Any Day-completed

Chapter 28

LUKE’S POV

We sat around a table outside of a foodstall eating chips together. Scout and a blonde boy from the group were playing a game of throwing chips in each other’s mouths, failing miserably. It was now dark, but the park was lit up with street lights. I looked over my shoulder and saw Harry throwing stones into the lake on his own. I got up and walked over to him, not that anyone noticed. As I approached him, he turned and looked at me.

‘Hi Luke.’ He said, turning back to the lake. I stepped in place next to him as we looked over at the black lake and the ripples from Harry’s stones on the water.

‘Hi.’ I said back, after a while

‘Do you think she’s okay now?’ Harry asked me. I looked over my shoulder. Scout was laughing at, the blonde boy, as she balanced a chip above his lip like a moustache. I smiled at her, her blue eyes glinting. I’d never seen her so generally happy, but tomorrow was the trial, and she was going to see her father again. So I answered Harry truthfully.

‘I don’t know.’ Surely Scout would be showing some nerves, like the days before Tyler’s trial. Harry looked down.

‘I missed my chance haven’t I?’ I looked at him and he looked back at me quickly before he looked back at the lake, he shook his head, ‘She’s grown up so much. I’ve missed it all. I’m still the guy I was when I was six and she’s sixteen now. I just think if I’d grown up with her I would have had a chance.’ Harry’s head dropped to the floor and he bit his lip, ‘Sorry.’ He said, but I shook my head.

‘She was important to you, I get it. I would feel the same.’ Harry turned to me quickly

‘I love her.’ He said, his eyes were wide as he looked into mine. I could tell he was telling the truth. Why did it hurt? Probably because Scout would pick Harry over me in the blink of an eye. I was standing still staring at Harry for a few seconds. He turned back to the lake, ‘Sorry, again. It’s not like anything will happen. It’s clearly you she wants.’ He looked at me again, ‘Do you love her Luke?’ His green eyes burned into mine as I slowly nodded my head.

‘Yes.’ My voice cracked, ‘I love her.’ Harry let out a small laugh, at looked up at the sky.

‘Well that’s me out of the picture. Don’t worry about it Luke, I swear I’ll get out of the picture.’

I didn’t know what to say so I just nodded and slowly walked away. I was in shock, Harry loved Scout but he was giving me a chance with her. I walked slowly back to the group. Scout’s eyes turned to me as she noticed I was there. Her eyebrows raised questionably.

‘Where’s Harry.’ I looked back but sure enough Harry was gone.

‘I don’t know, I was just talking to him.’ That’s when it caught my eye. The dark figure standing on the bridge over the lake. Scout’s eyes followed mine, but her scream came too late. The figure fell into the water with a massive splash. Now everyone’s eyes were on the spot where the body fell. Scout and I were the first to run to the edge of the lake. The body was floating slowly on the top about 25m off shore. Without thinking I jumped into the cold water.

‘Luke, no!’ I could hear Scout cry out. I looked round and saw her considering jumping in.

‘Hold her back!’ I shouted as Niall’s arms wrapped around her as he pulled her back kicking and screaming. I continued swimming through the black water. I could hear one of the boys screaming down the phone to an ambulance and also Scout’s crying, but I continued swimming towards the body. As I reached it, I flipped it over. Harry’s eyes were open, amazingly he was conscious. He blinked away water and tears.

‘Leave me alone!’ He shouted whilst crying, ‘Leave me I want to die!’

‘Shh Harry, Scout will hear.’ I said as I started trying to pull him to the shore.

‘Let her fucking hear! She doesn’t care.’ He was resisting me. The water was starting to take his toll on me. I had about one minute till I was paralysed and we both died.

‘She does care. Please she won’t live with this.’ Harry’s eyes found mine as he stopped resisting and slowly let me pull him to shore. We were five metres away, five, before Harry stopped. I managed to swim the rest myself before pulling Harry out, with help from the boys.

‘He’s too cold.’ Scout cried. She pulled off her Harry’s jumper that she was wearing and threw it over him. Pulling him upright she wrapped her arms around him. His head fell into her chest as Scout desperately tried to shake him awake. We piled more clothes on him and circled him to try to keep him warm.

When the ambulance crew arrived, I had to prise Scout off of Harry as he was carted, still unconscious into the vehicle before being whisked off.

SCOUT’S POV

I woke up back in the hotel room, still fully dressed clinging to Luke’s t shirt. I looked up and saw Luke, looking at the ceiling, stroking my hair softly.

‘You should have moved me.’ I said

‘You looked too peaceful’ Luke said, not skipping a beat.

‘Why would he do that?’ I looked at Luke’s chest, there was a wet patch from tears on his t shirt. Luke shifted underneath me and cleared his throat.

‘What did you say Luke?’ I shot up looking down at him

‘What? I didn’t say anything to him.’ He said, but there was guilt in his eyes.

‘You were talking to him right before it happened. What did you two say?’ Luke looked away again sighing.

‘He said he loved you.’ I looked down, ‘but then he said it didn’t matter because you loved me.’ I still didn’t look at him, ‘And then he asked if I loved you.’ I looked at Luke this time as he looked me dead in the eye, ‘And I said yes.’ I looked down again my cheeks flushing. ‘And then he said it was ok. That he would get out of the picture.’

‘And what did you say to him?’ It was Luke’s turn to look away now., ‘Luke? Please tell me you didn’t leave him?’ I said, Luke still wasn’t looking at me. ‘You never just leave them alone Luke. That just proves that no one cares for them in their mind.’ I stopped and for the first time I was sure I wasn’t the only person who had experience of being depressed. Harry had been depressed the same as me for the last ten years the same as me, the only difference was that he didn’t have the equivalent of Luke. But Luke should have known.

‘You should have said something.’ I said as I got up. I began to walk toward the door.

‘Where are you going Scout?’ Luke called, scrambling up.

‘I’m going to Kate and Joe’s room. I have a trial to get ready for ’ I spat, ‘You can stay here ok?’ I said although it was more of an order. I slammed the door and made my way to Kate and Joe’s room. I stood staring at the door for a while. One of my best friends had attempted suicide, the other could have stopped it. They were both broken and I had made their lives so much worse, I didn’t see the point. I could feel myself triggering so I knocked on their door. Kate opened it, she was already dressed and ready.

‘Scout! Hurry up! We have your dress in here.’ I was shoved into the bathroom where a black dress was laid out. I pulled off my clothes when something caught my eye. Joe’s razors. I stood in my underwear whilst senarios flashed through my mind. I picked the razor and images flashed through my mind

Luke picking me up from behind and spinning me around so fast back in Melbourne

My framed photo with the brooks brothers, James and Daniel which hung from my wall in my bedroom.

Harry smiling as his eyes caught the sunlight

All the things I was going to give up, but the razor was already on my hip as I nicked it. Just a little cut but I could still feel the relief.

AUTHORS NOTE

TWO OR THREE MORE CHAPTERS LEFT

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@Lukesmyhero