Comin' Home

They were all silent. The only sound was the leaky sink and the antique clock Kennedy’s mom had ticking while it hung on the wall.

“This is fun,” she muttered as she sank further in the kitchen chair while she crossed her arms over her chest.

Across the table, John glared at her. Apparently, her speaking had opened the floodgates. “What the hell is going on?” John asked, mostly directing his anger at Harper.

She shrugged. “You’re the one running to Kennedy and telling him all of my business, John, so why don’t you tell me?” she glared right back. Two could play this game. She had had enough.

Kennedy reached over under the table and rested his hand on her knee, trying to calm her down. It worked, but only for a minute. Then she was right back glaring at John. “It’s really none of your business, John. Or Garrett. Or even you, Jared.”

Garrett shrugged. “We were just waiting for Kennedy to show up for band practice, and when he didn’t come we called. He didn’t answer his phone so we just showed up. You can imagine our surprise when we walk down into the basement and find the two of you getting it on. Don’t you have a boyfriend, Harper?” he asked Harper, clearly disappointed. That only angered her more.

“Please give me a tiny bit of credit. I wouldn’t cheat on Nick like that, alright?”

“But you would kiss Kennedy while you were still with Nick, yeah?” John spat at her.

Her mouth dropped to the ground as she peered over at Kenny. She couldn’t believe how much lying and going behind her back this kid had done and she had been completely oblivious to it all. “You fucking told him?”

Kennedy smacked his forehead and shook his head. “No, but you just did.”

She looked shamefully back at the guys who all had their jaws to the floor in shock. “Someone tell us what the fuck is going on, please,” Garrett requested.

Harper slumped down in the chair again with her arms still crossed and mumbled, “Nick and I aren’t together anymore.”

“So this isn’t cheating. But what the hell were you just referring to?” John demanded.

“It was nothing,” Kennedy jumped to her rescue, and she gave him a small smile in thanks.

“Exactly!” she exclaimed, sitting up more now. “I even told Nick about it, and then we uh…” she trailed off, suddenly feeling guilty for everything. “We uh, we broke up.”

Her voice was quiet, but they still heard her. “You fucking broke up and then you come over here and try and get in Kennedy’s pants? Classy, Harper, really classy.” John shook his head in disgust.

“You know what John?” she exclaimed, her anger getting the best of her. She was in no mood to listen to his high and mighty speech right now. “Fuck you, alright? I’m sick of your high and mighty, ‘I’m better than everyone’ attitude, okay? You have been nothing but a condescending asshole since I’ve gotten back, and I am sick of it!” She yelled at him while she stood up from the table.

“I’m done here. I’m leaving tomorrow, so yeah have a nice life assholes.” She stomped out of the house, but once she got to Kennedy’s front porch she stopped. She had nowhere else to go. She hadn’t been banished from Halvo’s by Nick or anything, but it was still extremely awkward. She wouldn’t go to her parents house, so that kind of only left her with Kennedy. Sighing because her dramatic exit had been ruined, she quietly walked back into the house.

She stopped when she heard talking and decided to eavesdrop.

“She’s trouble, Kenny. Trouble with a capitol T.” She heard John, and she wanted to run in there and punch him. She didn’t know why he was so against her these days, but it was driving her crazy.

“She’s not trouble; she just has a lot of shit going on, alright?”

“She’s screwing with you, Kennedy. She obviously moved on, even if you didn’t, and she’s just using you as comfort.” She scowled at Garrett’s ridiculous answer. What was with those guys? She hadn’t done anything to them personally.

“She’s not using me, and who says I haven’t moved on?”

“Oh, that’s good, so you’re using her instead?” At Pat’s statement, Harper lost her breath. What if Kennedy was using her? She didn’t think she could handle that.

She decided to use this minute of silence to make her presence known. “I have no where else to go,” she said to them when she got to the kitchen. “And even though you guys may hate me right now and you think I’m trouble,” she scowled at John, “Or you think I’m using Kennedy,” she scowled at Garret, “I have no where else to go right now. I don’t know what I did to make you all hate me so much, but I could really use my friends back.”

She felt defeated and extremely vulnerable, and Kennedy sensed this. He got up and walked across the room to hug her, which she accepted easily.

“We’re sorry, Harp,” Garrett said to her honestly. “It’s just all really confusing, y’know?”

Harper nodded. “If you think its confusing, try being in my shoes, yeah?” The guys shrugged and all stood up. “Look, I need to talk to Kennedy for a minute.”

“Go ahead, band practice obviously isn’t going to happen,” John grumbled and walked out of the house.

Harper rolled her eyes and watched as the rest of the guys left, then she turned to Kennedy. “So…” she trailed off.

He smirked. “I’m kind of hating that we never got to finish what we started in the basement.”

Harper cracked up and then smiled at him. “Yeah, me too. But I am leaving tomorrow to go back to Boston and I have no idea where we stand.”

Kennedy shrugged. “We’re back where we were four years ago, huh?” he said with a sad smile.

She nodded, because it was true. They were right back where they were four years ago.

“What do you want Harper? Don’t hold back. Just tell me exactly what you want.”

She sighed and looked Kenny in the eyes. This would be the hardest part.

***

Flight 634 from Phoenix, Arizona to Boston, Massachusetts now boarding first class and rows one through three.

This was it. Harper was leaving Arizona. She gathered up her carry-on bag and headed over to the flight attendant. She smiled a small smile and handed over her ticket for the attendant to scan, then headed onto the plane.

She had made amends with her father that morning, even if she still didn’t forgive him. She said her goodbyes to her parents and promised to come home again soon, even if that promise was a lie and they both knew it. She said goodbye to Nick, Halvo, and Justin and made sure that Nick called her once he was back in Boston, which wouldn’t be for awhile. She said goodbye to all of The Maine, even if one particular goodbye had made her heart hurt and her stomach churn.

Harper Love Houston had feelings for Kennedy Brock still, and if she was being honest she had never stopped having feelings for him.

Some people, you just never get over.

When Harper reached her first row seat near the window, she stuffed her bag in the overhead compartment and took a seat. Lifting up the cover that was covering the window, she stared outside.

When Harper first got to Arizona, she hated Kennedy and she never wanted to see him again. She was in love with Nick. She wanted to get back to Boston as soon as possible. Now that she was leaving, however, she knew she didn’t hate Kennedy, she wasn’t in love with Nick anymore, and she really didn’t want to go back to Boston.

She sighed and closed the window, leaning her head back and closing her eyes too.

In only a span of a few weeks, absolutely everything had changed, and yet Harper still didn’t know what to do.

I know that we're takin' chances, you told me life was a risk
but I just have one last question...
will it be my heart or will it be his?

I'm comin' home