sound like an ungrateful brat.
“Well, I’d love to tell you babe, but it wasn’t me who sent them. Who delivered them? Maybe they can tell you who purchased them. If it’s Max or Myles playing fucking games with my head I’m gonna start punching them,’’ he growls and I giggle.
“Unless they wanted to scare one of us then I don’t think it’s them.’’
“What do you mean?’’
“The note says, ‘Now may you rest in peace.’’
“What the fuck,’’ he growls. “Do you know where they’re from? I’ll call up the company.’’
“Hold on,’’ I tell him, tucking the phone into my ear as I turn the card over. No name or company details are located on the card, so I check the flowers and see nothing there either. “Nah, nothing.’’
“Shit. Wonder why someone would send them,’’ he whispers aloud.
I open my mouth to talk, but then my eyes look over and meet Harlow’s sad ones and I know my friend really needs me right now.
“Mason, I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you later, okay?’’
“Sure thing, babe. Oh, and let me know if you need me to pick you up from town. I’ll be finishing just after three,’’ he tells me.
“Okay, see you after,’’ I tell him then end the call. I immediately approach Harlow, her head is down and her shoulders are slumped so I take a seat on the sofa next to her.
“You okay?’’ I ask her gently. “How did court go?’’
“The final hearing is two weeks from today. You should have seen him Denny. He looked right at me, his eyes burning with so much hatred towards me. It scared the shit out of me,’’ she whispers, her body shivering.
“He can’t hurt you,’’ I tell her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
“What if they don’t believe me? What if they set him free? He’s making up lies that sound so believable, even I’m questioning myself and I know what went down that day. I know he was going to rape me. How can they let him go free?’’ she cries, her tears falling heavily down her face. My hand reaches out to wipe them away, but she’s up on her feet, pacing in front of me like a mad woman. “I mean, what’s the first thing he’s going to do when he’s free? He’s going to come after me. What will it take for them to do something about him; does he have to actually rape me before he’s convicted? It’s like they’re saying because he never got to go through with it, it’s okay. It’s not okay. If they let him off, I’ll be walking around in my own personal nightmare Denny.’’
“Harlow, calm down,’’ I tell her, standing up.
“I can’t Denny. My chest feels so tight,’’ and to emphasize it, she’s grabbing at her chest, rubbing furiously. “I thought I was coping with everything, that I was moving on from what he did, but I’m not. I’m still stuck in that mouldy smelling bedroom, feeling the hard springs in my back and the petrified emotion consuming me. I can’t do this. I’m making it all worse,’’ she sobs out, her whole body shaking and her face pale.
“Hey,’’ I snap loudly, gaining her attention long enough to grab at her shoulders and give her a wake up shake. “You can do this. You are doing it. He hasn’t got the power to take that away from you Harlow. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, you’re independent and you’ve overcome so much worse babe. Don’t let him win. Don’t let him have the pleasure of knowing he’s gotten to you, that you’re scared. Because I know you are.
“When I woke up on the ground that night, the first thing I remembered was you, and the fear I felt just before he knocked me out. I had been so scared for you, for everything he’d already put you through and what you had already gone through. But I swear to you Harlow...if anyone can get through this, it’s you.’’
“I can’t Denny. I just can’t. His face today,’’ she shivers. “It held so much promise of retribution. I just wanted to run out of that courtroom. The way his lawyers ripped into me, talking about a sordid relationship that we never had. I felt dirty, ashamed, and it’s why I needed to have a hot shower before I came over. He makes me feel like that each night in my nightmares,’’ she sobs, and I grab her shoulders and pull her in for a tight