Finish Line |h.s|

Three

The air around us was thick with tension, wrapping us up in a sweltering hot bubble. Next to me, Niall dabbed at his forehead with the collar of his t-shirt to collect the liquid pooling at his hairline, Zayn was seated across from me, his eyes concentrating on the footage before him and Louis and Maria were cozied up on either side of him.

After every race, the group would meet up at Brittles, a run-down dive bar at the South end of town. It was a tradition that Liam had started in order to celebrate our wins. It was a lowkey enough place that we wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention. However, since there was only failure to relish in, we had decided to meet at Niall's instead to go over whatever the fuck had gone wrong.

I wish I could say I was dragged here kicking and screaming, rather dying then spend even a second with this group. However, Zayn and I had not spoken since three nights ago when he had left me all alone. I showed up here ready to put my pride aside for my favorite taste of poison.

I hadn't been to Niall's since before Liam's death. Nothing seemed out of place, from the empty Starbucks cup on his kitchen island to the photo of us six being the only object of personality hanging on his beige walls. The nostalgia dusted onto my skin and for once, I let it coat me in warmth.

The last time we had been here, Niall was hosting a rager after Liam and Zayn had run a few newcomers out of town. They had heard about our races from a few towns over and believed wholeheartedly they could take on the duo. After a few races, and a couple of thousands of dollars lost between them, they eventually accepted defeat and left Willowbrook for good. That night we ran Brittles dry so much so that we had to come back to Niall's place for more alcohol. Luckily for us, his heart pumped Whiskey. We had spent every penny we won that night.

One week later, Liam passed away.

I ran my palms over my arms to rub away the goosebumps that lifted the hairs on my body and focused my attention back to the present. Zayn had been watching the video of the race three nights ago on repeat, hoping to pinpoint exactly where everything went wrong. Every few minutes he'd run his fingers through his hair, clutching at the roots in frustration.

"Maybe we need to take a break," Maria placed her dainty hand on Zayn's shoulder and reached forwards towards his phone to pause the video. Zayn allowed her to do so and let his back hit the couch cushion with a deep sigh. The skin under his eyes was lined with deep bruises, his once smooth tan skin now furrowed with sketches of worry.

For the first time in three days, Zayn's eyes finally met mine and they were filled to the brim with sorrow and regret. My own gaze matched his, and we silently apologized to each other. I inhaled deeply through my belly, thankful to have this understanding with him, and pushed myself up off the couch.

"I'll get us drinks," I stated and carefully ventured towards the kitchen. My mannerisms came easy to me, opening up the fridge and grabbing the guys' favorite bottle of whiskey and my favorite handle of rosé. I smiled at the sealed bottle, slightly surprised that Niall still kept it stocked in his fridge. The thought of him hoping that one day I'd crack it open for us sent a shiver of longing down my spine and I shook it away quickly before returning to my tasks. Grabbing two wine glasses and three crystal glasses, I filled each before chugging the rest of the rosé.

An open bottle of wine goes bad within five days, and I doubted Niall would be caught dead drinking a "lady's drink" so really, I was doing both of us a favor.

"It's a school night, darling. Take it easy."

Startled, the empty bottle slipped from my hands and shattered at my feet as my free hand flew up to my chest in attempt to calm my pounding heart. I turned swiftly towards the husky voice that had whispered in my ear and shoved at the heavy chest that was in my line of sight. My blood still pounded in my ears and all I could register was an Adam's apple bobbing while a deep laugh penetrated through the ringing.

"Easy, darling." Large hands reached out to steady me as my feet padded through the broken glass. Cool metal dug into my heated skin, causing the tiny cuts on the bottoms of my feet to go unnoticed, and shocked me back to reality.

"Don't touch me," I breathed, swatting at the slender fingers that gripped my forearms. Two palms lifted in surrender and the man took a slight step back, the smile falling from his plump pink lips and a furrow deepening into the skin between his thin eyebrows. "Who are you?"

"Don't move, you'll step in glass." Still facing me, the man reached behind him and grabbed a broom from the tight space between the fridge and wall. His eyes did not leave mine, almost as if he were afraid that if they did, I would disappear into thin air. He ignored my words, sweeping the tiny shards of glass away from both of our feet while never breaking eye contact.

"Who are you?" I asked again, a little breathless at the intensity of his gaze, just as Zayn's head popped up behind me.

"You alright?" Concern laced his voice and he looked between me, the floor and the strange man who had suddenly lost his sense of humor. I nodded, pressing my back into Zayn's chest to shield myself from the cold radiating in the kitchen. Something about the stranger in front of me seemed dangerously familiar, and I vaguely recalled a warning Liam had once passed onto me about trusting too easily.

"I was reaching for a glass and my elbow hit the bottle and it fell. My fault," the man finally spoke, resting the broom against the counter as his eyes bounced between me and Zayn. His eyes lingered on mine a while longer, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly in a knowing smile. A deep dimple formed against his cheek as he did so.

"No worries, mate. Karisma, this is Niall's cousin, Harry, you remember him, don't you? He came around a few years ago from London." I nodded slowly, memories of a cheery long haired boy that had spent the Summer of 2009 with our friend group entering my mind. "Come join us, we're just about to have a drink on the balcony." Zayn grabbed the three whiskey glasses from the counter and gestured for us to follow. My brain was still trying to register the difference in the man in front of me when he grabbed the two wine glasses and followed slowly behind Zayn.

Summer of 2009 was the first year I had gotten in trouble with the police.

Harry had just come into town a week into Summer break and quickly he had become the topic of all the teenagers. Girls wanted to kiss him, and guys wanted to be him. Niall both loved it and hated it. It brought a plethora of girls to his doorstep and when Harry rejected them, they settled for the equally as cute Niall. However, that also meant that when Harry decided to lock lips with a girl that had a boyfriend, which he did often, Niall took the brunt of it.

He had this unruly curly hair, dimples that mothers loved, and sparkling green eyes that shadowed the disorder he had brought to the town. Those three months, I had spent more time shooting things, chasing cars, and stealing from neighbors than I'd ever like to admit. But all it took was a flash of a smile from Harry, a deeply accented apology with the promise that it would never happen again, and we were off the hook. People couldn't help but love Harry.

"You shouldn't trust him, K. He lies so easily, it's not normal." Liam starred out into the night sky, watching as the stars lit the small cars below us. The air up on the roof was chilly so I wrapped my Snuggie tighter around my shoulders.

"He's just a boy, Liam. He's just having some fun." I shrugged away his worries, passing them off as brotherly concern. Liam turned to me suddenly, grabbing my shoulders and forcing my body to face his.

"Please, just listen to me. Promise me that you won't get close to him. I see the way he looks at you, like you're something to eat." Liam shook his head like he was disgusted at the images that popped into his head, "plus he's three years older than you. You have no business hanging around with some guy that's sixteen." Stress filled Liam's soft eyes and I nodded quickly, hating that he felt so strongly about this.

"I promise. I've only ever been around him while everyone is there. I won't be with him alone, I promise." I assured him.

The memory of Liam's warning came so clearly to me, it felt like I had been transported back to that night on the roof. I shivered against the cold air that wasn't real and shook out the memory from my bones. I turned back to the fridge, swiftly opening it up and grabbing the first bottle of alcohol my fingers could grip. I popped the cap off on the counter, bringing the opening to my lips and washing away Liam's voice with the sour liquid. 

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another update coming tonight :)