The Wildflowers

Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE:

Liam and Harry stared at each other in shock. Harry's eyes darted down to the small container on the ground, then back to a panicked Liam. Without thinking, Liam grabbed the pills from the ground with one hand and Harry with the other. He pulled Harry into the darkness of the alleyway, and pushed him against the wall. Zayn watched in horror as Liam kept Harry against the wall with his arm on his neck.

"You will not tell anyone what you saw tonight," Liam growled. "Or else." His nose was almost touching Harry's. "Now get out of here."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He took off once Liam removed his arm from his neck. His feet ran as fast as they could. He was already running a little late to meet Willow, but now he was spooked and super late. Willow would probably be worrying about him.

Filled with terror and adrenaline, Harry ran the whole way to Willow's house. The lamp posts lining the winding driveway were all lit, but didn't give any feeling of safety to Harry. There were no cars parked in the driveway. Willow's parents were still at a party in honor of Willow's father.

Wheezing sounds came from Harry's mouth. He was struggling to catch his breath as he fumbled for a stone. When he finally found one, he threw it gently at Willow's bedroom window. After a few seconds passed, the light went on and the window opened. Willow peered over the edge and motioned for Harry to come up.

It took about two minutes for Harry to reach the top. If his hands weren't shaking so much, he would've made it in one. Willow was in a white v-neck and pajama pants with cartoon elephants on them. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Do you see what time it is?" She asked. Deep lines ran across her forehead.

"It's past midnight," Harry mumbled, looking down at his feet. He felt guilty, but he was so terrified and couldn't forget Liam's threat.

"I was worried sick about you, Harry. You didn't text or call me to just say you were late. What if something happened to you? I was thinking something bad had happened," she hissed quietly. After a few moments and a deep sigh, Willow said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he replied in a hoarse voice. He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke again, "I'm fine."

"C'mere," she whispered, grabbing onto Harry's clammy hand. "You need to splash some cold water on your face."

Willow led Harry into her on suite bathroom and sat him down on the closed toilet. As Willow ran cold water over a washcloth, Harry thought about what 'or else' could mean. Although Liam was more of a books and school person, he was bigger and stronger than Harry, which he learned from tonight. Harry didn't want to see Liam that angry again, especially at him. If he told anyone, he was afraid Liam would find out.

Harry continued to think as Willow dabbed the cloth on his forehead. She placed the rag in his hands after she felt he was capable to do it himself. He stared at it in his hands as Willow sat on the edge of the tub.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine. I just got spooked from a stray cat," he lied convincingly enough for Willow to drop the situation. "So what was so important for me to come over at this time of night?"

"Never mind that," she mumbled, standing up from the tub. On her way out of the bathroom, she blew out a single lit candle on the sink counter. A thin line of smoke drifted up towards the ceiling where it disappeared.

Harry stood up, tossed the rag in the laundry hamper, and reentered Willow's dimly lit bedroom. Willow was peering out of her bedroom window which looked out into the backyard. Her arms were folded over her chest. He tiptoed over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.