harry

My hands dart up to push his body backwards with a harsh shove, he seems surprised by the impact but still a cocky smirk laces his lips. Anger washes through me, his tongue slipping from his mouth to lick over his lips carefully and piercing blue eyes narrow in on Lola next to me.

Her small frame leans against mine, wrapping her arm around my own in a protective manner. My eyes still stay narrowed in on Louis, his blue eyes are glimmering with amusement and a tinge of jealousy as he watches Lola touch my skin and not his. I want to laugh in his face that she's no longer his play toy, I want to watch him crumble knowing he lost the most beautiful gem this world has offered him. But I don't. As concerned I am as to why he's here, and the urge inside my bones to punch that smug smile of his lips–I need to focus on the one who matters the most right now.

"Harry?" My sisters familiar tone pulls my eyes from Louis. "You can go in and see him now." I turn back to Louis to confront him some more but he's gone once my eyes land back on the narrow corridor.

The beeping sound of the machines would probably haunt me for a lifetime as I entered that hospital room, but all I cared about now was my friend laid on that bed and the jagged cut across his cheek that almost didn't seem real until I noticed the swelling and bruised tones around his pale face.

My hand involuntarily grab his cold one, no movement from his limp bones as I squeeze gently. I sigh as my eyes fall to the tubes connecting to his body, narrowing in on the mask against his face that is forcing his lungs to breath for him. Tears threaten to brim in my eyes as I watch my friend lifeless in the hospital bed, his broken eyes swollen and his mauve and blue bruises growing with time.

"He was here." A voice shakes my trance and I turn to see the familiar brown eyes I was aching to lay my own on. "I saw you push him."

"Luke," I sigh, letting go of Sean's hand softly and going up to the man to hug him. His large arms wrap around my body and I feel the shake in his bones, the tremble in his breath as he inhales. "Yeah he was here, he's gone now though."

"Sean was so stupid to get involved in this." Luke comments. "I knew I should of stayed here to look after him."

It seemed the protective older brother gene ran deep in both these two, Sean always protected his friends and family and made sure he was always there to indicate a sense of protection to those he cared about–he obviously got that from Luke. Guilt consumed him as he gazed upon his brothers body, slowly walking up to the end of the bed with tears falling down his red cheeks.

I follow, letting my hand rub against his shoulder as I look upon Sean's broken and beaten face. I should of killed him when that smug smile laced his lips.

As if reading my thoughts, Luke sighs loudly. "Don't think what I'm thinking Harry, Sean wouldn't want that."

"Then what would he want?" I can taste the tears rising inside my throat, my eyes burning at the image of my friend and who did this to him.

"He's the idiot who got involved with Louis and those people," Luke almost seems to be telling Sean this, not me. "He's the idiot that decided selling drugs was better than getting a proper job." I watch as Luke's hands shake against the metal of the bed, his fingers turning white and his face reddening. "He's the idiot that ditched his friends camping trip to go party with drug addicted morons, he's the idiot that thought nothing of it and was ambushed by these people because they thought he supplied the drugs, and now they walk around thinking they're mighty awesome for beating up a eighteen year old k-kid and he's here with no life inside him."

Tears fall down my cheeks now, watching Luke break down was the most heartbreaking thing. My heart ached inside my draining body, the frail inside my bones aching for me to sit down and adjust to these thoughts and feelings.

"But dammit," Luke shakes. "I love that idiot so much."

I settle myself on the couch, the leather soothing my hot skin as salty tears fall to my lap. "I love him too."

Minutes pass and my head throbs with each drawn out moment, the machines beeping sound indicating the beat of Sean's heart makes my head ache, the drawn out sound haunting inside my soul. Luke decides to stay by his side as I exit the hospital room, I take a glance at the brothers one last time before closing the door softly.

I exit into a cool atmosphere of the hospital with a tired sigh, running my fingers through the curls of my hair.

"How is he?" My sisters voice was small as she walked up to me in the hallway, noticing the red inside my eyes. "I tried to call like a thousand times while you were away but-" my sisters voice is cut short, my entire body wrapping around hers as I hugged her tightly. She snakes her arms around me and the familiar sense automatically causes me to break down, sobbing into her shoulder like a child.

We stand there for what seems like hours, but it was surely only a few minutes. I eventually pull away with tears staining my face, letting a long breath part from my lips. Gemma lets a tear fall down her cheek as she pulls away, gently running her fingers against my skin to clean away the tears. "Do you want some coffee?"

I sigh. "So much." We walk together to meet the others in the waiting room in silence, my arm around her shoulder and hers around my waist.

"Mmm," Gemma stirs her coffee as she leans back in the couch, staring at the liquid while waiting for it to cool.

I sip on the coffee in my own hands as I lean against the wall, watching the tv softly hum in the background as patients and visitors pass by my standing figure. I take a long sip of the coffee again, letting the hot liquid soothe my tired body just a little.

"Harry?" Lola's eyes are bright as she looks upon me, red cheeks and puffy lids. "I'm sorry about this."

I frown, wrapping my arm around her to pull her closer. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Lola. You did nothing."

She sobs silently as she cuddles into my body, her body cold and frail as she relaxes into the safety and warmth of my skin. "I feel so horrible about this." She admits softly, her voice trembling with emotion. I simply just hold her tighter, sighing out a emotional breath as we cradle each other in the cold of a hospital waiting room.

***

It's been three days since Sean was admitted to hospital, and three days since he was awake and smiling. I stuck with my friends this whole time, none of us were doing well but Ethan seemed to be taking this the worst out of all of us. Guilt consumed his features every moment I was with him, his eyes always glassy and his hands always trembling. Sierra hadn't been seen since the day we found out either, something about her anxiety too heightened from the trauma.

I was inside Z's studio on a Tuesday evening, we didn't paint today–we shared a bottle of wine and talked of the future.

"Are you angry?" Z questions, gold eyes narrowing in on me as his like skin against the glass cup. "About Sean?"

"Of course I am." I shrug. "But I still don't know what I'm supposed to do about that."

Z looks at me, placing his cup down softly as he leans into my space. His hands were clasped together, the rings around his fingers oddly familiar as I looked down at them. "You say Louis was involved?"

"Well it's his fathers business, so I'd assume so." I reply. "God I wish I'd punched him the moment I laid eyes on him in the hospital."

Z quirks an eyebrow. "He was in the hospital?" I nod. "You didn't find that weird?"

"Not really, I mean he is a heartless prick so why wouldn't he find enjoyment in going into the hospital to see his dirty work done for him."

It occurred to me that perhaps that wasn't the reason Louis was there, was he checking on Sean? The thought was hideously stupid, Louis had nothing but distaste in his mouth from myself and my friends.

My mind is so tranced in thought I don't even notice Z has stood from his seat, clearing up the bottle of wine and glasses scattered on the table. I narrow my eyes but stand nonetheless and I clean my own area before gathering my belongings.

"Ready?" Z says, perking my ears up I see his coat wrapping around his shoulders.

"Where are we going?" I question.

"To see Louis." Z smirks and I can't help but smile back as that glimmer in his eyes hits the light of an idea running from his mind.

***

Hi! Hope this chapter is good, I struggled a little bit with it but I'm happy with the outcome.

Votes and comments are awesome, thank you so much for reading guys.

Also I wanted to take a short moment to express my condolences to the people affected by the attack in Manchester, I send love and preys to those affected by this horrendous act of cruelty.

Stay safe everyone. I send love.

-A