Ripped Away (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Harry's words tasted like poison coming out of his mouth. It sickened him to think about what he had done, or attempted to do.

Everyone's heart was racing. The longer the room stayed silent, the more tension built. Niall continued to stare at Harry, his jaw hanging in shock. Zayn looked down as if he was expecting it. But it was Liam that was most struck by the news. His eyebrows were pulling together as if he didn't quite understand what Harry had just said.

Harry decided to break the silence. "I know this isn't easy for you guys to hear, but you needed to know. Louis stopped me before I could jump, and he told me that it wasn't what Crystal would have wanted. That was all I needed to stop. I realize now that it's important for me to stay alive, for Crystal's sake. It's what she would want."

He paused and allowed the boys to take it in. The weight was clearly bearing down on Niall as he put his head in his hands, not wanting to think about what would have happened if Louis had been too late. Zayn gave Harry a warm look of understanding as he was able to comprehend Harry's thought process. He didn't know what he'd do if the same thing happened to Perrie, but he assumed it wouldn't be far off from this.

Harry noticed that Liam was not taking it well. His eyes were wide and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Liam..." Harry reached over and placed his hand over top of Liam's. He looked up, startled.

"Liam, it's okay. I'm fine now." Harry consoled.

Liam began shaking his head. "This is my fault..." he whispered quietly.

"No. No, it's not-"

But before Harry could continue, Liam pulled his hand away and stood up. "It is my fault! If I hadn't said anything, if I hadn't pushed you over the edge, none of this would have happened! And you used MY laptop cord, oh god!" Liam began hyperventilating as he paced back and forth, his hands in his hair. His friend nearly killed himself, and he was responsible. He was losing it.

Harry stood up and grabbed Liam by the shoulders. "Liam, listen to me! This is in no way your fault. Okay? I wasn't thinking clearly. I had lost my will to live. With or without you, I would have done it. Please believe me, you are not responsible for this."

Tears pooled in Liam's eyes as he began to regulate his breathing. Harry pulled him into an embrace, and rubbed his back until he calmed down. It made him sick to see Liam this upset. Liam was always the Daddy figure among the boys, and always took care of them and kept them out of trouble. He kept his wits about him and comforted those that needed it. But there's only so much a person can take before they, too, need comforting.

When the two boys had hugged it out, Liam looked Harry in the eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Absolutely. I've never been surer of anything. I needed you guys to know so that you'd believe me, but I need you not to tell anyone. I can't imagine my mother would take it well, or anyone else for that matter."

Liam nodded and patted Harry's shoulder. Niall and Zayn also agreed to keep Harry's experience from the rest of the world. They knew how important that sort of privacy was.

Louis returned shortly with Anne, explaining how he could've sworn he saw a hole in the wall. Obviously, there was none to be found, but she'd never know that.

When Harry and Louis made eye contact, Harry nodded his head as to say that he'd informed the boys of his attempted suicide. Lou checked their faces to see how they were holding up, and it seemed like Harry did a good job of breaking it to them. Maturity beamed from their faces. They looked like men.

As they continued eating, the phone began to ring and Anne got up to retrieve it. She was surprised to hear who it was, but passed it to Harry. "It's for you."

Harry wasn't sure who could be calling, but he answered it anyways.

"Hello Harry! This is Richard from Modest Management. How are you?"

Harry looked up at his band mates and pursed his lips. He stepped out of the kitchen and answered, "I'm alright, thanks."

"I'm glad. My sincere condolences, Harry. I know this must be very difficult for you."

"Thanks," Harry replied awkwardly. It was never good when management called.

"So, according to Paul, he's kept you boys safe from the media thus far, is that correct?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen anything on the news lately."

Richard continued, "Yes, it's certainly a treat being free of it, isn't it? We can't afford to waste it."

Harry paused suspiciously. He knew his manager wanted something, he just wasn't sure what it was. "...What do you mean?"

"Well, Mr. Styles, I think we can both agree that it wouldn't be good for rumors of this to start spreading. Perhaps it's best that the world is kept in the dark."

This struck Harry. He wanted to keep Crystal's death a secret? How in the world was he going to pull that off? "You can't honestly believe that you can keep something like this in the dark. She had fans of her own, they'll know something is up. I'm surprised they haven't clued in by now."

There was a short pause on the line before Richard continued. "Yes, I agree this won't be an easy journey. Your fans will want answers. I'm simply proposing that we should avoid informing the media of this incident and instead, offer a different story. It would be best for everyone. Your band doesn't need the extra attention, and Crystal's memory doesn't need the dishonor. Rumors are what nearly destroyed your career in the first place, Harry. We are only looking out for your wellbeing."

Harry was in such shock that he couldn't answer. Lie to the fans? Is he nuts? "You're saying we pretend as though she's still alive? That's disgusting..."

"I'm saying that we shall do what we must to preserve the incident. The police have agreed to keep the investigation private, and no one needs to know of the horrors you've been through. The world works in many ways you wouldn't understand, Harry, and so we need you to trust us when we say that we know what we're doing."

Shaking his head, Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he couldn't go against his managers. There were consequences to that.

"Fine. I won't tell the fans. But you need to tell me what story you think you're going to lie about to cover this up before releasing it. I can't have Crystal's memory insulted. I won't." Harry replied firmly.

"Of course, Mr. Styles. We respect your wishes."

Harry hung up before he could hear another word. Management's way of thinking was always so cold and calculated. It was all about profit and success, and they'd do anything to save their own hide. And Harry was sure that Crystal getting ruthlessly stabbed to death on the night of their engagement would not bring about any kind of good attention.

Harry leaned on the wall and looked up.

I need you, baby. Come back to me. I can't do this alone.

~~~

Hey guys!

Sorry this is being posted a bit later in the evening than expected, but I just got caught up with a few things that kept my mind from focusing on anything else.

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Please note also that I am using Modest Management's real managers' names, but that does not in any way reflect my view of these people or One Direction's view of them! This is a purely fictional story and although the names are real, the characters are fictional as well.

Thanks so much for reading! Hope you're excited to read more next Saturday!

And if I'm unable to update in a few weeks I'll let you guys know, I've got grad and my 18th coming up and I'll be super busy! So, yeah, I'll see you guys next week!

Nanite peeps,

Crystal xx