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Chapter 7 - Memories - Part 5

A/N: 4 down, 6 to go. If you're still awake, comment as you read. To newcomers: I'm still doing my write-a-thon, so keep cheering me on, and hopefully, you'll get six chapters more today. 

HARRY:

“Start talking,” I said once Tessa finally left the house. She wasn’t much for it, and I had to basically push her out of the door, but now, I could finally talk to my family.

Mum, Dad and Emma were all sitting on the couch, staring at me pacing back and forth. When none of them said anything, I stopped in front of Emma.

“Cami said you told her I didn’t want to see her. Why?” I asked.

“Tessa told me to,” she said. “She said that it would be better if you two weren’t together, but that she couldn’t explain why. I assumed it was because she got you shot. I told mum, and she said it was the best thing, I could do.”

“She didn’t get me shot. She saved my life.” I clenched my fists and looked to my Dad, who merely looked at Mum. Finally, I looked at her, expecting an honest answer. “And you? Why didn’t you tell me that Cami had been there?”

It was weird, standing there in my old home. The wallpaper hadn’t changed, and the furniture were still the same. I remembered sitting on the couch so many times while watching the telly.

“Why did you agree to it?” I asked when my mum refused to answer.

She sighed. “Because, Harry…” She averted her eyes to her hands, refusing to look at me. “I didn’t think she deserved you after all those lies and the danger she and her sister put you in.” Her mouth tightened into a thin line.

In my head, I counted slowly to ten, trying hard to remain somewhat calm. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Language, Harry,” my mum said.

“I really don’t care right now, mum.” I ran a hand through my hair. “You had no right to interfere. Either of you. And you should all have talked to me if you were worried about her effect on me instead of these lies.”

Emma joined in, “Come on, Harry. That’s not fair.”

I ignored her and looked straight at my mum. “You had no right to keep me from her. Bloody hell, I am an adult. I should be able to decide who I want to be with on my own.”

My mum sputtered, her eyes wide. “B-but she’s a bad person. She lied and she—“

“You lied too,” I yelled, interrupting my mum. Taking a deep breath, I looked right at her. “How is that any different? No one could have predicted what happened, and she was hurt during that… Episode too. She was helping her sister, who badly needed it. Apparently, it’s something families are supposed to do.”

I saw her wince at my comment, and I knew I would regret it later. My mum wasn’t perfect, but she was the kind of person who put her family before anything. As much as it pained me to admit, she’d done what she thought was necessary.

That didn’t mean I was going to forgive her that quickly, though.

“Maybe you should go make some tea, Anna,” my dad said at last. It was the first words he’d spoken after they sat down, and I fixated my gaze on his.

My mum shuffled away from the living room, and it pained me when I heard a small sniffle from her.

“I expect you to apologise for that tone,” my dad said. “No matter how angry you are right now, she’s still your mother, and she deserves some respect from that.”

My jaw tensed, and I wanted to yell at him too. Inside of me, there were months of frustration, but also anger towards them for letting me go through all of that without saying anything.

“Emma,” my dad said. “Go help your mum in the kitchen, please.”

My sister couldn’t get away fast enough, and I was alone with my day. Unsure what to do with myself, I opted to sink down on the small couch.

“This is a mess,” I said and covered my face with my hands. A slight ache in the right side of my skull was starting to spread.

“They did it to protect you, son,” my dad said.

Spreading my fingers, I looked at him. “That’s not an excuse.”

“I know that. But it’s a reason. And no matter what, you need to remember that they just didn’t want you to get too serious with a girl you couldn’t trust.”

“But that’s not their decision. Besides, when you run away from psychotic fans together, a sort of bond happens—I was already serious about her before that.” I sighed and leant back. “All, they did, was make me miserable for months.”

“You can choose to look at it like that, and I can’t stop you.” My dad gave me a small smile. “But, you can also take it as what it was: your family trying to protect you. It’s up to you if you want this put a permanent mark on your relationship with us.”

I groaned. “Can’t I just be angry for a little while more?”

He chuckled. “What’s the fun in that? Try to make the best of things, and when we’ve sorted this out, you can return to her if you really care for her.”

“I really do, dad.” I smiled. “You would like her, I’m sure of it. She’s smart, beautiful and funny. And she’s so creative too. You should see her pictures, they’re amazing.”

“I’m happy for you,” he said. Clearing his throat, he smiled at a spot behind me.

Slowly, I turned around to see my mum with a tray in her hands. Jumping to my legs, I rushed over to take it from her. “I’m sorry for what I said, mum.”

“It’s all right, Harry,” she said. “I understand why you’d think like that.”

“I don’t think that, though.” I placed the tray on the table and hugged her. “I’m just frustrated because I thought we didn’t lie to each other. And, I still have so many unanswered questions—it’s driving me crazy.”

She gave a small laugh. “We’re all a bit crazy.”

“Speaking of crazy,” Emma said, and I turned to see Tessa walk through the door.

“Where’s Edward?” I frowned.

She looked at us with wide eyes. “He wasn’t there,” she said. “I think he’s left the country.”

A/N: Give a vote, maybe? I had to go grocery shopping and take care of some things in the middle of this, but I'm still going strong. Six more to go :D