Be Your Everything

Shortly after she had broken down in tears, Alice fled the park. Harry had stood frozen to the spot, staring after her. It even took him a few seconds to realize his phone was ringing. Pulling it from his pocket he brought it to his ear without looking at the caller ID.

"Harry, for God's sake, where are you?" Liam's voice rang out loudly through the tinny speaker.

It didn't register that his friend was mad at him at first. "Sorry?"

"It's 8 at night; you've been gone hours!"

He blinked. "Really?"

"Where've you been?!"

"I uh..." he took a moment to compose himself. To try and level his voice out. "Are you at the house?"

"Yeah."

"I'm coming back and I... I need to talk."

Silence.

"Liam?"

"Yeah, right. Okay. We can talk. Just hurry up."

Harry didn't bother replying to this. He walked home in a daze, hardly seeing where he was going. He couldn't get the look in the poor girl's eyes out of his mind.

Liam was about to start nagging Harry again but stopped mid-sentence. "Harry?" he ventured uncertainly.

"Mm?" was the vague response.

Liam rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sit down, mate. I'll make us tea."

It seemed that Harry hardly registered what Liam had said as he sauntered to the couch. He looked as though he was sleepwalking. Liam glanced at him from the corner of his eye as the kettle boiled. There was something about him. Anyone that didn't know Harry would say he looked like he had seen a ghost - but Liam knew better. Harry was thinking. Hard.

"What's happened?" Liam asked finally, breaking the silence. Suddenly, it seemed that Harry broke away from whatever he was thinking.

"I have to help her," he declared, turning his gaze to Liam.

"What?" the latter frowned.

"Alice. I need to help her."

"Okay, first off, who's Alice?"

"A girl."

"You don't say..." Liam mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry. I met her the other day - you remember, I stopped to talk to her on the street."

Liam thought for a second. Then it clicked. "Red hair?"

"Red hair," Harry confirmed.

"Well what's happened to her then?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you expect to help her?"

There was a pause.

Harry spoke after a few moments. "I'm going to have to go to her house."

"And you know where she lives?" Liam saw a light blush cover his friend's face and he gaped at him. "You didn't follow her, did you?" When Harry didn't reply, Liam ran fingers through his hair. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"You didn't see her face, man. She looked like she'd seen someone die."

"What if she has? What if she killed someone?"

Harry looked at Liam like he'd just sprouted antlers.

"Sorry. This obviously means a lot to you. Just please think about whatever it is you're planning to do carefully before you do it," Liam tried to reason.

Alice spent the next few days as far away from home as possible. She even slept in the park one night. She knew she should go home - it was the right thing to do. She should go home and help her mum. But she couldn't. She was scared. What if she called the police and Rick did further damage? No, she couldn't do that.

Today she found herself hidden in some bushes. It was 7 in the morning and there was no way she wanted anyone to find her - it would be the scandal of the century; everyone knew who she was in this town. Oh, she could imagine it now: Only child found sleeping in bushes at local park. Her mum would be distraught.

Well, she couldn't have that. So she straightened her now two-day-old clothes and peeked out to make sure she was alone... only she wasn't. That boy was here again. Alice stealthily moved through the bushes until she was able to exit them without him seeing - for a moment; she had just made it out when he turned and saw her.

"Alice," Harry exclaimed, starting towards her. She thought about running, but decided against it just as he reached her. "How are you?"

A familiar feeling ran through her as she thought about why she was here. What had happened that had made her feel so... hollow. "I'm fine."

He gave her a look that said I know you're not, so why lie?

Alice shook her head. She didn't want to burden him with her problems - she knew she wasn't even worth his time.

"Alice, what's wrong?" he asked again, softer this time.

She opened her mouth to tell her that she was fine again, but something stopped her. His eyes. There was something there that she hadn't seen in a long time. Something that made her bottom lip quiver. Honest, genuine concern.

"C'mere..." he murmured and pulled her into his arms. Normally she would have told him to go fuck himself and to leave her alone, but the warmth radiating off him was incredible. Alice finally let herself relax and allowed him to pull her body even closer to his. They stayed this way for almost half an hour, savoring each others company. There was no need to talk. Well, not for Alice anyway.
"What happened?" his voice came suddenly, startling her.

She sighed and pulled away, avoiding his eyes.

"Alice?"

He was being persistent and it was beginning annoy her. "Why do you want to know?" she snapped, pulling away from him completely.

"I just..." he stopped, obviously unable to find a reason why he cared at all.

"I can't do this right now..." she mumbled and let her feet move her out of the park. She could hear him calling for her to stop, to let him help her, but she kept walking. She didn't need him. He'd leave her in the end anyway, she knew it. So why should she give him the time of day now?