14
HARLEY
After their truce, Harley’s relationship with Annabel had gone from completely strained to… okay. She hadn't made a single sarcastic comment about anything trivialising, she didn't lock her room anymore, and tried to sit in the sitting room when she wasn't busy.
That was the best she could do, she struggled with being friendly and wished it came as naturally to her as it seemed to for others, but that simply wasn't her.
She was perpetually a wall of stone and had never had solid mates.
None that lasted long anyway. Once they realised she was never around and couldn't spend time with them, they drifted away.
She was always working, studying or looking after her mum.
Trinity and Harley shared almost all of the same modules but anytime she tried to invite her out, she declined, and in class she sat as far away as possible.
She had a philosophy about not waiting for people to disappoint you when you could just do it first. But she was being cold to the only person who had taken the time to be nice to her, especially when none of the other people in her classes were worth talking to.
They cared more about the contents on their phones a good chunk of the time than paying attention to what the lecturers were saying.
And the ones that didn't, had their noses so far up in the air Harley was almost worried they'd break their necks from how stiff they were.
Her classmates might’ve been terrible, but rest assured the rain that caught her on the way home was even worse.
Hence why she decided to finally check out the well raved about Coffea’d , Harley figured it would be a good place to hide out until the rain died down.
Considering the sun had been shining so bright this morning she hadn’t accounted for the surprising change in the weather.
She knew better. England’s weather was infamous for being unpredictable.
The inside was just as pretty as the outside, the walls were a pale blue, the glass and marble round tables with bamboo style chairs plus the floor-to-ceiling windows and she knew immediately she was going to end up spending far too much time here drinking more caffeine than her body could handle.
Although you could never have too much caffeine, no matter what the internet might say.
There was also a display case of varying types of cakes and pastry but despite her sweet tooth, she was going to just order a drink this time. She ordered a latte and sat on an empty chair.
As time went on, and the rain showed no signs of letting up, she found herself thankful for it because it gave her some room to catch up with her classes.
It had only been three weeks and the last thing she wanted to do was fall behind.
Harley was certain Richard Thorne (father not son) would look for any reason to kick her out, because every time he passed her in the corridors he was giving her the evil eye.
Apparently, he was never around this often, and yet she had seen him at least twice a week since she started.
She looked around. There were many other people in here, it was hectic but Harley had never been in here before to know if this was the norm or if others were also hiding from the rain.
The staff all looked as worn down as she felt.
This had her thinking about why she hadn't even considered looking for a job the entire time since she’d been here.
She had the bank card that Posy gave her but she rarely spent the money on it, it just didn’t feel right.
Still, she knew if she ever needed it, it would be there, so she had grown lax.
Harley made a split-second decision and got up from her chair to ask for the manager.
Maybe if she had some income of her own, it would help feel a sense of normalcy, as if she was back home.
She wore her brightest smile and the friendliest face she could summon, making sure to control her features in place as she got closer to the counter, but the girl at the till didn’t offer the same courtesy.
“Hi, I was wondering if you had any vacancies?”
“We’re busy at the moment, come back another time,” the girl said to her, straight-faced like Harley personally offended her. Harley’s shoulders hunched at this and her irritation flared, but she let it roll off her back.
“There are two people in the line, you’re not that busy.”
“Busy enough to me,” she says.
“Not particularly.”
“Get out of the way. You’re obstructing paying customers,” the other girl grumbled.
“I asked a simple question, there was no need to be rude,” Harley snarled. Her body vibrated with barely restrained anger, ready to pounce if need be, ignoring the obvious stares from a couple of the customers who have decided to focus their attention on them.
She is stopped in her tracks when a familiar redhead opens the Staff Only door, it was the girl from the bar.
Her auburn hair was tied up in a bun and she was not smiling at all, the deja vu that washed over her had Harley feeling a little warm despite the faint chill in the air.
She immediately reeled back the anger that threatened to come out and gave her a small wave, “Hi.”
Her light golden olive brown skin was a little paler than the last time Harley saw her, the girl asked, “What are you doing here?”
“You work here too?”
“I’m the manager,” she explained. She arched a single eyebrow on her heart-shaped face, her face free from the scowl she wore like a badge of honour, “Is there a reason you’re disrupting my café?”
“I was asking your staff if you had any jobs but she was being so fucking snotty,” Harley explained. Till girl rolled her eyes and returned to the customers who had been waiting.
“Snotty?”
“Rude,” she clarified, forgetting not everyone knew Liverpudlian slang.
Auburn hair looked Harley up and down, silently assessing her; arms folded and hips cocked against the side of the counter as she listened to the explanation for the ruckus. Her face remained unreadable, then she said in a soft but firm voice, “Come with me.”
She headed towards the back of the cafe without waiting to see if Harley would follow, something in the way she carried herself lingered in Harley’s mind.
It was dominating and assured, her confidence was real and nothing like the imitation Harley wore like a mask.
She was shorter than Harley too, probably five-four maximum, and still, Harley followed.
But made sure she gave the rude one the middle finger before she went along.
The door clicked shut behind them, quiet enough that only the sound of their breathing filled the air. “I’m sorry about what happened out there,” Harley blurted out, wanting to clear up any misconceptions right away. “I’m not really a leap first think later kind of person.”
“I believe you,” she said, softly.
“You do?”
She nodded, “I have no doubt Bloss started the argument, she’s like that with everyone.” She sat down and crossed her legs, “You said you needed a job? Do you actually have any experience, or am I supposed to let you work here just because you asked?”
Harley’s eyes narrowed to slits at the sharpness in her tone but answered her regardless, “I have worked my whole life. Any job you could think of.”
“List them.”
And she did, rattling off all the different places she’d worked at, without succumbing to the girl’s withering stare. After a few more questions about references, she declared, “If you want the job, you start this weekend. Give me your number so I can send you the rest of the details.”
Harley grinned immediately, an honest and bright one, that was considered uncommon for her, “Thank you, I’m a hard worker. I promise.”
Harley packed up her things, ready to leave, when she stopped her in her tracks by asking, “Should I be worried about the company you keep turning up here and starting shit?” The way she spoke was laced with a bitterness, Harley didn’t realise she was capable of having.
The confusion palpable on her face, the girl expanded, “The Five Heirs: Bass, Thorne, Cox, Cohen and Akinson . I assume you’re well acquainted. ”
Harley’s frown deepened as the realisation sunk in that she was referring to the night they met at the bar, “My personal life is none of your business, so I’m not sure why it would matter.”
She found herself feeling defensive over a girl she could hardly bring herself to call her sister, and whom she wasn’t even entirely sure she liked all the time.
There was one thing she did know for certain, the only person who could talk shit about Annabel, was her.
Her overbearing personality must’ve been rubbing off on her more than she realised.
“Those five are not allowed in here, not even the kindest of them. I intend to keep it that way,” the girl said, dripping with disdain.
“I don’t need anyone walking in here all high and mighty, dragging the chaos that follows them everywhere along.
” A pointed glare she shot Harley, made it obvious who she was referring to.
Except if she’d known a single thing about her, she would realise the last thing she wanted was to be around Annabel and her pack of idiots.
She had hung out with them twice; first at the bar and second when Daniel and Devon came over two days ago.
When Harley tried to leave, she noticed she had somehow been discreetly tied to the table without catching on by Annabel and therefore forced to play an intense game of scrabble with one hand. She was so strange, that girl.
Harley stepped closer to her, channelling the intimidation she had often been described to be and evenly said, “I just met her, I can't control what she does or doesn't do. I'm her sister, not her babysitter!” The words left her mouth before she could stop it and she gasped, the flicker of shock on the girl’s face told her she had heard the same.
Fuck fuck fuck.
She rushed to say, “You can’t tell anyone. Please.”
The reveal seemed to have stumped the girl, she didn't move until Harley was standing right in front of her and shook her shoulders. Harley was a little confused at the reaction she was having but chalked it up to it being due to the magnitude of the news. She then looked up at her, composing herself back to the person she was before she found out. She cleared her throat and said, “I won’t tell.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Harley said, letting out a small breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding in, her shoulders easing as the tension left her.
“This won't affect my working here, will it?”
“No. It's fine. I’ll text you your shift time.”
Yet Harley couldn't let the feeling in the back of her neck go, “I have never seen you around TUL. You seem to be more acquainted with The Heirs more than I am…” she drifts off, hoping she’d take the bait to answer.
“Trust me, London isn't as big as it makes itself out to be. Besides, everyone knows them. You’d have to be living under a rock not to, they reek of their wealth wherever they go, poisoning everything they touch.” Her lips twisted with anger on that last word before she shot Harley a taunting look.
“You would know, since you're one of them.”
“I’m not a part of anything,” Harley snapped.
“I do go to Thorne, technically graduated last year, but I’m doing my masters in Modern Art,” she went on, “I just make sure not to hang around those lot any longer than I absolutely have to.” As she spoke, her arms folded neatly across her chest, the same ones with tiny splatters of tattoos on it.
Amongst them a rose, with a date inked carefully along the side.
Her gaze hardened, and it dawned on her that she had been staring too long, narrowing in suspicion.
“Next time I see you around I’ll say hi, maybe we could even hang out sometime,” Harley joked, but there was a partial truth to it and the redhead could tell.
She tilted her head, eyes sweeping over Harley for the second time that day.
She lingered on the clothes that Annabel had bought Harley, far more expensive looking than anything she’d ever owned previously as it wasn't worn out and faded.
A plain black tee with a batman logo on it paired with grey jeans, yet still too new to pass unnoticed.
She slowly shook her head, “No offence, but despite what you say, you’re still one of them.” Her lips pressed into a thin line, “Nothing you do or say will change that.”
“And despite my friendly nature,” the sarcasm dripped from her tone, sharp and almost playful. For a moment it nearly made Harley smile. “I do have friends of my own. When you grow up in a place like this, you manage to find people who will always have your back.”
She was letting her down gently but Harley heard all she needed to, the pit in her stomach could only be described as disappointment. She nodded her thanks, accepting that their relationship would never be more than the formalities of, eventual, boss and employee. “I’ll see myself out.”
She started towards the door, yet again, before she remembered there was another thing she hadn’t asked about. “I just realised, I don't even know your name. I’ve been making up names in my head to call you since we met. My last guess was Sage.”
“You’ve been thinking about me?” The girl’s voice held a hint of surprise, just a little breathier than usual, and despite Harley being certain it hadn’t been intended that way, she felt a faint, almost imperceptible warmth rise to her cheeks.
“My name is Scarlett,” she finally said.
“Harley.”
“I know,” she replied.
Harley nodded to herself, as if confirming something obvious. Of course she knew. Harley looked up at her again, giving her an awkward small wave. This time Scarlett returned it with a nod of her head in acknowledgement, which was certainly an upgrade from earlier.