I Love Your Switchblade Attitude

For the first time in a long time, things looked like they were getting better in Harley’s life. It was a beautiful summer day, with a slight breeze that relieved the citizens of Maryland after weeks of scorching heat-waves.

On that particular day, Harley had been invited over to Max’s apartment, something that was both exciting and nerve wracking. The line between fake-relationship and real-relationship had been blurred so long ago, that Max and Harley’s relationship had just become one big mess that Harley was forced to live with.

Harley had dressed in a striped tank top and shorts, not bothering too much about her appearance since Max had already accepted her. After dressing, she jogged down the stairs to be met with the sound of music and halted in surprise.

Rian had dragged the rest of the band to come to the Dawson household, to have what seemed like some sort of jam session/raid of the Dawson’s fridge.

Alex was lying sprawled out on the couch with a bag of Doritos on his stomach, with his feet resting on Rian’s lap, who in turn held a tambourine that he shook rhythmically. Jack sat across from them on the loveseat, with a guitar placed skillfully in his lap as he strummed random chords. Zack, who also had a guitar in his hand, seemed more distracted and was looking around the room with interest.

Once Harley had made herself known, she was immediately bombarded by questions, surprisingly, by Zack.

“Have you seen Colie?” He asked, looking slightly flushed as he strummed his guitar.

“No,” Harley shrugged, finding her eyes stray from Zack’s puzzled expression to Alex’s body as he stretched, exposing a slither of skin.

“Harley?”

“Huh?” Harley snapped back to Zack, glad that he was the only one who seemed to notice her drooling. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but said nothing. “Oh, um…Colie’s still asleep.”

“Oh.” Zack clearly looked crestfallen, but attempted to cheer up as Jack climbed over to him and attempted to give him some sort of lap dance with the guitar still in his lap.

Stifling a laugh, Harley glanced at Alex and noticed he was staring back at her. She quickly diverted her gaze. “Well, I’m going to go.”

“Where are you going?” Jack asked, climbing off of Zack as the bassist swatted the brunette haired boy away.

“Oh, Max’s apartment,” Harley admitted, somewhat reluctantly, hoping it wouldn’t make a scene.

Surprisingly, it didn’t.

Rian gave a hesitant smile, but said nothing, letting his sister know that he trusted her and was willing to let her live her life. That meant a lot to her, and she felt even more relief lift off her shoulders as she glanced at Jack.

He seemed quite calm as well, sending her a questioning look no doubt regarding the status of Max and Harley’s relationship. When her gaze landed on Alex, she felt a little unsettled reading his stoic expression, no emotions being displayed on his face.

“Have fun,” Zack mumbled, turning back to his guitar and immediately the tension was broken. Harley managed to place a small smile on her face before she exited to take the trip to Max’s apartment.

________

“Welcome to my humble abode.”

Harley had wanted to stay in the car, completely certain that she should turn back as she stared at the glossy apartment door, afraid that if she stared at it too long, she would somehow damage the expensive wood.

34B was the number of Max’s apartment, and Harley almost couldn’t believe that her somewhat-of-a-boyfriend lived in such a luxurious place.

Harley wasn’t used to the large glass windows that looked like they were cleaned every day, nor the aged doorman who politely greeted her at the entrance of the apartment complex.

It was only when she had knocked on the door of 34B and was met with Max’s pearly white smile and emerald eyes that Harley began to remember that Maximilian Porter had no trouble with money.

He greeted her and opened the door of his apartment farther, whisking her inside and closing the door behind her.

The first thing Harley noticed was Max’s attire, which as usual was crisp khaki pants and a pastel coloured button down shirt, something that could now be defined as his uniform. It made Harley feel underdressed in her tank top and shorts, and she self-consciously tugged at the hem of her shorts to make them appear longer.

She couldn’t help but compare Max to Alex, who had been lounging in her house in only basketball shorts and a Glamour Kills shirt, a stark contrast to the over-groomed Max.

The second thing Harley noticed was the lack of personality in Max’s apartment. For someone who seemed to love themselves and only their personality, Max seemed to have nothing to represent himself in his apartment.

The walls were a plain white, and most of his furniture seemed to come from an upscale catalog, something that an interior designer would pick out if what the customer had wanted was ‘cold and bland’.

The living room had boxy black couches with sharp edges placed strategically around a plain coffee table, with a large screen television and a black rug tying it together.

Everything seemed polished and pristine, something that Harley couldn’t help but compare again to Alex’s lifestyle, which was disorganized and messy everywhere he went. Alex and Rian’s house gave fof a sort of warm vibe that made you feel like you were at home, while at Max’s apartment it felt like Harley was in a showroom for a new house.

Max smiled at her and began telling her about one his favourite types of massages, but Harley tuned him out and instead followed him to a room down the hall which seemed to be his bedroom.

It was equally bland, if not worse, with everything put exactly in place, plain white walls and wood flooring, a bed covered with pale cotton sheets and a white comforter, and a few books lying on a desk in the corner.

“Do you live alone?” Harley asked, surprised with the lack of personality in the room. No CD’s, no posters, no photographs or sports equipment. Nothing to even show that someone actually inhabited the area.

“Yeah, of course,” Max sent her a look as though it was obvious.

“No pets? Cats? Fish? Dogs…?”

“Nope. I hate animals.”

Harley tried to mask the shocked expression that formed on her face. How could someone hate animals? All of them? Another thought flashed into her mind that she tried to erase. Alex liked dogs. Alex liked animals.

“I—”

Harley was cut off by the man in front of her. “—I’ll be right back. I’m going to the bathroom, but make yourself at home.” He mumbled hurriedly, before turning on his heel and walking down the hall.

Harley sat down at the edge of the bed, and felt her lower body sink into the memory foam. Of course, the bed probably cost thousands of dollars as well.

Harley looked around the room with interest, attempting to find something that held some sort of meaning to Max. The only thing that proved Max even lived in the space was a sleek, gleaming cell phone that rested on the dresser.

Harley tried to pay attention to the intricate designs of the dresser rather than the fact that the phone had now started vibrating and lighting up, but it proved to be no use.

I know I shouldn’t look, Harley thought to herself, but it could be something extremely important, and I wouldn’t want Max to miss a call or appointment.

Curiosity getting the best of her, Harley inched towards the phone, glancing at the empty hallway to make sure Max was not approaching, and flipped it open. The phone vibrated in her palm with such intensity that Harley almost dropped it in surprise. Her eyes fell on the words in front of her, and the mouth became dry.

1 text from Lisa R.

It couldn’t be. There were probably a million other Lisa R.’s in Maryland. There was no way that the Lisa R. that was texting HER boyfriend could have been Lisa Ruocco, Alex’s girlfriend. No way.

Even if it was another Lisa R., why was she texting Max?

Harley knew what she was doing was wrong, but she selected the option to View the text anyway, and was met with something that made her want to vomit.

Had an awesome night last night. Do it again sometime? xo

She felt the taste of bile rising in her throat, and Harley immediately shut the phone, throwing it back on the dresser and returning to sit on the bed as she heard footsteps approaching.

A million emotions conflicted inside of her, and Harley attempted to figure out how she felt about the sudden text. Anger. Sadness. Jealousy. Denial. Fear. She had never been cheated on before, not like this.

Harley finally knew how her ex-boyfriend Travis Clark had felt the year before when she had cheated on him with Alex. It felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces, it felt like she wasn’t good enough for Max.

She was extremely angry at this Lisa R., and if it was Lisa Ruocco, she was even angrier at the fact that not only had Lisa managed to snag Alex, but she also had preyed on Max as well! And poor Alex might have been cheated on…but that was a whole other issue that Harley wasn’t willing to deal with.

The footsteps drew closer.

She mentally swore, feeling her heart break even though she didn’t have true feelings for Max. It still hurt to possibly be cheated on. She cared for Max, even if he wasn’t the brightest, or most intelligent man on earth. Even if he wasn’t Alex.

She shouldn’t have opened the phone in the first place.

Attempting to appear like nothing happened, Harley busied herself by plucking the loose threads of the comforter on Max’s bed. Max soon appeared at the doorway, looking handsome as usual, his eyes seeming even brighter as they glinted happily.

At that moment, Harley knew that she couldn’t confront her boyfriend. She knew that he would either accuse her of going through his phone, or he would tell her something she really didn’t want to hear, something that in the very back of her mind, she knew was true. She refused to believe it however, as Max climbed onto the bed next to her.

Max looked so innocent, so handsome. He wouldn’t do that to her. He didn’t cheat on her. He wouldn’t.

“Why don’t you sit up there?” Max asked, gesturing to the top of the bed. Harley nodded, and sat leaning against the nightstand as Max selected a movie and put it on the television opposite of his bed.

The couple watched it in silence, and Max’s arm casually snaked around Harley’s waist five minutes into the movie.

Harley was sure Max didn’t cheat on her. Harley was just being paranoid, anxious that Max would leave her. He probably just went out with a bunch of friends, and that’s why this Lisa R. character was texting him. To say that they should all get together to go to the bar again. Yeah, that was probably it.

Harley was fully aware of the hand that Max had begun to move to her side, that gradually slid underneath her shirt until his warm hand rested on the bare skin of her side, making her shiver.

The movie became less important as his lips fell onto the hollow of her neck, his tongue darting out slightly as he worked on sucking and kissing along her neck. She tried to keep in the noises of satisfaction she felt, and almost failed, until she realized that this was her opportunity to show Max that she was better than Lisa R., whoever the hell that may or may not be.

Deciding to forget about Max’s faults for a moment, Harley closed her eyes and crashed her lips onto his, something that caught him by surprise. He smiled in approval and continued kissing her, the movie long forgotten as the two began to intertwine with each other.

Harley’s hands found their way to the buttons on Max’s shirt, and she began undoing them with such determination, she felt she might rip his clothing apart. Max’s hands had moved to do lovely things, one hand caressing Harley’s breast as the other slipped to the waistband of her shorts, before moving downwards, his hand slipping under her underwear.

She moaned in surprise, moving to grind her hips into his. She felt his erection pressing into her thigh and grinned as he skillfully removed her shirt. He took only a few seconds to drink in the sight of her shirtless, before moving back into a passionate kiss.

Somehow, his soft hands had turned into Alex’s calloused ones, his lips changing to Alex’s chapped ones, his touch, less gentle, rougher. Harley imagined that Alex was the one in bed with her, that he was the one who had his warm, large hands wrapping around her torso before fluently ripping off her lacy bra.

She was so caught up in this fantasy that she almost forgot she was actually with Max, until one of his moans broke her out of her confused thoughts. She opened her eyes, momentarily startled that she was met with green ones instead of sparkling brown. That she was not in the Dawson/Gaskarth household, that she did not have a certain lead singer in front of her, and instead was in the presence of her boyfriend who was grabbing her breasts in his hands and kissing the side of neck with passion.

Her eyes widened as he began kissing her again, his eyes closed and his body on top of hers. It all became too much for Harley—the text, the mixed relationship boundary, that fact that Max was not Alex, Lisa, Max’s boner pressing into her thigh, his room, her screwed up relationship with Alex, the white walls screaming at her as though she was in some sort of asylum — Harley felt like she was going to burst.

“Wait.” Harley hadn’t realized she had said anything until Max pulled away from her reluctantly, looking flustered and somewhat annoyed.

“Are you one of those chicks who need protection? Because I think I have some condoms in my nightstand.” Max smiled seductively, ready to finish what they had started.

Harley shook her head, pulling way further. “I just, I’m not…I can’t do this, Max.”

“You can’t have sex with me?”

“No, I can. I mean I can’t. I mean…what are we?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, what’s our status?”

“You’re my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend? Like real life girlfriend?”

“Yeah, why?” Silence filled the air, and frustration flashed across Max’s face. “So are you going to fuck me now?”

“No…I just, I…” Harley opened her mouth to tell her boyfriend about the text she had found on his phone, but noticed his angry expression and closed her mouth, reconsidering her speech. “I’m just not ready to have sex yet.”

“Are you kidding me?” Max whined, glancing down at the boner that desperately tried to escape his pants. Silence filled the air, as the two awkwardly stared at each other.

Harley sat, completely furious with her life for becoming so bad so quickly, confused as to how she was so happy this morning, and was now sitting in her boyfriend’s boring bedroom, topless and dreaming of fucking a boy who didn’t love her back.

Harley got up slowly, noticing how Max’s eyes stayed glued to her bare chest, and attempted to find her clothes to cover herself up. She felt her face flush as she attempted to hide her body, and watched as Max glanced down at his lower body before mumbling something about cock-blocking.

So, who said her life couldn’t get worse?