Chapter Eight

The next day I walk into physics feeling a little uneasy. Harrison and I haven’t talked since I left him sitting in the hallway the day before, and I’m not exactly sure what to expect to happen now. I don’t know if he’s going to completely blow me off when he walks in or try to pull something. I also don’t know how to feel about any of this.

            I felt distracted during my entire acting lesson and while I was trying to get my homework done last night. When I finally managed to lay down to go to sleep, I still couldn’t stop thinking about Harrison. I don’t really like being on bad terms with other people and the fact that I yelled at him just makes me feel even worse. I feel like the bad guy even though he is the one spinning me around in circles.

            I meant what I said about not having any feelings for Harrison. This whole time I have been contemplating having a friendship with him and an actual relationship with him has never once crossed my mind. We just don’t fit together. We both have issues that just don’t make us compatible. I know that, but does he know that? He claims that he goes, but then he turns right around and flirts with me. I’ve never been more confused in my life.

            Students continue to file into the classroom as I just stare at the table in front of me, lost in my own thoughts. I don’t want to think about Harrison and this whole situation so much, but I can’t help it.

            Then I hear his voice.

            I slyly look up to see Harrison’s smiling face as he walks in with a popular boy I recognize as Marshall Brookes. The two continue chatting and I manage to cast my eyes back down before Harrison catches me staring at him.

            Suddenly, I hear the chair move next to me, making me jump a little as I look over expecting to see Jenna. However, I find Harrison sitting in her seat instead, currently turning in my direction.

            “Hey, Grim.”

“Hello, Harrison,” I say flatly.

“You sound mighty proper.” He puts on a English accent that somehow sounds flawless. I continue to keep my expression smooth as I just stare at him, unsure of what to say.

“Is everything okay?” His voice is soft as he reaches up to my left ear and tucks a strand of hair behind it, forcing me to swat away a bewildered expression.

What is he doing? Did he completely forget what happened between us less than a day ago? I made it clear how annoyed I had been with him and nothing had changed since then. So why was he taking such a gentle approach now and asking such a silly question when he knew exactly what was wrong?

Oh, right. His endless mood swings.

I want to say something to him, but I feel like I’ll just get annoyed with him and end up arguing with him in front of my whole class. I already feel slightly embarrassed due to him tucking my hair behind my ear in such a public matter, but I try not to dwell on it. Stirring the pot will only hurt me now.

I clear my throat quietly and turn away from him so I can open up my notebook, hoping to break away from our shared moment. If that even was a moment.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

No, Harrison. I’m not sure. I told you yesterday that I’m tired of you confusing me all the time and yet you’re here confusing me once again. I don’t know what to say or do anymore.

“Yes, Harrison. I promise I’m fine.” I turn my head to glance over at him and I end up staring right into his blue eyes, which still hold a strange curiosity.

            “I’m not an idiot, Grim. I know what it means when a girl says, ‘I’m fine.’”

            I furrow my brow as I continue to hold his eyes in mine, unsure of what to make of his words. So he knows that I’m not completely fine, but what does he plan to do now? The ball is technically in his court, but I’m not looking to get played.

            “I’m sorry,” he states and I can feel the sincerity behind his words. His eyes look completely serious and his boyish grin is gone. I didn’t even know Harrison was capable of being this serious and I’m half surprised he hasn’t made a sex joke yet.

            “I’m really sorry, Grim. Upsetting you was the last thing that I wanted to do.”

            I bite my lip, wondering how I should respond. I really don’t want to give in so easily, but I don’t like being on bad terms with Harrison. Maybe if I just accept his apology then we can go our separate ways and he’ll stop trying to be my friend. It’s probably better off that way.

            “I accept your apology, Harrison,” I state, giving him a small nod.

            A smile spreads across Harrison’s face and I watch as he glances down to my lips. He licks his lips and then meets my eyes again, causing my heart to race.

            Don’t even think about it, Lunn.

            Suddenly, I hear the bell ring and Harrison jumps up from his seat, apologizing to Jenna as he walks back to his own seat. He pats me on the shoulder as he passes, causing me to let out small sigh once he pulls his hand away.

            Immediately, Mr. Hillard projects our notes for the day up on the screen and I push Harrison out of my mind as I begin to write down every word in my notebook. However, not thinking about Harrison is a little hard when he is currently sitting right behind me and I swear that I can feel his eyes on me. As time moves on though, I focus more on learning our new formulas and less on Harrison Lunn.

            Still, Harrison always manages to get the attention on him.

            “Mr. Hillard!”

I hear Harrison’s familiar voice behind me and I see my classmates turn around to look at him. I keep my eyes straight forward as I watch Mr. Hillard glance over to Harrison, looking more confused than annoyed.

“Yes, Harrison?”

“It has been two months since school started and we still haven’t received new seats. A guy needs to breathe. A change of pace. I want to explore a new side of the classroom. Expand my outlook. We’re seniors. We need the freedom to sit where we want and with who we want. Can you please give us some new seats?”

Mr. Hillard looks at Harrison, completely shocked.

“Harrison, I would be more than happy to supply a new seating chart, but I will worry about that when I’m not in the middle of my lecture.” Hillard starts to focus on his slideshow, but is immediately interrupted by Harrison again.

“Come on, Hillard! I can’t even focus anymore. I need to move!”

Hillard turns back to Harrison, furrowing his brow and letting out an annoyed sigh. Harrison is about to meet his fate of being sent down to the Dean’s office, not that he cares. He is probably doing it on purpose in order to get out of class.

“Fine. Everyone up. Pick up your stuff.”

I stare at Hillard in surprise, slowly standing and grabbing my things.

Hillard gives everyone an annoyed smile as we stare at one another, unsure of what to do.

“Go ahead and pick your new seats.”

Everyone stands around for a moment, letting smiles slowly work their way onto their faces as they realize he is serious. However, I instantly hear shifting behind me and I look over to see Harrison tap Jenna on the shoulder.

The smile that spreads across her face was unreal as she glances up at his charming half crooked smile.

“Mind if I have this seat?”

Jenna’s smile seems to fall a little as she looks at him and then back at me.

She gives him another weak smile and nods as she begins to slide out of his way. Harrison gives her a thankful pat as she moves, putting another wide smile on her face.

He then smiles at me as I just stare at him, hesitant whether I should move or not.

“Sit down, Grim.” He sits down in his own seat and beams up at me.

I glance around the classroom to see almost every girl sneaking glances towards us. It suddenly hits me that none of them have picked their seats yet because they have been waiting to see where Harrison would sit.

I sigh and sit back down in my seat, putting my stuff down again. Almost immediately, the tables behind, in front, and to the left of us fill up with all girls.

I shake my head as I look over at Harrison.

“You just made a lot of girls unhappy. They would have killed someone to sit next you.”

“Sucks for them. They never even had a chance.”

Harrison scoots closer to me and looks down at my notes.

“You know, I always wondered what you were doing up here. Now I can experience it first hand.”

I laugh a little, feeling my cheeks burn as I feel eyes on us from every direction.

“They’re just notes, Harrison. Taking notes is kind of required in class.”

“Not for me.” Harrison smiles and leans back in his chair.

I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Hillard once again.

“That wasn’t much of a change, Mr. Lunn.” Hillard’s tone sounds very short and annoyed, causing me to swallow hard. I can’t help but feel in trouble.

“This was exactly the kind of change I needed.” Harrison gives him his large boyish smile and folds his arms across his chest, looking as if he just won the argument before it even started.

Hillard just rolls his eyes and lets out a small sigh as he turns back to the slideshow, continuing where he left off.

I begin to write down notes again, feeling Harrison’s eyes on my paper as I write each word. I can’t help but feel slightly nervous as he watches me.

Maybe these new seats were not the best idea. Although, I have to admit that I would rather sit next to Harrison than Jenna. I can still feel her death glare, as well as many other girls’, hitting the side of my face though.

Thanks a lot, Harrison.

The rest of the class crawls by, but I manage to become more relaxed with Harrison by my side. He doesn’t say or do anything, which makes the situation a little better. The last thing I need right now is him whispering in my ear or writing on my paper, causing all the daggers on me to intensify.

Harrison waits for me as I pack up all my stuff, and we exit the classroom together. We’re silent as we walk halfway down the hallway, but it once again doesn’t feel uncomfortable. I don’t know why I chose to walk with him. I accepted his apology and I’m no longer mad at him, but I wouldn’t say I feel comfortable with our friendship going in the same direction as it has been. Obviously it’s toxic to us both and the best thing would be for me to just cuts ties before anything else gets out of hand. Yet, here I am. Walking with him down the hallway.

I hear Harrison clear his throat, causing me to glance over at him.

“I really do hope that you accept my apology, Grim. I was out of line yesterday and, you know, sometimes I just get a little too cocky.”

Harrison keeps his expression smooth and continues to look forward, making it hard for me to read him.

“I want us to be friends still. Just friends. That’s all I’ve wanted, nothing more.” He pauses for a moment and looks over to him. “Do you think we could still be friends?”

I bite my lip for a moment as I stare into his eyes, feeling like seconds become minutes.

What am I supposed to say to him? I know that I’m a little shaky about our friendship, but at the same time I’m curious about Harrison, and I want the chance to experience him more. That does not mean I want to pursue him romantically or that I have feelings for him. That just means that I don’t exactly hate his company. Even though he does confuse me 99.9 percent of the time, I still can’t help but want him around. He’s cocky, conceited, and arrogant, but he cares more than most people do and sometimes that’s all you need. Someone to genuinely care.

I nod, making my eyes softer and allowing my shoulders to relax. I don’t know if I’m going to regret this or not, but right now it’s what I want.

Harrison seems to let out a relieved sigh and nods as well.

“Good.” He smiles at me and I see his eyes flicker down to my lips. “However, if we’re going to be friends, you can’t bite your lip like that.”

I immediately release my lip and feel my eyes widen, feeling confusion hit me once again.

Oh no, please don’t make me regret this decision already.

“Thank you,” he says smugly and turns to look forward.

When we reach the popular hallway, I begin to look around for my friends, who are all standing in their usual spot chatting away.

I open my mouth to say goodbye to Harrison, but instead I feel his arm slide around my shoulder and he leads me in the direction of his crowd. I furrow my brow and glance at my friends once again. They’re all staring at me now, watching as I walk with Harrison towards the group that they’re all dying to be apart of.

“Come on, Grim. I want you to meet some of my friends.”

I feel a wave of panic suddenly come over me and feel the need to escape, but I can’t. I can’t seem to make my body pull away from his, and even if I did I know he would bring me right back.

“Harrison,” I finally manage, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

I can feel my heart begin to race faster as I see Claire turn to look at Harrison, allowing a wide smile to spread across her face, but instantly letting it fall once she glances over at me. Her eyes narrow on me, causing me to feel small. I’m not intimidated by Claire and all of her crap, but being led into a group of people who are all simultaneously judging you; that’s a little frightening.

I watch to see more eyes shift in our direction as we finally near the group, feeling a blush come over my cheeks. This is the third time today that Harrison has managed to put all the attention on me and I’m absolutely dreading it. I just want to disappear into the ground.

Harrison finally stops me in front of a small group of people full of some familiar faces.

“Hey, guys. I want you all to meet my good friend, Ava Grimmond.” Harrison beams down at me and I feel my face grow warmer. Why is he doing this?

I look back to the members of our small group and meet eyes with a girl to Harrison’s left. She has short black hair and a beautiful jaw line. I’ve seen her around school before, but I’ve never heard her name.

I’m caught a little off guard when I notice her smiling at me, but I choose to give her a small smile back.

“Grim, this is Taylor. Taylor, this is Grim…well…Ava.”

“I’ll stick with Ava,” Taylor winks at me and continues to smile. I feel myself relax a little.

Harrison then gestures to the boy next to Taylor who I already recognize as Dean Snyder.

“I know you! We had English together sophomore year!” Dean smiles at me, making me feel welcome as well.

Chemistry, actually.

I give him a small smile and nod at him, turning to look at who else Harrison is introducing me to.

“That’s Savannah, and you already know Claire.”

I try to keep my smile in place as I stare at both Savannah and Claire. Savannah continues to chew her bubble gum and then slowly begins to check her nails, acting as if I completely don’t exist. Claire suddenly flashes me an annoyed grin and I feel her pull me into a hug, causing Harrison’s arm to slip off of my shoulder.

“Great to see you again,” she states loudly, but the sincerity is missing from her voice. I can smell her expensive perfume and hairspray as she begins to hug me a little too tightly.

When she finally releases me, she moves so that she is now standing next to Harrison, slipping her arm around his waist. I watch as she smiles up at him as he looks over to me, furrowing his brow a little.

            I’m not the only one who saw what happened there, right?

            A second later though, Harrison slips his arm around Claire’s shoulder, but choses not to acknowledge her more than that. He turns his attention towards Taylor and gives her a wide smile as they begin to talk about something. My mind is so clouded right now that I can’t even focus on their conversation, but soon everyone else in the group joins in. I continue to stand there, gripping the strap of my bag as I try to think of some excuse to leave.

            “So, Ava.”

            I hear Taylor’s voice, snapping me out of my thoughts and meet her eyes. She’s currently smiling at me, causing me to mirror her expression.

            “Harrison mentioned to me the other day that you’re into all the theatre stuff, right?”

            I feel my heart skip a beat, but try to keep my expression calm. I know that my answer will probably be the wrong one and they’ll judge me for it, but I still find myself nodding.

            “Yeah. I’m really into theatre and all that,” I state, slightly hoping that she’ll choose to drop the subject. Hopefully this isn’t leading towards her, and everyone else, taking turns making fun of me.

            “That’s so cool! I always want to come to the shows at Wilson, but I can never make it due to gymnastics. Do you dance?”

            I can’t help but let a genuine smile spread across my face as relief floods over me. I already like Taylor, and that’s unusual for someone like me.

            “I do. I’ve been dancing for years.”

            “That’s what Harrison was saying too! I used to do jazz, but I had to drop out when gymnastics got a little more time consuming.”

            I’m about to reply when I hear Claire sigh loudly and look over to see her roll her eyes.

            “Can we go get some lunch?” She asks and glares over at Taylor, who just shakes her head. Taylor meets my eyes and gives me an apologetic smile and shrug. I definitely like her.

            “We never eat lunch,” Harrison states, causing Claire’s daggers to turn towards him instead.

            “Well I’m hungry.” I can hear the annoyance in Claire’s voice, making possible excuses flash through my mind once again.

            “You’re so needy,” Harrison says, but before Claire can get pissed off, he presses a kiss to her forehead. A smile spreads across her face and I can see her eyes flicker over to me for a second.

            What is her problem?

            “You want to join us, Ava?”

            I look over to see Dean smiling at me, his eyes practically sparkling.

            Did Dean Snyder just invite me to lunch?

            “I only have five seats in my car,” Savannah voices and then gives me a snobby smile. “Sorry, Aba.”

            “It’s Ava,” Harrison cuts in, obvious annoyance in his voice.

            “Whatever.” Savannah rolls her eyes and then turns her attention back to her phone, clearly not fazed by Harrison’s words.

            I don’t know what I did to make Claire and Savannah hate me so much, but it must have been something pretty severe.

            I feel a slight tension in the air, making my comfort level drop further.

            “That’s okay,” I say when I finally find my voice. “I already have plans, but thank you for inviting me.” I smile at Dean.

            “Some other time then.” Dean winks at me and I feel a sudden lump in my throat. Boys never winked at me until recently and I’m still unsure how to react toward this random gesture.

            I continue to smile as I shift my eyes over to Harrison, noticing how he’s raising a brow at me. However, his skeptical expression is suddenly replaced with a large smile as he swoops down and plants a hard kiss on Claire’s lips. I want to smile at the fact that Harrison is being affectionate with Claire, but it’s a little hard when I know that he’ll most likely be locking lips with another girl at the end of the day.

            “Well, I’ll get our of your guys’ hair. See ya.” I smile to each of them and give a small wave as I turn around and walk back to my own friends, feeling relieved to be away from Claire and Savannah’s endless glares.

            Once I’m back with my own friends, I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes at each of their expressions.

            “Oh my God, Av. You were just over there with the popular kids!” Hannah is currently speaking quickly in a hushed tone, causing me to furrow my brow at her.

            “Hannah, you don’t have to whisper. It’s not even that big of a deal.”

            “Not that big of a deal! You were just over there talking to Claire Cotillard and Dean Snyder. It’s like you’re somebody!”

            I can’t help but laugh at Dianna’s comment, shaking my head at how ridiculous they’re all being.

            “I don’t think hanging out with a couple of a popular kids from an insignificant high school makes me ‘somebody.’ If I was just talking to Audrey Hepburn or Patti Lupone then it might be a different story.”

            My friends just stare at one another for a moment, causing me to sigh.

            “Anyway, Harrison just wanted me to meet some of his friends and introduced me to some of them for a brief moment. It was nothing more than that.”

            “Then he just kissed Claire in front of you like that. Harsh.”

            I raise a brow at Hannah, confused at what she’s talking about.

            “What do you mean?”

            Hannah laughs and looks at me in disbelief.

            “Well, isn’t it obvious? I mean, there’s clearly something going on between you and Harrison, yet he flaunts his relationship with Claire right in front of you. It’s just kind of weird.”

            I feel the color drain from my face and suddenly feel a strong pain in my stomach.

            They think there’s something going on between Harrison and me? How could they possibly think that when I haven’t done or said anything to convey that idea?

            “There’s nothing going on between Harrison and me, Hannah. I don’t know where you got that idea from.”

            Hannah looks at Dianna and Jacqueline and then I watch as they all begin to look awkwardly in different directions, obviously trying to avoid the conversation playing out in front of us.

            However, I’m not willing to give up that easy. I need to know what’s going on here.

            “What gave you guys that idea?”

            “Well,” Jacqueline continues to avoid my eyes, “Everyone thinks you two are sleeping together.”

            I feel my jaw instantly drop as my heart begins to pound. I suddenly feel incredibly embarrassed and angry at the same time, and all I want to do is scream until everyone knows that nothing is going on between Harrison and me.

            “Wh…what?” I stammer, trying to get myself to calm down. I am completely appalled and just irritated that it’s hard for me to focus, but I try not to get too worked up in front of my friends.

            “You guys just spend so much time together and he’s always around you. People have been talking around school and everything, and they all think you two are sleeping together or he has a secret relationship with you or something.” Hannah finally meets my eyes, looking as if she were in trouble.

            This just keeps getting better and better.

            “And you believe that?” I ask, trying to push down my anger once again.

            My friends look away from me and I can already tell that they believe all the rumors traveling around our school.

            I’m so confused and frustrated that I don’t even know what to say. I turn around to see Harrison’s smiling face as he walks out with his friends, his arm still wrapped around Claire’s shoulder. For some reason, the person I want to take my anger out on the most is him, but I know that’s not fair. He didn’t start the rumors and he agreed to just being friends. He hasn’t technically done anything wrong and neither have I. It’s just all the ridiculous people in this school and their undeniable need for gossip.

            I turn my attention back to my friends and let out an annoyed sigh as I run a hand through my hair.

            “Look, I know that this is going to be hard for you all to believe considering you all choose to believe the rumors you hear rather than what I say, but there is nothing going on between Harrison and me. He’s my friend. Apparently my best friend, but that’s all he’s ever going to be. We haven’t slept together. We haven’t done anything like that together and to be quite honest, the thought of doing anything like that with him completely repulses me. So, you can all chose to believe what you want, but Harrison and I are just friends and nothing else.”

            I shake my head and look down at the ground as I try to get myself under control. I’m not sure if my words will get through to my friends, and I shouldn’t really care, but I can’t helped but be irked by the fact that people think Harrison and I are sleeping together. For once, I actually care what people are saying about me and what they’re all thinking about me. I don’t want to be known as a girl who is helping some guy cheat on his girlfriend. I don’t want people to think that I’m such a shallow and horrible person that I would pull such a low stunt like this. No matter how many things you have done right it only takes a second from someone to spread a rumor about something you’ve done wrong, and then your whole entire reputation goes down the drain. I have managed to go unseen throughout all of my high school years, but now that Harrison is here I am now known as the girl helping a guy two time his girlfriend.

            Everyone is just so quick to believe everything they hear.

            “We’re sorry, Ava. We all didn’t necessarily believe that it was true. It’s just, you two do spend a lot of time together…alone time. Plus, you don’t really ever tell us anything so sometimes we just believe stupid things.” Hannah tries to keep her tone innocent, but I can see the guilt in all of their eyes.

            “I just thought you all knew me better than that. Then again, maybe you all don’t know me at all,” I laugh. I knew that my friends and I were always different and didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but now this was getting out of hand. Real friends would have defended me and not immediately believed some rumor they heard about me.

            That’s something Harrison would have done.

            “Av, we’re sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. We didn’t mean to be bad friends.”

            I meet Hannah’s eyes and shrug at her as I let a smile spread across my lips. I see them all begin to relax a little, smiling back at me as if they all believe I’m just shrugging everything off.

            “Well, you all were bad friends,” I state, feeling panicked by my harsh words yet relieved that I’m finally being honest. “And I don’t think that I can associate myself with such toxic people anymore.”

            I continue to smile as all of their smiles begin to fade and I can suddenly see tears fill Hannah’s eyes.

            “But, Ava! We’ve been friends since third grade! You can’t just turn your back on us.”

            I shrug once again and begin to walk backward in order to put distance between us.

            “You turned your backs on me first, Hannah. I’m just the one who’s smart enough to walk away.”

            Turning around, I make me way down the hallway toward Daniels’ office. I know that I’ll probably feel a little guilty and sad about the fact that I just lost three of my friends, but in reality, they were never really felt like my friends in the first place.

            I go through the rest of the school day trying not to think about Hannah, Dianna, and Jacqueline or the rumors going around about Harrison and me. However, that’s a little hard now that I am beginning to notice the looks other students give me as well as the watch them all whisper to one another when I walk by. It makes my cheeks grow warm, but I try to shake the feeling as I remind myself that their opinions really don’t matter.

            Friday night and Saturday morning are filled with hours of dance, which helps me relieve some of the stress that I’ve been feeling from school, both from the work load and the people. After ballet on Saturday morning, Lindsey and I sit on the hardwood floor and I allow myself to give her a vague update on my life. I only mention what happened on Friday though and purposely forget to mention Harrison. That situation is too confusing to even acknowledge at the moment.

            When I walk out of the studio Saturday night, I’m feeling a little better and I find that I’m no longer dwelling so much on what had been said and done with my old friends Friday afternoon. Instead, all I want to do is relax and have a calming night to myself.

            Once I get home I straight upstairs and toss my bag into its normal spot. I then turn on Tangled and situate myself on my bed, pulling my English reading guide into my lap.

            I manage to read the first question before I hear my phone chime from my night stand, making me jump slightly. I debate whether I should check it since there’s a good chance that Hannah, Dianna, or Jacqueline could be texting me in order to try to make up with me. I’ve already ignored endless texts and phone calls from them, but it takes them a long time to get a hint. Grabbing my phone, I feel slightly relieved as I notice who the text message is from.

 

Harrison: Whatcha up to, Grim?
Me: Trying to do some homework.

Harrison: But it’s Saturday night.

Me: Your point being?

Harrison: No one should be doing homework on a Saturday night. You should be out doing something.

Me: Like what?

Harrison: Partying.

Me: Parties are not my thing. Plus, I have singing lessons early tomorrow morning.

Harrison: It’s so hard being you.

Me: Shut up, Harrison.

Harrison: Easy girl. Now, I vote that you get up from your bed, change out of your dance clothes, and come over.

Me: Are you stalking me or something?

Harrison: I just know you too well. Are you coming or not?

Me: I shouldn’t.

Harrison: But you’re going to.

Me: That’s not what I’m saying.

Harrison: Come on, Grim. Live a little. I’m bored as f**k and I don’t want to go to some party with Claire.

 

            Harrison is planning on blowing off a party with Claire in order to hang out with me?

            I furrow my brow at Harrison’s message and begin to shake my head slightly. I know that the rumors are what made my “friends” and everyone else at Wilson believe that Harrison and I secretly have something going on, but when he pulls stunts like this it definitely doesn’t help.

            Maybe I was right to be a little frustrated with Harrison. I mean, we haven’t kissed or anything like that, but the fact that he is always trying to spend time with me or acting jealous isn’t making it any better.

            However, Harrison is the only friend I have right now and he hasn’t technically done anything to wrong me so far. He has actually been a decent friend besides always confusing me. When it comes down to it, Harrison would have never believed all those stupid rumors. He would have stood up for me, and for some reason I know that for a fact.

            I hear my phone chime again, shaking me from my thoughts.

 

Harrison: Plus, I want you to meet my parents.

Me: I already met your dad.

Harrison. Great, then it won’t be so painful for you. Come on, Grim. They want you to come over.

 

            They want me to come over? Oh, God.

            I sit there furrowing my brow at my phone as I weigh all of my options. I know that going over to Harrison’s house isn’t going to help everyone’s suspicion that we’re together, but then again, no one technically will know. It’s not like we’re going out on a date or anything like that.

            Then why do I feel slightly guilty?

            I sigh to myself as I reread Harrison’s message. I know that I have voice lessons tomorrow morning, but it’s only eight o’clock and I can still manage to get a good amount of sleep if I get home by eleven.

            Wait, am I actually considering going over to Harrison’s house? Well, why not? We’re just friends despite what everyone else thinks. Plus, then I can spend time with the two people who raised him. Maybe that will give me some answers as to how Harrison turned out the way he did.

 

Me: Fine, I’ll go.

Harrison: Awesome. Here’s my address.

 

            I press my lips together as I read Harrison’s address, realizing what I have just agreed to.

            Technically, I could still back out.

            I shake my head as I stand up from my bed. I quickly change out of my dance clothes and put on an outfit that is more appropriate for meeting parents.

            Why does this feel like I’m Harrison’s girlfriend or something? Is meeting their son’s friends really this important to them?

            Before I know it, I’m in my car following the directions from the GPS on my phone. Within ten minutes I’m pulling up to Harrison’s beautiful house, the same house I officially met Harrison only two months ago.

            I take a deep breath before sliding out of my car and walking up the path to their door. Before I can knock, the door is suddenly swung open and I can see Harrison’s smug smile as he stares at me.

            “Grim! So glad that you could me it.”

            He sounds like a hostess from a fancy dinner party and I can’t help but let out a small laugh.

            “Come in, come in.”

            He steps aside and waves me into his house.

            As I step inside I’m hit with the familiar scent of fresh laundry and vanilla. It’s a wonderful combination that helps me feel slightly more at ease. I can hear some music playing from down the hall where I assume his kitchen is located, followed by soft voices.

            Harrison closes the door behind me and then I can feel his hand on my lower back, causing me to look up at him. He still wears his usual smug smile, which I return with a shy smile.

            “Don’t sweat, Grim. My parents will love you.”

            I don’t say anything as Harrison leads me down the hall toward the music and voices. I know that I shouldn’t be nervous because it’s not like I’m Harrison’s girlfriend or anything and this isn’t all that serious. However, I always manage to get nervous when meeting other peoples’ parents.

            Finally, we reach the kitchen and I see Harrison’s father smiling and laughing with a very beautiful woman with long brown hair and a killer figure. I instantly assume that’s Harrison’s mother.

            How could she possibly have three kids and still look that good?

            “Mom, dad. This is Ava Grimmond. Grim, these are my parents.”

            Harrison’s parents turn their attention towards us and I watch as their attention instantly shift over to me. I’m surprised to see his mother’s face instantly light up and she quickly makes her way over to me, taking me into her arms and giving me a sincere hug. When she finally pulls away, she keeps her hands around my wrists and holds me at arms length as she looks me up and down. I feel my heart race slightly, but her expression doesn’t look skeptical or disappointed. In fact, she looks quite pleased.

            “Oh, Harrison! She’s absolutely stunning!” She meets my eyes and gives me a large smile, which slows my racing heart a little.

            “I told you,” Harrison laughs from behind me and I turn to look at him, raising a brow slightly at his words.

            Harrison talked to his parents about me? I thought he might have mentioned me once, but nothing like this.

            Harrison’s mother lets go of my wrists and I turn back to see Harrison’s father give me a soft smile.

            “It’s great to see you again, Ava.” He then pulls me into a hug as well, taking me completely by surprise. I hadn’t expected them to be so welcoming, but I do feel thankful that their not the kind of parents who give their son’s friends a hard time right from the get go.

            “It’s nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Lunn,” I say when Harrison’s father finally pulls away.

            “Oh, please. There’s no need to be so formal, Ava. You can just call us Ethan and Heather.”

            I nod to Ethan and give him a weak smile.

            Looks like this isn’t going to be as painful as I thought.

            “I hope you’re hungry! We’re having a bit of a late dinner and Harrison said you might be hungry since you’ve been at dance all day. If you’re not, then don’t worry about it, but just know that you’re welcome to have some.,” Heather smiles as she turns back to the oven and checks on the food that’s currently inside.

            It then occurs to me that I’m starving and I haven’t eaten anything but an apple early this morning.

            “Actually, I am pretty hungry. If it’s not too much trouble then I would love to join you for dinner.”

            “No trouble at all! We have plenty of food. It should be done in another ten minutes, so Harrison can take you for a tour of the house if he’s up for it.” Heather gives her Harrison a warm smile, which Harrison returns with a nod.

            “Sounds like a good idea to me. Want to see the old Lunn place, Grim?”

            I let out a small laugh, “I would love to.”

            “Great. Just call us when it’s all ready,” Harrison calls over his shoulder as we make our way out of the kitchen and down the hall once again.

            “You’re familiar with basically everything down here. Over there is the formal living room and the formal dining room is through that doorway. Then over there is the garage, the bathroom, and a small office that my parents work from sometimes, nothing too special. Back towards the kitchen is the casual dining area, living room, another room that still holds only the piano, and then there’s also a door down to the basement, but I can show you that later.”

            Harrison turns and leads me up the stairs. Once we finally reach the top there is a loft filled with shelves that hold various books, and a few couches with blankets draped over them. My eyes grow a little wide as I walk toward the bookshelves and begin to read through the titles, noting that whoever read or plans to read the books had impeccable taste.

            “See anything you like?” Harrison is suddenly by my side, looking through the titles along with me,

            “Actually, I don’t see one book that I don’t like. These are all amazing books and authors.” I pull a book down by Chuck Palahniuk and smile as I begin to turn through the pages.

            “That’s one of my favorites by him, but I actually prefer this one.” I look over to see Harrison pull down another book by Palahniuk and let my eyes grow wide as I read the title.

            “Choke is your favorite?”

            “Do you know it?”

            “Of course. I read this about a year ago. I loved it.”

            “Looks like we both enjoy the same books.”

            I watch as Harrison puts the books back on the shelf and raise my brow slightly at him.

            “Are…are these all your books?”

            Harrison shakes his head and slides his hands in his pockets.

            “Nah, not all of them. Just this bookcase.”

            “But the entire bookcase is full.”

            “Uh…yeah.” Harrison gives me a quizzical look and I can’t help but bite my lip.

            “What is it, Grim?” Harrison’s eyes shift down to my lip and then back up to meet my eyes.

            “I didn’t really think you were the reading type. No offense,” I say as I begin to walk away from the shelf and look around the room once again. I notice that there are hallways leading to the left and right, instantly catching my attention as to where both directions could lead.

            I hear Harrison laugh behind me and turn to look at him as he shrugs.

            “I guess that’s understandable. I don’t really look bookish and scholarly.”

            I shrug at his comment.

            “You don’t technically have to. I just thought you were more concerned about girls and popularity rather than books.”

            Harrison wears a smug smile as he walks towards me, but then turns to the right as he begins to lead us down the hallway.

            “Maybe there’s just a lot you don’t know about me.”

            I remain silent as I follow him down the hallway, looking at numerous pictures hung up along the walls. I assume that each frame holds one of Harrison’s siblings and I note the fact that they’re all highly attractive. I see Harrison’s senior picture at the end of the line and smile as I see his full smile and soft blue eyes. I have the admit that it’s a handsome photo.

            “Bathroom,” Harrison says as he points to a door.

            “Laundry room,” he says as he points to the next door.

            “Then there’s my parents lounge room. It’s mainly for them to spend evenings in when they want to relax and unwind.”

            Harrison opens the door and I see a large flat screen television, multiple recliners, a loveseat, another bookshelf, and a desk with a computer.

            “Pretty simple,” Harrison states as he closes the door and then points to the door at the end of the hall. “Then that’s my parents’ room.”

            I nod as we turn around and make our way back down the hallway. We then continue toward the other hallway.

            “Guest room, bathroom, guest room, and then my room.”

            I listen to Harrison as I look at the new pictures that coat the walls of the hallway, noticing that they’re all baby pictures of each of the Lunn children. However, I notice that there are only two pictures, one girl and one boy, but then there is a picture of Harrison where he looks about fifteen. I furrow my brow and stop in front of his picture, looking around to see if there is another baby photo that might be Harrison’s.

            Out of the corner of my eye I can see Harrison stop and turn around to look at me.

            “Something wrong, Grim?”

            “Uh, it’s just…where’s your baby picture?” I point to the photo of him on the wall and raise a brow at him, showing my obvious confusion.

            Harrison walks towards me and looks at the photo on the wall.

            “Huh, that’s weird. I don’t know where it is. I swear it was just hanging up yesterday. Maybe it fell down and my mom just put this one up as a place holder or something.” Harrison shrugs and I stare at him for a moment, trying to read his expression. He looks completely unfazed and I let my confusion die down as I stare back the photo.

            “Darn, I was so looking forward to seeing baby Harrison.”

            I hear Harrison laugh, which causes me to smile over at him.

            “I’ll ask my mom if she can pull out the photo album or something. Come on. I’ll show you my room.”

            Harrison leads me down the rest of the hallway and opens the door at the end, allowing me to walk in ahead of him.

            His room looks like an average teenage boy room and I can’t help but feel slightly surprised.

            What was I expecting? Condom wrappers and random girls’ bras all over his floor? He doesn’t even have posters of half naked women.

            “It’s not much, but I do much in here besides sleep, change, and feed my fish.” Harrison points to an aquarium that sits on his dresser and I can’t help but smile.

            “I pictured you having a dog instead of fish,” I smile at him as I walk over to his tank and look at the various fish swimming around.

            “My mom is allergic to basically anything with fur. So my parents compromised and let me build my own aquarium.”

            I nod as I look around his room some more, realizing that he doesn’t have much on his walls or dresser besides a couple of family photos and a poster that looks like it was written in a girl’s handwriting.

            “Welcome home, Harrison?” I look over at him, raising a brow and giving him an amused smile.

            “My sister made that for me a few years ago. I went to visit some family in England for two weeks and when I came home my family greeted me with that sign.” He smiles at the poster, looking as if he were suddenly reliving the whole thing.

            “That’s really sweet of them. It must have been really special…” I state as my eyes fall to the floor. I’ve never been anywhere but Minnesota and even if I did go on a trip by myself, I know that my parents wouldn’t be there to greet me when I arrived home.

            “Do you want to sit down?” Harrison gestures to his bed and I instantly give him a skeptical look.

            “Uh, is it clean?”

            Harrison rolls his eyes. “Yes, it’s clean. I don’t sleep with girls in my bed, Grim. No girl has even really ever been to my house.”

            “Not even Claire?” I ask as I slide onto his bed, resting my back against his pillows and headboard.

            “Not even Claire,” he confirms, giving me a quick nod as he sits down next to me.

            “But…have your parents even met Claire?”

            Harrison shakes his head and keeps his expression serious as he stares at me.

            I furrow my brow and stare back into his eyes, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.

            “Harrison…do your parents even know about Claire?”

            I search his eyes as silence stretches out between us, realizing that I already know the answer.

            “No. They don’t.”

            I press my lips firmly together and break our eye contact. It occurs to me that Harrison’s parents most likely think that there is something more going on between him and I. I can’t help but feel like an idiot since I thought I was invited over because Harrison’s parents wanted to get to know one of his friends, but they actually think that I’m probably one of Harrison’s potential girls.

            “Grim, what’s wrong?”

            I look over at him once again, feeling slightly annoyed that he still looks unfazed.

            “What’s wrong, Harrison? Your parents haven’t met Claire. They don’t even know that Claire exists, yet they know about me and they’ve met me. You brought me home, Harrison. You just said yourself that you don’t bring girls home and to them this probably gives them hope that I’m something special or whatever.”

            I tear my eyes away from him once again, feeling my anger grow more and more.

            “Grim, they don’t think that. I told them that you’re my friend. My best friend and since they know your parents, they asked me to invite you over. They know that your parents are out of town and didn’t want you going unfed and just sitting alone all night. Trust me, Grim. They don’t think anything is going on between us, okay?”

            I bite my lip slightly as I slowly meet his eyes once again.

            “Promise?”

            Harrison laughs lightly, “Promise.”

            I let out a small sigh and begin to relax into his pillows.

            “Fine. I’ll take your word for it.”

            “Thank you,” Harrison takes his eyes off of me and looks straight forward, letting it grow quiet between us once again.

            “Harrison! Ava! Dinner is ready!”

 

 

            “I hope you like eggplant parmesan, Ava. Harrison isn’t really big on meat so I try to find an alternative for him. He seems to like this one.”

            I smile as Heather puts a plate down in front of me, feeling my mouth water at the smell.

            “It looks perfect,” I state as everyone gets settled at the table.

            “Well let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells,” Heather laughs as she picks up her fork and begins twirl some of her spaghetti noodles.

            I take a bite of my own food and feel a smile spread across my lips.

            “This is delicious!” The words are out of my mouth before I even realize what I’m saying, which makes me feel slightly embarrassed by my sudden outburst.

            However, Harrison and his parents just laugh at my comment as they continue to scoop up their own food.

            “I’m really glad that you like it,” Heather smiles at me, taking a bite of a piece of bread.

            We all eat in silence for a little while and I admire the taste of every bite. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had a real homemade meal.

            “So, Ava. Harrison tells us that you’re quite the performer,” Ethan states as he smiles at me, causing me to shrug at his words.

            Looks like Harrison told them more than I thought.

            “I guess so. I just take dance, singing, and acting lessons.”

            “And piano,” Harrison chimes in, causing me to shift my attention over to him. However, he continues to keep his eyes on his food as he forks another bite into his mouth.

            “That’s really something. I would love to see you perform sometime.”

            I look back over to Harrison’s mother and give her a weak smile. It’s odd to hear people voice actual interest in coming to see one of my shows.

            “I would love for you to come. It would be nice to have some familiar faces in the audience for once.”

            We all make small conversation as we continue eating, laughing at the occasional comment or joke. I notice Heather randomly smiling over at me and she even reaches over at one point to give my hand a small squeeze. It’s strange to me how genuine her gesture is. Unlike my mother who feels like she has to show me affection in order to compensate for something, Harrison’s mother is just being caring and kind. It makes my face feel warm, but a smile play on my lips.

            “Anyone care for dessert? “ Heather asks as she begins to clear some of the plates from the table.

            “Oh no, sweetheart. I’m completely full,” Ethan says as he pats his flat stomach a few times.

            “Harrison? Ava?”

            “No, thank you,” we say in unison, causing me to laugh slightly. I look over to see Harrison smiling at me, looking like his smug self.

            “Suit yourselves,” Heather begins to rinse some of the dishes, putting each in the dishwasher. “Harrison, maybe Ava would like to watch a movie or something.”

            “Grim?” Harrison raises a brow at me as he folds his arms across his chest.

            I quickly look down at my phone to check the time, noticing that it’s almost ten.

            “Actually, I should probably get going soon. I have voice lessons in the morning and I want to get some sleep.”

            I give Harrison an apologetic smile, which he answers with a shrug.

            “Aw, what a shame. I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.”

            “We have quite the set up downstairs with tons of movies and great seating,” Ethan voices.

            I look back and forth from both of Harrison’s parents and feel my heart skip a beat. It’s so strange to feel wanted. It’s something that I haven’t ever really felt before and I can’t tell if it’s refreshing or unsettling. However, I realize that there’s not a single part of me that wants to leave. Rather, I want to stay at Harrison’s house instead of going back to my empty house to spend another night getting ahead on homework and watching a movie alone.

            “Well, maybe I can text my vocal coach and cancel my lesson tomorrow morning,” I offer, watching at Heather’s face instantly lights up.

            “That sounds perfect! You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, Ava. As long as your parents are okay with it. Maybe you should give them a call.”

            I send the text to my coach and slowly look up at Heather.

            “Oh…I don’t think they would really mind. They’re not home anyway.”

            I see a confused expression come over Heather’s face as she stares at me.

            “That’s what Harrison was telling us earlier. It’s a shame they’re not home tonight.”

            “Actually, they’re never really home.”

            Heather’s expression suddenly changes and she looks surprised as she shoots Ethan a look.

            “You mean that you spend almost every night alone?” Ethan asks, raising a brow.

            I give him a quick nod, wishing I had said anything on the matter.

            “Huh…oh, Harrison why don’t you take Ava downstairs to watch a movie? We’ll probably just get everything cleaned up and head off to bed.”

            Harrison nods and stands from the table, waiting for me to stand from my own seat.

            “Thanks again. It really was delicious.”

            “Of course, honey. No need to thank us,” Heather smiles, clearing more plates from the table.

            I can’t help but feel slightly uneasy as Harrison and I make our way down to the basement. There’s no doubt in my mind that his parents are currently talking about me, which definitely makes me uncomfortable.

            Hopefully they’re not saying anything bad.

            Harrison and I quickly pick out a movie and get situated on his large sectional couch. I make a point of putting a good amount of space between us just in case his parents come down the stairs. I don’t want them thinking there’s more going on here than just Harrison and me being friends.

            About a half hour into the movie, I hear footsteps down the stairs, causing both Harrison and I to turn around. Heather gives us both a warm smile as she walks to the back of the couch.

            “Hey, you two. We’re going to go to bed so just make sure you keep it down and be responsible.”

            I see Harrison roll his eyes and turn his attention back towards the television.

            “Don’t roll your eyes at me, young man,” Heather says in a less than threatening tone.

            “Sorry, mom,” Harrison says flatly.

            Heather gives the back of his head an annoyed look before smiling over at me.

            “Also, Ethan and I talked…we would really like it if you stayed the night, Ava. You don’t have to, but we would just feel a lot better if you did. It’s already quite late and we just want to make sure that you’re safe.”

            I feel my eyes grow wide as I listen to her, taken back at her genuine worry.

            Harrison’s eyes instantly lock on me as he searches my expression.

            Crap. There’s no way I can say no. I don’t want to be rude.

            “Of…of course. I would love to stay.”

            Heather seems to relax slightly and she flashes me a wider smile.

            “Great! I’m sure Harrison will let you borrow an old shirt or basketball shorts and you can just sleep in one of the guest rooms or wherever you feel comfortable.”

            I return her smile and nod. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

            “Of course. Okay, well I’m off to bed. I love you, guys. Night.”

            “I love you. Night,” Harrison states as he turns up the volume slightly.

            “Night,” I call as I turn back toward the television, suddenly feeling panicked due to what I have just agreed to.

            I sneak a glance out of the corner of my eye at Harrison and I can swear that I see a small smile on his lips.

            Quit smirking, Lunn.

            After the movie is over, Harrison turns off the television and DVD player before leading me up the stairs. We quietly make our way up to his room and he closes the door behind us. Turning towards me, I watch as Harrison gives me blank stare before turning to a door in the corner that I assume is his closet.

            “Would you prefer just a t-shirt, basketball shorts, or both?”

            “Both would be nice,” I voice softly.

            “Alright.” Harrison disappears into his closet and I can hear hangers move around gently.

            Finally, he walks out of the closet and tosses clothes over to me, which I sloppily catch.

            “Those work for you?”

            I nod to him as I look down at the shorts and shirt in my hands. When I look back at him my eyes grow wide as I watch him pull his shirt over his head and his hands move to the buckle of his belt. His hands freeze as he meets my eyes.

            “What?”

            I can’t help but swallow hard and quickly shake my head.

            “Nothing…it’s just…you’re taking off your pants.”

            Harrison rolls his eyes and continues to undue his belt, but stops to slip off his socks and shoes.

            “Relax, Grim. I have boxers underneath. You’re not going to see anything.”

            I nod as I stare down at the clothes in my hands once again, hearing the sound of Harrison slipping off his belt, unbutton his jeans, and then the sound of them hitting the floor.

            I sneak a glance up at him, seeing him run a quick hand through his hair before leaning down to pick his clothes off the floor.

            I have to say that Harrison does have a killer body. He’s obviously toned in all the right places, and although he’s skinny, he definitely has muscle. Plus, his tanned skin just makes him look even more…appealing?

            My eyes fall back down and my cheeks grow warm. I feel slightly guilty for admitting that Harrison is attractive, but then again everyone knows it. Just because he’s attractive doesn’t mean that I have feelings for him. I stand by what I said to Hannah, Dianna, and Jacqueline earlier. Being with Harrison only sounds repulsive.

            “Are you going to change?”

            Harrison’s words snap me from my thoughts, causing me to meet his eyes.

            “In here?”

            Harrison lets out a small laugh. “Well, yeah. Unless you don’t feel comfortable.”

            I lift a brow at him. “I’m sure you would love to see me in only my underwear, but I would rather change somewhere you can’t see me.”

            “I would like to see you in less than your underwear,” Harrison winks at me, instantly making my jaw drop.

            Harrison begins to laugh loudly and shakes his head as he turns away from me.

            “I’m just kidding, Grim. I’d rather not see my best friend practically naked. I’m just going to grab some water while you change.”

            Before I can say anything, Harrison is already out of the room. I quickly pull of my shoes, shirt, and jeans and pull on the clothes that Harrison gave me. Once I am fully covered, I fold my clothes into a neat pile and place them on the dresser next to his aquarium. I decide to watch his fish once again as I wait for him to return, slowly becoming entranced by the movement of their fins in the water.

            I hear a quiet knock on the door and turn around to see it slowly open.

            “Is it safe to come in?”

            I roll my eyes and turn back to the tank. “Yeah. All clear.”

            The door gently closes and I can feel Harrison by my side. He holds out a glass of water to me, which I take from him and take a quick drink from.

            “So where am I sleeping?”

            “Why don’t you just sleep in here?”

            I look over at Harrison as he takes a drink from his own water. I furrow my brow at him, trying to determine whether he’s being serious or not.

            “Really?”

            “Why not?” Harrison shrugs and remains nonchalant.

            “Oh, I don’t know, because we’re friends and your parents are in the other room.”

            “Friend can sleep in the same bed, Grim. Plus, my parents won’t even care.”

            “No, Harrison. I’m not sleeping in here,” I state before walking past him to his bedroom door.

            “Where are you going?”

            “Guestroom,” I whisper as I open the door and walk down the hallway, letting myself into one of the rooms that Harrison claimed to be a guest bedroom.

            I put my water on one of the end tables and lay down on the large bed, allowing myself to get comfy on the soft mattress.

            Suddenly, Harrison walks through the door and closes it behind him. He then walks to the other side of the bed and puts his water down before laying down as well.

            “Mind if I join you for awhile? I’m not really all that tired. I promise I won’t fall asleep and I’ll head back to my room.”

            I shrug as I turn on my side to look over at him.

            “That’s fine. I’m not really all that tired either.”

            Harrison looks up at the ceiling as he continues to lay on his back.

            “Did you have a good time at lunch with your friends?”

            “I guess. Claire and Savannah were being b*****s as usual. I wish you would have come. Taylor really liked you.”

            I smile at his words. Harrison always has a way of making me feel wanted and I can’t deny that it’s a nice feeling.

            Harrison turns on his side in order to face me, leaving our faces only about a foot apart.

            “Did you have a good lunch with your friends?”

            I feel my face fall slightly and I let my eyes drift away from Harrison’s face.

            Right. He’s doesn’t know what happened between the girls and me.

            “What’s wrong, Grim?”

            I can hear the concern in Harrison’s voice, making me meet his eyes once again. His expression seems to soften even more as he notices the sadness in my own eyes. I haven’t allowed myself to actually be upset by what happened with Hannah and the other girls, but now I can’t help but feel slightly bummed.

            “Grim?”

            “I didn’t really ever go to lunch with them. We actually got into a little argument before and now we’re not friends anymore.”

            Harrison furrows his brow at me and searches my eyes.

            “What was the argument about?”

            I lick my lips quickly, contemplating whether I should tell Harrison about what the argument was actually about. He has to know about the rumors right?
            “They all thought or most likely still think that we’re sleeping together.”

            “And that made you angry enough to stop being their friend?”

            I let out a small sigh. “No, Harrison. I stopped being their friend because they chose to believe all the silly rumors they heard instead of sticking up for me or giving me the benefit of the doubt. If they were my real friends then they wouldn’t be so quick to believe everything that they heard and believe me instead. We just didn’t see eye to eye on anything and I couldn’t surround myself with those kind of people anymore.”

            We both grow silent once again and I try to stop myself from getting worked up over the whole situation.

            “I think you did the right thing,” Harrison says softly, taking me slightly by surprise.

            “Thank you.”

            “But then why do you seem so upset about losing them as friends?”

            I shrug, “I guess because they were my only friends and now…I don’t really have anyone.” My voice grows small and I look past Harrison as the truth sets in. I don’t have anyone. I don’t have my parents. I don’t have the three “friends” that I have had since the third grade. I’m used to being on my own, but you’re expected to have people in your life. People who you can rely on and trust, but I don’t have that.

            “You have me.”

            I meet Harrison’s eyes and feel his sincerity. Of course I managed to leave him out of the equation, but that’s only because I don’t know how much he wants to be mixed in. I don’t want him to get tangled into things that he doesn’t want to be apart of.

            “I know I have a funny way of showing it, Grim, and you’re not really into cheesy things like this, but I am here for you. You can lean on me as much as you want to, which I know it’s hard for you. Just know that I’m someone you can call on whenever.”

            I swallow hard as I stare into Harrison’s eyes. I know that there’s no point in questioning him because based on the seriousness in his voice I can tell that he means every word.

            “And if it’s worth anything, I would have stuck up for you. I would have never believed those rumors and I would have stood by your side.”

            I give him a weak smile.

            “I know that you would have.”

            Harrison returns my smile, obviously happy to hear me actually believe in him.

            I close my eyes for a moment as I get more comfortable, trying to force myself to become tired, but it’s no use. I’m fully awake and my mind is continuously wandering.

            “Grim?”

            “Hmmm?”

            “Are you really that ashamed and embarrassed of being rumored of sleeping with me? Is it really that horrible?”

            I open my eyes and stare at Harrison in surprise. He looks slightly sad and I can’t help but feel confused.

            “It’s not that Harrison…it’s just that I don’t want to have that sort of reputation. I don’t want to be known as the girl who helped the most popular boy at school two time his girlfriend. They all think that you and I have a secret relationship, and I just didn’t want to be seen that way. That’s why it bothered me so much that my old friends were so quick to believe the rumors. Before you, boys never even noticed me and I was just innocent, but that all changed when you came into the picture. It doesn’t matter who I was or who I am, they all make up something and that’s what I become in their minds.”

            “What does it matter though? You still know the truth. I still know the truth. As long as the people who actually matter know the truth than everyone else’s opinions shouldn’t matter.”

            “You’re right. They shouldn’t…but they did.”

            Harrison looks down and presses his lips together firmly. I can’t tell whether I’ve upset him or not, but all I can do is hope that I haven’t.

            “I’m sorry, Harrison. Just this once, what people thought about me…mattered. The worst part is that the first person I wanted to take it out on was you.”

            Harrison meets my eyes again and lifts a brow.

            “Me?”

            I nod.

            “Why?”

            I shrug, “I just thought it was all your fault. That you were the one who decided to pursue me as your best friend and continue to talk to me. That it was all because of your reputation that they were so quick to believe that we were sleeping together. I realized though…that it wasn’t your fault. That you were just being a good friend and that I,” I stop for a moment and sigh slightly. “Needed you? I don’t know. I just didn’t want to take it out on you anymore. I just knew that you would have believed me and taken my side, which made me realize that I need to get rid of people like Hannah and just keep people like you in my life.”

            I feel slightly sick as I realize everything that I’m saying. Opening up is really hard for me and telling Harrison all of this definitely isn’t something I’m comfortable with.

            “Well, thank you.” Harrison rolls onto his back and looks up at the ceiling again, looking as if he was searching for something. “By the way, guys definitely notice you, Grim. You just don’t notice the way they look at you. Trust me, they all look. All the time.”

            My eyes instantly grow wide and I lean over to hit Harrison’s arm.

            “They do not!”

            Harrison laughs at my words and looks over at me.

            “Oh yeah, they do! They can’t get enough of you.”

            I roll my eyes at him and begin to pull the blanket up so I can come climb underneath.

            “Shut up, Harrison.”

            Once I’m situated under the blanket and Harrison  is finished laughing, a light silence spreads between us. We’re both lost in our own train of thought and I can’t help but wonder what Harrison is thinking about.

            “Grim?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Are you tired?”

            “Kind of.”

            “Can you do me a favor before I leave and let you go to sleep?”

            “What’s that?”

            “Just sing for me.”

            I study Harrison’s expression, but he keeps it smooth as he continues to stare up at the ceiling. I can’t grasp why he would possibly want me to sing to him, but I don’t question him. Instead, I rack my brain for songs and for some reason decide on a song from the Little Mermaid.

            “What would I give to live where you are. What would I pay to stay here beside you.”

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's unusually long, haha.

Reviews

[Zoeeee]

GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! I love it! So much! Your writing is fantastic, i feel so close to both Harrison and Ava, it's incredible. Only a few other books have drawn me in this much, i completely could've believed that i was reading a published book, which i think this one could be! You're an amazing writer and I'm looking forward to reading more!