Story of My Life

Chapter 16

After rehearsal the next day, the girls decide to go swimsuit shopping at the mall. The boys agree to meet them at a waterpark a few miles away from the studio, and the group goes their separate ways. By the time the girls are finished shopping, it's nearly noon. Sophia has purchased a sexy black one piece; Perrie a baby blue two piece; Erin a rainbow bikini; and Anna a sailor-inspired one. They swing back to Erin's place to change, then they head to the waterpark. The girls meet up with the boys once they're inside, and the group decides to go on the lazy river first. As they're gliding peacefully on the water, Erin says to Harry,
"Thanks for the note. I read it this morning."
"You're welcome, sweetie," Harry replies. After a bit, the group gets off the lazy river and walks towards a water slide with a toilet-like hole. Erin gets really nervous about the ride, and it takes lots of convincing from the others to get her to join them in line. There are water donuts made for four people; the boys grab one, and the girls grab another. The group decides to have a competition to see who can go the fastest. As they're getting in the donut, Erin has second thoughts. Before she can express her worries to the others, the light turns green. Erin does okay until the girls reach the hole. The donut hits a bump, and Erin nearly flies out. Sophia and Eleanor quickly grab her hands and help her back in. The lads end up winning, and the group goes separate ways to explore the water park. Harry and Erin get in line for a dark waters slide and grab a donut made for two. When they get in the donut, Harry wraps his arms around Erin. The speed of the water makes them go really fast, and they produce a big splash at the end. As Erin and Harry look for something else to do, a couple girls walk past them. One of them says loudly to her friend while looking straight at Erin,
"Her bikini looks really nice. It'd look even better if she lost fifteen pounds."
"I totally agree," the other girl replies. "She can pull off the rainbow pattern beautifully, but maybe she should stick with a one-piece." Clenching his fist, Harry wraps an arm around Erin and quickly walks away from the two girls. The backhanded compliments affect Erin's mood, and Harry tries in vain to boost her morale. When they meet up with the group a couple hours later, they go to the wave pool. There, Louis announces that it's time for a game.
"When the waves come," he says, "Grab on to someone close to you. Whoever can stay together the longest wins." Harry and Erin end up winning, and the group decides to go on the water slide with the toilet-hole one last time before leaving. This time, the couples stay together, and Erin and Harry share a donut with Liam and Sophia. When the donut gets to the hole, it hits a bump and flings Erin up from her seat. She ends up on her back, and Harry and Liam grab her hands before she slides down too far. By the time the ride's over, Erin's on the verge of crying from the events that have happened at the waterpark. The group heads back to Erin's place. Erin takes a shower to get the chlorine out of her hair. Then, she goes in her room, where Harry is waiting for her. She sits down next to him, noticing that her back aches as she does so. This is the tipping point for her, and Erin starts crying. Harry wraps an arm around her and asks softly,
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
"My back and stomach hurt really bad," Erin sobs.
"Okay," Harry says. "Are you able to turn so that your back's facing me? I want to try and rub it." Slowly, Erin turns around, and Harry puts his hands on her back and begins massaging it. It takes a while for him to get all the knots out of Erin's back, but the effort pays off in the long run. When he's done, Harry asks Erin,
"Does your stomach still hurt?" She nods her head, and Harry has Erin lay down on her side. He lays down behind her and puts a hand on her stomach while wrapping his free arm around her. Harry then begins rubbing slow circles on Erin's stomach, which makes Erin jump a little.
"Easy, grasshopper," he whispers. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know," Erin whispers back. Harry continues rubbing for a while, then he asks,
"Do you feel better?"
"Yeah," Erin answers. "If it isn't too much to ask, can you keep going? It feels nice."
"Sure thing, love." As Harry goes back to rubbing, he says,
"I don't think you're too fat."
"But those girls-" Erin starts to argue.
"I don't care what those girls said," Harry replies with a hint of anger. "You don't need to lose any weight. You're perfect just the way you are, Erin." Erin starts crying again as she tells Harry,
"It's so hard, though! They're not the first to say that about me. Backhanded compliments about my weight have been an ongoing thing my entire life. It's become ingrained in my head that I'm too fat and that no one will love me because of it and that I'll amount to nothing!"
"That's not true," Harry whispers. "I love you. All of us love you. You are a very beautiful girl, Erin, and you are one of the most caring, loving people I've ever met. That amounts to something, doesn't it?"
"I guess," Erin says, unsure.
"Erin," Harry replies. "I'm not lying to you."
"I know," she whispers. "It's just that it's hard to wipe the past away."
       
"I know," Harry whispers back. The discussion turns to a different topic, and Erin ends up going to sleep. A little while after that, there's a knock on the door.
"Come in," Harry says as he sits up on the bed. The door opens, and Liam walks in the room.
"Hey, Harry!" he exclaims a bit too loudly. Harry puts a finger to his lips and points at the sleeping Erin.
"Sorry," Liam says, lowering his voice. "We were just wondering if you two were alright. We haven't really seen you since we got back from the waterpark."
"I was just comforting Erin," Harry replies. "Her back and stomach were hurting her, and she needed to let some stuff out."
"Erin did seem a bit off when we met up at the wave pool. Did something happen?" Harry nods his head.
"A couple girls decided it was a good idea to put in their opinion about Erin's weight," he whispers. "They weren't very nice ones, either."
"Harry, I'm sorry," Liam replies. "It sucks to have people bully you. If she needs anyone to talk to, I'm here for her."
"I'm sure she'd appreciate that," Harry says.
"So, are you planning on staying in here?" Liam asks.
"Yeah," Harry answers. "Besides, I'm getting a little logy."
"Okay, mate. I'll tell the others that you two needed to get some rest."
"Thanks, Liam," Harry says as Liam walks out of the room. Harry lays back down and wraps his arms around Erin before closing his eyes. He's awoken a few hours later by the sound of Erin crying. He finds that she's not in his arms anymore; in fact, she's sitting on the edge of the bed, sobbing into her hands. Harry sits up on the bed and asks sleepily,
"Babe, what's the matter?" Erin whips her head around and sees Harry awake. Immediately, she feels bad and cries,
"I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean to w-wake you!"
"Hey, babe, it's okay," Harry whispers. "You don't have to apologize. Why are you crying?"
"I-I had a b-bad dream that I-I was being pushed by all these faceless people towards a cliff, and I kept crying for help and telling them to stop, but no one would listen. On top of that, the people were chanting that I was too fat and the worst part was that y-y-your voice was in the mix, and I know what you said earlier, but it was scary, Harry!" Erin starts sobbing again, and Harry scoots next to her and gives her a hug. He lets Erin cry into his chest until she's let it all out. Erin looks up at him and whispers,
"Please tell me you wouldn't say that. Like I said before, it's going to take a long time to forget what it was like being called names."
"Erin, I would never say that you're too fat. I would be the worst boyfriend in the world if I did that," Harry replies. "We'll get through this, I promise."
"Thanks," Erin whispers. "You're the best." Harry smiles, and he asks,
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"This is going to sound a little silly, but can you sing me to sleep?"
"Of course," Harry replies. The two of them lay back down, and Harry begins cuddling Erin. He starts to sing "You & I" softly, and Erin closes her eyes, eventually drifting off to Dreamland.