A Day of Ruin

I thought back, a strange tug of panic in my gut. “Late last night? She was all mad and stormed off. I didn’t see her after.”

Fuck. Had she been there all night? A few hours? Did I make her pass out from the fight? I kept that thought silent, shame filling me. I knew bringing Candice here was wrong – but I was so mad at what had happened with Harlow that I wanted to make her hurt. I needed to convince myself that she meant nothing to me.

Finn pointed out to the living room. “Bring my bag – it’s next to my chair. And get some water.”

I nodded, racing out to do as instructed. When I returned, Finn had placed a pillow under her head. I watched as he rummaged through his bag, pulling out a black zip up purse.

“What’s that?” I asked.

He unzipped it and I spotted a small hand held machine. He pulled it out, and grabbed a stick and a black lancet.

“Blood sugar checker,” he replied, putting the lancet into a plunger. “You said she hadn’t ordered food. She’s showing signs of hypoglycemia.”

I resisted the urge to cringe as he stabbed her finger, dabbing the blood onto a stick before inserting it into the handheld machine. We watched as it flashed to signal it’s processing.

“You’d be surprised,” he started, “how many clients faint during sessions because their nutrition is all wrong. Whoever decided 1200 calories was the magical key number is a fucking moron.”

The machine beeped and Finn angled it to read the results.

“Fuck. Her sugar is low. I’d say she’s fainted from low blood sugar. She’s also likely fatigued and dizzy. Do you have any sugary snacks or carbs?”

“I think I have some jelly beans,” I said, sprinting to the kitchen. Jelly beans were my little late night treat.

I handed the plastic bag to him, watching as he pulled Harlow up into his arms, while tipping some water into her mouth.

“Harlow, can you hear me? I need you to wake up and drink this.”

At first I thought nothing had happened but then I heard it. A little chesty hum from Harlow. The sound sent a wave of relief through me. She was okay.

Harlow’s mouth parted lazily, lapping at the small sips of water Finn was giving her. As the seconds passed, she slowly got more animated. Her toes started wiggling, her arms twitched and finally her eyes cracked open.

Her light green eyes immediately landed on me across from her but they were blank, the hollowness making me uneasy as she fought the fog that was holding her back from full consciousness.

“Here,” Finn muttered, holding up a jelly bean to her mouth, “eat this.” He popped it into her mouth and after a few moments of hesitation, recognition hit her and she chewed the sweet.

The three of us sat in silence for a few moments, watching as Harlow ate a few more jelly beans and drank some water. Finally she was alert, sitting on her own though I could tell she was woozy and still feeling like shit.

Her face turned to me as she observed me.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, accusingly. I deserved that. And I might have been more offended if it wasn’t for the fact her voice was cracked and barely above a whisper from her poor state.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, earning myself a glare from Finn. He shook his head, pushing the packet of jelly beans in front of her.

“Have some more. What’s the last thing you remember?”

Harlow picked up a blue bean, plonking it in her mouth and chewing slowly as she thought back. Her chews slowed as she looked at me and I internally cringed, already sensing what was coming.

“You and Candice.”

Finn hummed, looking at me for confirmation. “And that was last night, yes?”

“Yeah,” I answered, looking at the ground. I couldn’t look her in the eye. Seeing her blank stare, was too much right now.

“So you’ve likely been in and out all night from this sugar fog. When was the last time you ate properly?”

Harlow shrugged, a pained look stretching across her face. “I don’t know. A few days.”

Finn and I both stared at her, our jaws dropped. It was Finn first who cracked.

“What the fuck, Harlow!?”

She flinched – another un-Harlow like trait that she had acquired in recent times. She shrugged again, pushing herself back until her back hit the end of the mattress where she could lean into it for support.

“I don’t have the money and I haven’t been overly hungry.”

Finn’s face curved in confusion. “There’s a whole kitchen full of food. I’m sure Dex would have helped, right?” he finished, looking to me.

I went quiet, as did Harlow. The silence spoke volumes and Finn was a smart man. He wasn’t a business owner for nothing, plus he had the advantage of knowing us, especially Harlow.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he breathed out angrily, “are you guys fighting or some shit? Dex, please tell me you aren’t that far up with this ‘Hate Harlow’ campaign that you would let her starve.”

“No, of course not!” I blurted out. My head was a mess. This was edging into dangerous territory.

Finn growled. “Then what? It’s not like you guys are going through drama or a messy break up or anything. You are roommates, right?”

And there it was. The motherfucking elephant in the room.

“Right,” I quickly blurted out but Harlow’s flinch said more than my words did. Finn looked at her, disbelief on his face. The pieces fell into place as he looked between us.

Harlow was the first to speak.

“There’s nothing between us,” she spat, grabbing onto the bed for support as she stood up. We followed suit, staring at her like she was a ticking time bomb. “I just fainted. I woke a few times but just wanted to stay there. I’m exhausted. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m fucking fed up. No one did this to me. So save yourselves a complex and get over it.”

Finn shook his head, looking at me with angry eyes as if I was to blame.

Fuck. Maybe I was.

“Okay, Harlow,” he shot back, “but you need to eat. It’s important – small regular meals.”

She stood by her door, holding onto the edge of it as she waited for us to exit. “Understood, now if you’d both please leave...”

Finn held up his hands in defeat, grabbing his bag and exiting out to the living room. I followed behind, pausing for a second as I levelled with her, our eyes locked. I opened my mouth, desperate to say anything but she started to close the door, forcing me to move out of the way by stepping into the living room.

“Don’t bother,” I heard her say just as the door clicked shut with a sound that felt like a knife was stabbing into my heart.