"Wishing someone was dead is not a crime. It's disgusting." - Allie

PART THIRTY ONE
↳ confessions of a boy in love





PENELOPE SAT BESIDE A NERVOUS ELLE, doing her best to be a comforting presence while Allie grilled the blonde girl on all things Campbell. Nell tried not to let it show how unnerved she was to know that Campbell was somewhere in this house, handcuffed thankfully, but still too close for comfort.

"Why am I here, Allie?" Elle sighed as their newfound leader entered the room. Jason stands beside the door with his arms crossed, ever the obedient guard.

Allie nods her head in greeting to both girls before positioning herself opposite of them.

"I just want to talk. Campbell says he has nothing to do with Cassandra's death."

"I can't- No, I can't talk to you about Campbell," Elle makes to get up but Nell grips her arm, stopping her in place.

"Just hear her out, Elle," the red-haired girl pleads.

"I need your help. Elle," Allie states. "Please?"

Elle finally sits back down and Nell reaches over to grip her friends hand supportively, Elle squeezes her hand in gratitude.

When Elle nods, Allie's continues, "Has Campbell ever said anything to you, about wanting her dead or hating her?"

Penelope was curious about that herself. Although he never had on the show, she wondered what conversations may have taken place in private before Nell helped to seperate them.

"No, he never said a word to me."

"Are you protecting him... 'cause you love him?"

"No," Elle's answer was final.

"You're not protecting him? You don't love him?" Allie persisted.

"-Allie, we both know that she's been trying to stay away from him. Do you really think she would be doing that if she loved him and was trying to protect him?" Penelope finally interjected.

"For fuck's sake, Allie if he found out I was even talking to you-" Elle's sounded terrified and Penelope didn't blame her.

"-He won't find out," Allie promised.

"You can't promise me that. You don't care about me. You don't. Not as much as you care about taking revenge for your sister," Elle had a point.

"Fine. Don't help. I'll let him go."

"He never said a word to me. That's the truth. But if you're asking me do I think he's capable of doing something like this? I think he's capable of anything. But if you go after him...you can't just capture him. You can't just injure him. You have to kill him," she paused at the end as if to stress her point.

"You have to kill him or let him be."

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Penelope dropped Elle off at Helena's room where she was staying for the night, wishing her a goodnight. She then began to make her way back to Harry's house, almost in a daze.

 She couldn't stop contemplating the mess that is Campbell and in turn Elle's words of warning to Allie. Penelope had always known he was dangerous but by saving Elle from his possession he had also become unpredictable. 

She had been relying on her knowledge of events to come and in doing so neglected to think about the consequences of her changing the timeline. When she changed the timeline she may very well have changed the future. Without Elle to distract him, what might Campbell do now? 

The thought of all the possibilities scared her. She wanted nothing more than to be able to discuss her troubles with Grizz. He now knew the truth about his best friend but his reluctance to know the future made her hesitate to further burden him with this. 

Maybe it was time to tell Harry the truth as well? The only thing stopping her in the past was his mental health but he seemed to be doing much better now. 

As she arrived at the now familiar house and headed upstairs to Harry's room, her heavy thoughts distracted her so much so that she nearly didn't hear the voices that were already coming from inside. 

Against her better judgement and her inner consciousness screaming at her that she shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations, she pressed her ear up against the door.

"Hey, uh what's up?" That was clearly Harry's voice. Now she just needed to work out who he was speaking to. 

"Hi, um. I just wanted to check up on you," Nell inhaled sharply, she recognised Kelly's voice as the second person in the room. "That whole scene in the church was kinda crazy."

"Oh, yeah I'm okay," Harry pauses, "I keep getting these hang-ups on my phone and these text messages from these unknown numbers. I think from people inside the house, messing with me. But shit happens, right?"

Kelly's reply comes only a moment later, "Surely you understand why they're upset, Harry."

"I never said anything to Dewey. He just fucking exaggerated. I mean, maybe I said some shit, and then-" Kelly interrupted him before he could continue.

"-You disgust me," Penelope jumps away from the door expecting it to slam open as she comes storming out but Harry continues and the door stays firmly shut.

With the coast seemingly clear, Nell presses her ear against the wood of the door again. "Kel, I may be a fucking asshole sometimes-" 

"What did you say to him?"

"I don't know. I don't... I don't remember exactly. I had a lot to drink. I just...I wasn't in a good headspace when it happened. I didn't know how to act in this place," he sighs, Penelope could practically see him running his hand through his hair nervously.

"Just like the rest of us, Harry," her tone was sharp, not an ounce of sympathy to be found.

"Why did you even come here, Kelly? Just to argue about something I may or may not have said when I was drunk and fucking upset?"

Penelope's eyes widened. She vaguely remembered how this conversation was supposed to go but it was going quite a bit off script.

"I was worried about you after the trial, is that a crime?" Kelly retorts.

Harry laughed, the sarcasm clear in his voice, "Oh so now you suddenly care?" 

"Who said I ever stopped caring?" Penelope frowned, where exactly was Kelly going with this?

"I do. You didn't give a shit about me anymore and that was pretty fucking obvious."

"Why are you so angry? What could you possibly have been dealing with that the rest of us weren't dealing with as well?"

"Are you kidding? Why am I angry? You were dismissing me like I was nothing. There are five people in my little sister's room. Five in my mom's. They take whatever they want as if it's theirs, like nothing of mine means anything. So...yeah, I'm angry. I'm angry at Cassandra for humiliating me over and over again, and I'm angry at you for punishing me for one fucking mistake when I needed you the most." 

There was a few heavy seconds of silence as if the two were staring each other down, Harry daring her to respond with a counter-argument. She didn't.

"Yeah, maybe I said that I wish she'd disappear. But I didn't mean it. It was just an ugly thought," Penelope replayed the scene she remembered in her head and she could very clearly recall the anguish and regret on his face when he had spoken those honest words.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm here now."

"You're too late, Kel."

"You love her, don't you?" 

A pause. But then, "I think so." 

 Penelope's heart skipped a beat and she staggered back from the door. She should not have heard that. Before Kelly could emerge from the door and catch her in her snooping she took off down the hallway and stayed out of sight.

By the time her heart had stopped racing at Harry's admission, it had been nearly 20 minutes since Kelly had disappeared out the front door. Penelope had been trying to build up the courage to face her boyfriend after eavesdropping on their conversation but she wasn't sure how to do it. 

She knew it was wrong to listen in so should she admit to it or was it best to keep it to herself. It all seemed to depend on how she felt. 

Did she love Harry? 

The answer came quickly and the confidence to approach his door came with it.

She didn't bother knocking and she was sure she looked like a half mad person when she bust through the door. Harry sat up from where he had been lying on his bed and turned to her with raised brows. 

Penelope shut the door behind her and smiled lightly. She approached her boyfriend and when he opened his arms she happily sat herself in his lap, each of them holding the other close. 

In this snapshot of peace, with the memory of him saving her after she had been shot and his words to Kelly today replaying in her mind, she knew: she trusted this boy with her life. 

"Harry?"

"Mm?" He mumbled, his chin resting on her head.

"There's something I have to tell you."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

sorry about the wait! five more chapters after this one and we're done until the next season comes out!! beware theres still plenty of drama to come...

thoughts on this chapter?

ALSO: if ur interested this is a video i found on youtube that i think really captures harry's character beautifully. nobody cared to notice how sad he really was and i think that all it would have taken was somebody like penelope caring enough to ask him if he was okay to make things so much better for him :(

https://youtu.be/XPKxRzvERYk