Blindsided
Harley had a boyfriend.
In hindsight, her friends and family should've seen this coming. Harley didn't take after her mother in several aspects, especially since the better and larger part of her life was spent being raised by the Radiator Springs townsfolk (especially Doc). But one of the things she did inherit was her mother's prettiness. She often ran into young men, especially when she traveled with Lightning to races. But she never paid much attention to them save for the occasional pleasant conversation. If the man or boy tried to go any farther, he'd be quickly shut down by one of Harley's family members (usually Sarge or Sheriff). So when Harley met Brian and actually brought him back to Radiator Springs to introduce him to everyone, there was a mix of interest and confusion. As expected, the men of the family were up in arms and ready to fight off the dangerous boy out to steal their precious gem. But they calmed down with Harley's encouragement, and the townsfolk discovered Brian to be humorous, kind, and quite the gentleman. Even Holley and Siddeley liked him.
There were two road blocks in the relationship: Finn and Sheriff, the two cars most protective of Harley.
Finn didn't see a problem with Brian just yet. However, he could see Harley's and Brian's relationship as strictly boyfriend/girlfriend. It wasn't exactly love, and it most likely wouldn't develop into that for at least a couple years. Still, Finn could notice moments where Brian did things that seemed a bit crude. When he thought nobody looked, Brian would stare at Harley's butt or breasts. He'd brush his fingers against her thigh or hip and laugh it off like he was embarrassed for doing it. Finn got a sinking feeling in his stomach, but he couldn't decide if he was overreacting or not. So he resolved to keep an eye on Harley for now.
Sheriff was always tense when he saw Harley and Brian together. Finn noticed this, but chalked it up to light trauma from the incident with Emily several months prior. Sheriff wouldn't admit that he compared Brian to John, from the way he acted to the way he looked (even if Brian was a blonde). Sheriff remembered how nice John seemed until he ultimately betrayed the town by killing Paula along with himself. Sheriff had a gut feeling that didn't like Brian, but he had qualms over asking Harley about it since she seemed happy with him.
When it happened, Finn and Sheriff were still surprised.
Harley didn't think she had any reason to distrust Brian. He was courteous, gentlemanly, and almost chivalrous. She thought they had a good relationship, and she wasn't afraid to act more like a girl around him. Including tonight, when they planned to go out to dinner and a movie in another town near Radiator Springs. Harley dressed in jeans, a pretty rose-colored blouse, and red ballet flats. Somehow, Brian convinced her to not wear her roller skates since she tended to stand about an inch taller than him when she did. Brian met her at Flo's and they took a taxi out of town. Harley checked her purse before they left, making sure she had everything essential. She physically touched the small earpiece radio Finn gave her, just to make sure it was there should she need it. She always liked to keep this radio on her person should any emergency arise and she couldn't use her cell phone. Harley nodded a little in satisfaction and relaxed in her seat. Brian put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in so close she got a full inhale of his cologne.
When the taxi stopped, Brian and Harley exited and the latter found they were in a residential area with an apartment complex in front of them. Brian thanked the taxi and the car drove off.
"Uh, what are we doing here?" Harley asked.
"I just gotta grab something from my apartment." Brian said. "We'll walk to the movie theater."
"Okay, but hurry up." Harley said, checking her phone for the time. "The movie starts in half an hour."
"Can do, babe." Brian said, walking off. Harley watched him go, shaking her head. Brian generally called her "babe" rather than her own name. But she'd let him have this one. Harley stayed on the sidewalk, looking up and down the road for anything interesting that might pass by. The nighttime streets long since went quiet save for the sounds of traffic in the distance.
What Harley assumed would've been a quick trip became much longer than she thought. Harley checked the time thrice before she decided to go up to Brian's apartment and check on the holdup. She had visited Brian's apartment only once before for a quick trip that was actually quick. But she recognized the green door with the rusted number 13 above the peephole. She knocked on the door.
"Hey Brian!" Harley called. "We're going to miss the movie and I told my folks I would be back home by ten!" Nobody answered, so Harley knocked again. "Brian, come on! What's the holdup?" Again, no answer. Harley felt apprehensive, wondering what could've happened. A strange sensation came over her, like a bug crawling over her skin, and she suddenly got the urge to run. But if something happened to Brian… "Hey Brian! Are you hurt at all? Can you answer me?" No answer, until there was a crashing sound from inside. Harley hurriedly opened the door, hardly thinking about the fact that it was unlocked. But when Harley looked around, she saw shattered remains of some crockery and no sign of Brian.
WHAM!
Harley jumped when the door slammed shut, and she spun around to see Brian locking the door. That urge to run away came back. "Brian, what are you doing?"
Brian stared at the curves of Harley's body. "You're such a pretty girl, babe." He said, stepping towards her. "I bet you rock it in the bed."
"Boy, I know you aren't thinking what I think you're thinking." Harley growled. Brian suddenly grabbed her wrist, and she responded by swinging her purse around and smacking him in the head. Brian was dazed only for a moment before he backhanded Harley and ripped her purse from her hand. While she was dazed, Brian tossed the purse aside and made another grab for Harley. He ended up taking a fistful of her blouse and tore it when he yanked on the fabric. Harley tried to punch him, but he suddenly ducked behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso, tightly hugging her to his chest.
"You're not gonna fight this, babe." Brian growled. "Or I'll make you suffer while we do it."
Harley let out a snarl. "Oh I am not a damsel in distress!" She jerked her head back, colliding her skull with Brian's nose. He let her down, and Harley let out her attacks in quick succession: a stomp on the foot, an elbow to the stomach, and a fierce punch to the face that knocked Brian out cold. Harley panted a bit, blowing some loose hair from her face. "Jackwagon." She hurried to her fallen purse, rummaging through it and searching for her radio.
"Harley? Harley, are you there? Do you read me?"
Harley paused at the faint voice. "Finn?" She looked over and saw her earpiece radio resting nearby. She picked it up and realized with a start that Finn called for her anxiously. A movement caught Harley's eye, and she looked up.
A car's shadow was cast across the wall.
Harley gasped and spun around, but saw nothing. Her nerves were completely shot by then, and she hurriedly put the radio in her ear and adjusted the microphone. "I read you, Finn."
"Harley, I received an SOS signal from your radio." Finn said. A revving engine in the background told Harley he drove at a very high speed. "What happened?"
I didn't do that. At least, I hadn't yet. Harley shook off her confusion. "Finn, I need you to come pick me up from Brian's apartment. Bring Sheriff and Mater too."
"They're with me." Finn assured. "Harley, what happened?"
Harley glanced to the unconscious Brian. "A mistake."
Needless to say, Finn, Sheriff, and Mater were horrified when they found out what happened. Sheriff called the local police station to tell them about the incident. Once Harley gave her statement and even showed a police officer her memory of almost getting raped, Mater gave her a lift back home. Harley had to pull her blouse over her chest, the fabric torn open to show her bright yellow bra. Nobody spoke as they drove back to Radiator Springs, and Harley shut herself in her room when Mater dropped her off.
The townsfolk were shocked and enraged. They couldn't believe something so horrible would happen to Harley, but they were thankful she wasn't hurt too badly. Sarge and Sheriff appeared more than willing to lead the charge to crush Brian into little bits, but calmed down a few notches when they heard he had been found guilty at his trial. Mater spent most of his time with Harley, trying to help her get over what happened.
Harley was angry and depressed. She wouldn't talk to the residents and hardly came outside except to get food and then retreat to her room. She would draw the blinds to cast herself in darkness, turning on her radio and blaring the music so loud nobody could speak over it. Nothing the townsfolk, Finn, Holley, or Siddeley did seemed to help.
"If I ever see that boy again, I'll tear him in half." Sarge growled on evening over dinner.
"He won't ever come back here because he knows we'll tear him to pieces." Ramone noted.
"I'll keep my guns ready." Siddeley said, towering over them behind the café.
"Ingrate." Fillmore huffed. "I actually got half a mind to run him over."
"All right, that's enough out of you." Flo scolded.
"Flo's right. Harley's already upset enough as it is." Sally said. "We need to focus on helping her move on."
"What's holding her back?" Lightning asked. "She couldn't have cared that much for this guy."
"He-a wasn't exactly the love of her-a life." Luigi noted.
"He who tries to rape a beautiful young woman like Harley is lower than scum." Lizzie said, looking angrier than she ever had in all her life. "If I had been there, I would've kicked him across the state!"
Sheriff suddenly kicked his empty oil can to one side, driving off. Finn watched him go for a moment before following, leaving the townsfolk to try and figure out the best way to reach out to Harley. Finn waited until they were a good distance away from the townsfolk before picking up speed to drive beside Sheriff.
"Why is it you seem most affected out of everyone else here?" Finn asked. "Is it because Harley is technically your daughter?"
"It's none of your business." Sheriff snapped, glaring straight ahead.
Finn frowned. "It is my business if it involves Harley."
"What do you know about her?" Sheriff growled.
Finn sped up and did a sharp turn so he faced Sheriff, forcing the police car to stop. Finn's glare deepened. "Make no mistake in your judgement of me. I love Harley just like everyone else in this town."
Sheriff kept his glare locked onto Finn's for a long moment. Then he sighed, and he relaxed on his chassis. "The subject of rape is a bit sensitive for me. I apologize if that makes me seem like a grump."
Finn relaxed as well. "Not at all. It can be sensitive for anyone—"
"It's not just the act itself." Sheriff corrected, staring at the ground. "It's…a bit more complicated…personal…"
Finn stared at Sheriff. "Do you…know someone who was raped?"
Sheriff paused, wondering if he really wanted to divulge this information. But he had gotten to know Finn, and he knew the Aston Martin could be trusted. "I can only tell you if you can keep a secret."
Finn's eyes narrowed a little. "All right."
Sheriff took in a breath and let it out slowly. "Harley didn't come from a perfect family, or rather a perfect set of parents. Her father, John, had a criminal record and a pretty bad temper. There's a pretty good chance he wasn't exactly right in the head. Paula…" Sheriff sighed sadly. "Paula. She was so beautiful an' kind. But she had her flaws; she was too self-sacrificin', maybe a bit obsessed with keepin' her husband happy. Fer a long time after they were married, they couldn't conceive a kid." Sheriff let that sink in, watching for Finn's reaction.
The gears were turning at high speeds in Finn's brain. "So….how did they get Harley?"
"Things got tense, I guess." Sheriff said. "John raped Paula, and they got Harley."
Finn's oil chilled in its lines. "What?"
"Doc told me soon after he figured it out." Sheriff explained. "But we knew Paula wouldn't want ta cause trouble. She'd blame herself and defend her no-good, jackwagon husband. Doc and I were the only ones who knew, and Doc took it ta his grave."
Finn was in shock for a minute, and then he became angry. "Does Harley know?"
"Nope. And she never will know." Sheriff said firmly.
"So you're just going to keep deceiving her?" Finn demanded.
"I am goin' to protect her." Sheriff corrected. "There's a lot Harley don't know about her parents. Things she don't need to know." He glared at Finn. "I trusted you with this. Don' you dare tell her."
Finn already regretted asking before. But, even though he disagreed, he could understand Sheriff's and Doc's reasoning for not telling Harley about this. He sighed. "Fine."
Sheriff nodded, driving around Finn to head towards his post. But he paused and looked back to the spy car. "I can see it, ya know. The way ya look at Harley. Ya love her."
"I thought I made that clear." Finn said in a soft voice.
Sheriff grinned. "Ya do, though. Ya love her….jus' like Doc did." He drove off.
Finn's eyes widened and he turned around, but Sheriff already disappeared into the darkness of the desert. The spy car looked to the ground, pondering Sheriff's words. He nodded, making up his mind, and drove hurriedly back to the café.
"I dunno 'bout this, Finn." Mater said as they approached Harley's room. The walls, thankfully, muffled the blaring music. "Ah mean, she's purty upset."
"Which is why she needs us." Finn reasoned. "Come now, Mater. I'm her Soul Connect partner and you're her, as she says, 'bestest big brother.' Surely there's something we can do."
Mater couldn't deny that. "Awright. But let's be careful."
Finn couldn't deny that. An angry Harley tended to be more dangerous than just an irritated or dedicated-to-win Harley. So the two of them simultaneously inhaled and exhaled before Mater opened the door. At once, their eardrums nearly burst at the sound of the loud music. But they put on brave faces and drove into the room. Harley laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling and pounding furiously on air drums to mimic the music erupting from her radio. Mater and Finn shared a look when they realized Harley didn't seem to notice them coming in.
"Harley?" Finn shouted over the music. But the teenager either didn't hear him or ignored him. Finn frowned. "Harley!" Okay, that time he knew she was just ignoring him. Finn's frown deepened and he suddenly shut off the radio.
Harley turned her head to glare furiously at the spy car. "Do you have a death wish?"
"Only if you have a desire to destroy your hearing." Finn retorted.
"Oh, 'death-deaf,' very funny." Harley said with an air of snobbish sarcasm. She pounded her fist against the power button to her radio, and the music came back at full volume. She turned over so her back was to Mater and Finn. Mater tentatively reached over and turned down the volume on the radio so they could talk normally over it.
"C'mon, Sissy." Mater pleaded. "Jus' talk ta us."
"There ain't nothin' to talk about." Harley said bitterly.
"You cannot just keep something like this bottled in." Finn said. "Clearly, this incident has had a negative effect on you."
Harley didn't speak for a moment. "The implication being that some people aren't affected by almost getting raped?"
"'Course not." Mater said. "Uh, right? Finn?"
"What I mean is something about this bothers you." Finn said. "You responded to the situation by fighting back, and that is not always something young women do when men try to assault them in such a way. Though you were startled, you still were able to fight back, call for help, and report to the authorities."
"Your point?" Harley droned.
"My point is I don't think it's the act that affected you so much." Finn said. "So what is bothering you?"
Harley didn't answer. She curled up somewhat, bringing her knees almost to her chest. Mater thought for a moment. "Did ya really like tha' boy?"
Harley groaned, turning to lie on her back. She put her hands to her face, pushing her glasses up to her hairline. She stared at the ceiling. "No. I mean, I had a crush on him and all that, but I wasn't in love with him. That being said, I wouldn't have opposed to the relationship developing into that should it happen."
"If it ain't 'bout the boy, what's this all 'bout?" Mater asked.
"You'll think I'm stupid." Harley protested.
"Ya ain't stupid." Mater said.
"Far from it." Finn agreed. "Just tell us what this is all about."
Harley sighed, sitting up and readjusting her glasses over her eyes. She looked to Finn. "It's about you."
Finn blinked in surprise. "Me?"
"Not that I have a problem with you." Harley corrected, running her fingers through her hair. "But, come on, Finn. You said you wanted to make me your partner. You're training me to be a spy! How can I be a spy if I get blindsided by a stupid boy?"
Finn and Mater took a moment to register what Harley said. "You're upset because you didn't see Brian's betrayal coming?" Finn guessed.
"I'm upset because, even with your training, I couldn't pick up the little trigger warnings that told me Brian was a complete and total jack-of-all-trades pain in the aft." Harley said.
Finn chuckled. "Harley, you attribute spies as superheroes. We're no different from normal people."
"But ya got that fancy spy trainin'." Mater pointed out. "'Course, I also got that trainin' too."
"Exactly." Finn said. "Underneath all that training and gear, spies are nothing more than ordinary people. That means we too can be blindsided by even the simplest of things, including crushes."
"Yer still gunna be a good spy, Harley." Mater assured. "I know that fer sure."
"So does everyone else." Finn added.
Harley stared at her bed. "I just can't believe something like this could happen. Besides, you're totally superhero status. You're the great Finn McMissile."
"And you're the great Harley Hudson." Finn countered.
"Super Harley!" Mater cheered.
"I'm not a master spy." Harley argued.
"Before I was a master spy, I once fell off the roof of my home because I thought I was a ninja." Finn said. Harley couldn't stop her giggles.
"See?" Mater smiled broadly. "Yer gunna be a super spy! Holley said she's gunna teach me ta be a better spy too!"
Harley smiled. "Thanks. Really, this helps."
"Don't worry about what happened." Finn said. "It was terrible, but you can move on. It won't happen again."
"An' if dat boy comes back, we'll teach 'im a lesson." Mater assured.
"Don't worry about that." Finn said. "I've already taken care of the boy."
Mater gave the spy car a strange look. Harley's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Finn, what exactly does that mean?"
Finn grinned. "That's classified, I'm afraid."
Mater and Harley were afraid to ask now.