XANNY ▹ Harry Bingham

GEEKED UP

mention of alcohol, mental illness, drugs, and abuse. this is a trigger warning. please do not read ahead if you'll be negatively affected.

chapter eleven

"i'm so incredibly lonely, yet i push people away anyway"

_

Eden Blanchard lay there quietly, on the sofa, keeping her eyes closed, counting her breaths with each rise and fall of her chest. It was the only obvious indication that she was still alive. Curiosity slowly pried open her tear-soaked eyes to meet a dismal view of a modern living room filled with ivory furniture. Along with the flood of daylight into her eyes, she was immediately welcomed with a crushing pain centralized on one side of her head that came and went in a pattern. Her eyes began to water again and she wiped away at her runny nose. The pain throbbed so violently around her skull that she wondered how it hadn't cracked open upon hitting the concrete.

Eden instinctively squinted, blurring her surroundings. She noticed a silhouette running up to the windows and pulling the curtains shut, darkening the room enough for her pain to become bearable. Her eyelids fluttered back open, detailing the silhouette's face.

It was Harry.

She was in his living room.

He sat on the coffee table in front of her with a gentle smile and handed over a bag of frozen peas. She took it with a little hesitation and lifted it to her skull. Some of the ice melted off of the plastic and into her hand, enough for her fingers and palm to be wet. Already the skin on her scalp felt chilled, and she recoiled a bit, wincing in pain, before applying it again.

"You're wearing my shirt."

"What am I doing here, Harry?" Eden's voice croaked out and she shifted position.

"They found you outside the church. You took a nasty blow to the head--"

"They?" Eden tried to hide her discomfort by swallowing back her nausea, not sure if it was from the pain in her head or from withdraw. Maybe both.

"Kelly. Allie too, I think."

"But what am I doing here? Why am I not at home?"

Harry paused and shifted back a bit, wondering if he'd done something to spark the sudden disdain in her voice. "Kelly said you might have a concussion. I told her you could stay here, and I could help out."

"Why?"

He let out a sharp laugh, but it contained no joy. "What do you mean, why? Do you not want my help?"

"You're acting like you're some important male figure in my life, Harry. You're not my brother. You're not my dad. You're not my boyfriend."

The sudden hostility stuck in Harry's gut like a dagger. His words caught in his throat, and the surprise was clearly readable on his face.

"What," Eden sat up before continuing, removing the bag of peas from her head, "did you think you were? We slept together once. You've probably slept with every girl in this fake town, but you aren't involved with them." She got up to leave, feeling the blood rush down from her head.

Harry stood up and blocked her path, hiding away his emotions behind the warm brown of his eyes. "Why do you always push me away when I try to help you?"

"What?" She looked up, catching his gaze.

"At the church, you were crying. I tried to talk to you about it and you told me to fuck off."

"And? Not everyone falls for your Mr Nice-Guy act. You didn't give anyone here the time of day during high school, I don't believe you've suddenly changed overnight."

"You need help, Eden. I--"

"I don't need your help, I need my fix!"

It didn't take Eden long to realize what she'd said. They stared at each other in silence, and she watched the expression on Harry's face gradually change.

"Your what?"

Eden was saved by the abrupt opening of Harry's front door. Their attention was brought to the entrance, where Kelly emerged through the opening and into the hall. She smiled at Eden, but upon meeting Harry's eyes, it turned into a scowl. "Cassandra needs everyone back at the church."

"Yeah, okay." Eden pushed past Harry and headed over to his ex.

Kelly set a hand on Eden's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."