Page 52 of House of Bass

“Most things aren’t.”

“Text me when you want to leave because I plan on blacking out.”

“So like any other day?” Harley yelled.

She gave her a middle finger in response and Harley ran back to Scarlett with a smile on her face.

20

HARLEY

The sun had completely set by the time Harley got out of her last class, and considering daylight savings was in two days she knew it was only going to get darker even earlier but thankfully next week was officially reading week. At Thorne, they were given two weeks off instead of one. She was glad, she needed the time off.

She decided to go into stores to see if she could find a costume for the Halloween party. After watching the comet a couple days ago, she felt alright about being around Annabel’s friends. Still, she was partly worried she’d end up spending most of the night nursing a drink in the corner of the room.

She remembered that Annabel said she could invite a friend, her mind immediately went to Scarlett. However, she recalled her and Scarlett’s deal about not mixing their relationships together. No doubt she would decline, her hatred for Annabel ran too deep and Harley still hadn’t received a reason as to why. There was nothing she could do to change it.

In her almost two months living in London, she rarely had a chance to herself so she ended up walking a lot everywhere. Her legs had become extremely toned from how much. She enjoyed watching how the lights lit up the city in place of the sun.

There was a costume shop located in a wide alley, it had other cafes next to it as well as a cake shop she was definitely going to try. On her way into the store, she spotted three huge men standing not too far by the entrance and it immediately had her on alert. Perhaps she shouldn't judge a book by its cover, as they were dripped in tattoos and piercings but they reminded her too much of the men back home who would take advantage of the younger girls in her neighbourhood. She couldn't help but be cautious at their mere presence.

Their eyes trailed her as she walked past them but she behaved as though she didn’t see them. Harley spent fifteen minutes in the shop but couldn't find anything she liked.

She walked out to see a familiar face coming out of one of the stores, Scarlett in a short jean skirt, crop top and puffer jacket. Harley couldn't help but marvel at how she never got cold no matter the weather and right now it was under ten degrees.

Just as she was about to yell her name, she saw Scarlett walking up to the three men she had avoided earlier. She frowned immediately, trying to place how they knew one another. She was much shorter compared to the rest of them but they all stood a little straighter as she spoke. Harley’s head tilted as she observed the interaction, trying to understand why alarm bells were going off in her head.

She must've stood there too long as Scarlett spotted her and froze, she handed the men something and ran up to her with a smile on her face. The last few days had changed their relationship massively because depending on who you’d ask, she had chosen her over her sister. “I didn't know you’d be here.”

“Just shopping,” Harley answered plainly, she nodded to the three who stood there like they were awaiting orders. “Who are those guys you were with?”

“Oh nobody,” Scarlett replied but quickly moved to change the subject and linked their arms together, dragging her away, “I’ll help with your shopping, come on.”

When Harley turned back around the men were no longer there, almost like she imagined them.

They had darted in and out of stores until they finally found one with something that would work for the outfit she had in mind. She picked two separate sizes of the two piece silver set, Scarlett followed her into the dressing room despite how small it was and sat on the chair, their legs essentially knocking together.

Harley stripped out of her jeans and her top, forgetting for a second she wasn't wearing a bra. Scarlett watched her, not looking away even when Harley caught her eye. She held her hand out for Scarlett to pass her the bigger set, to try the skirt on first. When struggling to zip it up from the back, Scarlett got up from her chair to help her, “Let me do it.”

Less than a foot away, Scarlett’s fingers lingered around her waist while zipping up the skirt. She turned Harley around to help her put on and zip the scrunched metallic cropped top as well. They look at one another in the mirror.

Harley could feel the simmering tension in the room, she gave her a strained smile, as she tried to remember to breathe. In an attempt to deflect from whatever was going on here, she asked, “Yes or no?”

“No,” Scarlett shifted her body around, putting a finger inside the skirt to show the space. Her finger touching Harley’s skin, “It’s a little loose. Get the smaller one.”

They were standing so close to one another, Harley could barely hear herself think and she still wasn’t even sure she was breathing. She cleared her throat and took a step back, hitting the wall.

“I didn’t even ask, what is the outfit for?” Scarlett asked Harley as she changed back into her clothes, sitting back down.

“Halloween party. Annabel, and technically I, are hosting it,” she replied. Harley figured she’d use this moment to take the risk to ask, “Do you want to come? I have permission to bring whoever I want.”

“Being in the same space as those pricks? Not a very good idea.” She cringed at the thought.

“It’s alright. Figured I’d just ask,” Harley said, barely holding together a smile. There went her hopes of having a friend of her own there. Maybe she’d invite Anika, Jamie and the others.

“Don’t be sad, my Starley.” Scarlett had started calling her that after finding out her middle name. Her disappointment must’ve been more revealing than she thought. Scarlett stood and used her hands to physically pull Harley’s face into a real smile, which made her laugh. “There it is.”

“Come on, let’s go pay for your shit and get some ice cream.”