Away

Chapter14

He is gone when I wake up.

"Lou? Louis? Where'd you go?" I feel around, propping myself up on my elbows. I blink my eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them.

He walks in from the door. "I'm sorry, love. I was talking to Harry. He woke me up coming in for his shift."

I smile. "It's okay. So you did sleep? Well, before Harry made a racket coming in?"

Harry flips me off before saying, "Actually I came running when I heard him cry out in pain."

Louis glares at him. "Harry."

"What? What happened?!" I didn't even realize something happened!

Louis turns bright red and mumbles something.

Harry laughs. "Are you embarrassed to admit she kneed you in the crotch?"

He holds his stomach from how hard he is laughing.

Louis walks over and shoves his shoulder, causing Harry to almost topple over.

He catches himself on the wall, though. When he turns around his face is angry. Louis' is emotionless. He shows no emotion.

"ARSEHOLE!" He shoves Louis back, and Louis stumbles a few feet.

Louis straightens up and pushes his hair off of his forehead; a few pieces have come out of the quiff.

Harry pushes up the sleeves on his gray cotton shirt.

Oh. Shit.

Harry smirks at me from where he stands.

Louis notices and moves himself between where I sit and where he stands.

He is inside the stall and Harry is standing in the doorway.

Harry said something about being the youngest earlier, without really meaning to. And that Louis is the oldest. Louis is the shortest. Harry is the tallest.

"What? Do you think I'm gonna hurt her?" Harry's voice is mocking. He wouldn't do that- would he?

Louis doesn't respond. He stands in front of me, blocking my body from Harry.

"Oh, poor baby's scared I'm gonna hurt his girl!"

Louis lunges at Harry and tackles him. Harry narrowly misses hitting the doors.

Harry squirms under Louis, beating at his back. He is trying to get away.

But Louis is too strong. Louis gets punches at Harry's sides and face, while Harry can punch at Louis back, but nothing more.

Finally Harry says, "I take it back! Okay, you arsehole?"

Louis climbs off and turns around to walk towards me.

Harry sees his chance and jumps on Louis' back, wrapping an arm around his throat and using his knees to grip the older boy's sides.

Louis tilts back and Harry keeps them upright himself, but Louis' head is bent at an awkward angle, and I can sense it is not safe.

*FLASHBACK*

I was walking home with a bloody lip and a swollen eye and it had been a little more then a year after our father's surprise visit; he hadn't returned.

When I walk in the house I am hoping today is a day when Erin is too tired to come hug me and welcome me home.

There was no such luck.

Erin came walking down the hall from the kitchen, eating a sandwich.

"Hey, Blue!" Then he got closer. He kneeled down and was holding my jaw so he could tilt it into the most light he could.

"What happened to your face, Cerulean? It's summer. School just let out. What could you possibly have done?"

"I got in a fight." I never lied. At least not to Erin.

"Fight?" He sounded like it was something impossible. "With who?"

"The twins."

"The Wethington twins? The boys?"

"Yea, CJ and Connor."

"Why would you fight them?"

"They called me names. Then they asked where Dad was. And then Connor pushed me."

"Then?"

"Well, when I got back up from the concrete, I pushed Connor down and his hands started bleeding. CJ punched my stomach," I held my shirt up to show a large green bruise, "and Connor got back up."

"Then what, Blue?"

"Connor shoved me on the ground face first," I point at my lip, "and held me down while CJ kicked me." I pulled my pants down showing bruises and blood. I wasn't ashamed of showing my brother my body.

"What about your eye?"

"Um, I kinda kicked Connor in the crotch, then CJ punched my eye while Connor told him it was time to go. He was crying. And CJ was limping."

"Don't do that. Ever. Never again."

"Okay, but I was protecting myself! Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

He sighed. "Yes, but next time you could get hurt worse and I would have to take you to the hospital and they would ask where Dad was."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't do it again."

"I won't."

Until the night I was kidnapped, I didn't.

*PRESENT*

I use the wall to pull myself up and grit my teeth when I stand.

"STOP IT!"

They freeze. But Harry does not let go.

"Please, Harry," I say, trying to limp over to them.

Louis chokes out, "Babe, please stop. Your leg."

I hold my hand up and close my eyes. "I'm okay, Louis."

I open my eyes and look straight at Harry's green ones, the way Erin looked at our father and Chet. And Kyle the first night.

Harry's face is overcome with fear.

"Let. Him. Go." My voice is menacing and foreign.

Harry drops Louis and of course, timing is everything.

Zayn arrives.