Upon hearing those words Louis shook his head vigorously. There was no way his Harry, beautiful and strong Harry, could be cutting. But, he's not as strong as he seems lately. No! He couldn't be cutting, could he?
"Louis?"
"W-what?" He asked, coming back to reality.
"Do you think Harry is cutting himself?" Simon repeated.
"I-I-I want to say no, but the truth is, at this point, I don't know," Louis said.
"Is there any way you could find out?"
"I, um, I suppose we could look in his bathroom for razors that were taken apart," Louis mumbled.
"I think that might be a good idea," Simon said, "it's obvious Harry needs help, though."
"I know," Louis sighed, "I don't know why I didn't intervene sooner. I guess I just didn't want to think of Harry as being anorexic. I had labeled it off as a girl disease and I had decided Harry was just going through a phase."
"It's hard," Simon told him, "to admit that someone we love could have a serious problem, but it's necessary if we want to help that person get better."
"Yeah," Louis said, opening the door to Harry's bathroom, "I just don't know how to help him. I mean some days it seems like he really wants help. He'll be staring at the fridge, fear evident in his eyes. I'll watch him open it, slowly, and pull something out. He'll take a bite and then he gets a look of fear in his eyes. He starts grabbing at his stomach, I think he's checking for fat, and then he'll run into the bathroom doing who knows what."
"I have a feeling he's been throwing up when he eats," Simon sighed.
"This is all so hard," Louis said, putting his head in his hands, "I just don't know what to do."
"I know it's hard, but we have to stay strong for Harry. We have to show him that life can get better, and we have to believe it when we say it."
"Okay Simon," Louis smiled, "I can do that."
Simon returned the smile and began opening cabinets. Louis looked under the sink, behind Harry's toiletries, and in the shower. His search showed nothing, though, and soon Simon and him returned to the living room.
"So," Louis smiled, "I guess this means Harry isn't cutting."
"Louis," Simon frowned, "just because we didn't find a razor blade in his bathroom doesn't mean he doesn't have one hidden away somewhere else."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Louis muttered.
"I suggest you start keeping track of how long Harry stays in the bathroom, if it is more than a few minutes open the door and see what he's doing. If he gets mad, well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that we find out if Harry is cutting."
