The Bad Boy

Chapter 19

Harry's P.O.V.

The doctor makes me leave the hospital so my mum can get some rest. I flipped him off when she wasn't looking. I walk the two blocks back to my old tiny house on the cramped street. But I don't stop when I get to the house. I cross the street to the tavern with the glowing orange sign. I haven't been here in years. Talk about memories. I enter the dark bar and sit down at the counter.

"What can I get you......HARRY!?" A girl about my age with blonde hair and the ends dyed purple asks, leaning on the counter so her cleavage almost spills out of the top.

I search her name tag. "Kat! I havent seen you in forever!" I say. Kat grew up next door to me. She was my younger sister, Gemma's best friend.

"Where have you been and what brought you back?" She asks, tossing her order pad to the side.

"I was in the States. My mum's lung cancer has taken over and they've taken her off the meds. So I came back to visit." I shrug.

"I'm so sorry to hear about that. Gemma was telling me about it, but I haven't heard from her in forever either. It's like you all just disappeared off the face of the Earth!" She says.

"Not to be rude, but can I get a beer?" I ask.

She reaches under the counter and pulls out a beer, which she pops the top off of with a can opener and then slides it across the bar to me. She places her hands on the counter, pushes herself up, swings her legs over, and lands on the stool beside me.

"So, where's Gem at? I haven't talked to her in like three years," I ask.

"She goees to a fashion college about an hour and a half away from here. She is about to be on break for the summer, and she told me she's coming home today." Kat says, scooting closer to me as I take a swig of the beer. She runs one of her acrylic electric purple nails down the side of my arm. "So, are you still single?"

"Erm..." I say, not knowing how to respond.

"Crazy Haz hasn't settled down has he? I would think you just moved to the states to find a fresh batch of girls to do." She asks, pouting her lips.

Yep. She had to bring that up. I moved tot he States after my dad died and my mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. My dad used to beat my mom. He would come home late from the bar, and be so drunk he could barely walk. But he was an angry drunk. I remember being awoken by the sound of her whimpering in the next room over. Then the plates would crash downstairs, and I knew we would just go out and buy mor in the morning, like always. Eventually I found different ways to cope. Drugs, alcohol, girls. Actually, a combination of all three.

I quickly drink the rest of the beer, and Kat places another in front of me clearly in no hurry. We sit in silence as I finish that one too.

"Shots?" She asks.

"Why not." I shrug.

She fills two shot glasses with who knows what and swallows hers. I follow suit. Man, whatever that was, it was strong as f***. We do two more, and suddenly my mum dying doesn't hurt as much. And Kat is planting kisses along my neck from behind doesn't make me want to throw up.

I push her away and she fills two more shot glasses for me. I do both and then I can barely feel her kissing my neck and jawline. I push her away again. She fills two more shots. This pattern repeats until I stumble away, having had enough. I stumble out of the bar, my vision fuzzy. My old mate Liam lives across the street and a few houses down from here.

I knock on the door and he opens it up with red eyes, "AYE ARRY!" He slurs.

"Liam! Got anything good?" I ask.

He pushes me into his living room and I sit on the couch as he goes into the kitchen. He returns with a joint. The alcohol took away the pain from my mum, let's see if the drugs will do it for Stephanie.