Which begs the question…
"Why did you do it?" My voice slices through the room, making her jump.
"I don't know. I—" Harper's voice breaks, and she fidgets with the hem of her shirt. "I know it was awful. I hated myself afterward."
"Good," I snap before I can stop myself. The anger is a living thing inside me. My first time having sex with Amy was ruined because of Harper.
“Harper, you'll have to do better than 'I don't know.'"
The room goes quiet except for the faint hum of the heater. I take a deep breath, trying to steady the whirlwind of thoughts spinning through my head.
"It's not fair," she finally murmurs. "The two of you get to be together. You get my old best friend. And she gets you." Tears fall down her face. "You’re going to leave me behind, just like she did.”
I groan, frustration clawing my skin at her selfishness. "No. That's not what's happening.Youleft Amy behind, and now…" I shrug, the movement jerky. "You're probably going to lose me too. But because ofyouractions.”
Her sob seems almost yanked from her chest. "Please." The word is so faint, escaping with a slight movement of her lips.
With effort, I make my way over to where she’s sitting and crouch down in front of her. It won’t do any good to rail at her for a choice she can’t go back and change, one she clearly regrets.
Still, I want to fucking scream at her.
"Harper, no one is leaving you. You're pushing people away."
She buries her head in her hands, and it's as if a dam breaks. Sobs start rolling in, one after the other.
"Every time you lash out,” I say, “every time you let jealousy take over, you drive a wedge between yourself and the people who care about you."
She sucks in a shuddering breath, her head still buried in her hands.
"You need to fix this." My voice is much firmer now. "You know that right?"
She looks up at me, her eyes red and glistening. "I know, but…could you give me some time?"
I cross my arms over my chest. "Nope. You do this now, Harper. Right after you leave here. Otherwise, our friendship is over."
Her eyes grow wide. “You mean we can still be friends?"
Her tone is so cheerful that I fight the urge to groan. "I don’t know. Hopefully, I can forgive you."
She frowns. "Hopefully?"
I clench my jaw. "Yes, hopefully. You did something truly heinous. I love Amy, do you know that?"
Her face crumples, and she lets out another sob. "I don't want to hear it." Her tone is petulant.
"Too bad. You need to understand how serious this situation is. Because of you. You need to go to her now. She's staying at Serena's dorm. Marina Point, room 312." I pat her back. “Go.”
She flinches. "My face is all red."
"Good." I stand up from the bed and walk over to my door. "Maybe it’ll help her see how truly sorry you are.”
She rises slowly from her chair, her expression pleading. I typically coddle her when she's upset, but I won’t now.
Just as she approaches the door, she hesitates. "Do you think Amy will ever forgive me?"
"Maybe," I say, “But that doesn’t matter. You aren’t doing this for yourself, right?”
Her shoulders slump. "No, I’m doing this for you. And…for her, I guess. I do still love her. I wish I had…” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. Like you said, this isn’t about me.”
