Haunted (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 3

Liam's POV

After Harry left, there was a tense silence between me and Louis.

Sometimes I really, really hated him. I hated what he did to Harry and I hated that he didn't see it. I don't know why I got so angry at him and the other boys didn't, but something about this situation just got me so angry.

"Why does he do it? Cut himself, I mean," Louis said quietly as we swept up the broken dishes.

"It's complicated. It's his decision whether or not to tell you and knowing him, he won't," I replied.

Louis huffed.

"But you guys can know. I don't get it. Why am I the last to know about this? I could have helped him before it got so bad!" he protested.

"Lou, we know because we figured it out. We asked and he told us we were right. It really wasn't that hard," I explained.

"I feel sick, you know. That I never noticed. Well, I think I did but I didn't want to see it, so I didn't. But now, looking at him and seeing who he is now, I feel so guilty that I feel sick. I feel like it's my fault," he said softly.

He was right, it was his fault in a way.

"I want to show you something," I said suddenly.

Louis followed me as I searched for Harry's laptop. When I found it, I googled 'Harry Styles 2011'.

I clicked on a picture of ironically, Harry and Louis. They were grinning at the camera with their arms flung around eachother. Harry looked happy. It was something I hadn't seen in about a year. It was taken before he spun out of control. I wondered if this grinning Harry had cut himself yet. If he was depressed yet. I didn't know if he was depressed before Louis and Eleanor got together or not. He looked so happy and innocent in this picture that I wanted to cry. This picture might have been one of the last times he genuinely smiled.

I opened a new tab and typed the same thing, but for 2012.

There were a lot of pictures with captions regarding his sudden weight loss and how he looked depressed.

I clicked on one where we stood together as a group with our arms around eachother. Harry was next to Louis and was visibly standing as far away as he could while still having his arm around him.

In the picture, he was wearing a t-shirt, but you could see the slight outline of his ribs and his collarbone protruded out. His arms were thin. He wasn't smiling, unlike the rest of us. His eyes had dark bags under them and he was pale-looking.

I remembered that picture. I should, it was only a few weeks prior.

"Look at the difference," I instructed Louis. I clicked between the two tabs. A smiling, energetic Harry to a depressed and frighteningly thin one.

Louis made a noise, kind of like a strangled yelp, and he buried his head into my shoulder.

"How couldn't I have seen that? He looks dead, Liam! He's my best friend and I didn't see how depressed he is!" he wailed.

Harry looked dead.

It was actually a pretty accurate way to describe him. He looked frail and so pale he was practically transparent. His hair was limp and his eyes were cold.

Harry looked dead.

"Lou, I know I should comfort you, but I can't. There's nothing I can say. Rehab and therapy didn't help. Sending him home for a few weeks didn't work. He can't get better unless he wants to get better. And he just doesn't want that. He's not going to get better," I sighed.