The anxiety radiated off of Harper in waves, trapped in the small space of Demetri's car. She stared out the window, watching as buildings, streets, and houses flew by in a colorful blur while he talked a mile a minute about some comic book or video game he was suddenly obsessed with. She couldn't focus on that after everything that had happened at the fundraiser. She should be feeling happy – not only had they raised a ton of money for Miguel's surgery but there was no longer any doubt about what was happening between her and Hawk. For the second time in a few short months, they'd crossed the friendship line into relationship territory.
Harper was happy.
Or, at least, she should've looked happy.
But, instead, she was a bundle of nerves.
She twisted the bracelet around her wrist with so much force that she worried it would snap. Her mind wouldn't shut up and neither would Demetri as he continued to ramble on and on.
"I mean, they nailed everything about Dungeon Lord! I was a little skeptical at first because gaming companies overlook a lot of things but they didn't! And the customizations they give you? It's insane, Harper. Insane!"
Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing with a text – a momentary reprieve from the chaos swirling inside her mind. She glanced down at the screen, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips as she read the message from Hawk: stop overthinking, foster.
It was so typically Hawk – overconfident, always so sure that he knew her better than she knew herself. And the worst part? He wasn't wrong. It was like he just knew that her mind was racing hundreds of miles an hour.
But when she sent him a reply, saying she wasn't overthinking anything, she received an eye-roll emoji in response.
Shaking her head, she put her phone down only for her thoughts to resume their doom and gloom assault. Everyone knew about her and Hawk if that public kiss had been any indication as to what they were. But she couldn't help but be frustrated with how her friends had reacted – Sam especially. While Sam claimed that she already knew Harper and Hawk were more than just friends, her reaction had stung. She'd called them a mistake, and Harper couldn't shake that. Sam hadn't said much else after the kiss and dove headfirst into the fundraiser. But every time Harper had looked over at her, her expression had said it all.
Disappointment. Betrayal.
Sam was the moral compass of their group, quick to judge but even quicker to forgive. Unless Cobra Kai was involved. Then her forgiveness became a brick wall, impossible to get through.
So choosing to be with Hawk was like a big middle finger to her friends.
Except it wasn't. Not really.
This wasn't in any way meant to hurt them. This wasn't Harper picking him over her friends. She wanted both of them to be in her life even though it was a very delicate balance – like standing on a tightrope while hoping the next gust of wind wouldn't bring her crashing to the ground.
Harper was so close to falling that it wouldn't take much else to push her over the edge.
But here she was, barreling toward it anyway.
"Maybe this is a bad idea," Harper said, the dread making her chest tighten.
Demetri cut off his sentence, something about the next comic issue, and looked at her as if realizing she was there. Or as if realizing that she knew how to speak. He blinked, taking a moment to catch up to her words. "No, it's a great idea. I told you, if they do a crossover between Dungeon Lord and —"
"I meant going to Sam's," Harper interrupted.
Demetri's confusion grew, his brow furrowing further. "Why wouldn't we…," he trailed off before his eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh. I get it. This is because you made out with Eli at the fundraiser, right?"
"What? No. We didn't ma– it was a kiss. One kiss. That's all," Harper explained though she could feel her face heating up.
Demetri snorted. "Yeah, sure. That's not what everyone's saying."
"Everyone?" Harper asked, her heart sinking at the fact that this was already spreading like wildfire. She hated attention – good, bad, in between. Standing in the center of a stage she didn't sign up for was about the worst thing that could happen to her.
"People notice public displays of affection, Harper. Especially when it's between the foster girl and the cobra king," he said, casually dropping the nickname like it wasn't the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.
Harper groaned and felt herself sink further into the seat, her embarrassment palpable in the small confines of the car. People would talk. Of course, they would. They hadn't exactly been subtle at the fundraiser, and everyone knew about them now. But people having opinions about them was frustrating.
"But, yeah, that nickname kinda lacks imagination. I was thinking something like The Rogue and the Raven. It's like you're a DC power couple we didn't know we needed," he said with full seriousness, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel. He glanced over at her as she rolled her eyes. "No? Okay, that's fair. It's kind of too comic book for you. What about The Lionheart and the Loose Cannon? It's kinda got a whole Beauty and the Beast vibe to it. Except, you know, without the castle. Or the talking candlestick."
"The Lionheart and the Loose Cannon? Really?" Harper wrinkled her nose as she shot him a look. "I mean, that's one way to describe him, but— "
"Okay, okay, but hear me out — The Rebel and the Ravager," Demetri said, drawing out the words like he was unveiling a masterpiece. "It's got layers, Harper. Layers. In a world where society has collapsed, only one couple can save us all. Spoiler alert: it's you two. Well, you'd do the saving while Eli probably destroys stuff."
Harper rubbed her temples, half-wishing the car ride would end and Demetri would stop talking about dystopian couples. "Demetri, that's not really —"
"No? Fine, okay. What about The Falcon and the Fighter? It's kinda like an action movie couple which, let's face it, you two are already kinda starring in your own movie already."
Harper sighed, shaking her head.
"There's always The Badass Duo Nobody Asked For But We Got Anyway."
Harper narrowed her eyes but a laugh burst out of her. Her shoulders shook as she tried to contain her laughter. She'd never admit it to him, but Demetri's ridiculousness with the nicknames had done the trick. The knot in her chest loosened, and she felt lighter than she had in hours. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remind her that things weren't as doom and gloom as she believed them to be.
She would handle the fallout of choosing to be with Hawk. Her friends might not approve, but her heart did. And that was all that mattered.
"You're not normal, you know that?" She asked with a shake of her head.
"Being normal is vastly overrated," he answered with a shrug.
Harper smirked. "Explains a lot about why we're friends."
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
Harper could feel her pulse thrumming while her chest tightened with that familiar dread. Her grip on her bracelet tightened as she stared out the window towards Sam's house. It had always been a safe space for her, a place she could go to unwind after a particularly long day with her friends. Today, however, it felt like a fortress meant to keep out traitors.
In other words: Harper.
It was a little ridiculous that after all the shit she's faced over the years, she was terrified of her best friend.
But they did say that the people closest to you could hurt you the most.
She didn't doubt that she'd hurt Sam by kissing Hawk. And Sam was out for revenge or, at least, to tell her over and over again how terrible of a mistake she was making.
"It'll be okay, you know," Demetri said after opening the driver's side door. He stepped out and leaned in to look at Harper, who hadn't so much as moved an inch. "I mean, she'll definitely be mad and will probably make at least a dozen or so comments about how much she hates Eli and how she can't believe you're with him after everything…," he trailed off," the tips of his ears turning pink as he stopped his rambling.
Harper shot him with a hard look, though she still kept a tight grip on her anxiety — or maybe the anxiety kept a tight grip on her. It was a little hard to tell at times. But, either way, she was a bundle of nerves and Demetri wasn't helping.
"Sorry. Look, it probably won't even be that bad. She didn't tell you not to come, right?"
"I mean, no. But…."
"Then she wants you here! Come on, just go face the music. Turn on that whole 'I don't give a shit what anyone thinks' vibe you always got going on. It's terrifying. Even Eli would be scared by it." Not giving her a chance to argue, he shut the door and walked toward the house.
Terrifying? Harper wasn't so sure about that, but she'd do anything to feel even a fraction as confident as Demetri seemed to think she was.
Don't overthink it, foster.
Hawk's words floated through her mind, but she'd never admit that maybe — just maybe — he was right. He didn't need that ego boost but she was overthinking this.
Mumbling under her breath, she followed Demetri. The porch light was on, a warm welcoming beacon that now looked like the fiery gates to hell. She barely had time to mentally prepare before the door swung open and Sam greeted them.
"Hey, Demetri," Sam said, her voice as cheerful as always as she stepped aside to let them in. The way her smile faded would've been hard to miss if Harper hadn't been paying attention. But she had been, and the sudden shift hit her like a cold wind. It was small, barely imperceptible, but it happened all the same. Sam didn't say anything right away, but her eyes lingered just a second too long like she was deciding whether Harper belonged there at all.
"Hi," Harper said with what she hoped was a warm smile and not one displaying her anxiety.
"Hey," Sam said, but her tone had dropped a couple of degrees. It wasn't cold enough to freeze but it was enough to remind Harper exactly where she stood. Her shoulders stiffened, and her eyes narrowed before she caught herself. The smile she forced back onto her face was forced, brittle. "What are you doing here? I mean, of course, I'm glad you're here but, I don't know, I figured you'd be busy."
"Busy? You invited me, remember?" Harper shot Demetri a quick look, doing her absolute best to stay calm.
"Yeah, I know. I guess I just thought you'd be hanging out with him," Sam said with a shrug, though the way she said 'him' was colder than ice.
Of course. It always came back to him, Harper thought with a sigh as she followed them into the living room. She could practically hear the unspoken accusations: betrayal, bad judgment, and everything in between.
The house looked as it'd always had but it lacked the warmth she'd come to know and love. It felt like stepping into a lion's den, and Harper mentally prepared herself. Every glance, every word, every awkward silence would be a test that Harper was just too exhausted to pass.
"Can we all just address the elephant in the room?" Demetri asked as he plopped down on the couch. He looked at each one in turn before sighing heavily. "So let's just get it out there. Harper and Eli are dating. Yes, it's weird. Yes, it's happening. And no, I'm not taking sides because I don't have a death wish."
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. Harper's pulse quickened as Sam's gaze locked on her, sharper than any words she'd said so far. Everything Sam thought of the conversation was displayed on her face for the whole world to see.
"Sam —"
"Don't," Sam said with a shake of her head. "Just don't, okay? Nothing you say will make me be okay with this, Harper. Not now. Not ever." Her voice was low, but the edge in it was sharp enough to cut through Harper's already frayed nerves.
The words were like a punch — fast and hard. Harper opened her mouth to argue but couldn't find the right words. Nothing she said would make a difference, and so she stood before her best friend as if before her own execution.
Demetri shifted on the couch awkwardly, his eyes darting between the two girls like he wanted to melt into the cushions and disappear.
"I know that, but —" Harper started, only to be cut off again.
"But what? You think you can change him?" Sam scoffed, the sound dripping with disdain as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, good luck with that. Once a cobra, always a cobra. He's going to strike before you know it so don't expect me to be there to help you pick up the pieces. Because we all know it's going to fall apart sooner than later."
Harper felt her composure slipping — the tight grip she had on it was falling through her fingers like grains of sand. "It's not like I'm looking past all the shit he's done. I know who he is, Sam."
"Yeah, and whatever feelings you have for him are clouding your judgment. Come on, Harper, I thought you were smarter than this."
Sam's words hung in the air, heavy and oppressive. Her pulse pounded in her ears as the silence stretched between them.
"Can you just stop?!" Harper said, her voice rising as her hands tightened into fists, nails digging into her palms as she fought to stay composed. It was exhausting to be knocked down by someone who was supposed to be her best friend. "You hate him, I get it. I've heard it a million times already."
"If you did then you wouldn't be with him," Sam argued.
"I'm really not looking past everything he's done to us." Harper's voice rose, clear and defiant, as her composure cracked. Her chest tightened, and the words spilled out before she could fully think them through. But she was done holding back, listening to every judgment and criticism that was passed onto her. "But he's been there when you guys turned your back on me. He helped me when I was having that panic attack, and he was there to help me pick up the pieces when it felt like my whole freaking life was falling apart. So I'm sorry if you don't like it, Sam, but I'm standing by him. Just like he stood by me. And I just… I really don't care what you think anymore."
The words felt strange leaving her mouth, partly because she did care. She cared too much. But she was also done being cut down and made to feel like some villain for making a choice that, for once, felt right to her.
Sam stared at Harper, her lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she thought Sam might actually say something back, but she didn't.
Demetri cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at them, clearly wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. "So, that was great. It went exactly how I thought it would," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably and avoiding all eye contact as if his life depended on it. "You know, terribly. It went terribly."
Sam and Harper stayed quiet, but their silence spoke volumes.
"But if I could just say one thing," Demetri said.
"No," the two girls said in unison.
Demetri blinked at their tone, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay, well, I'm going to anyway," he said, ignoring the looks thrown his way. "I know you hate this, and you have every right to. I'm not thrilled about it either but, I don't know, don't you think you're being just a little bit too hard on her, Sam? Eli's my best friend, or he was before the whole evil Hawk persona took over."
"What's your point?" Sam asked.
"I knew him before the attitude, and the mohawk, and the tattoos. And yeah, he's made a lot of bad choices. Monumentally bad choices," Demetri said, his words rushing out in one breath as if it were a race. "But he's been on her side since Valley Fest, and you know that he doesn't just stand up for anyone. And Harper's not some damsel — she's annoyingly good at figuring people out. If she's giving him a chance, there's probably a reason. So… maybe don't treat her like she's clueless?"
Sam crossed her arms across her chest, her gaze flickering between Harper and Demetri. Her jaw tightened, her voice laced with irritation. "I thought you said you weren't taking sides."
"I'm not," Demetri said. "But you two are best friends, and that used to mean something, didn't it? Harper's always had your back, even when it wasn't easy. Do you really think she'd make a decision like this if she didn't believe in it?"
The silence that followed was deafening. It felt like all the oxygen in the room was taken out, and they were all suffocating under the pressure of Sam's silence. Whatever the outcome was, Harper wasn't going to back down. She'd said her piece, and for once, that was enough.
Sam's gaze flickered between Harper and Demetri. For a moment, she looked like she might argue, but instead, she exhaled sharply. "Fine," Sam said, her words clipped and reluctant. Her arms remained crossed, but there was something in her tone that resembled something softer — almost reluctant acceptance.
"Okay, great. That wasn't awkward at all," Demetri muttered, sinking further into the couch.
"I'll grab us some water." Sam didn't say anything else. She just turned and walked toward the kitchen, leaving Harper and Demetri in the silence of the living room.
Harper exhaled sharply, her pulse still racing, but thankful that the storm had passed. For now. "Thanks. You didn't have to, you know, say all that. I know you're not exactly Hawk's biggest fan either."
"No, but no one should have to face Sam's wrath alone. It's terrifying." Demetri said with a shudder before smiling. "But, hey, what are better friends for?"
"Better friends," Harper echoed as she smiled, grateful to have Demetri on her side. The small mantra she'd been telling him since they first met reminded her that she wasn't as alone in this as she thought. It was such a small thing but it meant the world to her.
When Sam returned a few minutes later, the air was slightly more breathable. The tension lingered in the air — it would never fully leave — but Harper no longer felt as if she had to brace herself for war. Sam's disapproval still simmered beneath the surface but she reigned it in. A quiet sigh escaped her lips when an actual, normal conversation picked up. One that didn't revolve around Cobra Kai or Hawk or Harper's horrible decision-making skills.
Somehow, the conversation drifted to old stories of middle school and childhood, and she was just content enough to listen to them talk. Her past was sprinkled with small moments of happiness amongst the darkness — not something she wanted to bring up for fear of ruining the mood.
But, for a moment, Harper could almost believe that they were back to how they used to be. Three best friends talking about nothing important but enjoying each other's company.
And Harper let herself relax against the cushions, laughing at a joke Demetri butchered, which only made it ten times funnier.
And then, as if the universe had other plans, the doorbell rang. The sound, loud and sharp, reverberated throughout the house like a dark omen, wiping the smiles from their faces in an instant.
They shared a look expressing their anxiety about what could be waiting for them on the other side of the door. Harper and Demetri followed Sam, hanging back as she pulled the door open to find Nate leaning heavily against the doorframe. His face was bruised and swollen, and a cut on his lip was still bleeding. His shirt was torn, and he was cradling his arm as if it might be broken.
"Hey, what's up?" Sam asked, her voice tentative as if afraid of hearing the answer.
"This can't be good," Demetri muttered beside her, and Harper held her breath as she waited for the news that would surely crush her.
"Is your dad here?" Nate asked.
"Uh, no. He's at work," Sam said. "Why?"
"Cobra Kai took the money," Nate said slowly, wincing as if replaying a painful memory in his mind. "And they kicked the shit outta me!"
Her ears rang, drowning out the sound of their voices as her chest tightened. She could barely process the words — Cobra Kai, money, beating — before the room tilted around her. She blinked, thinking that maybe she'd misheard, but that would've been too good to be true.
No, no, no. This can't be happening.
Harper ran a shaky hand through her hair as her mind raced to Hawk — he couldn't have done this. He wouldn't have stolen from them, from her, not after…. But the sick feeling in her stomach told of a different story as Sam's words from earlier — once a cobra, always a cobra — infiltrated her mind.
Because, of course, it was happening. The brief reprieve she'd had from the chaos was obviously too much for the universe to allow her. It was like a cruel punishment — as if the thought of letting her have one good day was too ridiculous to ask for.
Harper's nails dug into her palms to keep her hands from shaking. She knew it was true without even having to ask, and the pieces of her heart that chipped off were lost forever. She finally forced herself to look up and found three pairs of eyes watching her. Accusations were etched into their faces — not just at Hawk, but at her.
At the resident traitor.
"Look, I didn't —"
"You didn't what, Harper? You didn't know that your boyfriend's a piece of shit?" Sam asked, that same anger from before bubbling to the surface.
Harper shook her head, trying to ease some of the dizziness that made her feel like she was free-falling. "I swear, I had no idea he'd do this," she said, her voice pitifully small. "He couldn't have done this," she added quietly.
Harper was pathetically desperate to believe he was still the same guy who'd helped her when no one else could, who'd made her laugh uncontrollably when all she'd wanted to do was give up. But, she wasn't stupid. She knew that a dangerous part of him existed, had seen the shift in him lately — the barely contained aggression, the anger that seemed to pull him into every fight imaginable. He'd tried to control it, but it was there, bottled up and waiting to be let out.
"He couldn't have done this?" Sam asked, her mocking tone sharp as she let out a scoff. "How naive can you be? This is Hawk we're talking about! This is what he does."
"I'm not lying," Nate said defensively. "Hawk was there. He was laughing while Mitch, Trey, and the others beat me up!"
Harper opened her mouth to reply but the words got stuck in her throat. Her friends were looking at her as if she was their enemy, and she half-expected them to pull out pitchforks and torches. Wiping her hands on her shorts, she turned to Demetri but his expression was a mix of disappointment and anger. Whether it was directed at her or Cobra Kai was anyone's guess but she suddenly felt more alone than ever.
"Look at what they did, Harper!" Sam pointed towards Nate as if Harper was blindfolded and didn't understand the severity of what had happened. "You can't really be surprised that he did this."
"Sam," Demetri said, shooting her a look that she ignored. "This isn't Harper's fault."
"She's guilty by association," Sam said coolly.
Their friendship was breaking all over again. The unhealed cracks from their last fallout were reopening, becoming a bigger fissure that would be impossible to close. And there was nothing Harper could do to fix it. No magical wand she could wave.
Just because she saw a different side to him didn't erase everything he'd done. Or would do.
And the worst part? She felt the shame and the anger running through her veins like a wild river. It was crushing her from the inside.
"Look, I'm not defending Hawk or anything so don't shoot the messenger," Demetri continued nervously, shifting from one foot to the other. "Stealing that money and beating up Nate was low, even for him, but blaming Harper for this isn't fair. She's not Cobra Kai, Sam. She's still Harper."
"No, she used to be one of us," Sam said. "She knows he's a monster, Demetri, and she's still choosing him."
Harper's jaw clenched, her shaking hands tightening into fists. They would never get past this — the peaceful lull had been but a small, reprieve but she'd always be looked at as the accomplice to the enemy.
"I'm not the one who beat Nate up! I didn't steal that money, Sam," Harper snapped, her voice trembling with frustration and anger. "You think this is easy for me? I mean, I feel like an idiot for defending him but I'm not the villain here. And I'm honestly tired of you treating me like one."
Demetri shifted uncomfortably as his gaze darted between the two girls. "She's right, you know. Harper doesn't deserve to be treated like this."
"I know. It's just… all that money we raised is gone." Sam sighed, some of her anger dissipating. "This is proof that he's nothing but a snake, Harper. And he's gonna do worse, you know he is. So you know you can't be with him, right? You have to break up with him."
Break up with him.
That was the only option. The only logical thing to do — end things before she dug herself into an even deeper hole. Before she lost everyone around her who mattered.
But Harper didn't know if she could just walk away from him. The very idea of it left her stomach in knots. It wasn't something she could explain to Sam, Demetri, or even to herself, but Hawk was more than his mistakes. A part of her still believed he could come back from this. That he could be the guy who'd stood up for her when no one else did, who saw past the foster kid title.
The answer must've been written on her face because, all at once, Sam and Nate's voices rose — incredulous shouts aimed at her for standing by him despite what he'd done.
"You're serious right now? I think those assholes broke my arm!" Nate yelled.
"You're gonna stay with him? After everything?" Sam yelled, practically shaking with anger. "Are they threatening you or something? Blackmailing you? Because you can't seriously still choose him after everything you just heard."
"I don't — I'm not choosing him over you!" Harper yelled, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "But you don't get it. And I don't even know if I can even explain it, but he's not just this monster to me. And I know how stupid that sounds, okay? I know, but I don't… I can't walk away from him."
"I don't get it." Sam's voice was quieter now, but the way she stared at Harper as if she was some stranger was somehow worse than a raised voice. "I want to understand but… he's going to drag you down. You have to know that. You're my best friend but I can't just sit back and watch it happen."
"You think I don't feel guilty?" Harper took a shaky breath, blinking away the tears that blurred her vision. "You think I don't know that I'm losing you guys all over again? I know I'm screwing everything up. Again. But I… I can't just walk away from him. Not now."
Harper didn't need to hear their answer, and she didn't need to see the disappointment worn across their faces. It was there without her needing to look. Without waiting for more backlash, she brushed past her friends and stepped out of the house. The cool night air hit her face but it did nothing to clear her mind. Her pulse rose as she took a deep breath, her chest feeling as if it might cave in at any moment. The weight of their disappointment pressed down around her, and it only reminded her of how utterly alone she was at that moment.
"Harper, wait," Demetri called out, his voice softer, hesitant. He stepped up beside her, a nervous hand going to the back of his neck as he smiled sympathetically.
"What?" Harper asked, refusing to meet his eye. "Here to tell me what a horrible person I am?"
"No. I just wanted to check on you," Demetri told her.
"I'm fine." The answer was automatic. A reflex when everything around her was falling to pieces.
It was obvious Demetri didn't believe her — the half-snort and eye roll were enough to give him away. But he didn't press, and she appreciated that.
"Are you coming back in or…?" He trailed off.
"I can't. I just… I should probably get home," Harper said.
There was too much for her to think about, to process if her overwhelmed mind would allow it. The beginnings of a headache started but it wasn't anything that an aspirin would solve. This headache was brought on by a heartache so painful that nothing would fix it. The rift with her best friend to the anger and disappointment with the boy she thought she knew were too much to bear.
"Need a ride?" Demetri asked, gesturing toward his car. "I mean, of course, you do. I kinda drove you here."
"Thanks, but you can stay. I'll be fine," Harper told him.
"Yeah, but I kinda need a break from all of that," he said with a chuckle, nodding to the house that seemed dimmer despite the lights on inside. "Come on."
Harper nodded. The seatbelt clicked into place, and they were off — driving away from the tension that seemed to radiate from the house. She was happy to be driven away from the judgmental looks, and the accusations over something she had no control over.
"Sam didn't mean all of that, you know," Demetri said a few minutes later, nervously tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. The stoplight turned the side of his face red, illuminating the car like a bad omen. "She'll get over it."
Harper let out a sigh at his sudden bout of optimism. The words were meant to reassure her, but they did the opposite. They reminded her of all that had been said, of all the broken pieces that would never fit together again.
"No, she won't," Harper told him with a sad smile, twisting her bracelet around in a relentless circle. "She's Cobra Kai's number one hater, Demetri. And I'm the girl that's in love with a monster."
Demetri's foot slipped off the brake, jerking the car into oncoming traffic. A horn blared before he slammed on the brake, a sheepish smile and a mumbled apology slipping out as he white-knuckled the steering wheel. "Did you just — Y-you love him?" He managed to get out, throwing a wide-eyed look her way.
The words had slipped out without Harper even being aware of them. The word lingered in the air, heavy and undeniable. She'd said that four-letter word that she didn't even believe in, not really. How could she? When her whole life was filled with the opposite of love. So how was it possible that she'd said it? Aloud and so casually and so easily? It wasn't possible, but the ache in her chest told her otherwise. Somewhere along the way, she'd fallen for him — and it went beyond anything she'd ever thought she could feel.
It hadn't been the plan. Hell, going beyond just friends hadn't been the plan either. And here she was: openly admitting her feelings without so much as a bat of an eye.
How could she love someone who'd stolen from her friends? Someone who hurt people like this?
But she did.
And now that they were said, she couldn't take them back — couldn't rewind time and stop herself from saying something that would change everything.
So, instead, she did what she did best: deflected.
"What? No," Harper shook her head though her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to break free. "I didn't mean it like that."
Demetri's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Harper, come on. You can't just drop a bomb like that and then act like you didn't mean it."
"Well, I didn't," Harper said quickly, looking out the window as if the streets outside held all the answers. "Not like that."
"So how'd you mean it?" Demetri asked, slowly pressing down on the gas once the light turned green. Almost like a go-ahead for her to open up and admit that she meant that ridiculous word that started with an L.
Harper shrugged, hoping her silence was enough of an answer. She tugged at the bracelet harder, the rose gold chain digging into the soft skin of her wrist as she spun it around and around.
"I'm not blind. I mean, I've seen the way you look at him," Demetri added, his tone softer, almost cautious. "And yeah, you two are something now but… it's also kinda more than that, right?"
She kept her gaze fixed out the window, the lampposts and lit-up homes and businesses putting the emotions on her face on full display. "It's complicated, okay? You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," Demetri prodded gently, his gaze softening. The sharp edges of his earlier shock were replaced with something more open as if telling her it was okay to trust him with this.
There was no pressure in his voice, no hint of judgment that would make her regret her words. But she couldn't.
"Look, I'm not asking for a detailed PowerPoint presentation or anything," he added when her silence stretched on for too long. "I'm just saying… maybe it's not as complicated as you think it is."
"I didn't mean it," Harper repeated, her voice catching on the words that sounded hollow even to her ears. "Not like that. Because that would be ridiculous if I… but, I don't. I can't." She shook her head but heard her words repeated back to her in a continuous loop.
And I'm the girl that's in love with a monster.
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope 2025 is treating you all with the love and kindness you deserve.
Here's a new chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoyed reading it :) Definitely can't wait to hear what your thoughts and opinions are on this.