Royal Pain in the Ass (30 page)

“
I don’
t know.
”

“
Find out.
”

“
Xavier, if you come to find me, I have a feeling it will be very bad.
  I
’
ll find a way home.
  I
’
ll call you back in a little while.
”

“
Juliet, be safe.
”

“I will.”

I hung up and looked around.
 
Gwen was flirting with Nathan and I was feeling alone.

“Jules,”
Harper was suddenly behind me.
  “
Hey, what
’
s wrong?
”

“
I have to go, but I can
’
t.”
I mumbled.

“
Where do you have to go?
”

“Home.”

“
Okay, if you want I can take you.
”
Harper soothed.
  “
Let me tell Gwen,
”

“
No, Gwen doesn
’
t want to leave.
  She
’
s mad at me.
”

“
Hey, kiddo, it
’
s fine.
  Let
’
s just tell her bye.” 
Harper led me over by the hand to say bye.
  “
Hey, Gwen, I
’
m going to take Juliet home, you coming?
”

“No,”

“
Do you need a ride later?
”

“
I can find my own ride, I
’
m fine.
”

“
Gwen, if you need me, give me a call.
”

“
I know Harper, you
’
re always there for me.
”

“
Night, Gwen.
”

“
Juliet, be careful.
”
Gwen pulled me into a hug.
  “
Be very careful.
”

“
I will, you too.
”

She nodded and Harper led me out to his car.
  “
Juliet, you look really upset.
 
You seem like you have been all night.
  You okay?”

“
Yeah, let me make a quick phone call.
”
I dialed Xavier.

“
Juliet?
”

“Yeah,”

“
Are you alright?
”

“Yeah, I
’
m on my way home,
”

“
How long?
”

“
Harper, how long?
”

“
Who
’
s Harper?
”

“
The waiter you were a dick to.
”

“
Oh, I remember him.
 
Hand him the phone.
”

I shrugged.
  “
Harper, Xavier wants to talk to you.
”

I tuned out until I heard Harper getting frustrated.

“
Are you referring to her father?
  Yeah, I
’
ve heard of him. But who he is doesn
’
t define who she is.
”
Harper growled.
  “I
’
m bringing her back.
 
You can relax.
  I
’
ll have her back when I get her back, safe and sound.
  I
’
m not about to let anything happen to her. . . . Listen dickhead, it’s not l
ike I
’
d let something happen to her.
 
. . . . Would you chill the fuck out.
 
I told you I
’
m on my way with her, now here
’
s Juliet,I need to focus on driving, I wouldn
’
t want to drive off a bridge or anything.
”
Harper snorted and handed me back my phone.

“
What just happened?
”
I asked Xavier.

“It
’
s nothing of consequence.
”

“
Well, you pissed Harper off.
”

“
That incompetent, unintelligent buffoon . . . just get back here safe.
 
It doesn
’
t matter.”
Xavier sighed after taking a few soothing breaths.
  “
Call me when you get here.
”

“
Um, okay, because that made sense.
”
I laughed and hung up.
 
I turned in my seat to face Harper.
  “
What happened?
”

Harper shrugged and shook his head.
  “It
’
s whatever.
 
All that matters is you
’
re alright.
”

I nodded.
  “Yeah, I
’
m fine.
”

“
Something
’
s been bothering you tonight.
 
Do you want to talk about it?
”

I shook my head.
  “
I really, really don
’
t.”

“
What do you want to talk about?
”

“
I have no idea.
”

“
Hmm, truth or dare?
”

“
What?
”

“
Truth or dare?
”

“
Truth I guess,
”

“
What are you thinking about right now?
”

“
Why we
’
re playing this dumb game.
”

“Tsk, tsk!  Don
’
t hate on the game.
 
It comes in handy.
”

“
Oh yeah?
”

“Yes.”

“
Fine, truth or dare?
”

“Dare.”

“Hmmm . . . I dare you . . .”
I looked around the car.
  “
To tell me your most embarrassing memory.
”

“
Really?
”
Harper groaned, giving me a sideways glance.
  “
Ugh, I have to think.
” 
Harper looked lost in thought then turned to me.
  “
Which kind of embarrassment are we talking here?
 
Like naked in front of class naked or end of the world mortified.
”

“I
’
m thinking end of the world mortified.
”
I replied with a smile.

“
You would.
”
Harper sighed.
  “
That would probably be . . . okay, you have to promise not to laugh okay?
”

“
I make no such promises.
”
I smiled at him.

Harper sighed.
  “
Okay, well there was this girl, and I was head of over heels for her.
 
I was mad for this girl.
 
Well I asked her out in front of the entire school.
 
I had a few of my best mates help me out.
 
Basically, everyone saw her laugh and tell me no.
”

“Ouch.”
I winced. I couldn
’
t even imagine that.

Harper shrugged.
  “
You asked.
 
Now, truth or dare?
”

“
Um, dare I guess?
”

“I dare you . . .”
Harper pulled over and glanced at me.
  “
To tell me what
’
s really been bothering you.
”

“Ugh,
that’s a truth!
” I groaned.  “It
’
s a long story.
”

“We
’
re not going anywhere.
”

I sighed.
 
I thought about telling Harper what was really going on.
 
I thought about letting this stranger know about everything I
’
ve been hiding from everyone.
 
I let the idea sit on the back of my tongue for a moment, just for the taste.
  “
Then I call chicken.
  I
’
m using one of my three chickens.
”

Harper stared at me for a long moment.
  “
What if I don
’
t let you use chickens?
”

“
Then I quit.
”

Harper sighed and shook his
 
head.
  “
Whatever you say,
”
he shrugged pulling back onto the road.
  “
Whatever it is, you can talk to me if you want to.
”

Obviously, I don
’
t want to.
 
Everyone always wants to get to know you.
 
Everyone always wants to get close.
 
Why?
 
So they can leave?
  “
Harper, I just can
’
t.”

“It
’
s whatever.
”
The car fell into an awkward silence.

“It
’
s not whatever.
  It
’
s far from it, but I
’
m a fucked up piece of shit sometimes.
  I
’
m messed up in a lot of ways.
 
I just found out some shit that I can
’
t process yet.
 
I don’
t know if that makes any sense to you, but that
’
s all I
’
m willing to share.
”

Harper nodded, not turning to look at me.

“
But I am glad you
’
re willing to listen.
”
I continued after another long moment of awkward silence.
  “
It does mean something to me that you
’
re willing to listen.
”

“
Juliet, of course I
’
m going to listen.
 
I like you.
  You
’
re intelligent, sweet, funny, cute.
 
You stick up for people.
  You
’
re not afraid to stand up to people you think are wrong.
 
There
’
s so much to you.
 
I want to learn about you.
 
The only way to learn about someone, truly learn about them, is to listen, and I mean really listen to them.
  I
’
ll listen if you give me the chance.
”

“
Harper, everyone I
’
ve let listen has either walked out, or died.
”

Harper nodded.
  “I
’
m sure you
’
ve had more than your fair share of heartache.
 
I can tell you
’
re hurt.
 
Some part of you was hurt recently, and you
’
ve got some scars.
 
We all have them.
  Don
’
t think you
’
re alone.
”

I looked out the window.

“
Jules, look at me.
”
Harper sighed after a long moment.
 
I looked over at him.
  “
You aren
’
t you know.
”

“
What?
”

“
You aren
’
t alone.
  You
’
ve got friends.
 
Gwen never shuts up about you, you
’
ve got me.
 
That Xavier bloke obviously cares about you.
  I can
’
t speak for anyone else, but you
’
ve got people on your side.
”

“
How did this conversation get so deep?
”
I blurted out.
  “Let
’
s talk about something light, how about baking?
 
Or shoelaces?
 
Or funny words?
 
I think waft is a funny word, what about you?
”

“
Juliet,
”
Harper chuckled as he shook his head.
  “Relax. 
If you don
’
t want to talk about it, we don
’
t have to talk about it.
 
I just wanted you to know you could.
”

I sighed.
  “
Harper, you
’
re too sweet.
 
You really are.
 
But I don’
t want to talk about this right now.
  Let
’
s talk about something else.
 
Anything else.
”

“
Okay, how about that tattoo on your shoulder?
”

I looked over.
  “
Oh yeah!
 
I forget not everyone gets to see this.
”

“
Does is mean anything?
”

“Yeah,”

“
Is there a story?
”

“
I got it for my mom.
”

“
How does she feel about all of this?
”

“
She doesn
’
t
.
”

“
What?
”

“
Mom doesn
’
t feel anything.
”

“
Ah, she
’
s apathetic about it?
”

“
No, she
’
s dead.
”

“Oh . . . blimey . . . I, I didn
’
t know.
”

“
I didn
’
t tell you how could you?
”
I snipped.

“I
’
m guessing you don
’
t want to talk about it?
”

“
No, not really.
”

“
Okay . . . do you have any other tattoos?
”

“Yes.”

“
Where?
”

I pulled off my boots and showed him my foot.

“Nice. 
Is that your only other one?
”

“No.”

“
Can I see your other one?
”

“No.”

“
Oh, why not?
”

“
Because it requires my dress coming off and that just isn
’
t going to happen.
”

“
Oh, I understand.
” 
Harper chuckled.

“
How about you?
”

Harper lifted up his sleeve.
  “
I have this one and one on my back.
”

“Nice.”

Harper gave me a small smile and I felt butterflies.
 

“
Hey Harper,
”

“Yes?”

“
Truth or dare.
”

“
I thought you quit,
”
Harper teased, as his smile turned to an impish grin.

I shrugged.
  “
Truth or dare.
”

“
Truth.
”

“
If you had to be one, would you rather be blind or deaf?
”

Harper thought for a long moment.
  “Blind.  I can
’
t imagine being without my music.
”

“
I agree with that.
”

“
Juliet, truth or dare.
”

“
Truth.
”

“
If you could be anywhere right now, with anyone, doing anything at all, who, what, and where would you it be?
”

“
Honestly, I
’
d be home, with Mom, just talking.
”

“
Can I ask a personal question?
”

“
I guess, I don’
t promise to answer though.
”

“
How long has your mom been gone?
”

“
Almost six months.
”

“
Not long at all.
”

“Nope.”

“
How
’
d you end up over here?
”

“
A few months after she died I got a letter from James.
 
At first I thought it was a joke, but turns out it wasn
’
t. 
He wanted to meet me and so I got a few things straightened out and here I am.
 
Dazed and confused in a foreign country where I basically know no one and have no one.
 
But it
’
s definitely been an adventure.
”