Small Mistakes Last A Lifetime

Small+Mistakes+Last+A+Lifetime

Delyse McEwen, iNews class reporter

October 7th,2021

12:37am

Third Person Pov 

Odessa stared worriedly at her phone. It was 12:37 am on a school night (or morning) and Harlow was still not home. Normally she would be panicking with the police on the line as we speak but Harlow has been doing things like this a lot lately. 

It all started when Harlow formed a new group of friends about 2 weeks ago when school first started up again. Odessa knew that they were bad news. She pulled up Harlow’s contact to try once more to get in communication with her. Harlow stopped answering her mom’s calls and texts as well but maybe she’ll answer this time?

 Her hand hovered over the call button but then was interrupted as she jumped at the sound of the front door opening. She heard a giggling Harlow and a male voice came to follow. Normally she would ignore this. Harlow did have a boyfriend, Lucas. He lived down the street and practically knew Harlow since they wore diapers. Odessa approved of this of course. He was a respectful young man and she even thought of him as part of the family. But that was not Lucas’s voice. Odessa sat up confused as she quickly walked to where the front door was in her view.   

“Hi mom, sorry I’m late but I had a lot of fun at the party tonight,” Harlow said, more giggles following soon after. Odessa shook her head and grabbed Harlow out of the boy’s grip, allowing her to fall into her mother’s arms. She could barely stand on her own. 

“This is a bad time to meet but I’m Harlow’s boyfriend Sean,” the guy called out to Odessa as he locked the door behind himself. 

“Boyfriend?” she questioned, this was definitely not Lucas. She looked down at Harlow who seemed to have already fallen asleep in her arms. She walked Harlow over to the couch and laid her down before walking over to the door. “It’s late, you should get going, I’m sure your parents are worried,” Odessa opened the door and basically pushed this Sean dude out.

“Jesus Christ, Harlow what am I gonna do with you,” Odessa picked Harlow up from the couch and carried her all the way up the stairs and into the teen girl’s bedroom. She took off her heels, realizing one of the heels was broken as she did. She sighed before pulling a quilt over Harlow and turning out the light.

October 7th, 2021

9:49am

Lucas’s Pov

I was running through the halls looking for Harlow, I had her schedule memorized and she wasn’t in her class. Last night I was randomly looking out my window and then I saw a dude carrying Harlow into her house. It’s not like she was passed out or anything. If she was I would’ve run out and checked if she was alright, I probably should’ve either way. But, it wasn’t really my place to mind Harlow’s business. She broke up with me last week. No explanation, nothing. I didn’t think she was serious at first but once I realized she was I cried. Cried so hard that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cry again. 

I turned the corner and bumped into Harlow. We both fell so I sprung to my feet and helped her up. She got up and held her head. “Did I hurt you? I swear it was just an accident I didn’t mean to at all, does your head hurt a lot? Do you need any pain killers I have some in my loc-”

“I’m fine,” Harlow said curtly before walking away carrying a clear bottle in her hand. I looked at it and realized it was a smoothie. I smirked and caught up to her.

“Wow, you know I always used to make your smoothies for you,” I gestured to her bottle. 

“My mom made this for me and it tastes disgusting. I have a little hangover and this,” she held up her smoothie-filled bottle. “Is supposed to cure it, I gotta get to the principal’s office now, talk to you…when I talk to you.” Harlow said before walking down the hallway.

I looked at her as she walked away before I finally made it back to my own class.

October 7th, 2021

4:34pm

Harlow’s POV

 “You’re home early huh?” Mom said as I walked into the door. She was on the living room couch with Luna, our cat watching some old show that was so boring I didn’t care to learn the name of. I threw my book bag down and walked over to them. 

“I always come home early,” mom gave me a weird look. “Most of the time,” I picked up Luna before going into the kitchen to make something. Everything I ate in school today ended up being thrown up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep my food down for now. 

Fumbling through my cabinets I found some kraft mac’ and cheese. I threw it up 12 minutes later. 

It was now like 6:30 or something like that. I was bored out of my mind. Pretty ironic for someone with ADHD huh? Normally my mom would have to knock on my door and tell me to keep the noise down. Not today though. I had no one to talk to. My new “friends”? I’ll pass. Lucas was the only person I talked to, it’s only been a week but I miss him so much. But I know not talking to him is for his own good. 

My phone buzzed and snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened my phone, rolling my eyes as I replied. 

Gina: Harloww

Me:?

Gina: Lol dry much ?? Anyways, did you get more of your pills? We need some, we’re all gonna hang tonight. 

Me: Idk. I haven’t taken my meds since like forever ago and I need to.

Gina: Bro come on. Yk you don’t need ‘em anyway. Be here by nine.

I sighed. I really hated giving my pills away to Gina and them. It started when they caught me doing something really bad. I regret it so much. I don’t know why I did what I did. I’m only doing this shit so they don’t tell Lucas, it’ll crush him.  

I dug around in my closet looking for something to wear. Just because I wouldn’t enjoy being there doesn’t mean I couldn’t look good for it. I got aggravated halfway through and ended up just deciding on a black mini skirt and a Ralph Lauren sweater. 

I  grabbed my bookbag, threw my pills in there, and then made my way downstairs. “Where are you going?” Mom called from her bedroom, I  guess she heard my footsteps. 

“Lucas’s house, we’re just going to study a bit.” I lied and tried to hurry my way to the front door before she asked too many questions. 

“Hmm, wouldn’t your new boyfriend Sean mind if he knew you were hanging out at your ex’s house?” Mom said which made me stop and furrow my eyebrows. I looked up at the stairs and saw she was making her way down. 

“How do you know about Sean, he’s NOT my boyfriend by the way,” I said looking at her as she finally got to the end of the steps.

“He’s the person who dropped you off last night, did you think you made it here on your own?” she said which caused some of the memories to flood back to me. “Why didn’t you tell me you and Lucas broke up?”  

I sighed, I didn’t feel like talking about me and Lucas at all. I didn’t want to cry in front of her. I decided to just walk out, and that’s exactly what I did.

October 7th, 2021

10:48pm

Gina’s POV

Harlow was an idiot for just giving us these pills for free. If me and the others didn’t want these pills so bad we’d sell them. 

I looked her up and down, she was across from me and reading a book… “Harlow, why are you always reading, go do something. You know Sean is just over there,” I said as I pointed behind her. 

She averted her eyes from the book onto me and then back to the book again. “I don’t want Sean. What you saw that day was both a one-time thing and a mistake,” Harlow huffed.

I laughed, “Cheating isn’t a mistake. Harlow, you did what you wanted to do.” This caused her to groan, slam her book down and speed walk to the bathroom. 

She was crazy, maybe I should let her have her pills. I’d rather not though. 

October 7th, 2021

10:54pm

Harlow’s POV

I stared at myself in the mirror as I cried, I couldn’t believe how bad of a person I was. I cheated on Lucas with Sean, I’m disobeying my mom, and on top of that, I’m basically a fucking drug dealer.  

These past few weeks have been terrible. I didn’t wanna put up with any of this. I wish I could go back in time to a month ago when I, when everyone was happy but I couldn’t.

I made a mistake and now I’ll have to live with it forever. I didn’t want to though. I pulled out my phone and pulled up my favorite contact. 

Me: Hey, meet me at our spot at 15? 

Lucas: See you there ??

 I sighed and looked myself over in the mirror once more. My mascara and eyeliner were staining my cheeks, and my hair was a sweaty mess. I sighed, rubbing my face with my sleeve and putting my hair in a bun. 

Then, I made it back to the living room where everyone else was. I grabbed my bag, stuffed my book in there along with my pills that were sitting open on the table. I closed them first of course. 

“What are you doing Harlow?” Gina asked which caught everyone’s attention. Everyone else in the room began eyeing me as if I did something horrible.  

I didn’t say anything. I just looked at everyone and walked through the door. Walking away from my problem seems to be my thing lately.

October 7th, 2021

11:07pm 

Lucas’s Pov 

I was here early. Sitting on a swing set as I waited for Harlow. This would be the first time she talked to me besides me quite literally knocking her off her feet in the hallway earlier. 

I was excited. Maybe she wanted to get back together. She obviously called me here for something so what else could it be? 

This past week without her has been torture. 

I saw a figure walking up to me from my peripheral vision. I looked up and saw Harlow. I got up but then stopped as I saw she looked terrible. Not terrible, but she didn’t look like herself. 

The makeup that she didn’t even need in the first place was all over the place and her hair was the messiest I’ve ever seen it. 

“You okay Harlow?” I asked as I slowly walked towards her. She backed up, I guess she wanted space so I stopped walking and stayed where I was. 

“I’m fine,” Her voice cracked as she said this, and I could tell she was lying. 

“You’re not fi-” I began to say but she interrupted me with something I’d never thought I would hear, especially coming out of her mouth. 

“I cheated on you.” This hit me like a truck. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I had been the perfect boyfriend. Buying her gifts, Buying Odessa gifts, I even brought gifts for her cat Luna. I did everything she asked and I was never even close to being unfaithful once. 

I didn’t know what to say. I would’ve never guessed that Harlow would do something like that. The worst part was that I still loved her.

“With who?” This was all I could think to say at the moment. 

“With Sean.” She sighed as she looked down at the ground. God. Sean was one of the new people she started hanging out with recently. I didn’t like any of them. I always assumed they were bad influences on her. And not just because she stopped coming over to my house and started hanging with them instead. But she started staying out late, and not doing the things she loved and that she would normally do. 

She didn’t even do her work in class. Instead, she sat in her seat and always fidgeted around in it as if she’s been forgetting to take her pills or something. 

“What did I do wrong?” I asked her seriously, trying not to cry in front of her. Like I said before, I thought I was a pretty good boyfriend. 

But instead, Harlow began crying, “you did nothing wrong, Lucas, I was the bad person, the bad girlfriend. Not you.” She sniffled.

I hated seeing her cry, no matter what she did or how she made me feel. 

October 7th, 2021

11:23pm 

Harlow’s Pov 

I watched as Lucas started making his way over to me. I didn’t know what he was going to do. Hit me? He wouldn’t ever do that but even if he did I deserved it but he didn’t. 

He made his way over to me and hugged me, I stiffened up at his touch. I was confused, I just admitted to cheating on him and I got a hug in return?  

“Why are you hugging me?” I said as I pushed him away. “You shouldn’t be hugging me.” He frowned at this.

“I forgive you, I just want to be with you Harlow. I don’t care what you did, I love you all the same.” There’s that L word. 

I loved Lucas too. Who wouldn’t? He was perfect, and I decided to cheat on him with some low-life dude I met less than a month ago. I don’t know what was up with me.

“I’m a bad person Lucas, you deserve someone better. Not me.” The truth was that I did want to be with Lucas, but I didn’t trust myself. Not anymore and I didn’t want to risk hurting him again. 

I turned away from him and walked away, tears streaming down my already stained face as I did. I heard his voice but my brain couldn’t process what he was saying. 

We were done for good and It was all my fault, no one else’s.