COUNTING STARS

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Ariel’s P.O.V
I stood a ways behind Harry; he casually circled the gun around to his back tucking it in the middle of his pants and pulling the shirt down over it. Jesse was a bit tipsy but not fully drunk yet, I swear he’s the same guy I dumped nothing’s changed about him. “Ariel….I can’t believe this, is he the one?” Harry looked back at me and gave me a slight smile “Yeah Ariel am I the one?” I don’t know about Jesse but after I saw how Harry handled that gun and his affiliation with that chubby guy, I think Harry has some tricks up his sleeves. “Don’t mock me punk” He came up full throttle shoving Harry in the chest, Harry fell back willingly, he rubbed his bottom lip irritatingly. “Ariel why are you even with this punk?” Harry turned around once again. “Yeah Ariel….” I couldn’t tell if Harry was on Jesse’s side or his own. Harry was calm as if Jesse couldn't hurt him or as if Harry knew something Jesse didn’t. “Stop Jesse” I yelled out of

nowhere, I suddenly got my voice back. “I’m not with him…..and why are you even here?” He carried his eyes away from Harry to me, starting to walk towards me “I should be saying the same thing…….all I know was I was going to the bathroom then I see ya’ll walking out the door together” He came even closer to me, I was getting over whelmed – Harry just sat there watching in amusement cleaning his glasses off with his shirt. The thing I wondered, did he not see the gun Harry had up to my back? “Is this why you broke up with me, for him?” Harry dropped his care for his glasses and looked up at me with curiosity though he didn’t say

anything and so didn’t I. I shrugged my shoulders, if I would have said no he probably would have persuaded for me to get back with him and if I would have said yes he probably would have hit Harry, so I shrugged but that wasn’t a good enough answer as well as he swiftly lift his hand and palmed me across the face. The force was so hard I fell to the ground, I grabbed my face tightly, my cold hands subsided some of the pain but it was still pretty heated. “Hey!” I looked up, Jesse was still looking down at me “And stay down bitch!” Harry grabbed Jesse’s shoulder he turned around giving one swing but Harry ducked it and gave him a blow to the stomach, he bent over grabbing his stomach moaning in agony. Harry then kneed him in the

face causing him to fall over on to the ground, he rolled around for a minute -- Harry stood there watching him in pain then soon he got up again, they both walked around in a circle gearing up for a round two. I stood up quickly and backed up a bit, I didn’t want to get hit again. Jesse came at him socking towards his face; Harry moved a fraction to the side; Jesse missing, Harry grab his arm and twist it behind Jesse’s back. Where the hell did Harry learn this? “Come on Stop guys!” But words didn’t matter to them. Harry pushed Jesse over towards the wall slamming him face first into the bricks. “Didn’t your mother tell you not to hit girls?” Harry whispered into his ear through gritted teeth. Jesse somehow got out of the hold and took one blow to Harry’s face, Harry charged towards him grabbing him around the stomach and ramming him back into the wall. Jesse slid down giving up he fell over, Harry kicked him In the side “Fuck!” Jesse

yelled. “Don’t….” *Kick* “You ever….” *Kick* “Hit her” *kick* “Again” Before Jesse could get up for a round three Harry ran over to me and grabbed my hand. “Harry your bleeding” The blood dripped like a stream down from his eyebrow heading for his cheek. “I’m fine…” And we started running down the alley, I wouldn’t have thought in a millions years even slightly imagined that the first time I held Harry’s hand would be running from a beat down. We came to the corner of the alley he looked around scoping out anything then began running towards the right the sudden loud bass music was all coming back “Harry….” The ice cold air was smothering my lungs, burning them they were gasping for air. “Harry….stop….” I let my hands slip through his fingers, he turned around once he noticed my absence and came walking towards me. “What’s

wrong?” I held up my hand that I’m fine. “I’m tired….” “Really, the cars just right there love come on….” I shook my head all that anticipation and running down the alley and running down this long sidewalk I was worn out. “Come here…” Those words always gave me butterflies, they signaled an unknown future, I never knew what was to come after he said those words. I walked over to him he turned around “Climb on my back” I climbed on his back wrapping my legs

around him and locking my arms around his neck, I dug my face into his neck; I giggled to myself. “Whot?” He slowly paced started up again “I love your cologne” He grabbed on to my legs, making sure I didn’t slip. “I’ll let you wear the shirt, but later….” I smiled to myself again happy to know I get a reward after all this. We reached the front of the warehouse, I could see now his beat up black car. “I’m going to let you down okay?” “Okay” He let me down and my legs were so sore, he grabbed my hand and ducked down, we jogged over to his car he

unlocked the door from the passenger side. I slid in, he reached over and grabbed my seatbelt brining it over and clicking it in then he circled over to his side and climbed in, he stuck the key in and started up the ignition and without wasting time he hurriedly veered off into the street and headed down the dark, deserted road. “Are you okay?” I whispered watching the blood go down to his chin now, before it could spill onto his precious clean shirt I wiped it, it still ran but it would hold off dripping for now. “Thank you…” He turned on his blinker, looking in his review mirror his face went hard and he stiffened. “Do you trust me Ariel?” I wanted to say no but…. “Yes…”

Lights fell upon the car “Then get in the back and lay down on the floor, don’t make a sound...” I nodded and climbed to the back. Harry grabbed the gun from behind his back and disabled that black slim block form the handle part and reached into the glove compartment to grab another slim block, then he shoved it in there and tilted a lever back. I heard the growling of an engine rolling up beside the car “The boss wanted to know where you’re going?” “Uh just tell him home mates, I’m tired” Harry was speaking more friendly than normal. “Okay, did you do…” “Yes, I grabbed her from the dumpster and threw her in the river, she’s gone…..” Nothing else was said the car made a U-turn and began going back the same way it came. Harry started driving normally again. “Come here….” I got up from the floor and climbed over the arm rest back into the seat. “Do…I….scare you now?” I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat “N-No

not at all…” He reached over and grabbed my hand, his fingers parted separate ways falling in-between each of my long boney fingers. Then he grabbed my hand bringing it up to his mouth he kissed the backside of my palm, I watched him lips come in contact with my skin the feeling was even more better. He dropped my hands and loosened his fingers from contact and put it on the wheel. “You can’t go home tonight…” “What? No my dad is going to kill me” the dark, quiet, eerie isolated road came to an end when we drove pass a bright sign that spelled motel across it. “We won’t make it in time….” He turned into the drive way, there were at least two more cars parked as well. “Wait here……” I did, when he climbed out and closed the door all the breath I’ve been saving washed out uncontrollably. “Uh my…oh my gosh….Jesse…and…

oh my” I couldn’t wrap my head around it, what if I would have just turned left instead of right, this all could have been avoided but yet I could have ran into Jesse. I was kind of trembling; I couldn’t grasp my mind around it, around everything that happened. What is he then? And assassin? A drug dealer? A poker addict? I was confused let alone astonished that Harry was even like this maybe he didn’t have anybody to tell him the wrongs from rights I mean his parents did died before he came into high school so nobody was there to show him the ropes. He came back to the car “Come on…..” I climbed out and closed the door he came up beside me we walked down the path to the door he stuck in the key and opened it he walked in first and I followed behind him. God please let me make it through a night without any sexual contact Amen.

Notes