Page 34 of Jump Start

“We’re sorry your party was cut short,” I leant over Thomas to say into the phone.

“It’s alright, Harps. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle ofthat.”

I didn’t mind, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a moment of panic. Knowing Thomas was in the room somewhere definitely helped.

We hung up and both exhaled. “Well, that was not the night I was hoping for,” I said, placing my hand on Thomas’s chest.

He nodded. “I know. Let’s get some rest.”

Turning the lights off, I snuggled into his chest and promptly fell asleep.

Sixteen

Thomas

Iwoke up with a jolt and looked beside me. Harper was fast asleep and had stolen all the blankets, something she did most nights. I tried to turn over and go back to sleep but my mind started to go over the night’s events on a continuous loop. I guess I was getting up. I quietly slipped out of bed and shut the door to her room, settling on a cup of tea and turning on my laptop. I wanted to see what had been reported already.

Even though I was mad at Will for both doing drugs and trying to feel up my girlfriend, I couldn’t help but forgive him at the same time. I don’t know why he had chosen to do drugs. Maybe he just wanted to let loose or maybe something else was going on that we didn’t know about. Will and I used to be very good friends. He had been at Echidna for a couple of years before I joined, and we used to hang out all the time before things got complicated.

Will’s performance had slipped. He was dropping from the top five to below ten. His ambition to succeed was dwindling and we could all see it. Chris put all his faith in me because I was young, arrogant, and determined. I guess sometimes that’s how people saw me, especially when I first started racing. Over time, I started to think that was how I should act all the time, keep up the façade. I’d learned recently that perhaps thoseactions were not the best course I could have taken. Here I was, in a relationship with a strong, smart woman who saw more to me than what I was putting out there.

Maybe that was all I needed, someone to genuinely care about me and not what I did for a living. My friendship with Will suffered because I started winning, and he started losing more. But that wasn’t my fault. I had worked hard for it, and I knew I deserved it.

None of this could excuse what he had done last night, and his future with the team would be on thin ice now. I felt bad for him, but I would never let myself be caught off guard like that again either. I wanted to protect Harper. I never wanted to see her in pain or upset. I wanted to love her to the best of my ability.

After my tea, I watched a bit of shitty television and decided to sleep on the couch for a bit. I didn’t want to wake her up if I went back to bed. She needed rest too.

***

Harper

The next morning, I woke to find myself stretched across my bed entirely. I slowly sat up and heard the noise of my television drifting in from the living room. I trudged down the short hallway to find Thomas sitting on the edge of my coffee table, completely lost in whatever was on his phone screen.

“You know, if you stay that way, your eyes will go square?” Icommented as I rested my hand on his shoulder.

He smirked but couldn’t manage a proper smile. “It’s been on the news,” he said, his voice sounding curt and frustrated. I didn’t have to ask. I knew exactly what he meant.

“Who said something, do you think?” I asked as I squeezed in next to him on the coffee table.

He lifted his arm and put it around me. “I have no idea. I thought we were a fairly trustworthy bunch.” I could feel his disappointment over someone from his team leaking the information. “I don’t want Will to be painted as a bad person, but I know that’s what they will do.” His disdain for journalism reared its head again, making me feel uncomfortable in my own skin.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I leant my head on his shoulder.

“None of this is your fault, Harps.”

***

Monday morning made its way around quickly, as it usually did. I found myself dreading going to work, as I knew people were going to ask me about the events over the weekend. I would need to have my wits about me and keep my boundaries in place. Thomas would not appreciate a bunch of journalists talking about something involving his team, especially in an unsavoury way.

Towards the end of the day, I was called into Harry’s office. As I sat down in the chair opposite him, I recognised the solemn look on his face. He was about to deliver bad news, and I would be on the receiving end.

“How are you doing, Harper? I wanted to check on you after the weekend. There is a lot of talk in the media about what happened, and I wondered if you might share your side of the story with me?”

Was he serious? I couldn’t tell if it was genuine concern for me or if he was trying to fish for an inside scoop. I could feel my blood starting to boil with anger and my defensive walls went up almost instantly.

“Harry, thank you for checking on me. I appreciate that. However, the events that occurred over the weekend are private and personal and I will not be giving you any insight into what happened.” As soon as I finished talking, I could feel the awkwardness hanging in the air. Regardless, I needed to stick to my guns on this one.

Harry straightened in his chair, clearly bothered by my response. “Well, I think it’s in your best interest if you do, job-wise.” His voice was getting louder as he spoke.

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