I had locked myself in my room, and I had pushed thoughts of Kaylee seeing me to the back of my mind. Maybe she didn't actually see me. I was far away and couldn't tell for sure if she did. If she had, she would have already made a scene or something. Holding on to that hope, I stripped off and stepped into the shower.
Warm water fell on me and a sense of serenity rushed in. This was much needed. I decided that I would spend a longer time in here than usual. It would kill time and I hoped the party would be over by the time I stepped out.
I gasped when I saw red in the water pooling around my feet. I glanced down at the injury on my knee, hoping it was the cause. But it had dried, no blood was present. That time of the month had already passed. What was this? I grew scared and I was unable to move for a while as my thoughts reeled back to last night. Could Harry be the cause?
Although weakened, the pain he inflicted on me still remained. I may have close to zero knowledge on sex but I knew that this was not a normal aftermath. Maybe something had been damaged inside. I tried to ignore it as I continued my shower but my anxiety swelled. If it got any more serious, I would have to inform Harry about it.
Long minutes passed before I turned off the shower head. I frowned at the absence of the calming warm droplets falling on my skin. I instantly began to feel cold again. I wrapped a towel around myself before proceeding to the hair dryer.
When I stepped back into my room, I found myself disappointed that the music was still playing downstairs. My patience was wearing thin. I really needed to see my mother and I grew frustrated thinking of how it had been disrupted numerous times. I knew Harry wasn't in the mood for this, why couldn't he just end the party already?
I found it hard to swallow when thoughts of Kaylee rushed in. What if she had somehow managed to change his mind about all this while I was up here?
No, I had seen Harry end things with her. He had been firm with it. I trusted him.
I pulled on a navy blue sweater and slid into a pair of dark jeans. Right before I was about to tie up my hair, I became aware of the sharp noises right outside my room. I ambled to the door and pressed my ear against it.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that." It was muffled, but it sounded like Mrs Briffen.
"I know you've got ancient ears but atleast try to hear me out because this is the last time I'm saying this. You're going to tell her to come out or I swear I will do something so drastic your job will be affected." It was Kaylee. "Got it, hag?"
"I can't do that because she isn't here." Mrs Briffen covered. "I told you that. I don't know what you saw."
Then something knocked against the door, giving my heart a jolt. I instantly pulled the door open and Kaylee came into sight. Mrs Briffen was sat on the floor with a hand over her forehead. Kaylee had slammed the poor woman against the door.
I rushed to Mrs Briffen's aid, helping her up as Kaylee stared me down. "So my imagination wasn't playing sick tricks on me." She said sharply as I felt her eyes scrutinise my every move.
The music had stopped and I saw people leaving downstairs. "Why did you do that to her?" I asked as I stood up with Mrs Briffen.
"He's still keeping you. You're the reason." Her voice lowered but her features hardened.
I ignored her and escorted Mrs Briffen into my room, guiding her to sit the edge of my bed. Kaylee followed with crossed arms. "But why?" She whispered, then broke into a laugh. "This must be a joke. I'm certain this is a joke."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I stood up straight, I was inches taller than her.
"I'm a holder of multiple distinctions. An aspiring entrepreneur. A socialite, like Harry." She sputtered as the veins in her eyes became more prominent. "You're a whore." She managed a laugh.
My blood boiled at her words and my fingers shook, anger dominating me. She was being so childish. "You should leave." I told her, hoping she would just disappear so there would be no commotion.
"It doesn't make sense!" She yelled as tears spilled over her cheeks. Smudged black mascara framed her red eyes and suddenly I realised I was far from envious of her looks. Amidst all my anger, there was slight sympathy for her. Eventhough she was the closest thing I'd seen to 'the B word', she might have really loved Harry. But it wasn't my problem that he didn't feel the same way. I did nothing except maybe make him realise that he didn't belong with her, or any of these people. I had no influence on his choices. Harry wasn't happy, and he had just realised that he wanted to change it.
"How much do you get for a night?" She sneered. I'd never wanted to shout back at a person this much but I decided against it as I was afraid that we would draw unwanted attention.
"I'm not a prostitute!" I stated. "It's complicated but I'm not." That word hurt the most. I wasn't a prostitute.
"He's using you. That's what he's doing. I get it, he's a sex addict. It makes sense. He must have more Baby Dolls hiding in the other rooms." I wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or to me.
"Please leave." I said firmly. "You've caused enough trouble." I lifted my hand, directing her gaze towards Mrs Briffen who was too shaken up to say anything.
"Oh I'll leave. I just need to show everyone the truth before I do." Her lips twisted into a chilling smile.
I flinched when she roughly grabbed my wrist and pulled me outside. I heard Mrs Briffen shriek as I staggered towards the indoor balcony. I pulled back harshly, causing Kaylee to tumble to the floor. Before I could rush back to my room, she called out, "Look! We've got a Baby Doll here! A party treat for all the guys!" Just as I was about to take off, Kaylee's hand latched around my ankle and I fell.
My limbs trembled as I slowly pushed myself up. I peered down to see only a few of Harry's friends in the living room. Many of them had already left. Every pair of eyes quickly darted to the scene and I could feel my cheeks burning, and wondered if anyone else was as mortified as I was. What Kaylee had done to me would never leave my memory.
The colour drained from Harry's face as he looked up. "What the hell?" His voice echoed.
"I can't believe you. I just..." Kaylee faked a loud laugh as she rose to her feet. "Her? Seriously?"
"I'll hit you up later." Harry said to his friends, signalling them to leave. They all exchanged confused glances with each other as they headed toward the entrance lobby.
"Get out out of my house." Harry said roughly.
"She's a hooker!" Kaylee howled as she descended down the staircase. My stomach dropped. This was the worst kind of humiliation. I wasn't a hooker, a whore or a prostitute. My life just took a sick turn and I was thrust into this disgracing fate. Possibly the worst thing I had done was fall in love with a boy, like any other girl would in their life.
"She's not the one who lost her virginity at 12." Harry quipped. Did she really?
Kaylee's face was a bright shade of crimson. "This shows just how dumb you are. I thought you had developed a bit of sense after all these years but you just proved me wrong."
"Get out." Harry's features grew taut, eyes narrowing at her.
She pointed a finger at him. "No you listen to me, asshole! I can't bel-"
"Get the fuck out!" His voice vociferated all throughout the abode, startling me even. Kaylee had gotten on his nerves. I had never seen Harry this exasperated, nostrils flaring as his bright eyes became shadowed by his brows. He had a long day and I knew he was going to erupt at one point. Kaylee was unlucky enough to be the trigger.
She did not dare to utter another word. Fear showed in her actions as she shakily lifted her bag and headed for the entrance door. She kept her chin up, an attempt to show that she wasn't affected by what Harry had just told her, or yelled at her. But she appeared otherwise.
I heard the door slam shut and I knew she was gone. For good, I hoped.
Harry rubbed his face, expelling a throaty sigh. I rushed down the stairs and didn't think twice before throwing my arms around his waist. My head pressed to his hard chest, his heartbeat against my ear surprisingly soothing.
Harry's arms dropped to my shoulders and he squeezed me to him. "Are you hurt?"
"Harry, I'm scared." I told him.
"Forget about Kaylee, she's-"
"No, not her. I'm scared of what might come. I have no idea where we're going with this." My arms tightened around him. "I'm supposed to go home now, right?"
"You don't have to..."
"I don't think I'll be safe here anymore. Your dad came here last week and threatened me again."
Harry pulled back to look at me. "What?"
"He said I couldn't tell you." I blurted. "He made it clear that he had the power to take away every cent from our bank."
"Is that why you slept with me?" He questioned, a worried expression suddenly masking his face.
"What? No! I wouldn't do that for anyone. I'm not like that."
"I know, I know. Sorry." He whispered, his thumb tracing the cupid's bow of my lips. "But he can't do that anymore, the contract's over. I think he just found out about it. He told me he's coming over tomorrow to have a talk with me. He's going to nag me even more when he finds out what just happened here. I guess you should go home. If you can, try to get a new place. And we'll..." He paused.
My throat felt tight. "We'll what?"
Harry puffed out a sigh before resting his forehead against mine. "I'll figure out something." He was as uncertain about all of this as I was. He had ended things with Kaylee, but I was going home. The pieces weren't fitting. We were from two completely different worlds and the thought of how we were going to make our relationship work made my mouth dry up.
And the thing was, I could no longer imagine my life without Harry, he'd become an inherent part of it.
But I was relieved that I was no longer under anybody's control. I would need to get a new place with my family so none of these people could give us any more trouble. I would get a job somewhere to support my family and I was sure Darren would contribute. None of that would be a problem. The only thing I was worried about was Harry and I.
"You get yourself settled first, don't worry about us. We're going to make this work." It was like he had read my mind.
"I hope so." I gave him a peck on his lips and they pinched into a smile.
"So I'll take you to your mum?" He offered.
"If you're not too tired." I took notice of his heavy lids.
"I'll take you there now if you stay with me tonight." He proposed a deal. I returned a nod but I was panicking inside at the thought of Harry being in the same place as my mother, and possibly Darren too.
Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.