The Styles Triplets

Chapter 11

Well, I'm grounded.
Apparently stealing my mom's car, ignoring both her and Dave while they yelled at me to stop, and speeding off to the hospital counted as serious offenses.

Oh well. It was worth it.

Mom refused to let Edward pick me up for school the next morning, so she dropped me off herself. The entire drive she lectured me about responsibility and consequences, but I barely heard a word. My mind stayed at the hospital, replaying the image of Marcel lying in that bed.
The second she drove away, I waited outside the school entrance.

Edward appeared a few minutes later, hands shoved into his jacket pockets.
"So," he said, studying me, "you're officially grounded?"

Edward softened immediately. "He's doing okay. Keeps asking for you."

"And Harry?" I asked carefully. "How is he?"

Edward sighed. "He's... managing. He should be here soon."

I glanced toward the parking lot, unease settling in my stomach.
"I think I'm going to wait for him."

"Okay, I'll see you later then?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yeah I'll see you later."

He squeezed my shoulder before heading inside.

A few minutes later, Harry's car pulled into the lot.
My heart sank. He looked awful.
His hair was messy, like he'd run his hands through it a hundred times. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. Sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt replaced his usual carefully styled look.
He looked...broken
"Harry."

He looked up to me with a gloom expression on his face, "Hey."

"Are you okay?"
The second the question left my mouth, I regretted it.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine." he lied.

"Harry, did you even sleep last night?"

He shook his head, "No, I didn't."

"You shouldn't be at school. Go home, get some rest." I told him, "Seriously."

"No, I'm fine. Really." he lied again.

"Harry," I grabbed his hand, "Go home."

Then he started to cry, "I can't. I don't want to be alone, when I'm alone I get so sad. I can't stop thinking of...the incident."

"Then I'll go with you." I suggested.

He shook his head automatically. "You don't have to—"

"Too bad, we're going home." I said, grabbing onto him and pulling him to his car.

For once, Harry didn't argue and slid into the passenger seat of his own car.
- - -

The drive was silent.

When we walked inside, the house felt strangely empty without the usual chaos of the triplets.

Harry made his way into the living room, staring at nothing, standing in silence.

"Harry," I said softly, "you can talk to me."

His voice cracked. "How could I have been such a jerk?"

"You're not—"

He shook his head violently. "Yes, I am. You said it yourself, Alex! I was just too hard headed to listen to you, now look what happened! I should have listened to you." he cried.

Seeing Harry cry felt wrong somehow. Harry was always confident, always laughing, always in control.

"Stop blaming yourself, Haz."
I pulled him into me and hugged him tight, "Please stop. You're just hurting yourself even more."