Little Revelations, by Poet on the Run

Being the youngest wizard in my family means that life can be really hard. If a spell goes wrong, I'm the wizard with the least experience. If something weird happens, it's me or Alex. If a cute girl walks into the Sub Station, Justin's got first dibs. But… it also means that I can draw from their experiences. And I have come to realize a very important thing:

It's hard not to fall for someone who's always there.

Take Harper, for instance. In love with Justin; and for what? Because he's nice to her on occasion? Because he has enough tact not to mention the pimple on her chin? No; see, the reason she's in love with him is because he's always been there. He's someone she can fixate herself on, a constant. Ever since she and Alex became best friends in kindergarten, she's been hanging around our family. Even I, the kid who willingly stole his sister's tights and wore his underpants on the outside for a week, could have seen it coming.

I know things about Harper than even Alex doesn't, just for the simple fact that I listen. I know that Harper's father is a world-class jerk, even though you can never tell her that, because she'll defend him regardless. She loves him even if he's only home when he wants to be, and when he is, he has a snide comment about everything. A mite of dust in the otherwise spotless house, her mother's eccentricities, and anything involving Harper herself—her clothes, her shoes, her weight, her hair… It doesn't matter to him, but it all matters to her.

Of course, I know all of this about her, but it doesn't do me any good. I still remember that day…

She was wearing a t-shirt with an orange on it.

He said, "Oh! Cool orange!"

"You know, your brother is really nice, Alex." Harper said with a smile.

Alex, who was herding her friend up the stairs, turned to give Justin a bemused look. "I know. Isn't it sickening?" And without another word, they were gone.

A guy can hear a lot of things, especially if people don't know that he's listening. I wasn't quite aware at the time what that exchange could mean to me, but I've wished often that I never heard it.

Like I said, it's hard not to fall for someone who's always there. But what Harper doesn't know (or does she?) is how hard it is to try and hide it. Example: Alex was up to her tricks—AGAIN—and decided to remind Harper that she was insane about Justin in the middle of the Silent Film Festival.

Harper sat slumped in a stool at the counter, her face entirely hidden in a tangle of limbs and hair. Her headband had been knocked askew, but I could still see the stuffed cherries that she'd probably made specifically to match that dress. If there was one thing I admired about her, it was her commitment to a theme.

I had been bussing tables, but now that I'd seen her, there would be no concentrating on that. I sighed and took the dishes to the kitchen so that I could approach the counter and start wiping it down. I chose to watch her for a moment before I spoke, but I didn't like what I saw. Her breath was coming quickly and irregularly and her shoulders were shaking. I knew from experience that this girl could cry without making a sound.

'Hey, Harper," I said as cheerfully and casually as I could, avoiding looking directly at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her sit up and wipe her face.

"Hi, Max," she said, still not totally 'in character' for the act she was trying to put on. But then, I know her, so she could have been in full-on cheery mode already.

I quickly wiped the counter where she'd just been crying to remove the temptation to do so again. I looked her in the eye and gently asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!" Now she flashed me an overly bright smile, trying to dodge what she should have known would be inevitable. I merely shot her a look that I wasn't buying it and her face fell. She turned her gaze downward and mumbled, "Justin."

"Ah," I said knowingly, leaning on the counter. It was a good thing she wasn't looking at my face, or else she would have noticed the tell-tale concern. I watched as she twirled a strand of honey-colored hair miserably between her fingers before finally asking, "What's happened this time?"

She shook her head. "I'm just acting like a world-class idiot. Again." She gave me another smile, but this one was rueful. "No big deal."

"Uh-huh," I said. I performed a simple wordless spell under the cover of the counter, keeping my eyes on Harper. "Alex is involved, isn't she?"

The brunette looked up, a little surprised, but finally met my eyes and nodded. I just shook my head. Why was it that I was only right when it hurt her? I reached under the counter for the piece of pie I'd conjured up and put it down in front of Harper.

"Eat," I ordered.

"Pie?" she said incredulously. "What does pie have to do with Alex reminding me that I've got a crush on your brother and ruining my friendship with him?"

She was too distracted by her shock to notice the pain in my eyes or she would have said something. As it was, I took the opportunity to mask it and press a fork into her hand.

"This pie has everything to do with everything because it's cherry pie," I told her. I gave her my sternest look and commanded again, "Eat."

This time, she complied.

My brother and sister underestimate Harper to a level unimaginable. How could they miss the things that they do? I mean, all that Alex has ever seen Harper as is a councilor and a partner in crime. Does she ever ask her about her lot in life? Has she ever considered Harper's amazing ability to make clothes? Or does she just think that she's an eccentric, slightly dim back-up dancer in her own life?

And what about Justin? He has spent so much time running away from her that only just recently did he stop long enough to really pay attention to the girl standing in front of him. Will he ever know that her favorite flowers are peonies? Will he ever come to realize that she wants to have six kids and raise a family in Indiana?

While Harper enjoyed her pie, I gave her some words of what I hoped were comfort:

"As far as Justin goes, you've just got to remember that he's used to seeing you in a friendly way," I told her. "Anything else scares him because he's not ready to accept he was wrong about the two of you. He'll come around eventually."

What hurt more than anything was that I knew it was true. Justin wasn't the egghead he seemed, and someday he was going to figure out how amazing she really was.

Harper looked considerably happier after eating her pie and she gave me her first genuine smile. "Thanks, Max. You even thought to give me cherry pie!"

She laughed as she gestured to her dress, and that laughter was really the only repayment I would ever need. I smiled at her and gestured for her to come closer. She did and I carefully wiped the tearstains from her cheeks with my rag, and then adjusted her headband so that the cherries were once again sitting at a jaunty angle. I took a moment to take in her appearance—the cherries and the puffy-but-pretty hazel eyes and the soft, appreciative smile.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat when I realized that I had been staring for a moment too long. "Dr. Max has done all he can. Go on and plot revenge or do your hat dance or whatever it is you and Alex do after a fight."

But Harper just smiled and gestured for me to lean forward. When I did, she gave me a swift peck on the cheek.

"Thanks again, Max," she said. Before I could ask what it was for, she was heading for the exit. But she turned back to look at me. "You know, you're really nice."

And she was gone. But her bright smile stayed with me as I reached up to touch where she kissed my cheek.

Like I said, it's hard not to fall for someone who's always there.