Nameless // h.s. au

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine

*Hunter*

"When do I have to leave?" Lillian doesn't look up from her phone. Her voice is just above a whisper as she curls into the blanket.

"Around twelve- twelve thirty... Why?" My fingers comb through my hair, trying so desperately to untangle the knots that have formed. I never sleep with my hair down unless I'm too smashed to tie it up. I can't decide whether it exacerbates the nightmares or that it tickles and keeps me awake. But I always tie it up.

"Just wondering." She places her phone on the bedside table and pulls the purple comforter that used to be blue up past her shoulders and tucked under her chin. Her eyes are downcast, lips bitten.

"Hey-," I nudge her with my elbow lightly until she looks up at me with those wide blue eyes, "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to leave."

"Lillian-,"

"She's sick, always sick, I mean it's cancer... it never goes away. And Mark- Mark's always gone. But it's no better when he's home- he never helps her anyway."

"Just sleep sweetie. Okay? That's tomorrow." My brows furrow as I press my lips to her forehead and place my hand on her cheek, "Okay?"

"Come home with me." Her small fingers wrap around mine as tears glitter in those big blue eyes. She looks so small on that side of the bed, with the purple comforter pulled up under her chin and her hands tucked into her sleeves. She looks small and broken and it's all my fault.

"I can't." It's barely a whisper, because seeing the look in that little girls eyes when nothing changes, breaks my heart, "Lillian, you know I can't do that."

"I don't know anything. Mom never told me why you left. Mark didn't. Jen didn't. You haven't... Why can't you come home?"

"Go to sleep Lillian."

"Hunter-,"

"One day I'll tell you. I know that is the shittiest I could say to you right now, but one day I'll tell you everything. When you can get out of that house and go away to college and live like I didn't. I love you Lillian. I will always be a phone call away if you ever need anything."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too baby girl."

*****

"Okay so there's a Luna bar in your bag- eat it, please, it's the lemon kind you liked when you were little and well- yeah eat it. There's also one of those trashy magazines with that one guy you li-," My fingers are wrapped around the edge of the item to stop the shaking. The incessant shaking.

"Liam Hemsworth."

"Yeah- that one." My etcha-sketch mind flicks to the clean cut security guard I haven't seen in weeks with the uniform that's just so-

"Thank you!" She grabs the magazine from my hands, hooking my fingers together and fidgeting with them, forcing myself to stay put.

"No problem." I feel Harry's hand on the base of my spine, waking me up from a head of thoughts that won't go away. I should go with her. I should protect her.

"No... Hunter thank you...thanks for- uh- for letting me stay with you." She smiles, but I can see the tears glittering in her eyes. I feel the weight in my eyes and the ache in the back of my throat, "Hunter-," She croaks, arms locking around my body.