Harrison Avenue // H.S.

Fuck Off, Harry.

This is from Grey Street. Another one of those retold in Harry's POV scenes. I wanted to keep myself writing and these are good for that. Hope you like, comment if you do.

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[Harry]

There's wet grass below my feet and my hands are in my pockets as I look up, feeling the slight lingering of a buzz that came from the two beers I downed at the party. Once I realized Ellison wasn't even there, and figured out that most likely she wouldn't be showing up, I didn't even hesitate to walk straight out the front door. So, now I'm standing in wet grass, my entire body soaked thanks to the down pour of a summer storm, and I'm staring up at Elle's bedroom window trying to figure out how to get up there.

I'm a mad man.

Elle made it up to Matt's roof only a month or so ago, so surely, I should be able to do the same. I've got upper body strength... or at least I think I do, and the two-beer buzz is enough motivation to not listen to any common sense that I might have holding on inside my head.

I've been staring up for at least ten minutes now, studying the side of her house as I try to plan my route. I hope that no one has seen me standing here in the rain because I know for a fact that I look like I'm up to no good. And I'm not up to any good. There's a decent chance I'm going to fall from a house in the next five minutes, that's anything but good.

I decide to just go for it.

Whatever hesitancy I had moments ago completely leaves me and the route I studied for ten minutes disappears as well, and instead I just go off instinct. I follow where my hands take me, slowly but surely making my way up the side of her house through a series of strategic platforms.

I only slip once, and it was entirely the rains fault.

Once I'm on the roof that leads to her window a new obstacle emerges. Lightning.

Shit.

This is a concern of course but there isn't an immediate panic and I try to maintain an element of calm even with the fact that I'm on a slippery roof and there is the potential that I could be electrocuted at any moment. I slowly walk my way to Elle's window and this is the first time I truly see her since I stumbled my way to her house.

She's sat inside looking cozy in a chair, writing in a book that's on her lap. Her room almost glows with all the fairy lights she has hung about and there's a new innocence to her that's not normally there. This isn't how she spend her Friday nights... not since I've known her at least. Normally by now she'd be drunk and telling me to fuck off in a way where I know she doesn't really want me to fuck off, where there's even a hint of affection in it that I think she's hoping I won't catch onto. Of course, I do though. I hold to those deceivingly affectionate fuck off's with everything in me.

I'm in a sort of daze as I slowly walk my way toward her window, hardly paying attention to the roof I'm stepping on and totally entranced by her. This is a bad decision consider that I am on roof, but my brain doesn't seem to care. Elle's been different this last week, more vulnerable than I've ever seen her. Normally, when she feels this way she cuts me out, or she tries to at least, but this time it's almost like she's clinging on to me for dear life, like she's going to sink if I'm not there to hold her up. She's hit a new low with her parents and I'm not sure how to help her. I know that families don't always work how they're supposed to, mine didn't, but Elle's situation is one where I'm over my head.

She doesn't seem to believe that though. She seems to think that in some small way, maybe I can fix it.

There's another flash of lightning and at this point I'm almost pressed up to her window as I crouch down some. This is when Elle looks up for the first time. She doesn't scream like I did when she did this to me, but I do see a slight indication of terror in her expression. It only lasts for a few seconds on her face, then it's just the straight Harry you're dumb face that Elle is so good at.