Page 62 of Emergency Exit
“We didn’t go to a good sushi place,” said Harper. “Seattle has better sushi than here.”
“Well, it is on the ocean,” he admitted. “But when I come to Seattle, I’ll find someplace with actual food.”
“Um, you would probably like Canlis,” said Harper, trying to think of the kind of place Cooper would like. “They have a lot of steak.” Ash thought they were boring but had taken her on theprinciple that it was a pillar of the Seattle dining community that ought to be experienced at least once. Harper thought the restaurant had been very nice, but all the white linens had made her feel like she wasn’t dressed well-enough. Which was ridiculous since half the patrons had adhered to Seattle fashion and had been wearing fleece vests.
“Perfect,” said Cooper. “So we’ll figure something out when I get there.”
“Mm,” said Harper, thinking she would be ducking all calls when he arrived. Why was he acting like they were friends?
“Although,” Cooper continued, “I admit I was considering sending debt collectors. You said you’d pay me back. Haven’t exactly seen a check.”
Harper’s pulse began to pound in her ears.
“I’m trying to get it all in one lump sum,” she said. “I’ll send you a check when I get back.”
“That’s a lot of money,” he said. “Don’t be financially irresponsible and take it out of your 401k.”
“I won’t,” said Harper. She stood up and gathered her purse and latte. “I should probably go…” She didn’t have anywhere to go. “Someplace else.”
“OK,” said Cooper as she brushed past him. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Mm-hm,” said Harper, knowing that something was expected.
By the time she reached Hailey, he was already leaving.
“So… Cooper?” Her mom was beaming. “How did it go?”
Harper stared at her mother.
“Awkward,” she said at last.
By noon on Thursday, the house was crowded with people Harper didn’t know, and their voices echoed off all the marble counter tops and hard floors. Harper slipped out through the French doors onto the deck and leaned against the house,hoping no one could see her. She didn’t understand what was wrong with her. She’d gone to loads of parties with Ash. She’d talked to people she knew on a superficial level, just like the ones inside. She had eaten weird foods and dealt with odd smells. It had been fun. She hadn’t once reverted to scratching or biting her nails. Of course, back home in Seattle, she hadn’t felt scrutinized and judged every second of the day.
Back home. Harper hadn’t realized how much Seattle had started to feel like home. She took another breath and decided she no longer liked how Denver smelled. She missed the moisture in the air. Everything was so dry here.
She missed Ash.
She pulled away from the house and approached the edge of the deck, leaning on the railing. She could smell the grill down below her. Stan and Ryan were supposed to be cooking some sort of meat-based side dish. She thought it was mostly an excuse to watch the TV through the window into the daylight basement below and avoid helping with any of the party prep.
“Don’t punt on fourth down!” yelled Stan angrily.
“It’s a lost cause,” said Ryan. “I’m not even bothering to cheer for them at this point. I’m waiting until next year.”
“Probably wise,” agreed Stan.
“Hey, speaking of lost causes,” said Ryan. “What’s up with Harper? Hailey said she practically threw Cooper at her and Harper barely said two words and ran out. Is she dating someone in Seattle or anything? She and Hailey don’t talk much, but I thought Yvonne might have heard something.”
“Ugh, that kid. What a fucking retard. I can’t believe she broke up with Cooper. That was like her one shot for a normal life, you know? Yvonne’s freaking out. I mean, she said she was dating, but who the hell knows. Personally, and you can’t repeat this, but I think Harper’s like… special needs. Like, for real. She’s weird. She’s always been weird. She dressed in rainbowsweats in high school for about a month straight. And she’s always doing weird shit. Like that time she bought a goat. She said it was an accident, but how the fuck do you buy a goat on accident? And did you know that she says she hears electricity? She wouldn’t go into some store Yvonne always went to because she said the electricity was too loud.”
Harper wanted to scream multiple things at once. For starters, using the R-word was wrong. Also, it was not her fault they all dressed like the color barf was too bright. But more significantly to her life, she didn’t understand how everyone thought she broke up with Cooper. Cooper had told her that if she couldn’t figure out how to be a proper girlfriend, she should move out. Obviously, she couldn’t, so she had moved out. And third… sometimes electricity was just too damn loud. She didn’t understand how other people ignored it.
But she didn’t yell or scream any of that. Instead, she stood there frozen, her hands clamped around the deck railing, listening to her stepfather pick her apart. Then her phone vibrated in her pocket, and with a shaking hand, she took it out and looked at the message. Ash’s tiny face smiled at her from the text alert. She tapped on it to look at the whole message.
Currently in a fight with my brothers about why they won’t talk to Mom. Hope your holiday is going better.
Harper took another breath, feeling it flow more easily.
Not really. Wishing I could change my flight home to today.
