Walk Away h.s punk/au

5.

Harry's P.O.V.

Katherine's feet kicked back and forth as they dangled from the counter. Her intrigued gaze was focused on my neck. I could feel myself getting hot as her eyes trailed down my body. Oh God, what was I thinking-this was Katherine.

Gulping some air, I said, "They, um, well, they mean that: life's a gamble, things are a roll, a chance."

Her eyebrows furrowed for a second in deep thought. Something was up, but she was to proud to say anything. Liam was right- as always. She did understand, what I wasn't sure, but she did.

"Did you do them?" she asked directing her attention to Louis.

"No Zayn did." he said simply scanning her, silently deciding if she was right fore she did look quite out of place here in a tattoo parlor in her dainty pink skater dress.

At the mention of his name, Zayn walked in tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Fun night?" I asked forgetting Katherine was here.

Zayn smirked before noticing Katherine. "Hullo, I'm Zen." he greeted with a kiss on her cheek.

For him to be as quiet he was a charmer. Just the fraction of second of the contact, a faint blush spread across her cheek. That was enough for me to hop up and sit with her. I knew Zayn had Perrie and he would never do anything like that, it was just a territorial thing.

"What brings you here? You aren't skipping are you? Does Liam know? I'm not covering for you again." Zayn said all in one go, while Louis pulled up two chairs.

"Our teacher gave us the period off, and he well, I don't know why we came here." Katherine said looking around to add to the effect of innocence.

"Oh, that's cool." Zayn studied Katherine for a second. "What's your last name?" I knew where this was going and I admit, I was scared of what was going to happen when it did.

"Sweeny." she said a bit hesitant. I sent Zayn a look, begging for him not to. She already saw the softer side of me, she already knew I had a soul somewhere deep inside, she didn't need to know this. "Why?" she added sharply.

"Oh, nothing, it's just,"

"Harry used to always talk about you. How sweet you were, how cute you were. Nothing." Louis was the one to say it.

I could feel myself start to blush as Katherine's mouth dropped. Her fair face was a bright shade of pink. Her brown eyes widen and sparkled. She smiled, her pink lips stretching in a smile. Rubbing my hand over my face, I closed my eyes trying to shut out the embarrassment.

"Well, that makes two of us." I heard her say at last. Jerking my eyes open I stared at her. "Yeah," she said with a small laugh, "I used to do the same with you, Harry. My parents thought it was precious."

Some sort of relief flooded over me. The conversation went off to tattoos while my mind went reeling. I knew I wouldn't be good for her, I knew that I wouldn't be able to provide for her the things she wanted, I'd only bring her trouble. We weren't Troy and whatever that girl's name was from High School Musical, we weren't Andy and Ducky from Pretty in Pink. We weren't anything other than friends. Watching her though, I wanted to be something with her. She didn't bat an eye at our appearances. We were just normal guys to her.

When it was time to leave, Zayn and Louis both hugged, kissed, and told her to "come see us sometime". Katherine just had that effect on people. Even when we were kids, she could charm anyone by the mature way she acted. She was a only child, with older parents, who never went anywhere without her. I'd used to see her in the grocery with her dad, holding his hand, dancing around his legs, but never causing a scene.

"When did you get your first tattoo?" she asked turning in the seat of my car.

" Bout a two years ago." I replied waiting for her to freak out and scold me. Instead she asked,

"Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, why?" I glanced out the corner of my eye at her. It clicked as she traced her wrist, "No. As your friend, I'm saying no."

She snapped her head toward me, her bronze curls flying. "Says the tattooed one."

"Katherine, think of your parents. They'd kill you. You don't need to get a tattoo." At the mention of her parents a dark looked crossed her eyes.

"What if I don't want to please them anymore?"

"Okay, listen." I put the car in park in the middle of the street.

"What are you doing?" she screeched looking over shoulder and out the back window.

"Something is up with your parents, you tell me, and I drive." she began to protest but I cut her off. "If you don't I'll sit here until you do. Even if it means we're late." I knew she wouldn't risk her squeaky clean attendance.

"They keep fighting okay! That's all they've done all week, that's all they'll do this weekend. No one suspects anything. Your the only one who knows, and if you tell I swear to God, Harry, I'll kill you."

I started to drive again, shocked at her confession. I thought, maybe, they got mad because she failed a test or something. Looking over I saw her crying silently.

"Hey, hey don't, don't do that." I stumbled over the right phrase to say. "Everything's going to be okay." Though, if they were like mine, things wouldn't be. She choked, but managed to cover it.

"It's gotten to where I don't want to go home." she said thickly, drying her eyes, and checking her face in the mirror. What I was about to say next just slipped out before I could remind myself about the food chain.

"Why don't you come home with me tonight? I mean, just stay after school a bit."

She looked at me, her eyes sad and lost, nodding. "Is it okay?"

"Yeah, who's gonna care?"

Just before I turned in the school lot, Katherine leaned over and pressed her lips against my cheek. It was a warm feeling, a tingly one. A good one. Anything I'd tried to convince myself of earlier had been erased in the tenderness of her lips and I knew then, that if she didn't walk away, she'd stay.