can’t do that, can I? Don’t resist it, baby. You know you want it.”

His mouth pressed against hers, rough and hard, his disgusted breath invading her nostrils, his hands holding her in a vice grip, his lips wet and filthy against hers as he kissed her and groped her without her permission. She cried and shoved at him but he didn’t even seem to notice.

“Help!” she screamed when she got the chance, earning another slap from him, her head hitting the wall with the impact. “Help me!”

“Shut up, you little—”

“What the fuck?”

The guy suddenly stilled, and spun around to see who had said those words. Georgia turned, her tears blurring her vision, throat raw, choking on her own sobs as she blinked to focus on who it was.

He looked absolutely livid, the way he had after she’d slapped him. But something about his expression scared her to no lengths, the way his body seemed to be trembling with anger, the pull of his brows, his nostrils flaring, hands balled into fists, his posture dangerous as he glared at the scene before him.

Harry, she opened her mouth to say, but no sound came out. Harry, help me.

Notes

I AM SO SORRY IT'S THIS LATE, PLS DON'T HATE ME

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