He slowly smirked. “How did you know?”
“You said it was further down the line, but with how unaware you were of the world around you, I’d assume it took you a while to find out about it. But I’m quite certain you were still young when you did.”
Tommy’s face flashed in his head—his large brown eyes…a content smile. The same smile that the boy always wore whenever he’d silently sit by Harlow’s side.
“Yeah, it took me a long while. Eight years, in fact. By that time, I had learned to fake being normal, and had been living with Mr. and Mrs. Young for two years. They were an older couple, who I actually stayed with until I was eighteen.”
Wes’ brow pulled. “That I do find surprising, that you’d put up with the stagnation.”
“Staying in one place was better than bouncing around. They were normal, inoffensive people, and I’d had way worse before them, some even more so than Samuel. I figured I’d deal with their doting and…touching until I aged out.” He grimaced, and quickly clarified, “Non-creepy touching, to be clear. They were just…huggers…and overly affectionate.” He shuddered at the memories.
Wes chuckled. “I’m seeing your issue with touch more and more.”
“Do you ever see them?” Foxx asked softly.
Harlow sighed. The truth was, he never considered Maryellen and Scott Young to be family…or his parents, which probably would have crushed them had he ever dropped the act. But…
“I did…see them often…up until their deaths about ten years ago. They died within a year of each other; one had a heart attack, and the other had pneumonia. I kept the lies and the act up, right to the end. If only out of respect for them taking in a psycho with a juvenile record, which they helped get expunged, by the way. Oh, and also because they never went against, or questioned, my wishes when it came to me not wanting them to adopt me.”
“They couldn’t know the real you, so couldn’t ever really be family in your eyes,” Wes said slowly. “Though, in keeping withyour act of being normal, being adopted would have helped with it. So why didn’t you?”
Would he have considered them family if they had known? He wasn’t sure if he would have. Because while they were kind, they likely wouldn’t have wanted him around them if they had known the real him.
As for the adoption thing…Harlow knew they took it as him wanting to be independent, but it was more…for them than him.
“I'm not sure about that first part, but as for the second… They asked me about a year into living with them… I could tell that regardless of if I said yes or no, they weren’t planning to send me away.” He sighed. “I hadn’t killed by that point, but I knew I would. Multiple people, even, and there was always the possibility that I’d end up getting caught. As uncaring and unfeeling as I was, and I was even more so back then… I thought linking their names to a murderer would be an asshole way to thank them for putting up with my ass.” He shrugged.
Wes’ smile widened a bit, as if something he said made him happy, but the man didn’t say anything other than, “Speaking of killing…”
“Right, around that time, one of the kids who had been in that same foster home ended up there. She recognized me right away. I think she wasn’t sure at first, because I didn’t seem…”
“Like how you used to be?” Foxx giggled. “I have yet to see you acting fake, but I’m guessing it would be a notable contrast.”
“I mean, being different than I was at age six wasn’t a high bar to pass. For her, me talking was a contrast.”
Harlow keptthe fake yet neutral smile on his face as he passed the young girl in the hall, nodding as he did.
“You’re the same kid… I wasn’t sure at first, but you are. I mean, not many people are named Harlow, but…you’re just so…different.”
He smiled softly. “Am I?”
She frowned. “I can’t tell if you’re for real, or faking it all…” Gina let out a soft laugh as Harlow allowed his real smile to slip onto his face. He knew the corners of his mouth had just taken on a more smug expression.
“So…fake it is…”
Harlow shrugged. “Fake or real, does it matter?”
“Not really, most of the world is fake. Is there a reason you have to fake things here?” she asked, her eyes flicking nervously to the hall where he knew Maryellen and Scottwere sitting and watching TV.
He shook his head. “No. They are safe. I do it more just to hide my oddities.”
“You were always that… It…went to shit there after they took you away, you know?”
“There, as in, with the Carltons?” Harlow frowned, leaning his hip against the wall as he crossed his arms. “I’d say it went to shit while, and because, I was there.”
“No, that was Joshua’s fault… Everything was Joshua’s fault. We all got sent away because of what he did to Tommy…and the lies he told about you. The Carltons were investigated or something, and yeah, I think they lost their foster care license. Either way, we were all sent to other homes because of it…” She grimaced. “That selfish prick… We could have all stayed there if it wasn’t for him… And if he’d have just…let things be…Tommy would still be alive.”
At the words, his whole body stiffened up. “What do you mean?”
