Flicker (H.S)

18.

18.

*trigger warning*

[this is just a continuation so...]

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e v e r l y

She arrived at the school with a heavy heart and darkened eyes.

Because images of what happened yesterday keep flashing through her mind and the heel of her palm keeps rising to hit her temple in sheer stupidity. There's probably a bruise there, but she deserves one.

His girlfriend killed herself.

And he still only eats yellow gummy bears.

And when he gets over her just enough to kiss Everly, she pushes him away.

'He didn't have any problem making out with Courtney.', she reminded herself, only to strike her temple once again with the heel of her palm because his girlfriend killed herself and he still only eats yellow gummy bears.

And she is an unwanted foster kid whose parents dumped her and is, ultimately, a coward.

So she hits herself again.

It snowed last night.

It was inevitable, really. After Everly drove from Harry's house, she needed three blankets, four cups of piping hot tea, and a pair of fuzzy socks before she warmed up. But it was odd. Because when Harry was holding her, she was perfectly warm.

"Everly Green?" The nice-looking old woman working the registration desk asked, a warm smile crossing her face and making the wrinkles around her eyes show. Everly nodded and smiled back but it wasn't real.

Nothing is real anymore. It's all variations of the real thing. Nothing's authentic. Except maybe Rosie and Ethan and Nicolas. But even they are tainted.

Nobody dies a virgin. Life fucks us all.

"That's me." She replies, taking the nametag from the woman's outstretched hand and putting it right on her stomach, perfectly in view. "Thank you."

It was crowded- the lunch room was. Memories of her hand cracking against Harry's cheek makes her cringe internally but she continues to move through the mess of people and children towards an empty table in the back.

The girl with skinny legs and trips on her way to the table but catches herself before she falls.

So she hits herself in the temple again, because, like, she's clumsy and sometimes pain feels good.

"Um, miss?" Nicolas's recognizable high-pitched voice comes from her left so she quickly stuffs the hand she was hitting herself with into her jeans pocket, smiling encouragingly. "Where's Harry?"

And then Everly's heart dropped because obviously this kid completely ignored everything that came out of her mouth the first time they met.

"Harry's-"

"Harry's what?" His voice sends a deep ache throughout her body. So she keeps her gaze locked on the wall in front of her instead of watching as Harry adorably crouched down to Nick's level and greeted him. "You been alright, mate?"

Nicolas giggled and Everly refuses to believe that Harry Styles, the one who is making her mind slowly deteriorate, was the one who caused a boy as adorable as Nicolas giggle. "I'm fine Harry. How're you, mate?" She noticed how Nick tried to make his voice as deep as Harry's is, doing everything to make himself more like the boy with the never-coming-back girlfriend and pretty-gorgeous sister.