T/W: BULLYING AND SELF HARM
The weekend came faster than I expected it to.
It was a Friday afternoon and I was packing my bag. I had a facemask on, wearing a lose t-shirt and some shorts. I stuffed my bag with my clothes while dancing along to Ciara's Thinkin Bout You.
I shook my hips to the beat.
Loving you is something strange
Don't get me wrong I ain't complaining
I've been thinkin bout you!
I sang out the lyrics in my horrible voice.
I know, Chelsea promised to ruin my weekend but it's nothing music can't fix.
While I was washing and drying my face after getting the face mask off, heard a loud knock on my window.
I saw Will's amused face peeking in. I rolled my eyes at him and opened the window.
"Can't you come in through the door like a normal person?", I asked.
"Nope", he climbed in.
"I didn't even invite you in", I pointed out.
"And I'm not a vampire", he replied.
"You've watched vampire diaries?", I gasped.
"Yup", he replied, not even paying attention to the look of surprise on my face.
He lay down on my bed and started reading the blurb of Eat Pray Love, which was sitting on my bedside table.
"You're quiet today", I pointed out, turning off the music.
"Hm", he replied.
"Will, are you even listening?",
"Hm", he mumbled again.
I snatched the book from his hand but it didn't seem to faze him either way.
"Will, talk to me", I tugged his arm.
"When did everything start?" he asked, "With Chelsea?"
"Middle school", I sighed.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" he sat up, his face only inches away from me.
"No one asked, so I never said anything", I smiled.
Will was about to say something when I got a notification on my phone. I picked it up to see
Chels.bby added you to a group chat
Why did Chelsea add me to a group?
"I'll be right back", I said and went to the bathroom, locking the door behind me.
I unlocked my phone. I instantly wish I hadn't.
Chels.bby: Who thinks that Harper Jones is a slut?
Tanya_Bear99: OMG she really is!! Did you see how she was all over Will at the dinner party?
Courtney_rews: Mason asked her to prom! I think it's because she slept with him.
Chels.bby: Of course she did, what else can a whore like her do?
Tanya_Bear99: She should get abused and raped until she dies.
Courtney_rews: Yeah and they should leave her body to rot in a ditch or a sewer🤣
Chels.bby: She's too ugly to be raped
Courtney_rews: Tru, she's so ugly.
Courtney_rews: and fat
Tanya_Bear99: She should be dead.
Chels.bby: Cutting freak😂
I immediately shut my phone and sank down to the bathroom floor. I hadn't let this take control over me for so long. Now, I felt like the shield I put up was broken. Shattered to pieces. The sadness was so intense, it numbed me to the point where I couldn't even cry to let it out.
I reached my hand upwards to the drawer, sliding it open, I took out a razor blade. I looked at it in my hand. It's stainless surface shone with the reflection of the bathroom light. Looking more inviting.
I pressed the blade to my right upper arm and pressed. The pain was so familiar, it felt like home. I dragged the blade up to my shoulder, and I saw the bloody thin line on my skin. I lay there with my head against the the bathroom counter.
"Harp?", Will's voice came from the other side of the bathroom door.
"Yeah?", I answered.
"Are you okay?", his voice was filled with concern.
"I'm fine", I replied.
I was back to being a liar.
*****
I got out of the car to see the beach house. It was huge and I have to admit, amazingly beautiful.
I was living here for the weekend?! Damn I feel rich. Heh Kat would kill for this.
Suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. I looked up to see Mason's tall figure towering over me. The color instantly rose up to my cheeks, as I looked away. Internally squealing.
The people on the trip were me, Mason, Will, Courtney, Chelsea, Tanya and Courtney's cousin brother Elijah.
Elijah gave me the creeps. I could tell he was high by how the odor coming from him. All throughout the car ride, he kept on giving me vulgar stares, making sexual jokes while making eye contact with me and kept on trying to touch me. Ugh, I shuddered as I thought about those moments.
We went inside the beach house and into our desired rooms. We had to meet by the pool soon for some time so I quickly unpacked to change into my swimsuit.
I freshened up, called mom and dad to assure them that I hadn't been killed by UFO's and unpacked. But I couldn't find the swimsuit that I had packed.
I kept looking through my backpack but it was nowhere to be found.
After 5 minutes I gave up looking for it and called Kenzie who had helped me pack my bag.
"Hello", Kenzie said chirpily.
"Hey Kenzie, where did you pack my swimsuit?", I asked, "I can't find it",
Kenzie giggled.
"Why are you laughing?", I asked confusedly.
"Check the pocket on the right side of your backpack",
I did as she said. Only to pull out something that wasn't my swimsuit.
"Kenzie",
"Yes?", She asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.
"What did you do?", I said through gritted teeth.
"I replaced your swimsuit", she replied innocently.
"KENZIE!", I yelled into the phone.
"Love you too!", she yelled back and cut the call.
I looked at the bikini. I will regret this for as long as I live.
Harper's bikini
Tanya's bikini
Courtney's bikini
Chelsea's bikini
*****
I stood by the door to the pool, wondering whether to go or not. I could just pretend like I was on my period. Yeah that's genius! I can just do that!
I was about to go back to room and change when someone bumped into me.
I looked up and gulped. Mason stood there, his lips curled into a smile when he saw me.
"You look amazing", he beamed. I would've said something. Atleast a thank you but Mason was standing in front of me. Shirtless. His bare chest on display. I was at point where I forgot how to breathe. Speaking was a whole other level.
"Come on", he took me by the waist, dragging me out with him.
As soon as I stepped outside, I felt Tanya's eyes on me, especially on Mason's hand on my waist. Chelsea sneered at me and Courtney snorted. They looked so much better than me. Thank God I had shaved.
Will was lying on the sun lounger wearing a grey t shirt and red swimming trunks, a pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. I thought he was asleep before he lowered his sunglasses a bit and gave me a playful wink. I rubbed my neck, trying the blush creeping up to my cheeks.
Then I saw Elijah at the other side of the pool. His ran his eyes up and down my body. It felt like he was undressing me with his eyes.
Mason went swimming and I sat on the edge of the pool with my legs in the pool, playing Cooking Fever on my phone, when I got a message from Will.
Will_Green88: Nice Bikini🤤
Me: Ugh ur being pervy
Will_Green88: Don't blame me for that! Have you looked in the mirror?
Me: Thank Kenzie for this😒
Will_Green88: What did she do?
Me: She sneaked out my swimsuit and replaced it with what ur seeing now
Will_Green88: I love every bit of what I'm seeing right now
Me: Stop ur shameless flirting😑🥱
Will_Green88: 😚
I looked at Will and scowled at him, only to earn a cheeky grin.
Suddenly, someone rose up from the water beside me.
"Hi, Harper right?", Elijah asked.
"Nope", I lied, "That's not even my name."
"Funny, I like funny girls", he chuckled.
"Thank you for that invaluable piece of information", I rolled my eyes.
Elijah got out from the water and sat down beside me.
"So, Harper", he continued, "Tell me about yourself", he scooted closer to me. I looked over to Courtney, who wasn't very bothered by her creep of a cousin sticking to me like a leech.
Something told me that he was no cousin.
"About myself?", I asked, "I really like personal space",
"Sassy I see", he chuckled again, "I like sassy girls", he growled in a way which I think was intended to be seductive but instead it just made me cringe.
"I don't remember asking for your likes and dislikes", I pointed out.
"All you need to know is that I've got all my likes here", Elijah put his arm around my waist.
I got myself out of his grip and went to the hot tub instead.
*****
It had gotten dark and now we were all sitting on the sofas around the fireplace outside. Will had gone inside to get some drinks and I sat outside with everyone else. I was talking to Mason when I saw Elijah staring at my chest. What a creep.
"I'll be right back", I said and went inside to drink some water.
Will was standing in the kitchen, making the punch. He saw me and waved.
"Hey", I mumbled before drinking my water to calm my nerves down.
"You alright?", He asked.
"Yeah, just that the foundation's coming off and a particular someone can't get his eyes off my chest", I grumbled.
"Can you blame him?", Will said before his eyes shifted below my face.
I smacked his arm and he chuckled.
"Who is it?", he asked.
"That Elijah guy", I replied.
Will stopped making the punch and took off his grey t-shirt, tossing it to me.
"Wear it", he said.
I slipped the t-shirt over my head. The neckline, thankfully wasn't low and the hem of the t-shirt went till my knees so I felt a lot more comfortable.
We went back to everyone and Chelsea's eyes immediately went to Will's shirt on me.
"Isn't that Will's shirt?", she sneered at me.
"Harper was a bit uncomfortable so I lent it to her", Will said, after handing everyone their punch and sitting down beside me.
"What's there to be uncomfortable about? It's just a bikini", She snorted at me, the jealously evient on her face.
"Different people have different preferences Chels", Mason said, "Chill out",
Chelsea slumped back in her seat, clearly not happy.
"Let's play truth or dare", Tanya suggested.
"Isn't that like a kid's game?", I asked.
"Not how we play it", Will replied with an evil smirk on his face, earning another smack from me.
"Ok, Chels", Tanya said, "Truth or dare",
"You know me T, obviously dare",
"Give Will a lap dance for two minutes", She smirked.
Will shuffled in his seat looking visibly uncomfortable.
Chelsea started giving him and lap dance and he clenched his eyes shut with a sour expression on his face.
When she was done, he whispered to me, "I will forever be scarred by those two minutes".
I suppressed a laugh at his horrified face, almost spitting out my punch.
"Truth or dare?", Mason asked Courtney.
"Truth", she said, sipping her punch.
"What was your most irritating moment?",
"When I went prom shopping, I met a girl who was too fat for the dress she picked out and so I asked her if a could have it and she turned me down", She replied, keeping her eyes on me the entire time. "I'm pretty sure she bought the dress because she might've ripped something",
Mason cringed and Elijah burst out laughing.
"That's a bit mean Courtney", Tanya remarked, as she gave me a side glance.
"Shit, I feel like she might have, and that's why she didn't give you the dress", Elijah laughed.
Will's jaw twitched in anger and I put a hand on his clenched fist, warning him not to do anything.
"Harper, Truth or Dare?", Tanya asked, her eyes glinting maliciously.
"Truth", I said. There was no way I was doing a dare give by this bitch.
"What's the craziest place you've had sex in?",
I didn't say anything. I now know what it was like to be in Tessa's shoes in the movie After. Wait, why am I even thinking about movie references right now?!
"Oh my God, are you a virgin?", Tanya feigned surprise.
I bit my lip and shrugged.
"Harper still hasn't given anyone her flower", Courtney teased, "So cute",
"I'm just waiting for the right person", I replied.
"Well you're gonna be waiting a long time", Chelsea mumbled.
"Chelsea", I said, "Truth or Dare?",
"Truth", she stirred her punch with a cocktail straw.
"Who did you lose your virginity to?",
It was when Chelsea went pale and gulped, was when I knew that I had hit a spot.
"Brad", she replied.
"Brad!?", I feigned surprise, "Isn't that the junkie who flashes his ass during the football games?",
Beside me Will snickered.
Chelsea's face went flaming red as she gave me a nasty look.
"I think I'll wait for as long as I have too", I replied.
I looked at Mason and smiled, the right person is right beside me.