"You said we need to talk, so start talking," Harper said, a hint of resentment in her voice. If Tony was involved in all this, Harper couldn't understand why he didn't tell her. He and Hannah were her two closest friends, and she'd let one of them down already. Was she now being betrayed by the other?

"Not here," Tony said, keeping his tone calm. Harper huffed but followed him around to the back of the garage with her arms folded, impatient for an explanation. "Hannah asked me to keep the backup tapes in case her instructions weren't followed. And I," here Tony paused, and looked to the ground. "She came to my house with the tapes and I didn't answer. Then I saw the ambulance at her house taking her away. There was nothing more I could do for her except make sure her story was heard. That's why I went by Sheri's. When I didn't see you at your locker at the end of the day, I knew you'd gotten them. I needed to be sure you'd pass them on."

"Like Hannah wanted," Harper interrupted somberly. She supposed she couldn't really fault him for doing what he did, and not even for keeping it from her. They were the same, her and Tony, both of them not being there for Hannah when she'd needed them most. "I'm sorry, Tony. I shouldn't have snapped at you. All this has just been...a lot."

"I know," he replied. "Believe me, I get it."

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. Have a safe trip home. I could drive you if you want," he offered.

"I'm good, but thanks," she replied. Harper turned and walked off, relieved that she had cleared things up with Tony. She really couldn't afford to lose another friend right now.

The following morning, after a fitful night of sleep at home, Harper got up and decided it was about time she made some changes. She threw on some faded jeans and one of her favorite t shirts, a dark yellow one with 'smile' written in a small black handwritten font, grabbed her backpack and headed for school. The walk was bright and sunny, lifting Harper's mood as much as could be expected with the rotten night of sleep she had gotten. She was tired enough that everything that had happened the day before seemed as if it were a dream.

The dream became reality once more when Harper got to school and saw Clay walking in just ahead of her. They'd both made it on the tapes for similar reasons, not by anything they directly did, but for what they should have done. She didn't blame him for causing her death, nor did she truly blame Harper, but nonetheless, both of them had played their part in it.

Harper ran to catch up with Clay. She had no idea if he'd heard the tapes yet, so she decided she wouldn't bring them up. She and Clay hadn't talked much in their years at Liberty, and maybe it was time that Harper changed that. She remembered how much Hannah used to like him, and maybe this was her chance to finally get to know him.

"Clay," Harper called when she was within earshot.

"Hey, um, Harper, right?"

"Yep. That's me. I thought maybe you and I could have lunch together today."

"Sure, I guess. But, why?" Clay's face was scrunched in confusion and Harper realized how absolutely random her offer seemed out of context.

"It's just, after Hannah..." Harper trailed off, her smile faltering a bit as she attempted to find the words to explain her sudden interest in spending time with him. "I know you were close with her and I was close to her too and maybe we could both use a friend who knew Hannah right now."

Clay's expression softened and he nodded. "See you at lunch then, Harper." Harper let him walk off and she felt good about starting something with him. They both needed someone now that Hannah had left a hole in their lives. Maybe having each other would be good enough.

Harper finally walked into school, making her way almost invisibly through the hallways. Since Hannah's death very few people seemed to look her way. Many, because they didn't want to talk to the girl who had just lost her best friend, but a few knew that Harper was a part of this whole thing. That she was one of the thirteen reasons, so they avoided her like the plague.

Then there was Bryce Walker. One of the last on the tapes, she knows he wouldn't have gotten them yet. So he was yet unfazed by the stigma of them that the rest of the listeners felt. He was also unfazed by Hannah's death. He still made comments about her that made Harper's skin crawl. He was still same old Bryce, sick bastard that he was. Today was no exception. As Harper passed him, he whistled after her, but she didn't react. She knew it would only encourage him. Instead, she gritted her teeth and pressed on, walking towards her locker.

As she slammed the door of the locker shut, backpack safely inside, Harper heard her name over the loudspeaker. "Harper Cassidy, if you could please report to Mr. Porter's office. He'd like to have a word with you."

Harper sighed. It seemed she couldn't avoid anyone on the tapes today. She had to remember, Mr. Porter didn't know anything about them yet, so she had to keep quiet, though it's not like she wanted to speak to him anyway.

She arrived at his office with a forced smile and he welcomed her in and asked her to sit down. "I just wanted to call you down here to check in. I know after Hannah's passing you might be feeling sad, angry, or confused. Anything you're feeling is perfectly normal," he assured, but to Harper it sounded like he was reading from a script.

"I know," she replied curtly, trying not to snap at him. "I'm fine, all things considered."

Mr. Porter could probably sense Harper's agitation and had he questioned it, Harper didn't know what she would have done. "There's nothing you want to talk about," he asked instead, taking her at her word.

"No," she answered. She was glaring daggers at him and was clenching her jaw so tightly that she knew it would be sore later if she had to keep it up for much longer. Harper didn't know why she harbored so much resentment for him in comparison to anyone else on Hannah's tapes. Maybe it was because he was an adult, and a mental health professional at that, and he did nothing when Hannah came to him. This man was the last straw before Hannah took her life, and thinking about that was making Harper sick to her stomach.

Before she could quell the nauseous feeling rising in her throat she leaned forward, grabbing the brown plastic garbage bin nearby and retching into it. After, she didn't know whether she felt better or worse. Mr. Porter watched on, a more genuine look of concern now on his face. "Perhaps you should go home, Miss Cassidy. Have a friend collect your assignments for the day."

Under normal circumstances, she would have argued. She didn't like missing school or falling behind, but perhaps it was for the best. Tony would get her stuff for her, and she'd have to tell him to give Clay a rain check on lunch. So that's what she did. She walked out of Mr. Porter's office and found Tony, telling him vaguely what had happened and asking her favor of him. He nodded and with a small smile she thanked him, grabbed her bag and headed out.