a/n: sorry it took so long, there was kind of a natural disaster in my area lol but here is a chapter finally! also idk if any of you like blink-182 but they're getting back together and touring im losing my mind !!!

p.s. i hope you know i write these author's notes like I'm texting you guys hehehe anyway i love you all sm i hope you understand why ive been away <3

Waking up felt incredibly violent.  I was being thrown around more so than I would have preferred, and I was definitely terrified until I realized it was simply because someone was jumping on the bed.  I was about to start yelling at Harry for doing so much, but I very soon realized that he was the one that was beneath me.  Though, at just about the same time I was coming to from slumber, he seemed to quickly wake up as well, almost immediately flipping us so that I was beneath him.  I watched as he created what felt like a shield with his body, trying to protect me from whoever it was that was jumping on the bed right now.  It had clearly put him into fight or flight, and I was nervous for the outcome until I realized it was Zayn jumping on the bed, Harry groaning loudly.

"Can't have one fucking day of peace," Harry complained softly to me before kissing my temple sweetly.  "Give me like three minutes."

"To do what?" I laughed.

He shook his head, slipping away from me.  I instantly felt cold, the sweet scent of lavender, mint, and something cozy falling away with him.  He managed to carefully get out from under the covers so as not to expose my bare legs to Zayn, who was still jumping aggressively on the bed.  Though, within only a few moments, Harry was also jumping on the bed with Zayn.  It was funny to watch two grown men jumping on the bed like children, and while I was amused I was also in awe with what I was witnessing.  It took a few minutes for me to recover, but I watched as Harry took Zayn down onto the mattress, the jumping not nearly as bad but they were literally wrestling right next to me like school boys. 

"Are you guys serious?" I asked.

"When are we?" Zayn asked.

Zayn was pinned down at this point, the dark-haired man panting slightly as he stared up at Harry.  I was shocked that they had gotten to finish their fight so quickly, but I blushed when I realized Harry was grabbing Zayn's face the same way that he normally grabbed mine.  His fingers gripped one side of Zayn's face while his thumb pressed against the opposite cheek.  Swallowing hard, I simply watched on as they interacted, Zayn smirking up at Harry.

"You're going to treat me like a slut in front of your girlfriend?" Zayn asked.  "Please, daddy, whatever you want from me."

The words were almost startling at first but soon made Harry and I both laugh.  The tone was high-pitched, which I thought was pretty funny and caused Zayn to grin at the two of us.  After a couple of seconds, Harry let go of Zayn.  The two stared at one another for what was at least a minute before Zayn reached up and messed up Harry's hair.  They wrestled a little bit more before Harry shook his head, Zayn pouting his lower lip.

"You don't want to hang out with me?" Zayn asked.  "My very best friend?"

"Get the fuck out," Harry laughed.  "You know I want to hang out, I just have to get ready for the morning and stuff with Maggie."

"Of course, how silly of me," Zayn stated, getting up off the bed once Harry stopped straddling him.  "Good morning to you both.  Vinny is here.  So are Michael and Anthony.  A few other girls showed up with them that I don't know.  It's about eleven, by the way." 

I was fine up until he mentioned that Vinny was here.  The name sounded oddly familiar, and I had no idea why it sounded like someone I would know.  I was wracking my brain, trying to think of where I had heard the name from.  Was it someone I went to high school with? Someone I had a college class with that the name was just ringing some sort of bell? It was alarming to be this alert in the morning and not understand why.

"Why do you look like that?" Zayn asked.

"Like what?" I questioned.

He gestured toward me.  "I don't know.  Like you just saw a ghost or something."

Harry was staring at me now, his eyes searching my face quickly the way that they almost always did when he was trying to read me.  Swallowing hard, I pulled the covers further up my body, knowing that I was wearing a shirt but I most certainly was not wearing any pants and I didn't want Zayn to see anything.  Though, the idea that both men were staring at me was giving me anxiety so I just shook my head.

"Nothing, I was just daydreaming."

"Alright," Zayn nodded.  "Anyway, I will be downstairs making food.  Do you both like pancakes and eggs?"

Harry nodded.

"Do you have bacon?" I questioned.

"I can definitely whip up some bacon.  I think they picked that up yesterday, good call, Maggie," Zayn assured me.  "I'll have Steven help.  You two get ready for the day so I have more friends to talk to."

It made both of us laugh, Harry getting off the bed and following Zayn to the door.  Soon enough, they were talking quietly amongst one another.  I wondered what they could be discussing with one another that they weren't being loud enough for me to hear, however, I was quickly wishing that what Zayn said to me I hadn't heard because it caused a blush to form on my face almost immediately. 

"Maggie, you better make sure you two are downstairs in the next ten minutes.  If not, I'm telling all of them that you lied about being a virgin."

"Get the fuck out," Harry laughed, pushing Zayn's shoulder so it forced Zayn out of the room. 

The pair flicked one another off before Harry shut the door in Zayn's face, the curly-haired personality laughing as he locked the door.  I watched as he pushed his hair out of his eyes, my cheeks flushing once again when I noticed that he had a natural middle part due to his hair being rather shaggy this morning.  I watched as he approached the bed, Harry sitting on the mattress beside me on top of the comforter.  His eyes assessed me once more, but I found myself smiling at him, his lips pressing to my temple.

"Good morning," he said to me softly. 

"Hi, good morning," I murmured.

He played with my hair some before getting back up out of bed.  I continued to watch as he grabbed his bag off the floor, placing it on the bed before pulling out a pair of short red swim shorts.  He laid them out on the bed before grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste out of the bag, walking into the bathroom.  It left me to climb out of bed, grabbing my bag from the floor as well.  I was quick to put it on the bed, pulling my red swimsuit out of the bag.  I still thought it was so cute that he had chosen to match with me, wondering why he had done something so sweet and cute, but I blamed the fact that he was always trying to be overly caring and this was such a simple, yet sweet, gesture. 

When I went into the bathroom, Harry was brushing his teeth.  I walked over to where he was standing, using his toothpaste so that I could also brush my teeth.  He shifted over so that I could stand at the sink with him, which I thought was funny because there was a whole other sink that I could've used but he wanted me to stand next to him.  At least, that was what I thought until he moved so he could stand behind me.  Glancing at him in the mirror, I blushed, Harry leaning over me to spit in the sink before he continued brushing his teeth.  There was something so intimate about the position we were in, but I just pushed it off, knowing that I shouldn't have been surprised considering he was always trying to be near me.

After we brushed our teeth, he went back out to the room to change.  I followed behind him, my cheeks flushing when he quickly stripped down to nothing and pulled on his swim shorts.  I could tell he wasn't even remotely bothered, but I felt nervous, watching as he grabbed the pieces to my bathing suit and handed them to me. 

"Do you want to change in there and get all straightened out?" he asked, gesturing to the bathroom.

"Oh, yeah," I nodded, leaning up to kiss his cheek after I took the clothes.  "Thank you."

He nodded.  It didn't take long for me to head into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me so that I could have some privacy.  I was quick to get everything situated, very happy to find out that I no longer had to deal with my monthly.  Of course, I was used to false alarms, but after sitting there for a few moments, it was very obvious that I was in the clear.  Finishing up, I flushed the toilet and then went to the sink to wash my hands before folding my clothes and walking back out into the bedroom. 

"I'm period free now, thank goodness," I told him as I placed my clothes in my bag.

"Maybe you coming all over my fingers helped."

"Screw off," I whined.

"I'm kidding, baby."

Rolling my eyes at him, I just pushed him away jokingly.  However, he of course beat me in the battle, pulling me by my arm into him and then pressing his lips to the top of my head several times before he pulled away.  I allowed him to take my hand, the man in front of me smiling before he started to pull me out of the room with him.  We headed downstairs, Harry holding my hand as we walked into the kitchen.  Zayn was definitely cooking, and I could tell almost everyone was outside.

"Steven!" I grinned.

"Damn, she didn't even get that excited to see me this morning," Harry stated.

"Well, maybe if you and Zayn weren't wrestling in bed this morning, I would have been very excited to wake up to you.  Or wake you up.  But I guess we will never know."

Harry groaned.  "Keep misbehaving in front of me and we are going to have an issue."

"Cash is coming by today," Steven stated, my eyes widening.  "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the weed ran out last night.  I told him he could hang out."

"Great," I said.  "Do you think he'll recognize me?"

"Pretty thing like you going down, he'll remember," Harry said, tilting my chin up to look at him.  "Don't worry, though, he won't pull anything with you if he's a smart man.  The last time I saw him I told him if he didn't get to leaving, I was going to break his jaw, so this should be good."

The man in front of me was laughing to himself now, and I could tell he was even proud that he had said the words to someone before.  I wasn't that pleased to hear his words, but I was glad that he had my back, so to speak.  After all, the last thing I needed were a pair of unwanted hands and glances.  Even if Cash was going to come hang out, it was good to know that Harry would be here to facilitate the situation. 

"Harry," I said.  "We don't have to start anything if he doesn't."

"Well sure," he agreed.  "The only reason I even said that to him was because I liked you back then.  And I certainly didn't like what I was looking at in that moment, doll.  Seeing my pretty girl on her knees for someone that wasn't me is not a memory I'm very fond of, you know?"

"Harry!" I complained.

Zayn and Steven seemed a little surprised but I knew there was nothing that I could do to push their glances away from my burning red face.  Glaring at Harry, he just shrugged, a playful smile gracing his features.  I was beyond irritated that he had such a way with words, but it was nothing new.  He would always have a way with words and I would just have to accept that as the truth and nothing but the truth. 

"Is there anything I can help with?" I asked Zayn.

"You can–"

"Do absolutely nothing," Harry was quick to say.  "Sit down.  Relax.  I don't want you lifting a finger."

"I'm not having a baby," I complained.  "I can do whatever I want."

"I can assure you I am the first to know you are not pregnant," he chuckled, pulling me over to the table and tugging the chair out for me.  "However, I will help Zayn and you will sit here and look pretty."

"You're annoying," I told him.

"Mhm, darling.  You hate me so much.  I know."

I glared at him, Harry pressing a kiss to my temple before helping Zayn by setting the table.  I crossed my arms, giving Harry a dirty look every time he came by the table.  It made Steven chuckle, Harry's friend trying to tell me that Harry just cared about me and wanted to show how much he cared by doing everything for me, but I just said I didn't like it.  It made the three men laugh, my eyes quickly flicking to the back door when it opened.  Chase entered the kitchen, Harry, Zayn, and Steven shouting at him at the same time.

"Happy birthday!" they yelled.

"Oh thanks," Chase laughed. 

He walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer, using the bottle opener that was on the fridge to pop the lid off before tossing it into the trash.  I was a little surprised that he was already drinking so early, but it was the fourth of July and it also was his birthday so it kind of also made perfect sense that he was already drinking.  Chase took a seat at the table next to me, a smile on his face when I looked at him.

"Happy birthday," I said to him.

"Thank you.  Also, I better feel as good as you did last night tonight because if I–"

"Say one more word and you're becoming part of the statistic that dies on the fourth of July," Harry stated harshly, glaring back at Chase.

"What?" Chase stated, raising his arms in defense.  "Your bathroom is right against my room.  I was bound to hear something."

My face was on fire at this point.  I wasn't irritated, but I was most certainly embarrassed with the words that Harry's friend had just said to me.  Not to mention that I definitely felt like I didn't want to do anything else with Harry while we were here for the sake of other people listening to us while we were being intimate.  Though, before I could even think of anything at all to say, Steven was smacking Chase's arm.

"Dick," Steven said.  "She's already nervous around us and now you just made it worse."

"A guy says that he wants to feel good in comparison to what he heard the night before and gets crucified.  You mean to tell me that I can't talk about how Maggie was literally–"

Harry let go of the spoon he was using to mix the pancake batter, nearly booking it to Chase.  I was a little bewildered by the speed in which he approached his friend, my eyes wide when Harry grabbed the guy's hair, tilting his head back so that his friend was staring up at him.  I could tell that Chase wasn't necessarily afraid, but he was definitely uncomfortable.

"Go ahead," Harry said in a dark voice.  "Keep talking.  Go on.  Finish the sentence."

Harry was goading his friend in front of him–trying to make his friend make a bad decision.  I swallowed hard, knowing that I certainly didn't like what Chase was saying about me because it made me uncomfortable to think that his friend had heard us, but I also knew that people were probably going to hear us.  We were all in the same house after all.  Plus, the walls were probably pretty thin, so in a sense I wasn't sure how much privacy we were really going to have when it came down to it. 

"Harry," I said.

"No, let him talk.  I want to hear what he has to say."

"Harry, man," Steven stated.  "It's not that big of a deal."

Chase looked like he wasn't that worried anymore, and I almost wondered if he thought Harry wouldn't actually hurt him.  He kept his mouth shut, and eventually Harry just let go of him, but I watched as Chase shook his head, getting up from the table.  I mouthed an apology to him and he just shrugged, telling the four of us he was going to head back outside.  I could tell Harry was staring him down until he actually left the kitchen, to which Zayn cleared his throat and then started talking.

"Anyway, guys, I think the bacon is pretty much finished now.  Maggie, do you want a piece?"

"I thought you'd never ask," I grinned, quickly getting up from my seat.

Zayn had set the piece on a paper towel so that the excess grease would dry off.  I could tell it was still hot so I quickly blew on it as I picked it up, taking a bite.  It didn't take long to realize that he had definitely added a little sugar because it had just enough sweetness to give it something extra.  However, I found myself walking over to Harry.  He was still mixing the pancake mix, but stopped when I placed my free hand on his arm.  I could tell he was a little tense with the action, but his body relaxed when he saw it was me, a small smile on his face.

"Have a bite," I said to him.

"It's yours, doll."

I frowned.  "Please."

"Fine.  For you."

It reminded me of the countless times he had asked me to take a bite of something for him, but now here I was asking the same of him.  Harry took a bite of the bacon, telling me it was really good and then complimenting Zayn.  I finished off the strip before I wrapped my arms around Harry's waist.  He felt very tense, even continuing to mix the batter well after it needed to be so I could tell that the interaction between him and Chase had definitely bothered him.  Though, I found myself pressing gentle kisses to his chest and eventually he stopped mixing the pancake mix, my face burning when he shifted some so that he could wrap his arms around me. 

"It didn't bother me that much," I told him quietly.

"It bothered me."

"But I don't–"

"I know you don't care," he said before I could even finish saying the words.  "You are still nervous about a lot with me, though, and I certainly don't want anyone to talk about you like that, you know? I know I make jokes with you, but it's because you and I share that connection.  I don't like other people talking about you that way, you know? It might be a double-standard, but I know you get where I'm coming from, you know my humor, stuff like that.  With other people, I'm not sure.  I'm sorry that he said those things about you."

"Don't worry," I murmured against his skin.

"Harry, where is that pancake mix?" Zayn asked.

It was a few moments before Harry let go of me, grabbing the bowl and handing it to Zayn.  I watched as the two did their best to work together to make pancakes.  It left me to sit at the table with Steven again.  I asked if Stacy, Wayne, and Tommy were up, to which Steven said they were outside at the lake.  Nodding, it left me to focus on the two men making pancakes once more.  I was pretty sure it was a little less than ten minutes before the four of us were eating, Harry taking a seat beside me while Zayn sat beside Steven.

"So, like, what's for dinner?" Zayn asked.

"We're literally eating," Steven said.

"Well, yeah.  But I wanna know about later."

"I think burgers and hot dogs," Harry stated.  "I'm supposed to cook."

"Oh sick," Zayn grinned.  "You always make the best burgers, Harry.  Maggie, I swear he does such a good job."

"I believe you," I laughed.

We talked about what our plans were for the day as well.  I was glad to know that they all wanted to swim, which was probably obvious, but there had been times I went to places like this and people didn't want to swim.  Then again, it probably had everything to do with the fact it was when I would hang out with Timothy, his dad, and the rich art families.  They always had events at big houses like this and yet no one ever swam.  It was one of the strangest things, but I decided to brush it off, the four of us finishing up our food before we cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen.

When we finally made it outside, it was around twelve-thirty.  There were more people outside than I had anticipated, and I wondered when they had all arrived.  After all, I knew that there had been a lot of people yesterday, but I was positive there were even more today.  Brushing the thought off, I found myself grabbing Harry's hand as we started walking down toward the lake, my eyes widening slightly when I recognized a familiar face.  And, almost immediately, I could tell why the name Vinny had sounded so familiar.  After all, the man that was coming out of the lake with a few of what I assumed were his friends had been under my dress before and he had been very underwhelming to say the least.

"What if we swim in the pool?" I quickly said to Harry, standing in front of him.

He chuckled.  "Are you scared of the lake or something? I swear I'll be swimming with you."

"No, I'm not scared.  I just think it would be fun to swim in the pool."

Harry chuckled.  "You're funny, doll.  Come on."

He scooped me up in his arms, carrying me down the rest of the walkway to the lake.  I was itching to get out of his grasp, to run, to find some sort of hiding place.  It was scary to think that I was going to be faced with someone who I had been very intimate with and they hadn't pleased me in the slightest.  Though, I also knew how Harry was and if the image of Cash and I together had bothered him what would he do about Vinny?

"Harry!" I heard a few people say, the man holding me setting me on the ground.  "What's up, man?"

"I'm good, I'm good," Harry said.  "Is the pizza shop open yet?"

"Almost," the familiar voice said.  "Hey, I'm Vinny."

He said it before I had turned around.  But, when I turned, I could see that he had a moment of confusion across his face.  I knew that he was trying to place me.  He wanted to know how he knew me, but I had already done all of the placing myself.  I knew how I knew him.  I knew why this morning had given me such a fright.  Taking a deep breath, I could see as the recognition hit him, but he still wanted to beg the question.

"Wait a second," Vinny said.  "Don't I know you?"

Steven looked at me first, then Zayn.  Harry had let go of me since he had set me down, but he very quickly grabbed my arm.  It made me look at him, the man behind me now biting his tongue as his eyes squeezed shut.  I knew what he was thinking.  I already knew what was going through his mind.  There was only one real reason that I would have known any guys from around here, and while I had gone to high school in Winter Haven, the people in Harry's age group would have been seniors if not older when I was in high school.  So, the odds of me knowing Vinny just because I used to live here were kind of slim.  Especially if he was from a different state if I remembered correctly.

"Magdalina, for the love of what is good on this earth, tell me you did not–"

"Maggie, that's right!" Vinny recalled, glancing at a few other guys I didn't know behind him.  "This is the girl I was telling you guys about."

"Telling them what exactly," Harry stated, his grip on my upper arm tightening.

"All good things, man," Vinny stated, and I could tell he was looking at the hold Harry had on my arm before glancing up at Harry.  "She's a cool girl."

"Yeah," Harry agreed.  "Now what were you telling everyone? I'm just curious."

Chase looked worried, Steven looked worried, Zayn looked worried.  I knew that I was incredibly worried.  After all, I knew what he was probably saying about me.  There was no way that I didn't know.  It wasn't like I was bad at giving, so the fact that he was probably telling them about me in a vulgar way definitely made me uncomfortable, but I knew that only good things were probably said–he was being truthful in a way.  However, I knew Harry was not going to like to hear that.

"She has quite a way with words, you know?" Vinny was saying.

"A way with words, hmm?" Harry continued.  "What was she talking about that made her so cool?"

"Harry, stop," I said.

"No, I'm just curious."

"You're not.  Just drop it."

He glanced down at me, letting go of my arm.  I knew that it bothered him.  Of course it did.  He didn't like the thought of me with other people, which was incredibly fair.  I didn't like the thought of him with other people if I was being completely honest, but I also knew I wouldn't act like this had it come to it.  Swallowing hard, I found myself leaning up to whisper in his ear, telling him something that I thought would make things better but I was almost certain they just made things worse.

"He couldn't make me come.  I faked it."

"He what?" Harry hissed.

Not good.  Not what I was expecting.  Not how I wanted him to react.  My eyes widened when he quickly pulled me to stand behind him.  We were still on the small beachy area while Vinny stood about ankle deep in water.  I could tell everyone was confused, especially Vinny, but I watched from behind as Harry's chest heaved, the man clearly irritated with what I had just told him.  It made me insanely nervous, and I watched as he took a deep breath, calming down to say the words that I had not anticipated.

"You mean to tell me you not only bragged about getting head from my girlfriend, but you couldn't even make her come? Oh you're a dead man."

So much was happening.  He had just called me his girlfriend.  He was angry at a man for bragging about me in a vulgar way.  He was clearly irritated in a way that I was certain I had only really seen once before.  I could tell that no one knew what was going to happen at that moment.  I didn't, Steven didn't, Zayn didn't, and most certainly Vinny didn't.  Though, Harry very quickly lunged forward at Vinny, knocking him into the water.  There was a loud splash, and for a moment I had no idea where either guy was.  Even though the lake wasn't super deep, it was just a lot of water, body parts, and even more splashing due to both men writhing around.  Harry was the one that came out on top, though, his body easy to point out to me. 

"You think it's just fine?" I heard Harry saying.  "It's fine to brag about being with a woman who you can't even make finish? You think that's fine?"

Harry was shouting at this point.  I could see that the other few people who were in the lake, including Wayne, Stacy, and Tommy, were now all looking over.  When I glanced over my shoulder, even people from the house had quieted down and were now gazing toward the lake to see what was going on.  Harry's words probably didn't carry that far, but he was definitely loud enough to at least drag attention toward him and Vinny fighting.

"I didn't say that man.  She said she came!"

"Stop it!" I complained.

Harry didn't even hesitate to punch him in the face with the comment.  Vinny groaned loudly before he started to try his best to fight back.  There was still a good amount of writhing around coming from both men as they tried to get the upper hand.  While Harry was on top, Vinny was putting up a good fight.  The two of them started to move deeper into the water, and I was looking around exasperated.  How could no one try to stop them? Why were they just allowing this to take place?

It was when I saw Harry grab a hold of the back of Vinny's head that I got flashbacks to the party at Mr. Watson's home.  Harry had shoved Mr. Beck's head under the water.  It was the first time I had ever been so incredibly terrified of anyone.  It wasn't until Harry came into my life that I had experienced fighting like this.  After all, before him I only thought that kind of stuff happened in movies.  But ever since he had fallen into my life, fighting had almost turned into a kind of normalcy.  While he hadn't had any crazy confrontations lately, I was certainly distressed at this moment.

"No one is going to do anything?" I scoffed, glancing at Zayn and Steven.

"Look, I'm not getting into this again," Zayn said.

And it all was starting to click.  Maybe this did happen more often than expected.  The last time Harry had been shoving someone under the water, Zayn had been there.  He had also said something about Harry doing that same thing again.  And now, as I watched the two continue to thrash around in the water, I realized that this was the second time I was witnessing Harry fight like this.  So, how often did this actually happen?  Taking a deep breath, I didn't know what to do exactly.  A part of me really wanted to get involved–I wanted to stop what was happening–but I also wasn't sure if that was the best idea.

"... fucking stop!" Vinny was yelling in between being shoved under the water and pulling up to the surface.

"Piece of shit.  Only a piece of shit would talk about women like that!" Harry was yelling.

It was getting to the point that everyone was starting to look around to see who would be the one to stop the fight.  And, when it felt like way too long had passed, I found myself rushing into the water.  I couldn't watch any longer.  It wasn't right of me.  How could I let Harry do this to someone in good conscience?

"Harry," I said finally, my feet barely touching the ground in the water.

He didn't even look at me.  He was so focused on looking at Vinny struggle in the water that he couldn't even focus on what I was saying.  I was uncertain what to do with being in the water, but I found myself swimming closer to the pair, Harry glancing up only when I was right in front of him.  It was enough time for Vinny to get out of the water, the man gasping for air in front of me. 

Once I looked Vinny in the eyes, almost everything started to happen in slow motion.  It started with my eyes shifting to Harry for a brief moment, as if he was shocked that I was this close to him with what was going on.  Then, that look was knocked off his face, quite literally, the moment that Vinny punched him in the cheek.  I gasped softly, Harry being pushed back in the water just long enough for him to disappear under the surface.  And, I was so worried about Harry disappearing, my body quickly moving to try and swim after him when I felt my whole body being pushed under the water.  My head went under and I was in shock, wriggling around under the water as I was being held. 

I had no idea what was happening.  The water wasn't super clear so it wasn't like I could really make anything out.  But by the swim trunks near me I could tell that it certainly wasn't Harry pushing me down.  Even when I tried to get up and out of the water the person–who I assumed was Vinny–was still holding me under.  I was struggling to hold my breath any longer, and I was scared.  There was a lot of shouting above the surface, and I was about to come to terms with the fact that I was just going to have to start drowning in the lake.  However, there was a bunch of wriggling around me within a few moments and eventually I was being pulled up out of the water.

I started gasping for air, clinging to Steven who was the one that had pulled me up from under the water while the rest of the guys had gotten a hold of Vinny.  Harry was screaming at him right along with the rest of the guys, my lungs on fire as I tried to gasp for air.  Steven held onto me tightly, and while it was the first time that I had ever hugged him, I was very thankful for Harry's friend in the moment, knowing that I wouldn't have been able to calm down if it weren't for someone trying to hold onto me.  Though, I was quickly being handed off, arms tightening around me and a very familiar scent filling my surroundings.  Even after he had been in the lake, he still somehow managed to smell like lavender, mint, and something cozy.

"Are you okay? Did you choke any? Hmm? I'm so sorry," he murmured into my hair.  "I'm so sorry."

He was speaking so quickly, my head now dizzy as I held onto him tightly.  I was overwhelmed with emotions and I still heard shouting.  My face was buried in Harry's neck, one of his arms around my back while his free hand played with my hair.  He was always so caring, and while I knew that he probably was the reason that this had happened due to him causing all the commotion, I was very thankful for his affection. 

"Baby, are you okay?"

I didn't say anything.  I didn't want to talk.  I just wanted to try my best to relax in his arms.  My jaw was clenched as I held onto him, and eventually he started to make his way out of the water with me in his arms.  He sat on the small beach sooner than later, the two of us adjusting briefly before I quickly hid my face in his neck once more. 

"Just talk to me."

"Why?"

"Why what?" he asked softly.  "Look at me."

"Why make a big scene in front of everyone?" I questioned quietly against his skin.  "It's like you were looking for a fight.  First Chase, now him."

"I said I don't like people talking about you like that."

"And now someone punched you and tried to drown me because you did the same to them.  All over some silly words.  It is never that big of a deal, no matter the circumstance."

"Magdalina."

"Why?" I asked, looking up at him now.  "That's all I want to know.  Why?" 

He sighed, looking disappointed in himself now.  My body was achy at this point, and while I cared for the man holding me dearly, I also just wanted to get to the bottom of this.  Clearly, there was something else going on here.  Why was he acting so out of character now? It wasn't like he would do this very often.  Yet, here he was, doing crazy things over something silly–silly to me anyway.  I never thought it was worth it to fight over words, yet he was doing just that.  And while he said that was the reason, I wanted to understand the root of the issue.  He didn't say anything more, just held me close while everyone tried to go about what they were doing as if there hadn't just been a fight moments ago.

"Is something bothering you?" I asked after he didn't answer.

"What?"

"For you to keep acting like this... is there something you want to tell me?"

He shrugged.  It was very telling that something was bothering him then.  If there was nothing bothering him he would have said that.  I knew he was difficult to read, but this was telling enough to me.  After all, a shrug meant that he was just pushing it off rather than dealing with it as a whole.  Swallowing hard, I glanced up at him, Harry staring out at the lake.  It was very obvious he had a lot of thoughts going on behind his eyes, and I found myself reaching up to touch his face, my thumb brushing over the apple of his cheek before he glanced down at me.

"Har."

"I don't want to talk about it."

My eyebrows scrunched in for a very brief moment.  I wanted to understand.  I wanted to know why he didn't want to talk about it.  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, the small kiss catching me off guard some, but I knew it was because I still wasn't used to him being so delicate with me.  Especially not after what I had witnessed earlier–what I had been through.

"You can trust me," I said softly.  "I just want to know why you're acting out."

"I'm not."

"Harry," I murmured softly.

He huffed.  "I don't know, okay? I don't know."

"Don't know? Or you don't want to say?"

"Stop knowing me," he mumbled.

"Baby," I said quietly.

He pushed my hand away from his face, but he didn't pull away completely.  I could tell there were still probably a million and one thoughts behind his eyes, and it was very obvious.  He frowned some, his eyes squeezing shut for a few moments and I wanted to know why he was upset.  I knew that whatever he was dealing with was simply on his own.  He didn't need to do it on his own but he most certainly was. 

"Harry!" I heard someone shout from the house.

The two of us looked up toward the house to see Steven shouting, Harry grunting softly.  It was obvious he was irritated, but I watched as Harry started to shift some, leaving me to get up from his lap.  I was standing now, Harry following.  To my surprise he glanced at me, holding his hand out to me as if he was nervous.  I quickly took his extended palm, wrapping both of my hands around his.  The walk up to the house felt long, and while I knew everyone was staring, I figured it had a lot to do with what had just taken place, but also the bruise that was growing on Harry's cheek. 

"Can I just talk to Harry myself for a few minutes?" Steven asked once we walked into the house.

"She can come with–"

"I would like to speak to you alone," Steven stated.

I wasn't sure what it was about.  Of course, I personally was fine with the pair talking alone, but whatever change in Steven's face, body language, or tone was, Harry seemed less adamant about me going with the two of them somewhere to chat.  Instead, he glanced at me as if to ask if it was okay that he went to talk with his friend.  I certainly didn't mind, but I was very appreciative that Harry was concerned as to whether or not I was going to be okay with him separating from me.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.  "You just went through a lot and I don't want to disappear if you aren't okay."

"I'm fine.  Where's Zayn?"

"I think in the living room right now having some chips or something," Steven said.

"I'll just sit with Zayn.  I'm good, Har."

He nodded.  I leaned up to wrap my arms around him, Harry's arms swooping around my waist easily.  My cheeks flushed when he lifted me off the ground to hold me, and it was clear to me that he didn't want to let go.  I still wasn't used to him feeling secure when it came to touch, but I was also very thankful that he was willing to try for me.  Especially since he wasn't very pleased with any sort of touching when it came to his friends.  Though, eventually he set me down, my arms pulling away from him.

"Soon," he murmured.

"Mhm," I nodded.

"You swear you're good?" he asked.

"Just tell her you love her, good lord," Steven groaned.

Harry's face burned red almost immediately, my cheeks flushing as well.  I was certain that they were probably the same color as his, Harry glaring at Steven who just laughed at his words now as he started making his way to the stairs.  Harry's friend said he needed to be upstairs soon, to which Harry flicked him off, green eyes focusing on me.

"I'm sorry he said that, he's just teasing me and stuff about–"

"Don't be sorry," I said quietly.  "Go.  Shoo.  The sooner you go, the quicker you can come back."

He nodded.  It wasn't long until he left, heading up the stairs while I walked into the living room where Zayn was.  He was sitting on the sofa, but I sat on one of the chairs beside the couch.  There was a movie on right now, but I found myself glancing down at my hands, trying to think of what Steven would want to talk to Harry about privately.  It probably had something to do with the big fiasco that had taken place not too long ago, but even still I was curious.

"How are you holding up?" Zayn asked.

"I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"Yeah," I nodded.  "I was stressed earlier, but I'm good now.  I think.  I don't know."

Zayn nodded.  He lowered the television, getting up from his seat and then sitting on the cushion closest to me.  I could tell he was curious–wondering if I was telling the truth or not.  Which, to be fair, I had no idea if I was even being honest with myself.  However, I knew that I wasn't that concerned with what had happened simply because I was safe now.  Plus, I was almost positive that Vinny had left considering everything.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" I asked to change the subject.

"Probably something stupid."

"If it was stupid Steven wouldn't have cared if I went up there."

Zayn shrugged.  He assured me that it was probably nothing, so I just went on watching the movie for a little bit.  However, the more I sat there, the more I felt like a lot of time had passed since Harry and Steven went upstairs.  So much time that Zayn and I had probably watched about half an hour of a movie together.  Sighing softly, I normally was fine just waiting around but I decided that I wanted to just check on the two upstairs to make sure that everything was okay. 

"If they yell at you, I warned you," Zayn laughed.

"They won't yell at me."

Zayn chuckled, waving a goodbye as I made my way up the stairs quietly.  As I headed down the hallway, a lot of the doors were shut.  I didn't hear much movement at all coming from anywhere really, but toward the end of the hallway I heard some talking.  I realized that they had to be in the room that Harry and I were sharing, my eyebrows pulling in at what I heard.

"... for a while now."

"I'm sorry, man.  I'm so sorry I have such a problem," I heard a familiar voice saying.

Walking further down the hallway, I paused.  I didn't like to eavesdrop.  It was not something that I necessarily had ever been a big fan of, but I also wanted to make sure that he was okay.  I didn't like the idea of him dealing with anything on his own, especially when it seemed like he was fighting something all on his own.  Before I inserted myself into the room with the two men, I found myself simply listening, even if it went against my better judgment, noting that what Steven had to say raised some sort of suspicion.

"He can get you out of a lot, but this?" I heard Steven saying.

"What do you expect me to do, not stand up for her?"

"Harry."

"It wouldn't be the first time your dad did something for me."

"And I'm certain it wouldn't be the last, but you listen to me very carefully, Harry.  The whole thing you've got going on right now? He's running into a few problems, so you better keep your shit in line if you get what I'm saying."

"Yeah, yeah."

Shit in line? What were they talking about?  I knew that Harry was very good friends with Steven, and that Steven's dad even saw Harry as a kid of his own.  However, I had absolutely no idea what kind of problems Steven's dad could possibly be running into as of right now.  If anything, it made zero sense at all.  I was definitely confused, questioning almost everything that I knew right now.  My mind had a million and one places it could go with the things that Harry could have been doing.  All of which were more terrifying than the last. 

"He thanks you every day for what you did for me," I heard Steven say.  "He looks at you like his own kid because of it.  I think that he always will.  Don't mess up what you have going for you.  This thing with Vinny, this could have been a mess up."

"Right."

My eyes were wide when I realized that Steven would have to come out of the room, so I found myself calling for Harry to act like I was looking for him and I hadn't been standing there for a while.  Steven pulled the door to the room open, and while it had been cracked, I found myself raising my eyebrows when I saw him.

"Hey, Steven, is Harry in there with you still?"

"Yeah, I just finished talking to him," he nodded, glancing over his shoulder before looking back down at me.  "I like you, Maggie, but lying is a sin, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you acting like you didn't just hear everything I said?" he asked quietly.

He left me to swallow hard.  "I don't know–"

"Funny," he stated lowly, shaking his head.  "Anyway, everything will be fine.  I just needed to make sure he knew not to fuck up again.  Go talk to him.  I'll be downstairs."

I brushed past him quickly, a little weirded out by my interaction with Steven, but everything left my mind when I saw Harry sitting on the edge of the bed.  Shutting the door behind me softly, I could tell by his body language that he didn't seem irritated.  His back was toward me, and I slowly walked around the foot of the bed until I could see him.  His eyes were trained on the ground, his knees being held close to his chest.  I glanced outside the big window, noting that everyone was going about their day as if nothing had really happened.  Then again, I wanted to just brush past what had happened as well so I decided it was the best thing to do.  Though, whatever was bothering Harry was very clearly stuck in his mind.  He was focused on that instead of anything else. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"I'm good," he told me.

"I'm going to ask this once and only once, and you can't get mad."

"Okay?" he answered, eyes still trained on the ground. 

"Are you hiding something from me?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded.

My body was frozen.  He couldn't be serious, could he? I had expected him to say that he wasn't–that he was just being weird about something.  However, he was fully saying that he had been hiding something from me.  And again, my mind was absolutely running with everything that he could have been doing behind my back.  Things that weren't that bad, and things that ranged to absolutely horrible, unthinkable things. 

"What?"

He shook his head.  "Don't ... can you not hate me? I don't want you to hate me."

His eyes were sad.  There was something deeply rooted that he was hiding, and I wondered why he was so upset.  For a moment he looked away.  He was staring at the ground again, his knees close to his chest, and I couldn't help but think that I was staring at a small boy.  Harry almost always was put together–he didn't let me in very often.  Even if he was showing a softer side recently, he was clearly still hiding something that I hadn't even realized.  I wondered if it was what had upset him on Monday–why he had called me when I didn't answer.

"Tell me what you're hiding," I said softly.

"You're going to hate me."

His voice was so quiet.  It was like he was worried I would be disappointed in him more so than anything else.  It was one of those moments when I knew I was still dealing with a hurt child who hadn't fully healed.  Even at the age of twenty-five, he was still trying to deal with a lot of baggage from his past.  Deciding it was better to assure him I wouldn't hate him, I moved to sit on the bed next to him, choosing not to touch him so that he wouldn't freak out more.

"I won't hate you."

"Do you promise?" he asked quietly.

"I promise."

He turned to me, holding his pinky out and it took everything in me not to break down.  It was the saddest I had ever seen him, his pinky finger wrapping around mine easily.  I pressed my lips to the pad of my thumb at the same time as him, only he didn't make eye contact with me.  Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut, pulling away quickly and staring back at the ground.  I gave him time to admit what he wanted to.  It took him a while, he was silent, his breathing rough for the most part.  And, finally, he decided to come clean to me.

"I do coke a lot," he said, still not looking at me.  "Like a lot.  I'm high every morning.  Steven's dad keeps covering it up for me because I've almost been caught."

Out of everything that he could have said, that was not what I had expected to hear him murmur.  It worried me to no end that he was doing massive amounts of drugs and I had no idea.  While I didn't really take it as a stab in the back, I was definitely shocked.  After all, he told me that he was going to stop all use of that drug.  Not to mention that him being high every morning meant that he was definitely severely addicted at this point.  It wasn't just a little problem, but a big one that I felt needed to get under control.

"High every morning?" I asked finally, my eyebrows pulling in.  "What? Do you need me to get you checked in somewhere, Harry?"

"No," he quickly said, but he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.  "God, there is something wrong with me isn't there? There's something wrong with me.  There fucking is, I-I fucking–I fucking kn-knew it.  M-Mag–M-Maggie."

It all made sense then. Why he didn't do it around me. Why he was always quick to leave in the mornings. Why he was so scared when the cop pulled us over.  He started crying and I had never heard my name used in such a sad way.  He normally said my nickname if he was irritated with me, but I could tell he wouldn't have been able to make it through my full name without breaking down into huge sobs the way that he did just after he finished speaking to me.  My chest hurt hearing how upset he was, leaving me to bite the inside of my cheek while I thought of what to do.

"I'm going to hold you, okay?" I said to him softly.  "It's okay.  I'm just going to hold you, sweet boy."

Moving so I could pull him into me, he tried to pull away at first.  It hurt, but I knew it was because of how caring he had been so far this weekend.  Plus the past few evenings after everything that had been happening.  I knew there would come a time when he was going to be uninterested in physical contact, but I also knew that he probably needed to feel affection more than normal as of right now.

"I-I don't deserve it," he cried.  "I-I lied and said I-I wouldn't any–anymore."

"Oh, honey," I sighed softly, pouting my lower lip as I wrapped my arms around him again and pulled him into me.  "I'm not here to judge you.  I want you to get better."

It hurt to know he was this upset, but I realized why he was so weird at times.  After all, he was genuinely worried people were going to find out that he was addicted to cocaine and it probably would be his downfall.  He would lose everything if people found out.  Probably his career.  Of course, there were movie stars, singers, people of that stature that did cocaine and never lost their jobs, but who knew what this would do if it got out.

"I-I can't get better."

"We can figure it out," I told him quietly, his cheek resting against my chest as I played with his hair and wrapped my free arm around him.  "I'll help you."

"Y-You don't get it.  I'm sick.  I'm s-so sick.  It is so bad."

"We'll figure it out, baby," I assured him quietly, pushing his hair back from his forehead.  "I've got you.  I'll help you fix it."

And he just kept crying.  Sobbing into me in a way that I never thought he would.  It rivaled the evening in my bathroom, so much so that he eventually fell asleep in my arms.  I felt horrible, but I would have done anything for him.  Eventually holding him up was a lot of effort, so I shifted to lay on the bed with him, my eyes wide when he stirred, but he was just repositioning himself.  Curling up behind him, he was much bigger than I realized when I was trying to hold him, but I didn't worry much about it.  I was happy he was at peace when he was sleeping, and hopefully when he woke up we could try and figure out if we were going to begin helping him today or some time when we were back home.  For now, though, I knew he was safe.  He was content in my arms, and I was happy with that information.