forever&always

~CHAPTER 47~

~EMILY'S POV~

"Emily.. We gotta go.. You're gonna catch a cold."

"I.. I'm fine.. Harry will be here soon.. You could go first Eleanor.. I'm gonna wait a bit further.."

"Emily.. Please.. I can't leave you here like this.."

"Just go.. I wanna be alone."

"They.. They all left Em.. It's no use being here.. Please.."

"Just go Eleanor. Harry will be here."

Eleanor hovered around me for the last couple of hours. She had her arms crossed and I could see the look of worry on her face. Prom had been over hours ago and we were the only ones still in the auditorium. I had refused to leave because I knew that Harry was going to come for me soon. I sat in the exact, same position as I did several hours ago. Eleanor tried to convince me to go home with her but I wanted to be alone. Finally after a few minutes, she walked out of door and I was the only one left in the entire room. It was then that I finally broke down and sobbed.

"Harry? Tour? That was impossible. He would've leave me. Eleanor was lying to me."

But in the back of mind, I knew that I was refusing to face the truth. I was in denial. I didn't want to believe it. Clutching my forehead, I helplessly slipped my phone out of my handbag and unlocked it. I dialed for Harry's number again and pressed call. I knew it was useless- pointless.

"This isn't happening.."

If Harry really was gone, I wanted to hear his voice one last time. I was quietly sobbing and my sniffles echoed around the room. It just felt like my whole world was tumbling down. I felt like I was struck with lightening. As expected, the call went straight to voicemail. With a blank mind, I dialed Harry's number over and over again and it went to voicemail every time. After about the 8th try, my arm helplessly dropped to my side and my phone clattered onto the floor. Finally, I reached my breaking point. I bawled and sobbed loudly.

"Harry.. Please.. Please don't leave.. Don't leave me here by myself.."

But I knew in my heart, Harry was gone. He wasn't here anymore. He was just- gone.

~JOSH'S POV~

I was in a daze after Harry had just left. Everything had happened so quickly that it took my mind a while to process what just happened. I jogged over to my window and looked downstairs where Harry was shoved into a black, sleek, Escalade. Then, I remembered about to letter in my hand. I was gripping it tightly in my right hand and suddenly the thought of Emily reached across my mind. The Escalade soon drove away and I quickly grabbed my coat and car keys off of the rack.

"Emily. Oh god."

I was going to later kill Harry for this. My car chirped as I unlocked it and climbed into the driver's seat. I reclined back in the chair for a moment and hesitated to turn the engine on. I sighed out loud and wondered if I was doing the right thing. I gripped the handle with my two hands and banged my head against it attempt to clear my thoughts. I closed my eyes for a moment and turned the engine on. The car started with a vroom and the tires screeched as I zoomed out onto the streets.

***

I rushed into the school parking lot and stopped my car in the middle of the lot. I didn't even bother taking out my car keys before sprinting for the auditorium. The headlight and the engine was still on. I doubted if Emily was still here because it was so silent and quiet. There wasn't a single soul around campus and everybody had left. There was an eerie feel to this place. Trash blew around the place and I was panting hard by the time I got to to the entrance. It was dark inside as well as messy from all the red, Dixie cups. Streamers laid everywhere and balloons were on the floor. I looked around for Emily several times when I couldn't find her.

"Did she go home? Maybe she left.."

I scratched the back of my head. I was about to turn back to go to her house when I saw a pair of feet peeking out behind the stage curtains. I also heard a couple of sniffles and whimpers behind the stage. Could that perhaps be her? I slowly started to walk towards it- being cautious with every step. When I got to the front, I yanked the curtains off to the side to see Emily crouched into a little ball. Her head was buried into her knees and I immediately fell to my knees in front of her. I instantly swung my jacket off and slowly wrapped it around her shoulders. She was freezing. She slowly raised up her chin- exposing her deeply, saddened eyes. Her eyes were bright red and swollen. I could tell that she had a look of trauma and shock in her eyes.

"Is.. Is Harry really gone..?"

Emily croaked. Her voice cracked.

"Harry.. He.."

"Did.. Did he really leave..? Tell me he didn't.. Tell me that he's gonna come for me.."

"Emily.."

"No. You guys are all lying. You, Eleanor, everyone."

"I.. I was told to give this to you.."

I reached for the inside pocket of my jacket which contained the letter. I could still hear and see Harry's desperate plea to give this letter to Emily. As I pulled the letter out of the pocket, I suddenly stopped halfway. I froze in the middle of it. An idea had suddenly popped into my mind. I still loved Emily. I've always loved her from the start. But I knew that it was wrong for me to love my best mate's girlfriend. I tried to erase my feelings for her but it was impossible. I couldn't deny the truth. I've always stared at her from a distance and yearned for her to be in my arms and for her to love me back more than just a friend. At the same time, a voice rang in the back of my mind.

"With Harry out of the picture, I could be the one next to Emily. If this letter never got to Emily, I could finally have a chance with her. This was it. This letter never existed. It never did."