Grade 8

When Harry walked in the Palm Tree his eyes quickly scanned the room for his friends. He could easily see Sam's bright red hair through the crowd. He approached the table what he saw surprised him. All of his friends were there as expect but there were two people he hadn't seen. It wasn't the girl with aqua colored haired that had him stopping just short of the table, but the man sitting next to Lena.

"Harry you finally made it." Sam was about the only one happy to see Harry.

Lena was pointedly look anywhere but at Harry. The booth was already packed very little room to move as it was there was no way Harry would fit. Louis and Eleanor were at one end the two people Harry had never met next to them with Lena and Niall in the very middle of the table and Sam was next to Lily and Liam. If they tried they could fit Harry but no one made a move to fit him.

"I'll go sit at the bar then." He shrugged body already turning away. "Nice to see you again Lena."

He made his way to the bar wanting nothing but a strong drink to help him relax. He hadn't expected anyone to follow him.

"Harry please come back to the table." Sam pleaded as Harry sat down on an unoccupied stool. "I need someone there I can talk to."

"Talk to Niall."

Sam sat down next to him her lips turned down. "I can't; he won't stop staring at Lena long enough to get a conversation out of him."

Harry glanced back at the table before his gaze landed on Sam. "I don't know how you put up with that."

Sam shrugged. "It's not that bad. He knows if he did anything I'd rip his dick off."

"Pleasant." The bartender stopped in front of them. Harry rattled off his drink order while Sam quickly threw in hers. "If I come back to the table what do I get?"

Sam almost squealed she was so happy to have Harry come back to the table with her. "Anything."

Harry turned eyes narrowing as he thought. "You have to do my laundry for a week."

"Laundry?" Sam laughed. "That's the big bad task you want me to do?"

"I hate doing laundry." Harry replied with a shrug. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah alright." Sam agreed. "Let's sit here for awhile though. I need a break from all things Lena."

Harry knew that feeling well. "It's been all about her tonight, yeah?"

"You have no idea."

The bartender set their drinks in front of them Sam didn't waste time in drinking hers. "You don't like her anymore?"

Sam placed her mug down her shoulders lifting in a shrug. "I think she's a hypocrite for being angry with me for not talking to Niall."

"Have you said that to Niall?" Harry was curious how Niall would take something like that. He was protective of anyone he cared about but he was even worse with Sam and Lena.

"Yeah. Caused one hell of a row." Sam shook her head. "Good thing he doesn't have neighbors too close to him. Might have had the authorities called on us."

It was hard for Harry to imagine Niall being in a fight with anyone that resulted in police intervention. Sam on the other hand had a temper so he wouldn't be surprised if she was involved with the police.

"Where's Olly tonight?"

"At home with Jace." Sam took another long drink from her mug. "Might have to call him to pick me up though."

"Not a bad idea." Harry agreed. "Niall's been drinking and all."

"I hadn't planned on going home with Niall."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. So instead he changed the subject. "Who's the guy?"

"Names Finn. He's producing her album." Sam answered. "Haven't got much out of him. He's pretty quiet, won't last in this group if he doesn't speak up more."

"Who says he's staying for long?"

"Lena likes him." Sam wasn't one to sugar coat anything. "And he likes her so I'm assuming he'll be here for a little while."

"I'd rather not hear about that." Harry needed to be drunker if they were going to discuss Lena dating other guys. "Should we go back to the table?"

"I suppose." Sam shrugged. "Just don't say anything stupid."

Harry couldn't promise anything. "Lead the way."

The atmosphere around the table had changed the more alcohol in everyone's system helped melt away the awkwardness. The tension that came with Harry sitting at the end of the table on a borrowed chair from another table was almost worse then the awkwardness. He was directly across from Lena their eyes meeting briefly before he looked away. Sam had told Liam to stay seated instead of making room for her next to Niall; she would rather be with Harry.

"So Harry, I'm glad we finally got to meet." The girl with aqua hair said her eyes planted on him.

"Wish I could say the same." He replied. "And your name would be?"

"Mia." Her smile might have been friendly but there was nothing nice about the look she was giving him.



There were only a handful of people left at the pub. Liam and Lily had left giving Sam a ride home to Olly. Louis was at least there but he was a little too dunk to be of any comfort to Harry. Eleanor was at least trying to keep him involved in the conversation but when ever he tried to talk Mia would just talk over him. Mia was not his favorite person holding the number one spot with Finn.

Harry watched Lena with Finn from the bar once again his face twisted into a scowl. He had been getting another drink when he decided to take a moment to look at her, he had been trying so hard not to when she could see him. He didn't like the way he was looking at her. With stars in his eyes like she was the center of his world. It meant there were other people who could easily fill his shoes. There were people who understood how beautiful and brilliant she was besides him. There wasn't anything he could do about it; but boy did he wish there was. He wanted to be the one that made her laugh; to be the one that had her looking as happy as she looked with Finn. There was a strong urge to break up what ever they were talking about, anything to make them stop looking at each other like they were.

"If you keep glaring at them like that they might just burst into flame."

"Good."

"You know for someone who wants her back so badly I'm surprised you're not over there tearing him apart." Mia commented raising a single eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. "Just trying to keep my distance."

"I think that's the last thing you should be doing."

When Harry turned to look at Mia to demand what she meant by that she was gone. Her wild aqua hair already heading back to their table. When he turned his back on the table his attention landing on the bartender whose expression was much to amused for Harry's liking.

"This might help ya." He placed a shot glass in front of Harry filling it with a clear liquid.

Harry took the shot with out questioning it. The burn from the alcohol was the pain he needed to feel to steady his emotions for a moment. He looked at the bartender again giving a nod of his head.

"I'll have another."

If there was one thing Harry didn't need you do it was get drunker but nevertheless he took the second shot with more enthusiasm then before. It wasn't until after the fourth that the bartender shook his head at Harry's request for more.

"Alright, Harry?" Eleanor asked when he all but fell next to her in the booth. "Where's your beer?"

Harry looked down at his empty hands. "Must've forgot it." He slurred.

"Well that's alright." Eleanor had enough on her hands with a drunk Louis she didn't need to take care of Harry too. "Want me to call Lou to come get you?"

Harry shook his head vigorously. "I'm fine."

"Maybe you should listen to her."

He looked up catching Lena's eyes. "Maybe you should stay out of it. You just want me to leave so you can snog this wanker."

As soon as the words left his mouth there was an immediate reaction. Niall's face turned a brilliant shade of red while Louis was to obliviously drunk to notice anything. Finn was looking between them unsure of what to do but Lena held Harry's unwavering stare her expression carefully blank. Niall was scrambling to get out of the booth to go after Harry; he had warned him to keep his mouth shut after all.

"Sit down, Niall."

Niall who had just stumbled out of the booth gave Lena a confused look. "What?"

"Sit down." Even her voice was carefully calm.

He complied slipping back into the booth. Harry was waiting for Lena to do something; anything.

"Tell me to leave, Lena."

"Harry, let's go." Eleanor tried to push Harry out of the booth. She had texted an SOS to Lou who would hopefully be at the pub soon; until then Eleanor had to get Harry away from Lena.

"Not until she tells me to leave." Harry kept his position holding his own against Eleanor's pushing.

"Just get out of here, Harry." It was said low, so low Harry wasn't sure he had heard her right.

"Harry." Eleanor pleaded.

Finally Harry let Eleanor push him out of the booth. Her hand was wrapped securely around his arm as she guided him out of the pub.

"What were you thinking?" She asked him pushing open the doors. "Everything was going really well."

"Why did she have to bring him?"

Eleanor stopped walking her face softening as she took in Harry. "Harry, he's just her friend."

"No." Harry scuffed the tip of his shoe on the ground. "She likes him."

"That's what that was? You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous." Even if he hadn't been drunk Eleanor wouldn't have believed him. "I just don't like the way he looks at her."

Eleanor waited with Harry until Lou arrived. She watched him get into the car with the help of Tom before going back inside. She hadn't been there to see what it was like before things ended between Lena and Harry but she had seen him like this before. There had been other drunken nights when she had to sit with him until someone else came to take him home or help sober him up. He was good about acting normal during the day but at night it was always easy to see what was going on in his mind. Right now all he wanted was Lena and Eleanor was going to help him get her back, she might just need a little help getting there.