Empire - The Next Step

healing a heartbroken henry

The second day of the convention began a complete success but by the end was a tragedy. Harper had really enjoyed partaking in Leon Blackwood's workshop despite not being chosen to perform, but Summer's day was not so great. She had lost the solo competition meaning that they wouldn't have a five point advantage going into regionals. And worse than that, she lost against Lily which meant that Miss Angela's new studio encore had those extra points even though they were already one of the strongest teams going to regionals.

One thing that struck Harper was that something seemed very off with Noah and she was determined to find out what. She noticed him going into Michelle and Emily's office when she was practicing her acro in the studio and when he came out, he didn't look too happy. The thing that shocked Harper the most was that he didn't even seem like he wanted to confide in her, he didn't even spare her a glance. As soon as the boy left the office, he left.

Harper made her way all around the building in search of Noah and eventually found him sitting on the stairs which lead to the entrance. He looked like he was in deep thought about something but she knew that whatever it was, she could help him.

"Hey." The blonde greeted him softly as she took the seat on his right. Noah didn't even glance up and remained silent. With a sigh Harper continued, "Noah I've known you for a long time, I know you're hiding something so you might as well just come clean."

"I just, I can't talk to you about it." Hearing those words leave his mouth, her own boyfriend, was very disappointing. Harper had hoped that he would trust her enough not to keep secrets, but clearly she had her hopes too high.

"You can talk to me about anything." She encouraged him softly, but nothing was going to change Noah's mind. He needed to think about this on his own and make his own decision. He also didn't know how Harper would react to him potentially having to leave because he had turned eighteen but he was more than certain it would not be good.

"Can you just leave me alone for a while?" Noah requested, trying his best not to sound too harsh but failing. His tone was cold as ice and he couldn't even bring himself to look at her.

"Okay." Harper replied in a still soft, yet significantly quieter, voice as she made her way back up the stairs. Noah had never acted so distant, especially since they had been in a relationship. He was supposed to confide in her with his issues, but there he was completely blowing her off and ignoring her help.

She made her way into shakes and ladders to cool off and relax a little but she noticed Henry was sitting alone and he didn't look too happy. Herself and Henry had never been the closest of friends but she had gotten to know him a little better since dating Noah and he was such a nice guy, it was hard to see him so down. The blonde thanked the barista who handed her a smoothie and a banana and went to sit beside him.

"Hey Henry, is everything okay?" She asked as the boy beside her met her eyes. He looked far from okay.

"No not really." Henry replied honestly as he fiddled with his fingers. It was strange to see him so down because he was usually the heart and soul of the team who kept everyone upbeat and energised, but now he was the one who needed cheering up.

"Yeah that was a stupid question." Harper agreed as she thought of what could possibly cheer him up. She didn't even know what was wrong, but she thought it would be better to talk a little more before asking. "Do you want a banana?" That definitely was not the best choice of words, although it seemed to make Henry laugh.

"I'm good." He said between chuckles, but he still wasn't completely cheered up. It was going to take a lot more than that.

"Well, do you want to tell me what's wrong? I might be able to help." The boy pondered it for a while before he decided that talking to someone about it would be better. It was always best to get any feelings out into the open.

"I thought I had something really special with Amy, but then I walked in and saw her kissing Tye just when I was going to ask her on a date. To make things even worse, she blamed me for taking too long to ask her to the prom." Harper couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was an awful feeling to know that someone you have really strong feelings for isn't willing to try even if they did reciprocate the feelings.

"I know how it feels to see someone you like with someone else. It's completely soul crushing, but Henry if Amy's moved on then maybe it's time you do as well. If this moment you guys had doesn't mean as much to her as it does to you then you need to find someone who will reciprocate your feelings." Henry looked like he understood, and he could tell that Harper was speaking from experience, but something didn't sit quite right with him.

"But you liked Noah even when he was dating Amanda and then liked Jacquie. If you didn't move on and it worked out, why can't that happen for me too?" Harper was surprised that he knew about all that, but she was prepared for some sort of question like it.

"Well I may not have completely moved on from Noah, but I did at least try. If Amy comes back to you after you've gotten over her then maybe it's meant to be, but you shouldn't just wait around for her because it's only going to hurt you more." It didn't seem like something Henry wanted to hear, but it was something he needed to hear and he was glad to have Harper there to give him advice.

"Thanks Harper, I think I'll give that a try and see how it goes." She smiled up at Henry as he left the café and was content with the support she had offered her friend. It may not change his life, but it would hopefully help him get through his troubles.

Harper spent the remainder of her day in the bistro and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong with Noah. It was a rare thing for him to not rely on her for support in times of trouble. She was beginning to grow concerned and she only hoped that it was nothing too grave. Deep deep down, she was also angry and frustrated with Noah. They were always honest with each other and maybe it was something serious but that was exactly the sort of thing she was there for. To help him with serious issues, but clearly Noah felt differently.

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a/n: okay but harper and henry are too cute. i smell a brotp brewing. thank you guys for reading and if you enjoyed then please consider voting and/or commenting what you thought! :)