Afraid to Love

Chapter 8

Harry's POV

This house was massive an I had quite a hard time finding Jenna.

I searched all of the rooms numerous times and after about 20 minutes just as I was about to give up I finally found her in one of the bedrooms sitting on the bed, face in hands. Sobbing.

"Jenna" I say softly opening the bedroom door.

"Please just leave me alone Har-ry" her cry causing my name to crack.

I ignore her request and slowly close the door and lock it before taking a seat next to her.

I attempt to comfort her by rubbing her back before she flinches away "seriously I'm fine" she says while sniffling.

"Don't listen to them Jenna, they're assholes, do you want to talk about it?" I ask and this time she doesn't flinch when I put my hand on her shoulder.

"No not really" she says and we sit in silence for second before she speaks.

"Growing up I always had a crush on Calum, it wasn't this huge obsession that he's making it out to be I swear it." She says barely able to keep it together.

"It was just some silly childhood crush honestly, but of course nothing ever came of it because we were of two different social classes. There were the popular boys, Calum, Kyle, and James, Hayden, and Richard, and my averagely popular friends Laura, Stephanie, Tara, Rachel, and myself".

"Rachel as in.."

"Yup that one."

"We were inseparable, we would always have sleepovers at Steph's house and we did all of group projects together, we told each other everything.

In eighth grade my little group became more popular, I was always the quiet one amongst my friends and guys would often flirt with them and ignore me.

When nineth grade began Rachel, Laura, Stephanie, and even Tara at times would branch off and hangout with the popular guys, their social status' went up when they began high school but we all still found time to hangout with each other. 'Chicks before dicks' We always said.

I remember Stephanie always trying to convince me to hang out with their new group, trying to help me beat my social anxiety and be around a variety of people, and though I wasn't too comfortable with it I did.

Calum was flirtatious with me from the get go and I never understood why he had the sudden interest in me, we had grown up together and now all of a sudden he noticed me. He began showing small acts of kindness and simple touches here and there and even invited me to the movies one time.

We were spending more and more time together and until were essentially "dating".

I was so happy I had someone like him in my life, someone to spend time with, someone I could rely on, someone to love. He really was a great guy.. Or so I thought.

I remember walking down the halls with him and for some reason people would poke his side or give him a smirk as if they knew something I didn't, but of course I didn't think much of it at the time.

We had grown close, like any other couple really, I trusted him.

I remember him always making excuses to why we couldn't hang out, and acting shifty when he was around his friends, but I was so blinded by him that I didn't seem to care.

We began becoming more intimate with one another, until I had agreed that I was ready to have sex.

I was nervous to lose my virginity but I thought he was the one, Calum was the one.

A couple days later we had an assembly, our school didn't have them frequently but on a the rare occasion we did.

Rachel and steph were presenting the first semesters sports awards.

Me and Tara sat together giving Rachel a thumbs up for good luck unaware what would happen next.

Rachel gave me a sour smirk before the lights went out mid presentation.

Calum had hidden a camera when we were.. You know.

And there I was on the big screen with everyone in the school watching, laughing.

I looked like a fool, it was my first time and I had no idea what I was doing.

Calum had angled the camera so you couldn't see him. Just me.. Only me.

I was humiliated, I thought he was honest with me, I thought he loved me.

I ran to the girls washroom and Tara followed, holding my hair as I puked into one of the toilets.

Rachel, Laura,  and Stephanie walked in the washroom laughing away and I was so confused. No way we're my closest friends behind this too.

'Look at sad little Jenna, all upset hiding out in the bathroom' Laura said.

'Little did she know we had this one planned for a while right ladies' Rachel added.

She bragged about the fact that Calum never loved me, that they would get together and plan out what they were going to do to me. It was one big joke to them" Jenna sobs and I hold her for support.

"They were my closest friends and he was my boyfriend, I thought I knew them, I thought they cared for me.. It's crazy how wrong you can be about people, you think you know them."

I pull her in for a hug as she shakes and crys heavily into my chest. I rest my chin on the top of her head and let her cry out all of the tears she's been holding onto for so long.

"Everyone at school knows they did it, but nobody turned them in. My mom called and demanded that they be punished but the principle said without any evidence they can't be punished. They tormented me the rest of the year about it and the only true friend I had was Tara. She was my saviour, the only person I knew I could trust. She had no idea what the other girls were planning, I guess they knew we were close and assumed she would tell me."

"Eventually my mom took me out of school and started homeschooling me, I spent the majority of my time alone, occasionally I would hangout with Tara but I grew more and more into a depression and no longer felt I deserved her in my life. It was only second semester of grade 11 that I went back. My mom had made me a doctors appointment where they diagnosed me with depression and put me on anti-depressants. I still heard the jokes here and there when I started school again, but it had been a couple years so things had died down. Ever since I've laid low at school and mine and  Tara's friendship grew stronger."

It's just been so long and to have him throw everything in my face years later-"

She cried once more, letting all of her emotions out, and for once I began to understand why she was so closed off and why our kiss hurt her so -, oh no the kiss! It all makes sence now.

I can't help but feel pain in my chest for this girl I'm growing feelings for.

She was so broken, and I feel complete and utter disgust towards Calum and his little friends. I wonder if James was behind it as well? He seemed like a cool guy but if he was a part of this then I guess I was wrong about him.

Jenna lets out a sigh and wipes away her tears before looking up at me.

"They are dicks and if they have the nerve to do something like that to such a wonderful person, then it says more about them then anyone else."

She looks down at her feet and I gently grab her chin and lift it so she's looking at me.

"You are a bright, selfless, kindhearted, stunning girl who didn't deserve anything that those fools did, never forget it Jenna"

Maybe I've made a breakthrough or maybe it's just the liquor still running through her system, but she stares into my eyes before standing on her tip toes and kissing me.
-

Eeeekkk! Tell me what you thought about this chapter and finally getting to know about Jenna's past! Do you ship it? I'm thinking a good ship name would be #henna :) I seriously am enjoying writing this so much!
(Btw I picture Harry like he was in 2013 if anyone wants to know, is hair was so 😍)
Anyways thanks for reading guys!
:)