Page 65 of Never Been Worse

And below that is a sketch ofmydesign.

A design from the line Jeremy stole while we were together, the ones he told me he’d show his boss to help get my foot in the door, the ones he gave to his new girlfriend. The ones I signed away all rights to in exchange for him not pressing charges on my best friends.

I scroll past a few more sketches, all of them more modest, slightly outdated, and, in my opinion, much less exciting versions of my original designs, and begin reading the commentary from the well-known fashion news outlet.

New. Different. Fresh. Unique, yet timeless.

All words to describe this line that is mine—wasmine. Words I would have given anything to see if my name was attached to these designs as intended. I take in a deep breath and force myself to think about it from a positive perspective, to bask in the knowledge that Iamtalented and I created something special, even if no one knows it was me all along.

That should be good enough. Right?

“Whatisthis, Harper?” Ava asks again, this time a bit more gently.

I remember when I first started sketching out the line, my first tiptoe out of pageant gowns, how it felt like something big was happening. I remember how, almost as soon as I had the outline for that first sketch, I showed my friends. I then continued to show them photos of different variations, updates, and additions, thoroughly excited by this new venture.

“I think this could be something,”I said about the idea, a couture piece for show and then more toned-down pieces for everyday wear. Ava was in awe and told me I needed to continue pursuing this because there was a market for it. She was the push I needed to create the full line.

I should have known when it was announced, they would see it and have questions. How did I ever think I would get away with this, that I could just put all of it behind me? Ava takes her phone back from me when I hand it to her, not wanting to read about it anymore.

“Those areyourdesigns,” Jules whispers. “Clarissa stole your designs, Harper.” But then she looks at me, really taking me in the way she always has been able to, and her face tightens in confusion. “Why don’t you look surprised by this?”

I sigh. I knew this day would come, though I hoped in some deluded universe that it wouldn’t. “Come on. Let’s sit down. I have something to tell you,” I say, and then I tell my best friends the rest of the story about my breakup with Jeremy.

TWENTY-FIVE

WES

“What are you three doing?” I ask, walking into the kitchen after leaning in the doorway for some time, not a single one of the women noticing me as I did. I got home after a day at the studio, excited to see my wife, only to open the door to the raucous laughter of Harper and her friends.

“Jesus, Wes, you scared the shit out of me!” Ava says, putting a hand to her chest.

“I’ve been standing here for at least three minutes,” I say with a laugh, my eyes moving to my wife, whose blush is burning a pretty, bright pink. The three of them have been sitting at the kitchen island, hovering over Harper’s laptop and laughing hysterically nearly the entire time.

“We didn’t see you there,” Harper says, and I smile.

“I got that,” I say. “What are you guys doing?”

Jules and Harper look around like they’re trying to find some appropriate answer written on a wall, but Ava, as always, holds nothing back.

“Ordering a pile of elephant shit to be delivered to Jeremy’s house,” she announces triumphantly, continuing to type in numbers from the credit card in her hands.

I could ask what that means,but I don’t think I would learn much from her answer. Instead, I go with, “And why are we doing that?”

“Because he’s an asshole and deserves the shittiest karma.”

I nod, trying to at least feign understanding. “Why are we planning revenge when the last time you guys glittered his yard, you got arrested?” I ask, but Ava shakes her head.

“It wasn’t the glittering that fucked us,” she says as if the tiny details make a difference. “It was the forking.”

“It was a good idea!” Jules shouts, throwing her hands in the air. “I swear it was.”

“It took forever,” Ava says, glaring at Jules, who I’m assuming thought of the forking.

“It’s not my fault that our intel was wrong!” Jules yells, pointing at Harper. “She told us he would be out of town, and they had no cameras!”

“He was supposed to be!” Harper shouts in return, lifting her hands in defense. “I also told you all that we werebroken upafter months of him lying to me about his whereabouts, so maybe you should have known my intel wasn’t the best. I suggested we call Jaime and have him watch Jeremy for us, make sure he wouldn’t be around to catch us.”

“Jaime would have shot it down,” Ava says.

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