A Day of Ruin

Chapter 7

Harlow

Thankfully,therestof the day went by uneventfully. Skylar wasn’t the worst team leader – but she wasn’t the greatest either. She also seemed unhappy to have me on her team, only including me when she had to and making sure that I knew my place.

I sighed as my fingers shifted through my keys, my thumb and index fingers finally separating my apartment key as I put it into the lock. I couldn’t wait to de-bra, take a long hot shower and order some Chinese UberEats.

As I entered the apartment, I was immediately hit with the sweet smell of Dex’s cooking. Following the assault on that sense, I heard the clinking of beer bottles on the marble kitchen counter and the sound of voices talking. Groaning, dread filled me at having to walk near Dex and his friends on the way to my room. I closed the front door as quietly as possible, trying not to draw attention to my presence.

Making my way through the living room, I was nearly past the entrance to the kitchen and home-free when a body or something firm came out of the doorway and ran into me.

“Jesus, fuck...” I muttered as my ass hit the carpeted floor.

What on Earth did I just hit? A goddamn tank?

It took a moment to catch my breath, and when I looked up, my mouth dropped open like a gaping fish.

Caramel eyes stared back at me, the tall owner looking down on me with an equally shocked expression. Neither of us said anything and I was too shocked to even move out of my place, my mind frozen as I stared at the man in front of me.

Footsteps grew louder and I heard Dex’s voice call out.

“Was that Harlow?”

Two sets of footsteps sounded and I flushed red when Dex and Oliver appeared in the doorway. As usual, Oliver just glanced at me with a blank, guarded expression. I’m not particularly sure what he was so unsure of – I lived here for fuck’s sake. Of course I was going to be here from time to time.

But my attention remained on the blonde. I quickly came to my senses, forcing myself up to my feet, and grabbing my bag. As I went to step towards my room, his familiar deep voice spoke out.

“Harlow, you look terrible.”

Well, geez thanks. Way to make a girl feel special.

I let out a sarcastic huff and looked back at him.

“That’s what happens when the whole world hates you, Finn.”

What the fucking fuck was Finn Peterson doing in my living room?

I paced my bedroom floor back and forth, ignoring the strange feelings that stirred inside my stomach. I could hear the boys talking and laughing, back to their hangout now that I had disappeared out of their sight.

My hair was a bird’s nest from running my hands exasperatedly through my thick locks and I groaned in frustration when I pulled on a knot. I stormed over to my bedside table, grabbing a hair tie and putting my hair up in a messy bun. I would have to sort out the monstrosity later.

Flopping down on the floor, I reached under my bed to the brown shoe box that lived there. Peeling back the lid, photos stared up at me, my whole life’s memories captured in photographic essence.

I grabbed a handful of photos, setting aside the ones I didn’t want until I finally landed on the memory I currently had living in my head rent-free.

There I was. High school prom.

I had to laugh at the pastel pink dress which draped around my pre-hormonal figure. I was a late bloomer – in many ways. I was still curvy in school, minus the boobs, but I was smaller. Of course, back then UberEats didn’t exist yet.

My caramel hair was pinned up in a half-up, half-down do, the loose locks lightly curled. I remembered how pretty I felt that night, how much I loved seeing my family’s reaction as I walked down the stairs towards the awaiting guests.

But none of them compared to the wide-eyed reaction of my high school sweetheart. The first love of my life who used to look at me with such radiance and admiration.

The same fucking guy who was currently in my goddamn apartment with my roommate.

What was he doing back here?

Finn and I had dated most of our high school lives. We hit every major milestone together – prom, first alcoholic drink, virginities...

I let out a shaky breath as I pushed aside the random thoughts of us having sex. We were so good together and if I was being honest, I thought he was going to be the one I would marry.

We had just started college when he came to me, broken hearted to say his dad who lived several states away had been diagnosed with cancer. His mom was such a sweetheart. Even though his parents had separated, they never resented each other and co-parented well. So when his dad took ill, they moved to be with him so they could support him as a family.

For awhile we did try the long distance thing but we couldn’t sustain it, especially when his dad took a turn for the worse. Eventually we decided it was better to end things so Finn could focus on his dad.

As time passed, our messages got less frequent and eventually we just lost contact. I moved on, dated a few losers and secured my job and while I thought of him from time to time, never did it occur to me I would find him in my bloody kitchen drinking beers with Dex.

Why was this happening to me?