Chapter Fifteen
Come Rain, Come Shine, Come Pigeon Shit
(Kimmy)
"Come on Sophie, you gotta admit - that was a pretty good seminar."
Ugh. Again with the scathing looks. You think I'd just announced I thought the second World War happened under justifiable terms or somethin' - jeeze louise.
"You don't have to say anything," Lindsey reassured her. "The dazzling look of wonder in your eyes says it all."
"Tame it with the looks, already," Harlow said irritably. "Your face is going to be stuck in a permanent scowl if you're not careful."
"After the day I just had? Not even surprised," Sophie muttered furiously.
"It wasn't that bad," Harlow sighed.
"Debatable."
We plowed through the crowds, making our way to a quiet, more secluded spot in the banquet hall. People were filing out of the seminar room, looks of intrigue and thoughtfulness on all their faces. Ryan and Chip had not yet surfaced from their mob of enlightened fans and admirers, so we'd decided to leave them be and come take a seat over yonder in the great hall of ghosty merchandise.
In all fairness, no matter what Sophie refused to acknowledge, the seminar was preeeeetty fantastic. Ryan was a natural when it came to public speaking, and the other guy - Chip, I think - was such a bubbly, over-enthusiastic little gremlin that you couldn't help paying attention when he spoke. They'd talked to the crowded room of over two hundred people without even breakin' a sweat - I was impressed. Not even gonna lie.
And of course, of course, the obvious couldn't be denied - even though we bugged and teased her all the time about him, Harlow'd made a pretty good choice. Ryan was cah-ah-yewwwwwwt! I'd never noticed it before, I think the whole 'he wears nightvision goggles in basements' kinda deterred me, like many other people, at first. But when you really looked at him, he wasn't a bad lookin' guy. Nice dimples. Bright eyes. Cute bum.
Oh YES. Cute bum!
Kinda upset me that I didn't call dibs on him first, to be honest.
"I'll definitely be watching the show from now on," Lindsey said earnestly, taking a sip from her glass of lemonade.
I nodded. "Man, absolutely - don't be mad or whatever, Harley, but besides watching for the cool evidence and stuff, I'm totally checking it out just so I can stare at Ryan's bum for half an hour."
"If I said that's not the reason I watched it too, I'd be lying," Harlow said, with a devilish little grin.
"Are you and Buelly Boy going out tonight?" Linds asked.
Harlow shrugged, peering over her shoulder. "I'm not sure. I think he's really busy with all the meetings and stuff .. I don't really wanna bother him if he's got to be working all night."
"I'm sure you wouldn't be a bother," Lindsey said kindly. "Unless he's bothered by endless hours of sex and champagne and other naughty little treats."
Harlow flushed pink, but laughed along with Linds and I - Sophie was peering around the room darkly.
"Would it really kill them to have just one bar up here?" she muttered.
"Ahh, drunko, you want us to get you some alcohol?" I asked, in a rather sympathetic tone (or so I thought, anyways).
Sophie clicked her tongue impatiently. "I don't want some. I want copious amounts. I want it served to me in a garbage bin sized cup. And then I want to eat, and pretend like I didn't just waste an hour and a half of my life."
"So yes to the alcohol, then," Lindsey said, rolling her eyes. "You know it wasn't a waste, Sophie - if you'd actually been listening to the presentation instead of grinding your teeth, you might've actually learned something."
"Yeah man, I might've learned something too if I'd have been able to hear them over said grinding," I said, with a cheeky little grin at Sophie.
"Don't piss me off," she said wearily. "Just get me alcohol."
"Fine, dinner it is," I sighed, and looked over at Harlow - she was giving Sophie a wholey disapproving look. "You wanna come grab some num nums and sight-see with us?"
"I don't know," she said tentatively. "I mean, I'd love to, but ... I'm kind of tired. I think I might just hang back here and say hello to Ryan, then maybe head back to the hotel and crash. We got a pretty early flight out of here tomorrow."
"Harlow, I hate to break this to you - but nine in the morning isn't 'early' for most normal people," Lindsey said with a grin. "Just because your day doesn't officially begin until noon doesn't make it the norm for everyone."
"It should be the norm," she grumbled. "Regardless, I appreciate the offer but I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna head back to the hotel and crash."
"Without even saying hi?"
We all looked over Harlow's shoulder, and I saw a faint pinkish hue appear on her smooth cheekbones. Ryan padded up to our little group, coming to a stop next to Harlow. He had to have been a good head and a half taller than she was, but they looked rather ... perfect, together. The way she looked at him, eyes bright and cheerful. The way he stood close to her, protective, lovingly.
Ooooh, I could've squealed in delight!
"Of course not," Harlow said, with a small smile. "I was gonna say hello to you and Chip first, and then head back to the hotel."
"I don't know if I believe you," he said with a smirk. "I guess I can give you the benefit of the doubt, though."
She grinned, and knocked a shoulder gently into his arm. He laughed, and looked over at the three of us politely.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Harlow apologized. "Ryan, these are my team mates and dearest friends. Kimmy, Lindsey, and I think you must know Sophie."
"Nice to meet you Ryan," I said, shaking his big hand rather gingerly.
"And you, Kimmy," he said. "I've seen you play, you're fantastic."
"I'm better," Lindsey said with a smug little grin over at me. "Great to meet you."
"You too," he said with a laugh. "I've seen you play too, you both could easily beat me. Probably even if you were both blindfolded."
We both laughed, and he turned rather awkwardly to Sophie, who was giving him a look somewhere between one of deepest loathing and blatant curiosity.
"And Sophie," he said politely, extending a hand haphazardly. "I've heard a lot of great things about you."
Her brow furrowed a bit, and to all of our immense surprise, she took his hand quickly in hers, shook, and let go, letting it fall down to her side.
"Likewise," was all she managed to say.
Well, hey! This was huge progress! I could've shed a tear ... our little Sophie, becoming less of a frigid bitch, day by day!
Ryan smiled rather awkwardly, and looked back at the rest of us.
"You ladies planning on hitting the town tonight?" he asked.
"We're gonna sight-see," Lindsey said cheerfully. "I know we're twenty three, twenty four years old and we probably should be hittin' up all the bars and clubs, but ... "
"We're going to take the 85 year old lonely cat woman route and take pictures of the tall buildings," I finished, with a slightly embarrassed but amused little grin.
He laughed, raking a hand through his short hair - a habit I couldn't help but notice was a lot similar to sweet little Harlow's.
"Nothing wrong with that," he said, with a smile. "The first time I came to New York I was epitome tourist .. stumbling around with my face attached to a camera, wearing my 'I Heart New York' shirt."
"Ah shit, we still need to pick one of those up!" Lindsey said.
"It won't be hard to find one, they sell them on every corner," Ryan chuckled.
"We'll hit one up when we're going for dinner," I said, making a mental note to buy fifty and try sellin' them back on campus. "You have any plans for tonight, Ryan?"
"Oh, well .. I'm not sure," he said, looking over at Harlow.
She smiled and shrugged.
"I've got no meetings," he said, more to her than anyone else. "I'm free tonight."
"Awe, what a shame, Lo!" Lindsey said, eyes twinkling evilly. "And all you're doing tonight is going back to the hotel to sleep."
"You're such a granny," I said, grinning.
She shot us both dirty but slightly amused looks, and laughed. "I'm not a granny. I'm just kinda sleepy, I guess."
"Suit yourself," I said, with a rather exaggerated sigh. "Linds, Soph - lets go. We have pigeons to chase and pictures to snap."
"And a liquor mart to rob for drunk-ass," Lindsey said, motioning to the silent, slightly irritated looking Sophie.
"Ryan, that was a fantastic presentation," I said sincerely, and I was happy to see him flush a little in embarrassment. "I learned loads!"
"Same here," Lindsey chimed in. "You really got one hell of a talent, Buell. You and that Chip guy did amazing. Don't you think, Soph?"
Clearly surprised she was still being included in the conversation, she shot Lindsey a petrified look and then glanced up at Ryan.
"Great," she said dully.
"Thanks," Ryan said, smiling cautiously at Sophie. "I hope you girls have a fun night - stay away from third avenue after dark. Gets kinda mean there when the moon's out, trust me."
"Will do, bud," I said happily. "Take care of yourself Harlow."
"Yeah," called Lindsey over her shoulder, flinging an arm around Sophie. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do .. or do, I don't really care."
She and Ryan both waved at us, as we carted Sophie off into the adjoining hallway. Once out of earshot, Lindsey and I broke into excited giggles.
"You see the way she looks at him!" I swooned, clutching Sophie's arm with more force than I meant to - she winced.
"Or the way his face just lights up when she's near him!" Lindsey sighed, putting a hand over her heart.
"You two need to get a life," Sophie muttered.
"Oh Sophie, hold me like Ryan holds Harlow!" Lindsey cried, throwing herself at Soph.
"Tenderly caress my face and call me beautiful!" I sobbed, grasping her waist tightly in my arms.
"Throw me on a horse's back and ride with me off into the sunset!" Lindsey wailed.
"Piss off you two. I hope a huge pigeon shits on both your heads the second we get outside."
"As long as I have you, nothing will dampen my spirits, come rain, come shine, come pigeon shit!"
"I hate you both."
(Ryan)
"So you really plan on just going back to your hotel and sleeping?"
She watched as her three friends disappeared out into the hallway, before turning her bright eyes up to me and smiling.
"Not unless you have something else planned?" she asked, rather innocently.
I grasped her hand carefully, and she gave my fingers a soft little squeeze.
"I was thinking maybe a quick little jaunt to one of New York's famous pizza parlors," I said, rubbing her palm. "Maybe take a little tour around the city. I hear the Silvermine River is beautiful at night."
"Oh yeah?" she said thoughtfully, leaning gently against my side. "I'd love to see it."
"I'd love to take you," I said quietly.
"I'll go anywhere as long as it's with you," she said softly.
I grinned, twining my fingers around her. "Shall we go?"
"We shall," she said, that bright and beautiful smile lighting up her face. "Oh, but first - I should probably go say 'hello' to Chip and the gang. I'd hate to be rude."
I nodded, and motioned back towards the far corner, near the seminar room. "They've all conspired over there, c'mon - I'll take you."
"Thanks love," she said cheerfully, peering over the crowds toward the back of the hall.
Oooh, she called me love! Was this a new pet name she'd come up with for me? I dug it. I should think of one for her ... Sweetheart. No. That's lame. Honey. No, that's even worse. Porkchop.
Uh .. I'll try again tomorrow.
My hand still wrapped around hers, we ventured through the less crowded room and towards my dearest friends. They all sat comfortably perched upon the abandoned booths in the corner, talking animatedly between themselves. Ignoring some very obvious stares from passersby, we made our way over to the little group of my fellow Ghost Chasers.
"Harlow!" Heather said excitedly, jumping off the booth and seizing Lo around her waist. "How nice of you to come and visit me! You're just too sweet!"
She laughed, letting go of my hand (dammit, Tad!) to wrap her own arms around Heather's back.
"Of course I did, you know I'd travel the globe just to see your lovely face," she responded, as Heather's face brightened even more than I thought humanly possible.
"Can we please get married?" she said hopefully.
"Please ignore Taddy," Katrina cut in, with a friendly little wave at Harlow. "Tad just chugged back about five cups of lemonade - that's five servings of sugar more than she's allowed a day."
"And please ignore Katrina," Heather said apologetically. "She's not used to going so long without a shot of vodka."
"Nice to see you again, Harlow," Chad interrupted, rolling his eyes at the near-constant bickering of Heather and Katrina. "Great game today."
"Oh, thank you," she said, with a brilliant smile. "Clearly I overestimated NYU ... which was a very pleasant surprise, I'll tell you that much. Hello Sergey, Hi Eilfie."
"Hello Harlow," Eilfie said politely.
Sergey muttered something unintelligible, turned a bright, tomato red and ducked back behind his tech booth.
"And hello Chip!" Lo said cheerfully, as Chip strutted over to join the group.
"Harlow!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her shoulders. "M'girl! How are you!"
"I'm great, Chip, just fantastic," she squeaked, from somewhere under his massive scarf. "How're you?"
"Excellent, I'm fantastic," Chip said jovially. "My God, look at you ... I'll never get over it. You take my breath away, woman!"
How dare you take my future pick-up lines, Chip! BAH.
"And you take away mine," Harlow wheezed, gasping for air from somewhere in the depths of his chest.
He pulled her away, examining her at arms length and grinning. "Fantastic .. just beautiful."
"Jeeze Chip, why don't you at least pretend to be excited to see her," Katrina said cheekily.
Chip shot her a snarky look, and released Harlow's shoulders.
"So what are you two kids doin' tonight?" he asked, looking between Lo and I.
Harlow looked up at me, eyes sparkling and gave a little shrug. "I think just grabbing a bite to eat, maybe do a little bit of sight-seeing."
"You've never been to New York before?" Chad asked, looking inquisitively at Harlow.
"Not in over a decade," she replied, with a sad little smile. "I lived here for a couple months when I was twelve, but I haven't been back since."
I didn't think anyone else noticed the sadness sweep across her face, as it was only there for a split second, but I saw it. Must've been Foster Care. I made a mental note to ask her about her time spent here, at least I had one conversation starter to keep in mind. Hurrah! Looks like it wouldn't be four hours of me staring hopelessly at her chest and telling her horrifically embarrassing stories about my childhood!
"Ah, did you like it when you were here?" Eilfie asked curiously.
"Mm, not so much," she said, her long brown hair rippling as she shook her head. "It was ... too crowded, I guess you could say."
I peeked down at my watch, and looked over at Harlow. She peered up at me, eyes twinkling.
"We should really get going," I said, noticing for the first time the nearly vacant banquet hall around us. "I know you don't want too late of a night."
She shook her head. "No, I've got to catch an early flight out tomorrow. I'm sorry, it was lovely seeing you guys, though," she said, rather apologetically to the crowd of my co-workers.
"It's always great to see you," Katrina said cheerfully.
"We should be best friends," Heather said brightly.
"Gimme a call sometime, Harlow," Chip said, wagging his finger scornfully. "Don't forget about ol' Chippy. I'd love to hear from you!"
"I'll call," she promised, hitching her purse further up her arm. "I'll see the rest of you back on campus in a couple of days. And I'm sure I'll see you around, Chad."
"I'll make sure we do," he said, with a smile.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," I said. "Don't know if you'll still be up when I get hom - "
"Oh, hello Denise!"
AHH. AHH. AHH. AHH.
Harlow's head turned politely behind her, as did mine, and I saw with a terrible knot in my stomach that slightly toady face I was so accustomed to seeing every second day in the very front row of my class. Ugh. Whyyyyy. WHY.
"Oh, hello Heather," Denise said brightly, and I noticed Bri Tanner was a foot behind her, glowering darkly at Harlow. "How are you?"
"Great, thanks," Heather responded, trying and failing to jab Katrina in the ribs - Kat's face was especially sour.
"Great presentation today, Ryan," Denise said, although her eyes were focused more on Harlow than on me. "It was very ... enlightening."
"Well, thanks," I said politely, and I moved rather involuntarily closer to Harlow - I saw Denise's face whiten, but the sickly sweet smile was still stuck in place. "What a - uh, pleasant surprise to see you down here. You too, Bri."
Bri's eyes lit up, and she waved enthusiastically in my direction. "Always great to see you, Ryyyy!"
"And who's this lovely girl beside you?" Denise asked, eyes round with a strange, slightly evil glow to them.
"Harlow," Lo said, extending her hand courteously - I saw Katrina's breath catch slightly in her throat, and Eilfie's eyes narrowed. "It's nice to meet you."
With slight hesitation, and her smile faltering just a little, Denise reached out and shook Harlow's hand. "The pleasure's all mine," she said softly, eyes glimmering. "You're not in PRS, are you? Or perhaps I just didn't notice?"
Oh please, Denise, I thought, trying to hide the scowl on my face. You know for a fact you would've noticed if someone like Harlow was in our class. She's not exactly someone that can be easily overlooked.
"Oh no," Harlow said, with a polite smile. "I'm just a friend of theres, I go to Penn State as well - I was in the city, figured I'd check out the seminars."
"How lovely," Denise said, with that ridiculous smile still plastered on her face. "I'm sure I'll see you again back on campus, then."
"I hope so," Harlow said, in a surprisingly earnest tone.
"I've got to run," Denise said slyly. "Got some things to discuss with some old friends. I'll see you in class, Ryan, Heather. Katrina."
Kat made a sound somewhere between a hiss and snort, and simply nodded her head. Heather gave a rather forced smile and waved.
"Until then," I said, with a nod at her, then at Bri. "Have a good night, girls."
The two of them scampered off, Bri still shooting daggers at Harlow who seemed either unaware or unphased by the furious glares. She watched them off, a slightly apprehensive look on her face, but the apprehension turned to concern when she looked back and saw the sour looks on half of the group's faces.
"She seemed alright," Harlow said, rather tentatively.
"She's foul," Katrina said irritably, watching as the two girls disappeared into the hallway. "Just awful."
"So phony," Eilfie agreed, a very unusual look of annoyance on her usually content face. "She's terrible."
"And she looks like a Bullfrog," Heather added, rather thoughtfully.
Harlow smiled, slightly awkwardly. "I didn't think she seemed that bad ... I have been known to be fairly naive, though ... "
"Terrible aura around her," Chip said, eyes narrowed slightly. "Not a pleasant one."
"And she smelt like cat litter," Chad said, arms crossed in front of him.
"Don't worry about her, Harlow," Katrina said, attempting to look unabashed. "She's no one you'd want to know. I'd stay away from her."
"Unless you like frogs," Heather said. "Then by all means, study her and feed her flies."
(Denise)
"Katrina's such a bitch."
"Be quiet, Bri. She's the least of our worries now."
Bri peered up at me, puzzled - although that was nothing new. She spent half her life confused, I don't know why this normal blank stare of confusion irritated me so much. You figure I would've grown used to it by now.
"Was that Ryan's girlfriend?" she asked, with a pronounced pout.
"Not for long," I answered, stepping into the elevator. Bri followed, another quizzical look on her face - what a surprise.
"What do you mean, not for lo - "
"I have serious dirt on Ryan's ugly little 'girlfriend'," I said, after the elevator doors thunked shut.
"You think she's ugly?" Bri asked, surprised. "I think she's beautiful, she looks like a model. She's on the volleyball team, I think - the Captain."
"Once again, you've missed the point completely," I snarled, watching the numbers decrease on the panel above the door. "I have dirt on that bitch, Bri."
"What kind of dirt?"
"The best kind."
The 'L' lit up, and with a sharp little ding, the doors creaked open. We stepped out into the crowded lobby, Bri a couple paces behind me.
"What did you find out?" she called, jogging to keep up with my long strides.
"Harlow hasn't exactly been honest with all of us," I said, grinning the grin that hadn't left my face in hours. "You won't even believe what I overheard."
"What? What did you hear?"
"Let me put it this way," I said, enjoying the glorious sunset more than I think I ever had before. "Little Miss Perfect won't ever want to show her face in school again once this secret gets out."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I have enough gossip on Harlow Vincent to run her out of this school for good. And when Ryan, heartbroken over the loss of his lovely little freak, looks for a shoulder to cry on - here I am, ready made."
Bri shot me a skeptical look. "What could you possibly know about Harlow Vincent that's bad enough to run her out of University?"
"It's not what I know," I smiled. "It's what she couldn't stand for everyone else to."
(Eilfie)
"I have a feeling Ryan's gonna get some hot, steamy, bow chicka wow wowwww tonight."
We laughed, as Heather mimed (quite effectively, may I add) a slow motion butt slap. Ryan and Harlow - hands held, bodies close - made a beeline out of the room and out into the long hallway a few moments ago, leaving the six of alone in now completely empty boardroom. We were all still seated on the empty booths, except for Heather, who'd been fidgety and flitting about for the past twenty minutes.
"So they are together, then?" Chip asked, eyes bright behind his round frames.
"Sure looks like it," Katrina said, with a content smile splayed across her face. "They're adorable, aren't they?"
"What's with women and thinking everything's 'adorable',"Chad asked, shaking his head.
"Your eyes are adorable, Chad," Heather said brightly, spinning around in cheerful little circles. "Your sweater is adorable, Chad. Your pants are adorable, Chad. Your hands are adorable, Chad. You're just so adorable, Chad!"
"I think that's gotta be one of the first times in my entire life I've ever been called adorable," Chad said, slight amusement in his voice.
"You think they'll last a long time?" Chip asked, oblivious to Chad and Heather.
"I think so," I said honestly, pulling my legs up to my chin. "Harlow seems to really like him."
"And Ryan's nuts about Harlow," Katrina agreed. "He has been since the first day he saw her."
"It's like a fairytale, isn't it?" Chip said dreamily.
"Prince Doofus falls for the Princess," Heather said cheerily. "And they live happily ever after."
"Not before the Prince saves the Princess from some terrible trauma," Chad said.
We all looked at him thoughtfully. His cheeks burned a bright crimson and he raised his hands in defense.
"Oh no, no .. I didn't mean - no, you're right, I'm sure they're going to just skip to the happily ever after part," Chad said, shaking his head. "That was a stupid thing to say .. "
"No, it's a fairly accurate thing to say, actually," Sergey said thoughtfully. "When has a story ever skipped right to the happily every after?"
"Almost never," Katrina replied, face lined with worry.
"C'mon you guys," Heather said, flinging her hair back indignantly. "Stop being such a bunch of bummers. Princess Harlow and Princess Ryan will live happily ever after. You know it. I know it. We all know it."
"Don't you mean Prince Ryan?" I asked.
"Mmm - nope. No, I meant what I said the first time."
"Nothing could tear those two apart," Katrina said confidently. "I'm sure the only 'trauma' they're going to have to face in their relationship is the wrath of Denise Howells. Which isn't a trauma, more of a minor irritation. Like a breakout of hives. Aggravating, but with cream and persistence, it eventually goes away, right?"
"Are you actually comparing Denise to a case of hives?" Heather asked delightedly.
"I guess a wart would've been more accurate," Katrina said snidely.
We all laughed, but the uneasiness that had risen between the six of us didn't falter right away. Chad's words had shaken us all - he'd been right, hadn't he? What fairytale romance like the one between Ryan and Harlow had ever gone well? The course of true love never did run smooth, we all knew that. But I couldn't, and I knew no one else here could either, think of anything that might tear those two apart. Perhaps Shakespeare had been wrong. Perhaps this time, in this one instance, love was supposed to be bump free. Maybe it was supposed to skip right to a happily ever after?
There was nothing on this Earth that could break those two apart.
Nothing.
... Right?
(Ryan)
"I don't actually think I've ever eaten pizza that good before!"
"What'd I tell ya? Best pizza in the entire state."
"Maybe even in the entire world."
I laughed at that dazzling look of wonder shining in Harlow's eyes - a delicious piece of pizza was enough to send her into a fit of delight. My kinda gal.
We'd left Carlos' Parlor about five minutes ago, and headed West down the fairly unoccupied street. The closer you got to the New York suburbs, the less crowded and bustling the streets there were. The April evening was warm, but had a brisk chill to it, and the moon had risen high and bright in the inky black sky. It illuminated the town, cast dark shadows of the houses it brightened. The streetlamps buzzed and pulsated, the noise of heavy traffic distant, muted.
Next to me, nibbling cheerfully on the lid of her coffee cup, Harlow looked with bright, excited eyes at the scenery around her. She took in every house, every shop, every dirty hobo, every stray cat. She appreciated the beauty of even the smallest potted plant, basked happily in the flickering glow of every streetlight. Every nippy breeze that blew past us made her laugh, every car alarm wailing in the distance made her smile. She enjoyed every step she took, relished in every detail she noticed.
It was hard not to feel instantly happy in her presence. She was a wholey good person. She made sure to stop and smell the flowers. She saw beauty in the ugliest of things. She appreciated everything, everyone. She was outwardly beautiful, there was no denying it - but it was inside of her, the person you didn't see. That's where her true beauty came from.
She loved so thoughtlessly. Laughed so easily. Tried so tirelessly.
Life was hell, and she knew that. But whatever horrors she'd seen so young, whatever demons had harassed her, whatever memories had haunted her - you didn't see them. She had immolated them. Left them outside herself. Moved on.
Became the person I loved so much, the person who's hand was held tightly in my own.
"I'm glad I came out tonight," she said, eyes bright in the moonlight. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world."
"I'm glad you came out," I said sincerely, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "I know what a crazy good time you would've had curled up in your bed watching 'Friends' reruns, but all things considered, it hasn't been that terrible of a night."
She laughed, throwing her coffee mug in a nearly overflowing garbage can. "Only for you would I miss my precious Ben and Jerry's and television party."
"You said you lived in New York when you were twelve," I said, remembering our earlier conversation with the team. "Did you live around here?"
She smiled, and shook her head. "No - as cliche as it sounds, I was down closer to the Bronx. Near High Bridge."
"Nice area?" I asked, already knowing the answer to the question.
She rolled her eyes, but gave me a little smile. "The view was nice ... at night sometimes, the older kids used to take us down to the Hudson Strait, right on the edge of the river. Across the river was Manhattan. I don't know if you've ever seen Manhattan at night, but it's beautiful. It was like looking at a big picture - all the skyscrapers and high rises. Lit up like a Christmas tree."
"That sounds amazing," I agreed.
She nodded. "It was. Myself and the three other younger girls my age, we used to point out different buildings, pick out where we were going to live once we got out of the system. We were all going to be famous movie stars, or doctors or lawyers or rock stars. We swore we'd never step back into High Bridge ever again. We'd only live in Manhattan, and we'd all be trillionaires. The older kids used to make fun of us for it, but we still had the one thing they didn't."
"What was that?"
"Hope," she said, rather quietly. "We were young enough to still remember what that was."
I smiled, but the story saddened me more than anything else I think I'd ever heard before. Harlow, I suppose, sensed it, and gave my hand a little squeeze.
"It's not really that sad," she said softly. "New York was a happy time, one of the few. It gave me hope."
"Do you still talk to anyone you knew when you lived here?" I asked.
She shook her head. "It's not possible to keep in touch. You're shuttled around so much, it's hard to remember the name of the person you shared a room with two moves ago."
"All that moving around," I said, more to myself than to her. "It had to have been such a pain."
"You grew accustomed to it," she said simply. "You didn't have many belongings. All your stuff - and this was the same for every Foster kid - could easily fit into a garbage bag. Clothes and a toy or two. The luckier kids sometimes could fill two whole bags, but I was never one of them."
I felt a horrible pang of sadness in my gut - the smallest bookshelf in my house could fill two garbage bags alone. My socks and underwear wouldn't even fit in one. What it must have been like, having the contents of your life, all fit into one little bag.
"You'd pick up little treasures with each move," she said, looking untroubled, more thoughtful. "But you'd lose them after a couple months. Every kid had one thing, though, they went with them wherever they went."
"What did you have?"
"A teddy bear," she said, and laughed at the thought of it. "It was the last - actually, it was the only thing I'd ever gotten from my Mum. It wasn't big, just ... regular Teddy size, I suppose. All furry and soft and brown. Little button black eyes, a pink, felt nose. Simple, couldn't have cost her more than a couple dollars. But I loved that little guy."
"What happened to it?" I asked, as we turned down a rather winding street lit up with the orange glow of the streetlights.
"I lost it," she said, frowning a little. "Somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. Three moves in a week and a half, I was more preoccupied with where I was going to end up than with the life of my little stuffie."
"It just disappeared?"
She shrugged. "Things went missing a lot. Sometimes entire bags would fall out of the trunks of our caseworker's cars. We'd be stuck in the same outfits for days. Even weeks."
I looked at her now, so smartly dressed, so well put together. It was hard to believe she'd ever have worn the same thing two days in a row, nevermind the same outfit for weeks at a time.
"It was never fun," she said softly. "But it is what it is."
"It's not fair," I said quietly, as we turned down onto a main road - cars flew back and forth. "You lost so much. I know you're not supposed to count wins and losses in life, but .. don't you find it hard not to?"
She shook her head, gazing into store windows as we passed.
"I don't," she said, with honest certainty. "If you spend your life trying to even out the good and the bad, where's that going to get you? It's a waste of such a short time. I try and live like there's only good."
"I think that's one of my favorite parts about you," I said quietly.
She beamed at me, rubbing her cheek against my arm.
We crossed the street in one of the very few breaks in traffic, and walked over towards the long Silvermine River. There was a chest high, black steel fence all along the perimeter and beautiful, antique streetlamps set up ten feet apart all along the gate. Harlow and I moved towards the banister, both leaning over the rail to look at the river nearly twenty feet away.
It shimmered and glistened in the moonlight. It mirrored the stars twinkling in the sky above, reflected every passing beam of light over it. It was serene, quiet, calm. Unlike the city surrounding it, it was peaceful, at ease. It wasn't bothered with the hustle and bustle around it. It was content in it's own lonely little gated community. It was tranquil.
"It's beautiful," Harlow said softly.
I looked over at her, and smiled. The beams of light reflecting off the river's surface illuminated her face. The green of her eyes amplified to dazzling harlequin. Her hair looked like it was glowing. The soft skin even softer, the sharp contours of her face more pronounced. Her lips were the deepest coral, slightly parted as she gazed in awe down at the water.
She turned to me. Her eyes were blazing, full of something I hadn't seen before. They were not fearful. They were not nervous, or anxious. They were alight with something so beautiful, I couldn't look away.
I took her waist, pulling her towards me. Her arms were automatically on my chest, snaking around and up and over my shoulders. The smell of her hair, her skin - it was exhilarating. The feel of her warm body against mine - I can't explain it.
Our lips met. It felt like prior to this moment, I had never truly been alive before. The air was chilly, the cars were loud, the night was young. But my body was alive, my mind was racing - every inch of me, every part of my brain, everything - it needed her. Before this moment, I don't know if I'd ever fully understood what it meant to feel. But now, I knew.
What a rush it was, to kiss her on this near empty street. Like a shock of electricity coursing through my entire body. She was so close, I could feel her heart thumping against my chest. I ran my hands through her hair - like moving them through silk. I couldn't breath, I couldn't move - I was frozen in this perfect moment. Her small hands running up and down my chest, the scent of her skin making me dizzy.
She stopped first, her lips resting against mine, eyelashes tickling my face. I could see my own hazy brown eyes mirrored in her emerald ones. She kissed me once more, softly, gently.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For bringing me here."
"Thank you for coming with me," I said softly.
She smiled, and my heart nearly exploded into a million little pieces. That smile - her smile. It's hard to explain if you've never loved before: but when it comes down to the person that owns your very heart and soul, you'll do anything in the entire world just to see them smile. My last dying thought would be of that smile. Every morning when I woke up, that's what I would think of. Everytime I was sad, angry, depressed, alone. I'd think of that. For the rest of my life, for the rest of eternity, I would remember it. It was tattooed in my brain, burned into my heart - forever.
And nothing would ever change that.
Nothing.
Author's Note:
HOLA, MY LOVELY READERS! I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY AND THE HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS!
Mucho apologies for the lack of update, but life has been so beyond stressful it's a wonder I even remembered what a computer was! New job, applying for University, Christmas (or rather, Stressmas - bah dum tshhhh). Life's been nutso, but I know that's no excuse my sweet peas. So here we go! A rather long chapter with some hot riverside makeout sessions. Hellz yes.
Now! For my thank-yous!
WinchesterAngel3389: May I just say, that nothing gets past you, you smarty smart smart pants. Although I'm potentially the worst at foreshadowing, you always seem to catch little hints and bits that I throw into the story. You're brilliant, I want your brain. And not in a weird zombie way, in like a "I WORSHIP YOU." kinda way. :D Thank you for the review!
RoselynnNoelle: My bee-ah-yewww-tee-full newest reviewer! And my soul sister, obviously. Your reviews never fail to brighten my life, squeal in delight and sob a little in sheer love for you. At least I'm not alone in peeing myself at the thought of Ryan a doped out date raped little munchkin. We truly are meant to be. You're wonderful, don't ever stop being so fabulous! Thanks for the review my love!
xoxoxMyRealityIsFiction: I am addicted to YOUR pure awesomeness! My awesomeness lives vicariously through you! UHM, and like, not that I'm offended, but you can't be in love with Heather and/or Sophie. Because we're kind of already in love, you and I. And I will not share you with a fictional character. As always, you've made my life even more wonderful, and I thank you for your loyal reviewing - let's hold hands and skip into the sunset.
akahitoha: I AM SO DAMN CHEERFUL. I'm cheerful because you're in my FanFiction life now, and will forever by my little akahitoha-pie, and we will hug and dance and be merry forever more. Your review made me squeal so shrilly and enthusiastically, my dog barked and ran out of the room. You're wonderful, be mine! (L)
heyymelx3: HAHAHA I CRAVE HIS DIRECTOR'S LOG TOO, is that like weird? Hells no it's not. I'm not even kidding, the first time I saw him all serious on a hillside saying "Director's Log" into a tiny recorder, I nearly peed myself laughing. His log, it's SERIOUS business. YESSSSS, I will make sure and wear something bright and neon and crazy as balls so you'll see me when you pick me up. I'll wear like a neon mesh shirt and glow-in-the-dark lime green tights. I think all FanFic authors are supposed to be a bit nuts. SEE YOU IN 5. *jumps aboard private FF jet* THANKS FOR THE REVIEW, I LOVE YOU MY SWEET JELLY BEANY LOVE!
kcollins: The most loyal reviewer in the history of the FanFiction world! I can't say I love you enough. I will travel to the tallest mountain and shout my undying, unrequited adoration for you. Will that be okay? I hope so. Thank you for the review, you beautiful beautiful gal!
silentC: Ooooh rewriting your story! I want to read it, right now now now now. I also just wanna say, if everyone makes it to the end of the story (just sayyyyyin' .. I can't rule out the deaths of characters, y'know?) you're officially invited to Rylo's imaginary fake wedding. You'll be the maid of honor, the best man AND the organ player, that's how important you are. Thank you for the review, you adorable human being! My love for you is forever and ever.
ferret assassin nin: MY LOVE YOU'VE RETURNED TO ME WITH WHAT MAY BE THE LONGEST REVIEW IN THE HISTORY OF YOUR LIFE! Since the story IS so dark, I try and at least brighten it up a bit with happy chapter names, but it's gonna get harder as the story progresses (oooh, hint!). You're not obsessed OR crazy. You're just so lovely and single-handedly the best motivator for little ol' writers like me, that's all! I love you for it! I would lovelovelovelove to read your story! Please PM me the link! I'm a terrible reviewer and updater, and I don't get on the computer as much as I'd like to, but the second I have some free time your story is mine for the lovin'! As always, you're more appreciated than you even know, I love love love and adore you to bits!
8 fabulous reviews by 8 fabulous people! You all brighten my days, I can not possibly thank you enough!
A warning, though - the story is going to be getting a titch darker. Well, not a titch. A lot. Our little lovely character friends will be going through some pretty dark shat, and I'm hoping that you guys will be able to stay with me through the thick, the thin and the super dark. Feel free to PM me anytime, and I hope you all have a wonderful week!
love always, ellah!