Anywhere With You • {J.C.}

||Twenty-Four|Part Of The Deal||

"I lost my page again."
-Trying Your Luck

It was Saturday night—a whole week since Harlow had let those three words slip. Not a single phone call, or a surprise visit at her window.

She had graduated, her last week a non-ceremonial one. Thursday, at one in the afternoon, Mr. Taylor had presented to her a piece of paper that declared Harlow Mavericks a Dwight High graduate; high school education officially completed. Arrangements were made for Frankie to pick her up that same day.

Harlow didn't understand what had brought her to this place—a large party in a small apartment in the city. She had heard about it through Nick, Fab the one officially inviting her. She supposed it was to waste time, having nothing to do and nothing to look forward to anymore since graduating—since Julian had left so abruptly.

Most of the boxes had already been moved, all that was left were the heavy things Harlow and Frankie couldn't lift. Harlow was angry with Julian, he was supposed to help. But more than anything, Harlow was angry with herself.

She would contest that the only reason she had made it to the party was to forget, since Julian no longer held that role. But really, it was to see Julian. She knew he'd be there—Nick and Fab's friends were also Julian's friends. Everyone knew everyone and anyone that was anyone was supposed to be there.

But, drink after drink and cigarette after cigarette, Harlow found herself alone in a crowded room—just as a time once before when she had come to Julian's party while his parent's were out of town. Same atmosphere, just different faces.

"What's wrong with you?" Nick asked, plopping down beside her on the black futon some idiot used as a couch.

"Not a thing. Can't you see I'm at a party?" Harlow chugged the contents of her drink as quickly as she could, given there wasn't much left.

"Sarcasm... sexy. If you weren't sleepin' with Jules', I might just try something."

"Gross." Harlow giggled.

"I said I might, baby... I might." Nick winked. It was embarrassing to know that the guys knew all along about her and Julian's affair. "You know I'm just joking, right? Don't go telling Jules I suggested we... you know."

"You know I'm not like that. Besides, Jules isn't even here."

"Ah, yeah he is." Nick laughed. "This is his apartment. Well, him and that guy with the afro over there." He pointed toward the kitchen, Harlow's eyes landing on a boy with wild dark hair and cut off sleeves. He was wearing glasses as well as a smile plastered on his face—his eyes kind, seeming like the life of the party. "His hair's about as crazy as Fab's... you know, when he grows it out."

"Jules lives here? Wh- when did he move out of his parent's place?" Harlow stammered, unable to comprehend that her best friend had moved and lacked the decency to tell her.

"I think it was Tuesday- I thought I told you this."

"No... you didn't."

"His name's Al... Albert Hammond. He and Jules went to that school in Switzerland together. He reached out to him after that Jane's Addiction show. Fuckin' ridiculous, dude... Fab and I weren't even invited."

"Jules didn't even tell me he moved." Harlow stood from the futon, making her way into the kitchen for another drink. She was upset by this, wondering if she hadn't let those three words slip, if Julian would've told her about his move into the city. She wondered what else he had kept from her—questioning if there were any other lies held by omission.

She grabbed another beer from the bucket of ice, making her way through the crowd that was too large for the small apartment. She needed to find a bathroom—she needed to find a toilet to sit on and cry, away from the buzzing guests.

From the looks of it, the bathroom had a line—people were standing all along the wall down the hall. She had assumed Julian had gone out for a beer run, considering he was nowhere to be found. But when making a dash into one of the back bedrooms to get a break from the madness of too many bodies, she saw that wasn't the case.

Harlow had opened the bedroom door, expecting peaceful solace, but was instead greeted with a heart wrenching sight of something she couldn't unsee.

She froze in the doorway—hand still on the knob.

The couple in bed shifted their attention to the door where Harlow stood—his lips reacting before his eyes. "The fuck-" He stopped, staring at Harlow with wide eyes as the realization sank in of who it was that had walked in on his act of indiscretion. Luckily for everyone, Julian and the strange girl in his bed were fully clothed—his pants undone.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Harlow spoke, taking a step back away from the threshold to close the door on a sight she wished she'd never seen. Her back hit the wall, wanting to crumble to the floor. But, the last thing she wanted was to make a scene.

Harlow inhaled deeply, pushing herself off the wall. She started toward the crowded line outside the bathroom; she heard the door open behind her, but dared not to look back.

"Lo!... Harlow!" She heard Julian's voice call out, but she couldn't bring herself to face him. Instead, she acted as though she hadn't heard, taking a drink from the beer in her hand. "Harlow, stop!"

She stopped—dead in her tracks at the sound of his demand. She turned around, her eyes shifting to the top of his pants to see he had yet to zip them back up. She forced a smile, trying her damnedest to seem unfazed.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to walk in on you." Harlow spoke with innocently wide eyes, watching Julian's face contort guiltily. She turned, starting toward the living room again. But before she could take two steps, Julian had a hold of her forearm, pulling her back.

"Are you okay?"

She swallowed hard—she wasn't.

"Yeah, of course. You should really put a lock on that door, though... for future reference." She forced a smile, trying to maneuver her wrist out of Julian's grasp. Only, he wasn't letting go; instead, he was holding onto her more tightly, pulling her to stand before him.

"Lo... I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. This was part of the deal, right?" Finally, Julian let go, watching as Harlow strode away through the crowd.