Page 24 of You Found Me in the Dark
Harp [1:38 AM]
omg reed just texted me. is everything okay??
Harp [2:16 AM]
just text me SOMETHING. literally anything. i’m freaking out over here.
Harp [2:37 AM]
ok i’m trying not to spiral but i swear to god if he hurt you again I’m burning that whole house down
Harp [2:51 AM]
also lena threw up in the rose bushes outside of her apartment. rip to that landscaping.
I smiled, despite the tightness creeping into my chest. Harper was my best friend. She was full of drama, chaos, and unconditional love wrapped up in winged eyeliner and moonstone jewelry.
I started typing a response back to the millions of texts she sent.
Me [12:11 PM]
I’m okay. I swear. I’m home. Fell asleep around 3.
I fell asleep late, with Reed still downstairs. With the ghost of his hand still tingling on my cheek. With the taste of his kiss still tucked into the corners of my mouth.
God.
I sat up slowly, my heart suddenly racing. It wasn’t a dream. None of it was. Ty. The party. The yard was spinning. His hands. My no turning into nothing. And then Reed pulled me out of it all.
“I found you in the dark.”
The words echoed through me again like they had last night. Or this morning. Time didn’t feel linear anymore.
My phone buzzed with Harper’s reply.
Harp [12:13 PM]
OH THANK GOD. ok i’m coming over in like 30. get dressed. we’re debriefing.
I let the phone fall back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment longer.
There was so much to say. To Harper. To myself. Even to Reed. But before any of that, I needed tea. And maybe to brush my teeth. I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes, sighed, then forced myself out of bed.
I barely had time to finish my tea before I heard Harper’s secret knock. Her knock was quick, chaotic, and exactly three times like always.
She didn’t even wait for me to open the door. Just barged in the second I turned the knob, arms open like she was about to tackle me into a hug.
“You’re alive,” she gasped, stepping back to scan me like I might be missing an arm. “Okay, good. You still have your organs. I was two seconds away from killing Reed to find out what was going on.”
I gave her a sleepy grin. “All organs accounted for. Promise.”
Her bright pink hair was up in space buns, roots showing a little more than last week, her bangs that normally framed her face were pinned away with the cutest butterfly clips, and her eyes were wide under thick lashes. She wore a cropped black hoodie and cutoff shorts that made my outfit from last night look conservative. Her face was filled with concern.
“You seriously scared the hell out of me,” she said, tossing herbag onto the arm of the couch and heading toward the kitchen. “I kept picturing it, like, ‘Wren Found Dead in Dumpster After Ex-Boyfriend Incident’ and me crying on national TV.” She dramatically joked, using her hands to gesture as if the words were being shown around her.
I winced. “I didn’t mean to not answer you. Things just got… intense.”
The tea had finally started working its magic by the time Harper launched herself onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table, legs crossed and eyes locked on me. I leaned against the counter, clutching my mug of tea like a shield.
