That Summer (One Direction Fanfiction)

**SEQUEL** Part 10

*Brittany’s POV*

“You told him what?” Liam turned on Niall, his eyes widening as the small blonde boy cowered under his gaze.

“I told him we know,” Niall fiddled nervously with the sleeve of his purple hoody. “I didn’t know what else to say.”

“You could have just ignored his text,” Zayn sighed. “We were going to break it to him gently.”

“Well I’m sorry,” Niall kicked at a rock. “I panicked.”

“It’s fine Niall,” I glared at the other two. “What did he say?”

Niall shrugged, “He hasn’t responded. Maybe he doesn’t know what I was talking about.”

Suddenly Niall’s phone lit up and the four of us snapped to attention, gathering in a tight circle in the middle of the street. Niall opened the message and we all leaned in, bumping heads as we went.

“Ow,” Niall pulled back to rub his head, taking his phone with him. Liam and I both screamed at him and Zayn jumped away like we were dangerous. We probably were.

“Give me that,” I wrenched Niall’s phone out of his grasp and scanned the message from Harry.

His words were short and simple, ‘please don’t tell her.’

I silently handed the phone back to Niall, who accepted it somewhat reluctantly. “He doesn’t want me to know.”

But I could help him. I could make him better. I love him, he knows that. Why would he want to keep it a secret from me still?

“Let’s go see him.” I made up my mind, turning on my heel and leading the way towards Harry’s house. The boys followed behind me, not talking as I tried to untangle the thoughts in my head. I didn’t know what I was going to say when I got there, but I knew that I could make Harry feel better.

I just knew it.

-

*Harry’s POV*

They better not tell her. I didn’t want her knowing how weak I had become in her absence. The time wasn’t right yet. What if she thought I was a freak? What if she regretted becoming my friend once again?

She loves you Harry, a voice in the back of my head whispered.

But it was the voice that caused me to do those things in the first place that I listened to. She hates you Harry. You’re a freak. You have no friends, you’re only on X Factor because they pity you, the world doesn’t want you around. Brittany found someone better. She could care less about you and your stupid feelings. You don’t mean a thing to her anymore.

I tried to shake away the thoughts, but the voice just got louder and louder. Eventually I couldn’t handle it anymore. I slipped into the bathroom, which Louis had left unlocked, trying to be as silent as possible. Louis was singing in the shower as I grabbed the garbage and found what I was looking for. It was the only way to make the hurt go away.

I didn’t want to do it out in the open in the bedroom, in case Louis walked out and saw me, but I couldn’t do it in the bathroom either. I would just have to make sure to hide the blood.

I went through the clothes thrown at the foot of the bed until I found what I was looking for. The purple Jack Wills jumper with Brittany’s blood stain from last summer. Even though Liam had bought a new one for her, which she gave to me, I kept the original because it smelt like her. That sweatshirt had always been her favorite item of clothing. Louis had seen me wearing it the other day and had asked about the blood, so I knew no one would notice a few more drops. I spread it carefully out on the bed, angling my wrist over the stained purple fabric.

I brought the razor down, pressing in against the tender skin of my wrist until I drew blood. It was just a few drops but I enjoyed the bright red sheen against my pale peach skin. It felt really good.

With a quick flick of my hand I sliced open my arm, wincing in pain as a river of blood rained down on the jumper. The flow quickened as I made another mark on myself. The high of the physical pain was the only thing that took my mind off her.

Suddenly the door flew open and there she was, standing in the doorway with Niall, Liam, and Zayn behind her. The sun streamed in causing her to look like an angelic being as the beams danced through her chocolate hair.

“Harry!” she screamed, a cry choking at her voice as she stepped into the room. I saw Niall, Zayn, and Liam melt into the background, disappearing as Brittany crossed the threshold to join me on the bed.

Her eyes were wild, filled with more pain than I had ever seen. I barely registered the fact that she was crying as I tried to hide the evidence of what I had just done. I dropped the razor and covered my tattered wrist with my other hand, aware of the fact that the blood spilling out between my fingers could not be hidden. I ducked my head, the shame on my face masked by my tumble of curls. I couldn’t look at her. She hated me.

“Harry,” her voice quivered as she took the spot on the bed next to me, pushing the bloodied sweatshirt out of the way. “Harry.”

That’s when she broke down, the tears coming hard and fast as she tried to control her sobs.

I didn’t do anything, choosing instead to watch the way the light caught in the crimson drops falling from my fingers. She was crying because the boy she thought was her best friend was actually a freak. I didn’t care if I had to do it in her presence, I needed a way to release the pain.

I carefully removed my hand from my wrist and brought the razor back down, letting out a small yelp as the skin split so nicely.

Brittany looked up and lunged at me, grabbing the razor out of my hand and slicing her palm in the process. She dropped it on the bedside table and took my wrist gently, our blood mixing together as her tears fell on to my open wounds.

“Why are you doing this Haz?” she ran a thumb over the new cuts. My blood smeared with her touch and soon my entire wrist was cloaked in red. “Are you really that sad?”

I chose to focus on the throbbing of my wounds instead of Brittany’s raw voice, “It makes me feel better.”

“You could have talked to me,” her tears were obvious in her voice. “I could have helped.”

“You wanted nothing to do with me,” I pulled away from her grasp and climbed off the bed. I cradled my cut wrist gently as I made my way out of the bedroom.

Niall, Zayn, and Liam looked up when I walked into the room.

“Harry,” Liam jumped up but I just ignored him. I made my way out of the bungalow and took off across the yard, climbing over the back fence best I could with my injuries. Once I reached the other side I sat down, my back against the fence, and silently let my tears fall.

A clattering came from behind me and a leg pressed against mine as Brittany made herself comfortable in the grass next to me. Without speaking she grabbed my wrist and began to clean it with the moist towel she had brought from the house. When she finally finished the yellow fabric was red with blood, but my wrist was spotless. She applied a few Band-Aids to the wounds before leaning her head onto my shoulder. My arm snaked around her waist and I dropped my head to hers as she brought both her arms around me. I should feel her shaking as she snuggled up to my side.

“I didn’t know Harry,” her whispered voice sent shivers running down my spine. “I didn’t know I meant that much to you.”

“You meant everything to me,” my voice cracked with my confession. “Without you I had nothing.”

Her gentle hands drew my arms from around her so she could study my wrists. Slowly and deliberately she kissed every single mark, her soft lips healing me in way words couldn’t.

When she finally finished, I knew that I was saved.