Chapter Six:
The next day during school, Harry didn't show up. I looked around the school after Anatomy for him, but found nothing. I sat with Mary Elise in Calculus and started to catch up with her. She had a lot going on in the last couple weeks and I wasn't there to help her. She was a little standoffish when I started to talk to her about what happened, but she warmed up to me after a while. She knew we were still close and good friends, she just needed some reinforcement.
She had been having family issues that started when her uncle was put in the hospital, a mental hospital that is. Apparently her uncle had a psychotic break and attacked her aunt. Her aunt was okay, but it didn't settle well when he was taken to the hospital by her grandpa and other uncle. Her aunt has been mad at them for doing it for the last couple weeks for putting him away. The rest of the family keeps trying to tell her that putting him in the hospital will help him get better.
"She thinks that the attack on her was because he was drunk," she whispered. I nodded and asked her if she was doing okay. She shrugged and said she was making the best of it. She tried to stay out of it and go on with her studies.
It was nice to talk to Mary Elise again. I didn't realize how much I missed her until today. We talked about her family and how my relationship with Harry was going. When I had lead up to Harry meeting Alec and Jailynn yesterday, I asked her why Harry was considered a backstabber.
"Well," she sighed. "It's a long story"
She told me how Harry started to date a girl named Justice back when Mary Elise was a freshman. Harry and Justice started to date for a month and a half when Harry dropped off the face of the earth for a few weeks. Justice was in love with Harry and Harry knew it too, except he didn't feel the same about her. Harry didn't text Justice or anything. He didn't even write. When he returned, he didn't pay Justice any heed. She waited until lunch to talk to him and when she sat next to him, Harry flipped out on her.
He started to say that he never cared about her and that he only used to her to pass the time. Justice couldn't believe what she was hearing and went home early because she couldn't stop crying. When Justice returned the next day, she was dishoveled and looked like the ghost on The Grudge. Her long dark hair was all in her face and she hardly looked up. She didn't even look in Harry's direction.
According to Mary Elise, Harry wasn't even phased. He laughed with his "brother" Zayn that day about Justice. Justice couldn't take it anymore and after school Justice pulled Harry aside and talked with him. They talked for a good fifteen minutes before Justice left crying again. Harry still wasn't phased. Harry just walked back to Zayn and left. Later that night, Justice was found dead. Justice hung herself off of the railing on her apartment. Justice's funeral was the next day and Harry had the guts to show up.
I looked at Mary Elise with wide eyes. I couldn't believe that Harry had apparently done that to a poor girl. The Harry I knew was a sweet and gentle person. He hardly seemed like the kind of person to just date a girl and then hurt her like the way Justice was hurt.
"I can't see Harry hurting a girl like that," I whispered. I really couldn't. I had been dating Harry for almost two and a half months, you'd think I'd know him pretty well by now. If this story is true, how come he wouldn't tell me about it?
"Well, he did. I don't know if he changed or not in the last couple of years, but he did indeed cause Justice's death. I hope he knows that he has her blood on his hands."
Mary Elise and I departed class on that note. We didn't talk about Harry for the rest of the day. I looked around at lunch for his brother Zayn. Apparently he was the only brother to go to school here. The other's had graduated. I was biting into a mozzarella stick when Lydia jabbed me in the arm. I looked up and gave her my "What the hell?" look.
"That's Zayn," she said nudging at the boy in the doorway. He was a little shorter than Harry, but still equally as intimidating. He wore a dark leather jacket over his black and grey school uniform. His hair was combed back and his facial hair was trimmed so it was short, but still messy. He had eyes so dark, they looked black. He too had pale skin.
I looked at him for a few seconds and then quickly turned away, for he saw me looking at him. There was something creepy about Zayn, I couldn't explain what though. I decided to push it out of my mind and continue my day.
I got home and called Harry as soon as I got into my bedroom. He picked up on the fourth ring.
"Yes?" he greeted through the phone.
"Where were you today?" I asked. I laid on my bed fiddling with my straightened hair.
"Home, why?" he replied. His tone was dull and tiring again. Something was definitely up with him. Was he feeling the guilt of Justice? Or was he growing tired of me?
"I was just wondering. Do you want to go out tonight or something?" I asked. I wanted to talk about Justice and see if it was real or not. If the story was true, I would try to work things out with Harry. I cared about him too much to lose him.
"Sure, what do you want to do?" he asked. I thought about it for a while and decided to see if he was okay with a movie.
"How does a movie sound?" I asked. He agreed with it and said he wanted to see an action movie. I didn't particularly want to see an action movie, but if that's what he wanted to see then so be it.
We chose to go see the movie around seven and hung the phone up after that. I set my phone down on my bed and walked dresser and started to look at my clothes. I chose to wear my dark Miss Me jeans with a tight tank top. I wore my leather jacket over the tank top and slipped into my black Uggs. I looked in my vanity and took my hair out of my ponytail. It was perfectly wavy and without another look, I walked downstairs.
I walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinets for something to munch on. I had two hours to kill before I left to see Harry, so I figured a quick snack with some Conjuring wouldn't hurt. I found a granola bar to munch on and some dried cranberries, so I took them and set them on the couch. I popped The Conjuring in the BluRay player and got comfortable next to my snacks as I began the movie.
By the time the movie was over, I managed to finish the whole bag of dried cranberries and had dragon breath. I looked at the time and saw I had about ten minutes before I needed to leave, so I thought I might as well touch my face up as well.
I walked into the bathroom and started to brush my teeth. My hair was still perfectly wavy and shiny. I was surprised because for once it cooperated. Usually it always causes a problem before I leave to go somewhere. I brushed my teeth until I was satisfied with the freshness, added some blush and left to meet Harry at the movie theater.
Harry was standing outside of the theater waiting for me. He wore his dark trench coat as usual and jeans. He had his hands buried in his pockets and was looking around for me. He had combed his hand through his hair making it a sexy mess. I parked my car and walked up to him. He smiled when he saw me and held his left hand out to embrace mine. I took his hand and enlaced my fingers through the spaces between his. He responded by squeezing my hand gently.
We smiled and walked into the theater together. Harry paid for both of our tickets and my popcorn. He held my hand until we sat down in the theater. He took his dark trench coat off and laid it upon his seat. As he sat down, I looked at him with awe. He wore a tight, thin black short sleeve shirt that showed his tattoos on his left arm. He had a majority of his upper left arm covered with tattoos.
I raised my arm rest and buried myself in Harry's chest. I looked up at my handsome boyfriend and smiled. He smiled back and gave me a quick kiss. We adjusted our bodies so we were seated comfortably together. We spent the next two hours held in love's embraced as we watched the action movie.
I thought about if I really did love Harry or not. I trusted him more than anyone I have trusted ever since the incident and Jaeson. I thought after Jaeson, I would never feel anything again. I thought that something had died within me that night. Something did die that night: Bethany Josaphine Thompson, the good innocent girl who loved and trusted everyone died that night. Four months later, Bethany Josaphine Thompson was reincarnated in a scarred and tattooed body that forced itself to show no love or compassion. Now, that body had finally learned to love and trust again.
I was in love with Harry, there was no doubt about it.
There was one thought that always stuck in the back of my mind: Was the story about Justice true? If so, would Harry do the same to me?
We walked out of the movie and to my car together, his arm over my shoulders. I held his arm there and smiled half heartedly. This night had been one of our best dates and now the time had come to ask what had really happened with Justice. I asked Harry to sit in my passenger seat as I sat in my driver's, he obeyed.
"What's up?" he asked smiling. "Is this the part where you seduce me with your charms?"
"No," I said through a smile. "I wanted to talk to you about something I heard today."
"Oh? And what would that be?" This was it. I took a deep breath and began.
"I heard about Justice."
His face lost his brilliant smile and became serious. He sat back in the car seat and started to comb his hand through his hair, but stopped on the top of his head. He sighed and started to talk.
"I kind of assumed you would hear about her sooner or later. What happened with Justice was nothing. She killed herself on her own accords, not me. People assume I was the reason because we had broken up before she died. Ever since then, people call me a two faced liar."
I nodded and listened to the rest of his story intently. He seemed genuinely sincere about it and seemed to be coming clean about it to me. When he finished his story, he asked if the story changed my view of him. I shook my head and kissed his cheek.
"Harry, I love you. Nothing could change that. I trust you and always will. You are the most important person in my life right now and whatever skeletons come out of the closet, we will work out together."
It took a moment for me to realize what I had just said, I had told Harry I loved him. Everything about me was laid out before him now, except for Jaeson. That skeleton didn't need to be uncovered now, not in a car in a parking lot. That was for a different time.
Harry kissed me long and good, but never said "I love you " back.
Over the next few days, I spend more time with my brother and sister. I visited Alec and Jailynn everyday after my date with Harry. We mainly stayed in the hotel room, but occasionally went out to dinner or went to the local amusement park. Alec and I mainly rode the roller coasters together while Jailynn sat and watched. Since Jailynn was pregnant, she didn't want to risk hurting their unborn child.
Alec and I got to know each other better over the next few days. Alec told me about his career as a graphic design artist and what he did after he left our mother's house. He had rented an apartment in the neighboring town and stayed there. Eventually he met Jailynn there and never left her side.
I never spoke about Jaeson with Alec, or anyone for the matter. The only person to remotely know what happened was Linsay and that's how I would keep it. I told Alec about my life after he left and how our mom had remarried.
"Jesus, Ryan sounds like an ass," he said as he sat down on the couch with a beer. I nodded and continued to tell him about our stepfather.
Ryan and my mother got married when I was ten years old. I had met Ryan only a few times prior to the wedding. After my father and Alec moved out, my mother stopped caring. She didn't care if I didn't like Ryan, she was in love and that was that. She thought her life was rough and took the first person that made her feel special.
Ryan was always thinking he was superior to me. Granted he was my stepfather, but he had no authority over me. Not the way he thought he did. He thought he could take over the role of my father and keep the title of my father. He always treated me like I was a little prop and the worst part was my mother never acted like a mom, except for when Ryan wasn't around.
That's why it was so easy for me to be kicked out. She sided with Ryan immediately so she wouldn't lose him.
My brother shook his head and got up to get me a beer. He uncapped it and placed it in my hand. I looked up and said that I wasn't old enough to drink.
"You sound like you could use a beer, Bethany. Plus you're only a year away here in England," he replied with a pat on my shoulder. He sat back down next to Jailynn and wrapped his arm around her. She didn't seem to protest when Alec handed me the drink. I felt like I needed to get her permission as well, before I drank any. She laughed at me.
"Bethany, we all have been there in our teen years. We all need a drink every once in a while," she said smiling. "Go ahead. We'd much rather have you drink with us verses with some stranger."
I smiled and drank the beer. It was watery and bitter, but I didn't mind. To be honest, I had consumed worse. I used to consume straight vodka when I was still depressed. Thankfully, my tolerance was still relatively high, that way I didn't get wasted from one beer. That would have been incredibly embarrassing.
I stayed the night in their hotel room their last night in England. Jailynn was packing her bags as I was tossing my pillow and blanket on the couch. I walked over to help her finish packing her and Alec's items. She and I had a big heart to heart that night.
"You know, I had a stepfather too. His name was John," she said as she zipped the last suitcase shut.
"I didn't know," I replied. She continued with her story.
"Well, I did. My father died when I was five and my mother remarried when I was seven. John started out as a father figure to me. I considered him my father for some time, but things changed when I had turned eight. John's mother died suddenly and it took a huge toll on him. He became cold and mean. He started to beat my mother and I repeatedly. We didn't know whether one day we were going to get the John who beat us until we were covered with bruises or the John that slapped us once or twice.
"The abuse went on until I was sixteen years old. My mom had picked me up from school early and told me to pack my bags. We were moving to the other side of New York together. I only took my clothes and a few other essentials and then returned to my mother in the kitchen. She left her wedding ring on the counter with the divorce papers and a restraining order. My mother had been saving up to pay for a good lawyer that was going to get us away from him. In the end, my mom and I got away from John and lived our lives together until I moved to Iowa. Then I met your brother."
I sat on my knees in silence. I couldn't help but stare at Jailynn and wonder how such a tiny girl could be so strong with the abuse she took for eight years. I hugged my sister and told her about what had happened to me with Jaeson. Our stories we shared was our little secret between us. By the end of the night, Jailynn and I had sealed our sisterly bond for life.
My father and I walked with Alec and Jailynn to the security section of the airport and said our goodbyes there. Alec and Jailynn gave us an open invitation over to their home in Florida and hugged us for the last time. Jailynn had hugged my father as I hugged my brother. Alec kissed me on my head and bid me farewell. Jailynn came over and hugged me while Alec said goodbye to my father.
"I put my email in your phone, just in case you wanted to talk," she whispered into my ear as she hugged me. I nodded and squeezed her in assurance.
"Thank you for everything Jailynn," I whispered back. She squeezed me back and said goodbye. With a final wave, they departed through security and on their way back to America.
When my father and I got home from the airport, he changed into his work clothes and left for work, leaving me alone in the house. I went upstairs into my room and texted Harry asking if he wanted to come over.
Sure, I'll be over momentarily.
I was sitting on the couch reading Speak when Harry pulled up in the driveway. I watched him walk up the walkway and heard him knock on the door. I opened the door and let him in. He took off his rainy trench coat and hung it on the coat rack. Today was an undoubtedly rainy day, thunder clapped every so often and lightning followed. I hoped Alec and Jailynn's flight was going to make it without any problems.
Harry followed me into the living room and sat down next to me. He picked up the book I was reading and read the back of it.
"I take it this is one of your favorites?" he asked with a smile as he held the book up. The paperback copy was bend and beaten because of the amount of times I had read the story. I nodded and took the book from him. I marked my page and set the battered book on the coffee table.
I looked at Harry and kissed him like I had never kissed him before. I kissed him with a kiss full of passion and hunger, like I had in my dream I had once. Something about this moment had made me want him and nothing was holding me back from taking him. He opened his eyes and pulled me away.
"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded and kissed him passionately again. I threw my knee over the his lap and rested it on the leather so I was straddling him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my hands through his curly hair. He finally started to kiss me back in the same way and ran his hands down my back and side. Gradually he moved his lips down from mine to my neck. He started to kiss my neck with such passion, I thought I might get a hickey.
He finally pulled away with lustful eyes and picked me up. He carried me into my room and laid me down on my bed. He started to kiss me again, gently biting my lip. Even as he gently bit, his sharp teeth felt like daggers on my lips. I opened my eyes and pulled him on the bottom. I straddled him again and took my shirt off, exposing my tattoo and my scars.
The lust had slowly started to disappear from his eyes and curiosity took it's place. He traced his finger along my tattoo and then my scar next to it. His eyes were drawn to my chest, but not to my breasts. To my scar. He pulled me off his lap and asked what had happened. I picked my shirt up and placed it back on my body and sat down next to him.
"This is the one skeleton I have hidden. This was the reason why I drew the angel in art class, why it symbolized me," I whispered. Harry nodded and I continued with my story.
"Four months before I moved here, I was with my ex-boyfriend. His name was Jaeson Lewis and he used to be my best friend. He became my boyfriend six months before this happened. We were together one night and we were kissing in his car. He had pulled off into a parking lot in our local town and wanted to mess around. I told him I wasn't going any further than kissing, he agreed at first.
"Before I knew it, Jaeson was starting to rip my shirt off and began to rape me. I screamed and screamed, but no one came. No one that would help, at least. Jaeson had these friends I didn't even know about. They came and took part in it too. After an eternity of torment, they thought I was dead. One of them was drunk and decided to shoot me in my hip. The other cut me above my chest and then they both left me for dead.
"Linsay was the one to find me the next day. She found Jaeson's car nearby and decided to look for me around the area. She never left my side and was the one who supported me through everything. This is the reason why I pulled away when you tried to kiss me the first time and why I didn't like to talk about myself for a long time. I didn't want to reveal too much of myself to get attached to one person."
I looked at Harry with teary eyes. It was still painful for me to talk about, I couldn't help but get teary eyed. Harry looked at me with sympathy and hurt. He hugged me tight and I responded by wrapping my arms around him, like I thought he would disappear. He buried his face in my neck and kissed me gently. He kissed me as if I was made of porcelain and would shatter at the slightest touch. He lifted his head up and looked at me. His blue green eyes were filled with concern and sorrow. He brushed a strand of raven hair away from my eyes and spoke.
"I'm sorry that happened to you Bethany, I can't imagine what it was like. I can promise you that I will never hurt you like that and will always protect you."
I nodded and kissed him. He didn't need to tell me he loved me, I already knew it and I knew he was telling the truth. I loved this man, and he loved me.
Tonght was the night Harry and I were going to the club together. I had straightened my hair and wore my one shoulder silver sequin dress. I wore my spiked silver stilettos with the dress and a blingy bracelet. Harry would be picking me up any minute now. I double checked my purse to be sure I had my phone and ID. Both items were in there, plus a few pounds. I closed my purse and continued to wait.
I had never been to a club before, the closest I got was my school's homecoming dance. Even then, it wasn't much of a dance, our school teachers were very strict about how we danced. Would we be allowed to dance how we want? Would it be a club full of weirdos? My mind was reeling with questions.
Harry showed up around nine forty and honked when he pulled into my driveway. I kissed my father goodbye and left with Harry. Harry was playing Def Leppard when I had jumped into the car. I smiled and cranked up the music. We drove for a half hour to the club. It was built on a corner and had blue and purple lights on the wall. The club had a sign drilled into the corner of the building bearing the name. The Bite.
Harry parked in the alley next to the club and walked with me on the sidewalk. He held my hand firmly and wouldn't let go, as if he was protecting me. I smiled a little bit at the thought and continued to walk with him. When we reached the doorway of the club, there was a huge line. There were people lined up all around the block. Harry jumped over the red rope and drug me with him. He told the security guard who we were and the guard let us in without another word.
As Harry and I entered the club, we were greeted by a blast of cold air and what I found inside was something I wouldn't soon forget. The club was mainly box shaped with a few rooms within the walls and had wiry, veil like separators between the dance floor and the bar. All the walls were covered with veil like curtains and had light shows behind the curtains.
I watched the lights for a few moments and saw they only used cool colors, different shades of blues, greens, and purples. The dance floor was completely covered by fog from a fog machine and had light up floor squares. Along the edge of the dance floor were blue lights that rotated around the room and the D.J.'s mixer table was decked out with the light show too.
Harry laughed at my awe struck face and drug me to the dance floor. We danced to the dubstep for a while and then let me grind on him. We danced and grinded for a good hour before we went to the bar. Harry ordered me a water and him a red drink, I couldn't pronounce the name though. He clinked our glasses together and we drank the whole glass. We giggled at each other for a few moments and then went back to dancing.
By eleven o clock, we were starting to sweat in the cool club, or at least I was. I was downing water like a pro just to keep myself from getting too hot. Harry just laughed at me as I gulped down glass after glass. I finally asked him what was so funny.
"You're going to have to pee like a racehorse after this," he said over the music. I laughed and rolled my eyes. Eventually, he was right. I told him I would be right back and left him sitting on the bar. He kept drinking the red drink, but never seemed to get enough of it. As I left him, I passed a redheaded girl who had been staring at Harry. She was tall because of her heels and wore a tight, black dress. Her eyes followed me until I passed her to go to the restroom. I turned back and saw Harry watching me walk away.
I quickly used the bathroom and got back out. When I returned, Harry was no where to be seen. He wasn't at the bar anymore and wasn't at the front of the club. I walked up to the bartender and asked if he had seen where Harry had gone. He shrugged and went back to his business. I turned around and saw the redheaded girl walking through the crowd of people on the dancefloor. She looked as if she was following someone, so I decided to follow her.
I walked around the swarm of people who came flooding in through the doorway and finally made my way to the dance floor. I had to fight my way through the crowd of people on the dancefloor. There were couples grinding to the beat of the bass and people dancing with their arms flying everywhere. Without Harry, this place seemed like a magnet for freaks.
Some of the people there were dressed as I were, but the others were dressed in ripped up dresses or super dark, gothic clothes and some had their hair bleached white. They wore jewelry like I had never seen, some had chokers that had wire mesh leaves pointing in different directions and others wore chokers that looked like a cage around their faces. Their faces were painted with strange designs on them and had pale contacts in.
I navigated my way through the crowd and finally found Harry on the other side of the dancefloor. He was in the corner of one of the hallways that led into a room of the club. He had his back to me and his arms around something.
I started to walk over and almost called his name when I saw what it was. The red head. Harry was kissing her neck with a ferocious desire, not even I had seen. Not even when I had tried to get some from him the day before. One hand was placed on her chest and the other around her waist. She was moaning and her eyes fluttered from the pleasure.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I quickly ran off and out of the club. I got to the other side of the block, towards the parking lot, before I opened my purse and pulled out my cell phone. I ran through my contacts and called Mary Elise. She picked up after the third ring.
"Bethany? Don't you know what time it is? Some of us are sleeping y-"
"Mary Elise, you know I wouldn't call this late if it wasn't important," I said choking back tears. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful. "Can you come pick me up? I need a ride home."
"Where are you?" she said as she got out of bed. I could hear her walking through her house and grabbing her car keys in the background.
"You know where that new club The Bite is, don't you?" I asked through my sobs.
"Yes, I live only a few blocks away. I'll be there in a second," she said. I listened to her get into her car and drive off in the background. I hung up and waited for her to drive up.
No matter how hard I tried to stop crying, I couldn't. I had never felt this much hurt since Jaeson. Mary Elise was right: Harry was a backstabber and a player. He had played me, just so he could hurt me in the end. And to think I told him I loved him.
You fool, was all I could think. Over and over again. I trusted him and now he had back stabbed me.
Mary Elise pulled up to the curb and unlocked the passenger seat. I opened the door and crawled in still sobbing. She rubbed my shoulder and asked what had happened. I told her what happened at the club and how I had been stupid enough to trust him the way I did. Mary Elise comforted me the whole drive to my house.
When she pulled up into my driveway, she handed me a tissue and told me to clean up my eyes. I took the tissue and looked into the mirror visor. My eyes had become two black holes of mascara and eyeliner. I cleaned my eyes up enough to make them decent. My eyes were puffy and red from crying so hard. I looked back at Mary Elise and hugged her.
She was the only true friend I had here in England. She has stuck with me from my very first day at Bridgewood and always was an intent listener. She had my back and always supported my decisions. I was greatful to have a friend like her.
"Thank you for picking me up," I whispered in her ear.
"No problem," she replied. "Why don't you get some sleep? We can talk about it in the morning."
I nodded and got out of her car. I waved goodbye to her and walked into my house. My dad left the door unlocked for me, even though he went to bed already. I shut the door and locked it behind me. I leaned against it and started to cry again.
How could I have been so stupid? I should have known better than to trust him and now look where it got me: heart broken and emotionally bare. I kicked off my heels and walked upstairs to my room. I slipped out of my dress and into a baggy tee shirt and crawled into bed.
I heard the Ping! of my cell phone go off and I got up to see who it was. It was Harry.
Bethany! Where did you go?! I can't find you anywhere!
I started to cry agian and texted him back.
I got a ride home. Have fun with your little redhead. Fuck you.
Without another word, I clicked my phone off and chucked it across the floor. I threw the covers over my head and cried myself to sleep.