fighting the stars above

XXIX

A few weeks after, Zayn's blood cells count sturdily rises to 100, then 300. Then, it crashes back to a hundred. After some days, it rises to 800, then crashes again.

           I sit tiredly in the chair outside Zayn's room, looking down at my hands.

                           And then, I pray. I REALLY pray. Close my eyes and fold my hands tightly. "If You are real, if You are really out there, if You really want to see Your children happy, please, please, PLEASE — I beg You, I pray You — don't let anything happen to Zayn. He is amazing. A true human being. Don't take him away from us. Please. Please. I know I have never been religious, but if You save him... And if You don't ... I will loose faith in You. Forever. Just save him please. I don't want anything else. Just save Zayn."

               "Amen."

               I look up, only to find blue eyes staring back at me. Perrie is smiling slightly, encouragingly, and in her hands is two McDonald's bags. She passes one to me. "You can't stay hungry for too long, Harry. You have become so weak." she says, I look down at myself. Indeed, she is right. I have lost a lot of weight and look really pale. As I said earlier, a walking zombie.

          But. "I don't want to eat. Not with Zayn lying there. On the brink of death." I croak out, stopping myself from crying. Again.

      "When Zayn wakes up and sees you in this state, he will blame himself." and that was all that took for me to start eating.

                   Perrie munches on from the other bag. After a few moments of silence, she speaks up : "I am not doing this to win over Zayn or something, you know." I pause and she looks at me "I know, I loved Zayn. And that I fed him quite a bit lies about you to drive you two apart, but I regret everything I did and I really hope you can forgive me. I did this because, well, he was my best friend and I still care about him. A lot."

           I nod, "Thanks, Pez." she smiles at the old nickname "For everything. And I forgive you. I am sure Zayn will to."

                   She smiles and hugs me tight. And we stay like that for a while.