perfect career, your life won’t be perfect. The God honest truth is that’s a load of crap. Harper, you’re straight, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. You need to be yourself, no matter what the consequences are.”
“That’s hard, ‘cause it seems like everyone around here hates straight people.”
“That ain’t true.”
“I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t.”
“Sure you have. I don’t hate ‘em, and there are many others who don’t.”
Harper frowned. “I just don’t know why some people have to be so nasty about it.”
“Like I said, part of it has to do with how they’re raised. Sometimes it’s their personal feelings and sometimes it’s their ignorance, but what other people think about you shouldn’t matter. You need to live for yourself and treat people with kindness. Until you’re able to do that, you'll never be happy.”
“I guess.”
“Life’s real short, sugar, and before you know it, you’ll blink and it’ll be over. So ask yourself, what kind of life do you wanna live, one where you’re miserable, or one where you get what you really want? And how do you want people to remember you after you’re gone?”
Harper agreed. “You’re probably right, Auntie.”
“But you’ve got some more thinking to do, huh?”
“More than you know,” she admitted.
“It’s your life, Harper. But whatever you do, I wouldn’t take too long to think about it. Nik’s not gonna wait forever. The good ones never do.”
Harper rested her head on her aunt’s lap. She desperately wanted to trust in Faye’s words, but the reluctance lingered like some awful infection poisoning her body from the inside out.
She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and wished that it’d all go away. She wanted to be her former self again, the girl who didn’t care about love or men, but Harper wasn’t a fool. She knew her wish was unrealistic. From that moment on, she realized her feelings couldn’t be ignored. It was too late to change who she was. And like it or not, nothing in her life would ever be the same again.
SIX
C hilling rain fell steadily against the window. Its melancholy song gently tapped across the glass and woke Harper from a light sleep, reminding her of her solitude. She was so depressed that she didn’t care that her birthday was only one day away.
Harper sauntered to her pastel pink chair and faced the vanity mirror. Poor thing, she thought while staring at her reflection. She felt pathetic, heartbroken, and consumed with fear.
Insecurities haunted her like never before. Studying each flaw, Harper wondered if she’d wake the following morning magically transformed into the epitome of perfection, absolved of her poor choices and emancipated from her doubts.
She squeezed her breasts together and puckered her lips, trying to see her potential as a woman. After a few moments, she surrendered and let her chest fall back to its inadequacy. She had no idea what Nik saw in her.
Again, Nik. He was on her mind incessantly. It was maddening. No matter what she did, he found someway to be at the forefront of her thoughts.
It was time to clear her head.
Harper slipped out of her pajamas into a fuchsia jumper and matching sandals. As she reached for her white belt to fasten over it, she noticed her necklace lying beside her hair brush.
It was a sterling silver chain with a heart-shaped locket that Mindi bought for Harper on her sixteenth birthday. Although it wasn’t extravagant by any means, it was the only thoughtful thing Mindi ever gave her.
Harper carefully draped it around her bare neck. She ran her fingers across it and admired the way it caught the light, glimmering against her chest. There was something haunting about it that left her entranced. The feeling couldn’t be ignored, but she decided to wear it anyway.
She feverishly hunted through the mountains of clothes across her bedroom floor, searching for her jacket, but
“That’s hard, ‘cause it seems like everyone around here hates straight people.”
“That ain’t true.”
“I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t.”
“Sure you have. I don’t hate ‘em, and there are many others who don’t.”
Harper frowned. “I just don’t know why some people have to be so nasty about it.”
“Like I said, part of it has to do with how they’re raised. Sometimes it’s their personal feelings and sometimes it’s their ignorance, but what other people think about you shouldn’t matter. You need to live for yourself and treat people with kindness. Until you’re able to do that, you'll never be happy.”
“I guess.”
“Life’s real short, sugar, and before you know it, you’ll blink and it’ll be over. So ask yourself, what kind of life do you wanna live, one where you’re miserable, or one where you get what you really want? And how do you want people to remember you after you’re gone?”
Harper agreed. “You’re probably right, Auntie.”
“But you’ve got some more thinking to do, huh?”
“More than you know,” she admitted.
“It’s your life, Harper. But whatever you do, I wouldn’t take too long to think about it. Nik’s not gonna wait forever. The good ones never do.”
Harper rested her head on her aunt’s lap. She desperately wanted to trust in Faye’s words, but the reluctance lingered like some awful infection poisoning her body from the inside out.
She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and wished that it’d all go away. She wanted to be her former self again, the girl who didn’t care about love or men, but Harper wasn’t a fool. She knew her wish was unrealistic. From that moment on, she realized her feelings couldn’t be ignored. It was too late to change who she was. And like it or not, nothing in her life would ever be the same again.
SIX
C hilling rain fell steadily against the window. Its melancholy song gently tapped across the glass and woke Harper from a light sleep, reminding her of her solitude. She was so depressed that she didn’t care that her birthday was only one day away.
Harper sauntered to her pastel pink chair and faced the vanity mirror. Poor thing, she thought while staring at her reflection. She felt pathetic, heartbroken, and consumed with fear.
Insecurities haunted her like never before. Studying each flaw, Harper wondered if she’d wake the following morning magically transformed into the epitome of perfection, absolved of her poor choices and emancipated from her doubts.
She squeezed her breasts together and puckered her lips, trying to see her potential as a woman. After a few moments, she surrendered and let her chest fall back to its inadequacy. She had no idea what Nik saw in her.
Again, Nik. He was on her mind incessantly. It was maddening. No matter what she did, he found someway to be at the forefront of her thoughts.
It was time to clear her head.
Harper slipped out of her pajamas into a fuchsia jumper and matching sandals. As she reached for her white belt to fasten over it, she noticed her necklace lying beside her hair brush.
It was a sterling silver chain with a heart-shaped locket that Mindi bought for Harper on her sixteenth birthday. Although it wasn’t extravagant by any means, it was the only thoughtful thing Mindi ever gave her.
Harper carefully draped it around her bare neck. She ran her fingers across it and admired the way it caught the light, glimmering against her chest. There was something haunting about it that left her entranced. The feeling couldn’t be ignored, but she decided to wear it anyway.
She feverishly hunted through the mountains of clothes across her bedroom floor, searching for her jacket, but
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