FOR A SECOND, Harlow couldn't understand why Michael looked so panicked. She felt fine, so why was he so worried? "I'm so sorry," He continued to say for the fifth time, "I didn't mean to." What was he talking about? "Michael, it's fine." She spoke. She leaned slightly up, feeling so aware of her body being bare. "Look," she grasped his shoulder, "I'm fine." His head shook, looking disorientated and shocked. "Michael, I'm fine." But he wasn't listening; he stepped away from her, seeming to be in a bizarre state of mind. Wherever his mind was, she knew Michael wasn't mentally there. As soon as she blicked, he disappeared and vanished into thin air. She was used to his disappearing acts, which he always did whenever things would get real; as soon as they became close, she couldn't figure out why and why he constantly pushed her away. A heavy sigh left her, feeling tired. Tired of life, this time, no matter how much it hurt her, Michael leaving was the last thing she was worried abou
ON THIS MOONLESS NIGHT, even the silhouettes are gone. The usual friendly smattering of stars is obscured utterly by dense cloud. Ordinarily, she would stay in underneath her old blankets on a night like this, but today it was different. These few hours that withered away so fast were her last. So, she took every advantage she had, taking it all in basking in the sheer freedom of the quietness of the world at this time. The coldness of the slate tiles and its dampness seeped through the thin polyester trousers Harlow had stolen from her mum. With knees pulled tight to my pronounced rib cage, she shivered at the late-night chill. In this poor light, the roof-tops spread in every direction like a great grey serpent with rectangles scales. Only the red bricks chimneys ruined the illusion, but in this light, they were just as monochromatic as everything else, the slate, the swirling smog, the streets that were never de
THE HOUSE TO HER NAN'S PLACE STOOD BOLD. Those bricks were laid one at a time, perhaps on a fine spring day. She let Her eyes wander the roughness and how each is very straight. Her Grandparents made this house with love, that's for sure. "Harlow!" Her Nan came rushing out, ill or not. She was always excited to see her only grandchild, just as Harlow was happy to see her too. "Nan," Harlow felt no reluctance to run and meet her Nan halfway. She was embracing her tight. There is no gem, no diamond, more significant than her Nan. Though life crushed her, though she suffered, she shone brightly for her and her mother. She showed them that one could survive and learn to thrive, find the good stuff, and have genuine gratitude. She was a lady of admiration, and for sure, Harlow looked up to her. "Look at you." She says, pulling slightly away. "You've grown since t
THE BUS ROCKS HER FROM SIDE TO SIDE. As she travels these not so familiar roads, her brains afforded the time to daydream or rest. She hadn't slept well last night, something about this place that had her hairs crawling. Everything seemed so normal, yet something felt so very off. It could've just been that she didn't particularly want to permanently live here, as horrible as the people were there...at least she was familiar with everything there. Here, she didn't even know where to go besides her nan's house. Some chatter, their voices rising and blending in the sweet ritual of friends. Some absorb themselves in music; others drift into worries that will erase themselves on arrival when their body rejoins the world of moving and speaking to others. And so it goes on that way, all of us together and separate, feeling all the same turns and bumps. The bus ride is her meditation. The same chill music in her earbuds,
"I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU WERE LINDA'S GRAND-DAUGHTER," Mia mumbled, "I didn't even know she had any kids in the first place...she very private." Harlow couldn't agree more; Mia didn't know her nan to be very sociable, especially since her husband had died. Maybe her nan and she weren't so different after all. Both hated socialising, yet both were sort of forced into dealing with it. If she could escape the world, she would. But how could you escape something so big? It's easy; you just can't. Especially the world. "Yeah...She is." Harlow agreed, not knowing what else she could say to her. She closed her locker and turned towards Mia, who stood in front of her, next to her locker, bored. Her back and her head leaned against the blue lockers, her arms across her chest. She has been so nice all day, showing her around the school and keeping her company during lunch, the most intimate part of the
THE FRONT DOOR CLICKED TO A CLOSE. "Harlow is that you hun." Her mom's voice boomed from the kitchen. "Yeah." She responded instantly, dropping her backpack on the floor. Her mom was sat on the dinning table typing away on her laptop, papers scattered the surface of the table. "What's all of this?" She question, grasping one of the papers between her hands scanning it over. "My résumé." She swiftly replied, to focus on what was on her laptop than to spend a moment to gain a look at Harlow, not that she minded anyways. "Oh." Was all she said, her mom was applying for a job this quickly. "How was school?" Her mom asked. Still furiously typing away on those keyboards, it was like she was superhuman or something, multitasking. Something Harlow could never do, her attention spam was non-existence. Mostly everything distracted her, and sometimes it was frustrating and sometimes it was not.
HIS BACK EYES, they just never left her mind. They stayed ingrained within her head, the black the colour of her now comfort for the heart and soul, in his black eyes, she saw home. She saw a glimpse of the eternal, of serene divinity. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel disappointed at that thought. He had left without a word. The scene just kept on replaying within her mind, an emotionless expression upon his face and the coldness within his eyes, really it told her everything she needed to know, but... questions still roamed her mind, swarming with theories; of who he could be, who was he? Why didn't he stay? What was his name? Why didn't he speak? "Harlow, honey, are you okay?" Her nan says, causing her head to instantly wipe around to see her nan in the driver's seat, holding onto the steering wheel as she looked at the road ahead. Was she okay? In all honesty, she felt far more okay; okay
HARLOW SLAMMED HER HAND ON HER BEEPING ALARM CLOCK. The alarm clock in platinum chrome sings each morning, signalling the transition from sleepy dreams to wakeful happenings. After yesterday, she wanted today to be different. Typical, just like the rest of her days were. Throwing her legs over her baed, she sat up, rubbing her eyes for a good five minutes before she ever attempted moving. Early mornings weren't her thing, especially if the school was involved. Standing up, she walked towards her bathroom. Harlow still felt the uneasy feeling in her gut that someone potentially might've been in her room. She'd even asked her mom and nan if they'd gone in her room to open the window, and they'd said no. Alarm bells went off at that point; it defiantly confirmed that someone had been in there. She was sure of it and knowing that it never eased the feeling she felt inside. The water fell into her hands, and she s