Day and Night | ✓

Chapter 12 - Edited ✓

Harper's POV

The week leading up to Angelo's fathers birthday was a strange one. Angelo wasn't himself, and I had no idea how to cheer him up. I had only done a few shifts at Opal since we had visited my parents and grandad at the cemetery however even though he was struggling with his father's up and coming birthday he was there every single night, and I was grateful for that. 

It was starting to get closer to Christmas, and I found my mind wondering too whether or not I should get Angelo a Christmas present or not, of course, people who are friends buy each other gifts at Christmas, but I didn't want him to think he was obliged to get me one.

Thursday morning was just like any other apart from the fact I was visiting Angelo's childhood home in less than 6 hours to visit the resting place of both of his parents , I had exhausted myself the night before trying to revise but my mind kept drifting back to Angelo who was more than likely shut away in his penthouse with his only companion being a bottle of scotch or whiskey. 

I desperately wanted to text him I even got as far as opening up our texts but my fingers were stuck hovering over the screen , I could never think of the right words to say and I knew he'd be fed up of the standard are you okay ? and the I'm here if you need me bullshit. So instead I buried myself in hours of English and math revision until my brain went numb and could no longer process even the simplest equation.

Walking to school, I had time to think about what I was going to do today; I had no idea whether I should bring flowers or how to act, this wouldn't be like visiting my parents and grandad who I had a connection too. Besides them and my grandad I had never visited anyone else who had passed away before, the thought overwhelmed me slightly, but I knew I had to do this for him, he needed me, and I promised I'd be there for him and I had no intention of letting him down.

Thankfully I didn't have a full day in school to contend with but I may or may not have told Angelo that I didn't finish till 2 and to pick me up at my nans house. It was only a minor lie , due to the Christmas break approaching there was only so much of the curriculum the teachers could go through due to our exams starting so soon after we got back from the holidays so more often than not they'd let us go early for 'personal study time'. I had to cover my mouth with my hands when the teachers had first announced that to the class , if I Harper Dawson wasn't even using our personal study time as it was intended I'd bet my left kidney that the rest of the class weren't either.

When the bell rang at one o'clock I made my way out of the school and towards the gates , November had ended a only a few days ago but the scenery had changed drastically , the leaves on the tree's had almost disappeared and the clouds had turned grey , I hoped that it would snow properly this year. I was fed up of the slight coating we usually got that melted and turned into ice , I wasn't the most coordinated person In the world and walking on ice wasn't one of my specialities and it usually resulted in multiple bruises.

"Nan are you home?" I shouted as I walked through the front door, throwing my bag down and kicking off my vans, I waited for a few seconds and just as I hoped there was no answer. Since she had begun dealing with what had happened with my grandad, she had become somewhat of a social butterfly and had reconnected with her old friends from bingo. 

I was glad she was getting out more I didn't like her being stuck in the house on her own and it also meant that when I wanted to go out more often than not she wouldn't be home to ask 21 questions about where I was going and who was I going out with.

I ran upstairs to my room and turned the shower on. I walked back into my room and pulled out a black pencil skirt and a white blouse. Making my way back into the bathroom, I threw my hair up into a bun and stepped into the warm running water. After a quick freshen up, I felt less nervous; it was like the warm water could wash my stress and worries down the drain. I didn't have much time to get ready, so I opted for light makeup and running my straighteners through my hair.