hooked // harry hook

chapter twenty one - help

Harry's POV

It was killing me seeing Vee like this. She hadn't left her room in days, she barely spoke, and she wasn't eating. I felt completely helpless, and Evie couldn't do much more to help. I obviously didn't blame Vee for feeling this way. She saw someone she never could picture in Auradon, which was sort of like her safe place. She no longer felt that sense of security, and there was really nothing I could do to fix it. I had class, and I couldn't just skip school to be there for her, as much as I really wanted to. I had talked to Ben about why she wasn't attending class, but I really didn't go into details because I knew she had told me that in confidence. Ben was really understanding, but Vee had to attend mandatory counseling in response to missing school.

Her first session was scheduled for today, but she just laid in her bed staring into the pillow blankly. I took her hands and eased her out of bed, getting her to stand. She crossed her arms and looked down at her feet quietly. I sighed and walked to her closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt for her to wear. She changed into her clothes and slid on her sandals before following me out. I locked the door behind her and led her over across the lawn towards the offices. Honestly, she looked pretty horrible. She was pale as can be, had huge dark circles under her eyes, and looked visibly weak from not eating. People watched her worriedly as we walked by, but she kept her head hung low as I navigated her to the office.

We walked through the double doors and were greeted by the school counselor, Mrs. Davis. "Welcome you two. Should we go inside?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Vee huffed, and I smiled apologetically as we made our way into her private office. She took a seat at the desk and we plopped down in front of her. "So, Vee. I hear you're not going to class. Why is that?" asked Mrs. Davis, interlocking her hands on the desk and leaning forwards. "It's not worth it. I'm not safe anymore." she mumbled, staring down at her knees. "Why do you say that?" wondered Mrs. Davis, sitting back in her chair and furrowing her brows. "He's here. He knows where I am." she shuddered in response. "When you say he, are you referring to the boy who was asked to leave the premises?" asked Mrs. Davis. Vee nodded quietly, a tear falling from her eye.

"Who is this boy?" asked Mrs. Davis, looking over to me. "His name is Jake. He's a nobleman's son from Vee's kingdom. He put her through an extremely abusive relationship." I admitted, rubbing Vee's back supportively. "He raped me." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I see. How long ago was this?" inquired Mrs. Davis, noticeably shaken. "Three years ago. She took him to trial but he wasn't convicted." I answered quickly. "Perks of having money." chuckled Vee quietly, shaking her head and sniffling. "Here's what we can do. I can have Ben file a protective order that legally keeps this guy out of Auradon. You'll be safe here." said Mrs. Davis, crossing her arms. "Y-you can do that?" asked Vee, looking up at her for the first time. Mrs. Davis nodded and smiled compassionately.

"You can go talk to Ben, but he'll have to document it all. It'll become part of public record and you won't have to worry about seeing him again." assured Mrs. Davis. Suddenly, the color returned to Vee's skin. She looked like a massive weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. It was such a relief to see her a little more relaxed. "Thank you so much." she whispered, eyes wide. Mrs. Davis shook her head and smiled. "It's my job. I wish you both luck." she said, eyeing us both. We said our goodbyes and walked over to Ben's office. Vee was still quiet, but I didn't find myself dragging her along like I had been. She was lively again, not living in fear. I took her hand and squeezed it tightly. I loved her more than anything, and seeing her like this wasn't easy.

We knocked on the door, receiving a quite invitation to enter. Ben stood behind his desk, reading some papers on his desk. He looked up and smiled softly as he saw us, worriedly eyeing Vee. "How are you doing, Vee?" he asked, walking over to us and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I need to talk to you about Jake." she said with a sigh. Ben nodded and motioned for us to sit, taking a seat in his office chair. Vee told him about Jake, about the trial, and about her mental trauma since she saw him at the dance. Ben was super receptive, nodding and listening to everything she said. "So I just talked to Mrs. Davis, and she said that you could issue a protective order?" asked Vee, raising an eyebrow. Ben smiled and nodded. "I actually already started the documentation. I didn't know what was going on the night of the dance, but I saw how broken you were." he admitted, holding up a file on his desk.

Vee smiled appreciatively and thanked him. "Now, there's a small catch to the protective order." said Ben apprehensively. "If this document is signed, you can no longer leave back to the attacker's homeland, which in this case, means yours as well." continued Ben carefully. Vee gasped, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "So I can't go home to visit my family?" she asked. Ben shook his head with a frown. "I'm afraid not. However, they're always welcome to come here and visit you." he encouraged. Vee bit her lip and looked down at her lap. I could see her processing everything Ben had just told her. I knew it was really difficult for her to have to give up that part of her life. She loved going back home, I saw it myself when we went over for winter break. She took a deep breath before looking up at Ben determinedly. "Do it." she mumbled.

Ben signed the papers and put down his pen. "It's done." he smiled, standing up and hugging Vee. She began to cry in his arms, hugging him back. "Thank you so much, Ben." she said, hugging him tightly. "Of course, Vee. I'm so sorry you had to go through this." he said, pulling away. She sniffled and wiped her tears, waving and following me out. I wrapped my arm around her as we walked back to the dorms. "How are you feeling?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked up at me and genuinely smiled for the first time in days. "I feel like I'm safe again." she admitted. I kissed the top of her head and sighed in relief. I knew she was still hurting, but this was a step forwards. She felt secure, which was honestly all that mattered.

As we approached her room, Jay was exiting his. He smiled awkwardly before locking the door behind him. "Hey Vee, I don't know what's going on but I hope you feel better." he said, waving and walking out towards the courtyard area. "Are you gonna forgive him?" I asked, following her into her room. She sat on the small couch in her room and shrugged. "He's forgiven. Things are just weird right now. I need to gain that trust again." she admitted, crossing her arms. I sat on the edge of her bed and ran my hand through my hair. I was so relieved we got over this hurdle, that Jake couldn't touch her. He was a literal waste of space and I was admittedly really worried about him being around. Things would start to look up for us, I hoped.