Remember You (Larry Stylinson)

~8~

TW: mention of suicide.

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He soon left me with a feeling of loneliness. With a feeling of emptiness I didn't think I could ever recover. I held his hand that day as he squeezed it one last time, taking his last breath. I cried all day that day. I cried for weeks. Months. I had yet to heal.

One day, after one of my soccer matches, I had seen Niall after a while. It was 2 weeks after Harry's death. He was sitting on the bench, just looking ahead. I knew he had felt lonely too. His best friend was gone.

"Did you know?" I ask, after getting his attention.

"Yes." He signs.

I raise a confused brow, and looked around with a bunch of confusing thoughts running through my mind. "He tells you and not me? I mean- I know why he didn't, but why did he tell you first?"

"He didn't tell me, I've known him my whole life." I quickly look over at him after he says that.

"What?"

"Harry and I had been friends since we were 6. Our parents knew each other from work, and we would spend time together at daycare. We were just kids who told each other anything, so when I asked him why he always wore a bandana - with a little help from my interpreter of course - he said it was because he was sick and had no hair. He was just honest, that was it." He explains.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry then. I didn't know." I apologise. So that means he had it for years, ever since he was young, I thought. That hurt me even more. He had been fighting for his life since he was just a baby. I don't mean a literal baby of course, considering I didn't know how old he was when he was diagnosed.

"It's fine. He was homeschooled if you're wondering how we could've already known each other at school. He didn't really move here as some people thought, but he'd always said he wanted to go to a real school." He signs.

"He had been begging his parents for years, until his birthday came around and it was basically a present they had planned. He was so happy and full of joy that day." He smiles at the memory. He then frowns deeply and looks down.

"I miss him." He signs, looking down sadly.

I place my hand on his shoulder, and squeeze it gently in comfort. "I do too." I managed to sign, frowning.

A thought suddenly comes to my mind. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you this, but how come you've been so distant lately? we barely saw you anymore." Niall looks away for a second.

"This never happened before, but recently I haven't really been treated right." He answers, signing. I look at him baffled, confused as to why anyone wouldn't treat him right.

"Are you saying there's people that are bullying you?" He nods.

"Why didn't you say anything? we can go to the principal's office and report it." I suggest.

"I already have, and told my parents. Which is why we're moving. I didn't say anything because they threatened me not to say anything. Who knew bullies could know sign language and threaten you with it?" He scoffs.

"I'm really sorry that happened to you. If you had told us, we could've helped sooner. They would've gotten expelled." I said as he reads my lips. He nods in agreement.

"I know. It's alright now though, they've been expelled, but had apparently been bullying other kids as well." He tells me, signing.

"That's good." I signed. "They deserved to be expelled."