Psycho ➳ H.S.

Chapter 16

Thank you to @Nargles for our new cover! We appreciated it so, SO much :) Also, thank you for getting us to 70k reads in the two months Psycho has been up! We love all of you- thank you for everything.


Lucas stealthily bypassed the main areas of the arena by taking detours and depending on luck. Truthfully, Lucas never had an issue with chance- it seemed to favour him. He disposed of the plastic tarp prior to escorting Carissa out of the building under a blanket so that she appeared to be sleeping if he happened to bump into anybody. She would be his forever, and he was going to make sure of it.

He made his way out to the back parking lot and out towards the front where his car was parked. Her breathing was barely audible now, and her heart rate had slowed down significantly.

"Don't you fucking fall asleep," he growled, placing her gently in the passenger's seat, elevating her leg up onto the dashboard, then reclining the seat down and slamming the door. The t-shirt he wrapped around her leg was soaked in crimson and letting little beads of red liquid drip from the cloth onto the upholstery of his car, but he didn't care- the hospital was five minutes away and he was determined to keep her alive.

After starting his car, he looked to her and stroked her cheek. She didn't stir, but she was still inhaling and exhaling- walking on thin strands of wire because her life depended on it.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, gazing at her ivory skin, "and I love you more than anyone. You were confused; we'll be much happier together."

He put his car into drive and headed for the road, navigating through the winding concrete jungle. Lucas gripped the steering wheel, speeding as much as he could in the time frame he had between traffic lights.

"All of this wouldn't have happened if Harry just...if he just stayed away from you," Lucas began, "but he didn't. He never learned his lesson. I remember when I first joined the swim club at the recreation center and I met Tyson- he said that he needed help. And I helped him. I wanted to help him because nobody ever liked me when I liked them. I hated the women that wouldn't love me. All of these women would love Harry and it was just unfair- I was always a good lover, and I turned to swimming to get away from my problems but he just reminded me of how pathetic I felt. They called me attached but I just wanted to be with them. I needed somebody to feel the pain that I went through, so I helped him."

Lucas put his fingers on the pulse-point in her neck- she was still breathing.

"Tyson needed Harry to be weak because of the upcoming Nationals, so he broke Harry and Daphne up so he could get ahead. Daphne kept coming back and Tyson needed to get rid of her. I volunteered, and he was happy that she left Harry alone- I made sure that she would leave him alone. I drowned her in ethanol; I killed her. Harry kept going out with people- Vienna, then Willine- so I had to...I had to get rid of them. Vienna was gassed; I sliced Willine open; I did it all. Tyson wanted to win, and I knew he would help me too. Then I met you, and...and I fell in love with you.

"You were everything to me. I didn't feel like killing anymore. Even when Harry dated Roselle, I was hesitant to kill her. But I had to. She was his favourite. She wouldn't listen to me when I told her to leave him, and he beat me up for talking to her, so I had to chop her up. I had to take her body and hide the pieces- I had to make sure he was miserable because she made him too happy. He was going to win the Nationals, and Tyson wasn't going to win. It was my job to kill her, but I took so long. I took a year and a half because I was so in love with you.

"He didn't date for a long time after that. My job was easy then- all I had to do was care for you. I took you on vacations, took you on dates to L.A., bought you everything you could've possibly asked for, but you still weren't satisfied. You wanted more from me. You wanted so much, and I got upset because I gave you everything. I protected you from other guys. I loved you with everything I had. I made sure you didn't get hurt.

"And that's when you did it- took me and snapped me in two. You said that I was too controlling and that you needed space. You said you needed a break. I begged for you to stay and talk it out, but you just didn't listen. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, I didn't swim- all I cared about was you. All I wanted was you, Carissa. I loved you so much. You didn't love me at all.

"I would call you in the middle of the night and spill everything to you, and all you would tell me is 'Lucas, I need some space to breathe. You're suffocating me'. You were suffocating me, Carissa. I couldn't function without you. I hacked the surveillance system of The Ravier to make sure I could watch you while you were at work. I just wanted to keep you safe and sound. I watched over you every day.

"Then one day, I watched Harry walked into The Ravier. He got a fucking job. I knew he was trying to steal you away from me again. He was trying to take what was mine. He didn't learn his lesson. I had to stop him- I knew I had to- but I watched you fuck on the tables. Something had to be done. I recorded the tape. I kept it safe. He took you home that night. I know that too. I had to get help, so I talked to Tyson. He said he would help me get rid of Harry because I helped him get rid of his exes.

"I had to see you. I followed you to the store. I kept a close watch over you. You looked better than ever. I knew I had to have you again. I visited you at work more often because I knew by the look in your eye that you wanted me too. I cut my hair and cleaned myself up for you. I changed for you, Carissa, and I wanted you to like it- I wanted you to like me.

"But you went to see the fireworks with him. Did you think you were alone? Did you think I wouldn't be watching over you? I knew you went to Malibu; I followed you. I even paid that hoe Morgan to give Harry a little something, but I had to kill her afterwards because she kept complaining that Harry didn't like her because she wasn't pretty enough. She kept talking and talking- she was going to ruin my plan and tell Harry. He still ended up kissing you on the cheek- I came back in time to see that.

"I knew you still liked him. I had to do something about it- I wasn't just going to let him win. He was becoming stronger, and I was losing you. I had to start monitoring his phone and make sure he couldn't contact you. I planted a tracker while we were at the pool and sent those messages to you so that you would believe it was Harry and come back to me, but you still skipped our date to fuck him in his car. I heard all of his conversations- he called the cab, called the tow truck- and so I went to his apartment, got a couple of hairs, and I waited outside your place for you to come home. I knew you'd be scared- I couldn't let you know it was me- so I planted Harry's hair there.

"You wouldn't listen to me when I told you about Harry's exes, and you didn't care that he hurt me when I tried to talk to Roselle to save her life. I had to do more. I had to make you believe he was out to destroy your happiness. I broke into his home again and emailed Dale the video of you two on his first day of work so you'd get fired. I knew Harry erased the security tape, but my copy was still safe with me. You still let him into your home and moved in with him. You told me we were over. You wanted me gone for good.


"You know, I don't doubt he cares about you. He ordered a necklace for you the day before you stayed with him. He called the jewelry store and ordered that necklace of yours. I got the same one too, except I put a tracker in mine. I had a plan, Carissa, I really did. I got mine early because I paid them extra and swapped his out for mine when it got to the store so I knew where you were if he didn't use his phone. I had everything all planned out. I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen.

"The night he called the restaurant to make reservations, I was ready. I planned it for a week and I depended on Tyson to help me out. I finally told him about my plan while we were on the way to The Nine- that I made those journals they found, created a blueprint for the bomb I planted under Harry's car- both of which I set in Harry's home before meeting up with Tyson- and uploaded a detonator to his phone. He refused. 'No!' he protested, 'You're insane! I broke Harry and his exes up to get ahead- I don't wanna kill him! You could hurt Carissa too!'

"'What do you mean?' I asked, 'I killed all of his exes and now you don't wanna kill him? I thought we were in this together?'. He looked at me as if I were crazy. 'W-what? No, you got rid of them...right?' he said, but I knew he realized what I meant when I said 'get rid'. I didn't know anybody could be so clueless.

"So he threatened to call the police and I threatened to kill him, but he ran out of the car right when we were passing outside of the restaurant. Poor bastard should've gotten hit by a bus or a truck- it would've been better than what I did to him. Luckily you didn't believe him. He told you to leave, Carissa, and he warned Harry he was going to die, and neither of you believed him. It was good in a way, because I made sure he would never spill to the police. I cut off his tongue, then made him swallow it. I sewed his mouth shut, dislocated his arm, then slit his throat. At least he wouldn't tell anybody about us. I took the strands I had left of Harry's hair and planted it on him.

"I knew Harry was nervous because he made a call in the middle of your date to Kevin. He said he was going to throw up- he wanted you to be his girlfriend, Carissa. It was rather sweet, actually. He talked about you like you were the only person in his life. He described that dress of yours beautifully. He talked about how much you liked your necklace. He talked about you like how I would've talked about you. He was going to ask you to be his girlfriend, and I suppose he couldn't get past the fact that he just couldn't. He will never be brave or loyal or the one that cares for you the most- he will never be me.

"I planted the bomb under your seat while he was busy doubting himself. I was never going to kill Harry- I was going to frame him. To make it look like he killed all of his exes and Tyson. People wouldn't believe him because all the journals I wrote were perfect in every way. I wrote the book of poetry for you, Carissa. That was from me to you. Harry wouldn't love you enough to write poetry for you, would he? You believed me once you saw all of the evidence, which meant you never had faith in him- I knew you loved me all along.

"But I knew you still cared for him. You walked around my house like you didn't really belong there, even though you did. I knew you were still thinking about him. Putting him in jail wasn't enough- I had to kill him. I had to. I paid for his bail- $750,000 dollars- and waited for him to look for you because I knew he would. I knew he would come and find you to apologize. But when he showed up, you were there and I couldn't kill him in front of you, so I smashed your pendant. It worked because you were convinced. You had sex with me. You told me you loved me again. You kicked him out. You were good- we were good again. I didn't have to kill him anymore.

"But I made a mistake. I was so happy you were finally back in my life that I slipped up. I was careless. I left you with my phone. And you- you little bitch- had to question me. Now I have to kill him. Now I have to make sure you're safe with me and only me."

Lucas had been talking to Carissa as she lay passed out in the seat adjacent to him. He recounted everything- from start to finish- that he had been hiding all these years. She didn't hear what he had said, but it didn't matter- she knew all that she needed to know: that Harry was innocent.

He pulled up into the entrance of the emergency room and readied himself. He took a few deep breaths, then contorted his face and ran out of his car over to her side. He opened her door and scooped her up in his arms again and ran through the doors of the hospital.

"Help! Someone help! She's going to die- please help!" he yelled frantically, looking around, his focus darting to different points of the room. People gasped at Carissa's dangling leg and rushed over to help. The nurses grabbed a cot and set her onto it.

"What happened, sir?" the nurse questioned while Lucas followed, wheeling the cot through the hallway. He made himself cry to make his story more convincing.

"She-I think she was raped and attacked. My girlfriend...I just..." he sobbed, touching Carissa's hand, "Please tell me she'll live."

"It's debatable. She's lost a lot of blood. We'll have to do surgery soon, but we can patch up the wound for the time being."

"God, that just...thank you so much. Babe, hear that? You'll be okay."

Carissa's eyes fluttered at the commotion. The pain coursed through her body again, but her eyelids were heavy and she couldn't open them by very much. She saw a sea of mint green scrubs, accompanied by hairnets and masks. Then she saw Lucas and her eyes widened as much as they could.

"Babe, babe..." he leaned in and whispered as he tried to keep up with the pace of the cot, "remember what I said. Okay?"

Carissa started to cry. She watched Lucas stop as the cot rolled on into a restricted section of the hospital. He waved at her and smiled weakly.

Harry was the only person she could think of in the few moments she was conscious. Lucas said that he would only kill Harry if she said anything, so that's what she wouldn't do: she would refrain from talking. She was alive, Harry was alive, and she could put up with Lucas as long as Harry was okay. Bright lights zipped past her upon the ceiling above; people rushed around urgently, like people in traffic; noises she wasn't familiar with filled her ears; blotches of white dots clouded her vision, appearing and disappearing as they pleased. Her leg had been torn off; her leg had been torn off.

"Ma'am, we're giving you anesthesia. We're going to patch you up, okay?"

Before she could process what was being said, the nurse put a mask over her nose, and she fell back asleep.

***

"Harry, I'm telling you I'm not upset with you," Lucy reiterated, "I'm glad you moved. Mum wouldn't have supported you if you stayed back."

She clasped her hands together as she sat across from him in his change room. Harry hung his head and ruffled his hair, uncertain of what to say. He knew that she wasn't angry with him, but he still felt uneasy. He hadn't seen her in almost ten years since she moved to Wales.

"I know, I just...I missed you, you know?" he replied.

"I missed you too. I watch you on TV all the time at home. Are you ready to swim?"

"Not really," he mumbled.

"Why?"

"I liked someone, but with everything that happened she thinks I wanted to kill her. I didn't, honestly-"

"I believe you, I believe you. Is she here?"

"I...I don't know, actually," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. Why hadn't he seen her? Wouldn't she have been in the stands cheering Lucas on? "But she was...she was amazing."

"I'm really happy for you, but-"

"No, Lucy, you don't understand. I could've grown old with her- I wanted to make her happy."

"Let's go find her," Lucy suggested, getting up and starting towards the door, Harry following just behind. They made their way out the tunnel and onto the swimmers' area, where they could see people in the stands.

Harry scanned the crowd carefully- Carissa should have been sitting in the front row that was reserved for family and close relatives, significant others and spouses, and whoever wanted to pay for the best seats in the house. He scoured the scene for her hazel eyes, and again, and again, but she was nowhere in sight.

"She's not here. She should be here," Harry pointed out, looking around once more.

"Maybe she left?" Lucy asked, "What does she look like?"

"Dark hair, goes down to the middle of her back, hazel eyes, about your height," Harry described, still searching. He caught sight of Lucas in his area and exhaled sharply- if anybody knew where Carissa was, it'd be him. "Wait here. I'll ask someone."

He left Lucy's side and walked over to Lucas, who was sitting on the bench playing with his phone.

"Where is she?"

"Don't start this again, Styles. Competition's in a few hours- you don't want to risk your chances of competing," he remarked with his attention divided; he lazily scrolled through his phone without looking up at Harry whatsoever.

"I don't want to talk to her. I just want to know if she's here."

Lucas clenched his jaw and stood up. On his feet, he was taller than Harry by a couple of inches. He looked outraged- as if it were a sin to even want to mention her.

"Why do you want to know? Why are you so obsessed with my girlfriend?"

My girlfriend. Harry never realized how painful the words would be coming out of someone else's mouth. Ultimately, she was his and no one else's- he had lost his chance.

"Stop being so fucking defensive! She's not in the stands, so I just-"

"Are you fucking stalking her again?"

"What the fuck? No! I just-" Harry stammered. He could feel himself getting angrier and angrier. His attempts to keep calm were slowly weakening. He heard Lucy call out to him- clearly she noticed what was going on and wanted them to cease their argument, but he pushed her out of his brain.

"Then what is it, huh? Don't be fucking jealous if I get to fuck the shit out of her every night-"

"Stop-"

"-and hear her beg-"

"I said stop-"

"-and guess whose name she screams? Mi-"

Harry curled his hand into a fist and landed a heavy blow square on Lucas' jaw. The crowd gasped in unison at the scene and many of them immediately pulled out their phones and cameras to record the fight. He heard Lucy scream from the other end for him to stop, but Harry refused- he knelt down, grabbed Lucas' collar and punched him again: in the nose, in the cheek, then once more in the jaw. Lucas strained to fight back, but Harry held him down.

"Hey! HEY! Break it up!" yelled two security guards that rushed over to try and pull the two men off of each other, but Lucas recoiled and hurtled himself at Harry, grappling him and pushing him down onto the tiled deck where they were brawling. Lucas took his right knee and pushed down on Harry's chest, then returned the blows to Harry's face just as he did before.

"Wanna fucking go? I'll fucking kill you if you come near Carissa again-!"

Harry grunted as he tried to push Lucas off of his body. The security guards tried desperately hard to stop them, but ended up having to call for more backup because neither of them would back down, even when some of the other swimmers tried to help. Whether it was pride and ego or fury and rage that fueled the dispute, both of them knew the consequences of their decision. Yet it did not stop them- for some reason, they kept going.

Both of their faces were bloody and bruised- Harry's donned a purple cheek, a cut, swollen lip, and a gash just above his left eyebrow, while Lucas showcased a bloody nose and a black eye. Harry's knuckles were bruised and were layered with Lucas' blood. More security guards rushed over, and the both of them heard a screech from a small man in a pinstriped suit.


"DISQUALIFIED! BOTH OF YOU!"

The event organizer swatted people away with his clipboard and pen and he stomped over to the two men that were pried apart only because they couldn't believe their ears.

"You two will not participate! Mr. Styles, after everything I did to get you back into the Nationals to compete-"

"You're blaming the wrong person! Something's going on-!"

"The only thing that's going on is that he's at it again! Stalking Carissa when he-!" Lucas interrupted.

"That's quite enough! There will be serious ramifications for your behaviour! Look at you! Get yourselves cleaned up- I want none of this again! Pack up and get out of this arena before the competition starts!"

"But-!" Harry began, but stopped when he noticed that Lucas complied straight away. Why would he leave so suddenly after training so hard for a full year? Wasn't he going to beg to let him back into the Nationals? Where was he headed off to? "McCoy, where are you going?"

"Hospital," he spat as he wiped his nose with a towel, staining it red, "because of you, I'm not sure if I have a concussion or not, and I-"

"Concussion? Seriously? I barely-"

"Go ahead and stop me, Styles! You need some fucking help-"

"Enough!" the event planner bellowed again, pointing at them individually, "I want you two out! Security, escort them."

As the commotion among the crowd dragged on, as the security guards gripped Harry's shoulders, as Lucy watched her brother get taken away by the sidelines, Harry came to wonder even more about why Lucas was so determined to go to the hospital. He was hardly hurt, and the most they would do would be to laugh at his petty injuries and give him an ice pack. Lucas' pace seemed quite quick- like he wanted to get to the hospital, and soon.

Carissa was gone.

Lucas wanted to be somewhere other than at the competition.

The only reason why Carissa would be somewhere other than the Nationals was if she was on her deathbed, sick. If she was sick, she'd be at Lucas' and he would want to go there, would he not? Why would he demand to visit the hospital?

The realization hit him like a freight train.

"I...I have to go to the hospital too," Harry managed to let out. His mind was working overtime to try and collect his thoughts.

"Why? You ain't hurt or nothin'-" said the guard to his left. Harry pulled out his wallet and took out everything he had- most of it was his sister's money which she had left with him to lock up in his change room. In fact, she had left most of her things with him- including her phone and car keys.

"Here," he said, handing each of them a share of $150, give or take, "take this and let me go to the hospital myself. Tell my sister- Lucy Styles- that I'll call her and tell her to go back to my place and wait there. If I end up somewhere other than the hospital for God knows what reason, you can report me."

The guards looked at each other and shrugged, hiding the money in their vests and letting him go. Harry turned and sprinted down the corridor and navigated his way out of the building. By the looks of it, Lucas hadn't made his way out yet- possibly stopped by interviewers or fans. He pulled out Lucy's phone just before he got to her car, punching in the numbers 9-1-1.

"Hello? There's a silver BMW driving erratically on Kinsmen Avenue heading towards the hospital- he's speeding and stopping all over the place. I can't read the licence plate number- he's too far up ahead. You've got someone stationed up there? Okay. Good. I don't want him hurting anybody on the road. Thanks."

Hopefully it'd slow Lucas down before he got a chance to get ahead. He needed to get to the hospital before Lucas did, and he needed to get there now.

Carissa was in trouble- he knew it.

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