The Photobooth

Chapter Five

Hi guys,

This chapter is the last one, it's only a short story so yeah :) But anyways I was going o say that this chapter will jump about a bit more than the other ones; mainly because it's the last one and I wanted to fit everything in. Plus I think it adds to the atmosphere of this chapter so yeah, hope you enjoy!

Happy reading as always! :)

Sarah x

*

Harry awoke to the sound of his parents arguing downstairs, with the added input from Connie. He sat up slowly, and groggily rubbed the sleep from his eyes; despite the racket going on downstairs Harry smiled to himself as he remembered the previous night. He and Joey were now a couple and he couldn't be any happier. It felt like all his Christmas' and birthdays had come at once, the boy he loved, loved him back.

A loud crash from downstairs broke his dream like state with a thud.
"What the-?" Harry muttered underneath his breath as he threw a shirt on and padded over to his door. Cracking it open a little, he peeked his head around it to get a better idea of what was going on. He caught a glance of his sister creeping out of the living room door, where all the shouting was emanating from.
"Connie!" Harry whisper shouted as he began to descend the stairs as quietly as he possibly could.
"Harry, get back upstairs now!" Connie said, her eyes stern as she joined him at the bottom of the stairs.
"What, why?" He asked completely and utterly confused.
"Don't ask questions, just go and put some clothes on and go to Joey's to hide out there for a while" Connie whispered, her eyes darting over to the living room door where their parents remained, still shouting at one another.
"But Connie wh" Harry began before being cut off.
"Just trust me Harry okay?" Connie looked him in the eyes "Please" She pleaded, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"Okay, fine. I'll go to Joey's" Harry replied, giving in at the sight of her tears.
"Good lad" Connie reached up to kiss him on the forehead, before re-entering the living room as Harry went back upstairs to throw some clothes on, then do as Connie had said and go to Joey's to 'hide out' for reasons he did not know.

*

Harry stood outside Joey's house, wearing a sombre expression on his face as he knocked on the door, contemplating what had happened at home that morning. Why were his parents arguing? And more importantly, why did Connie make him come here to seek refuge from it all? All of those questions swam around in his mind as he waited for somebody to open the door, warming his hands with his breath as he did so.

"Harry, come on in, Connie told me you'd be coming here" Henry Carter said as he pulled Harry in gently from the cold morning air.
"Oh, Morning Henry. Thanks for letting me in" Harry replied, his head reeling with so many unanswered question.
"No problem Harry mate. Joey's upstairs if you wanna go up" Henry motioned towards the stairs, patting Harry's back as he went.
"Cheers Henry" Harry said as he climbed the stairs to Joey's room. "Joey?" He spoke into the room as he knocked and went in.
"H?" Joey replied from his bed
"Why is it so dark in here?" Harry questioned as he stepped towards Joey's bed.
"So that nobody can see from the street" Joey's voice was barely a whisper and Harry could tell he had been crying.
"What are you on about Joey?" His voice raised a little in concern.
"You mean you don't know?" Joey asked in surprise, jumping up from his bed
"I don't know what Joey? You're scaring me now, just tell me what's going on!" Harry exclaimed, having enough with everyone flitting around him and not telling him anything.
"I think you had best sit down H" Joey patted the space next to him on the bed, sitting up himself, ready to tell him everything.

*

"It's just a phase, it has to be" Mrs Smithson's voice trembled as she held back the tears that were in her eyes.
"Well, phase or not, somebody else knows, and soon everyone in the village will know. We will be disgraced, nobody will want to shop here anymore and we will go out of business. And all because of that stupid little boy!" Mr Smithson raged, his eyes bulging out of his head and his face turning red as he looked at the photo that lay in his hands.
"Why has he done this too use? Why couldn't he have just found a nice young girl and married her like everyone else?" Mrs Smithson began to sob as the weight of the situation hit her like a brick.
"Come here Eleanor love. We can sort this out, we just need to talk to him, make him see sense. Okay love?" Mr Smithson circled his arms around his wife in a comforting embrace.
"Okay, let's shout him downstairs" She replied, looking up at her husband gratefully. He always knew just how to calm her down when needed.