Page 19 of Loving Trent
The moment I met Sonny Hill, the lie had to go because I wasn’t about to start any kind of friendship in deceit. My moral compass might be permanently fucked up, but lying to my future father-in-law about my past seemed wrong to me. In the end, I told Sonny, Jerry—Sonny’s right-hand man—Leon, Jenna, and Demon the truth. They promised that they would never tell anyone because it wasn’t their story to share.
“So, you see, Harley, I’m just like you.” Giving her hand another squeeze, I feel lighter after sharing my burden withanother person who, unfortunately, might understand what I’ve been through.
Harley surprises the shit out of me when she launches herself into my arms, but I recover quickly and pull her close. She starts telling us her story once she has calmed down a little.
“I’ve only been here two weeks, but it was the worst two weeks of my life. My father found me kissing my best friend and told me that he was sending me away to get fixed. Everything you said you went through… it was the same here. All but one thing. The director here was a woman, Dana.”
“Can you tell us what happened today?” I ask when she grows quiet.
Harley takes a big breath and lets out a long sigh, but she straightens up out of my arms. For the first time tonight, there is a strength in her that I admire. “Two days ago, in the middle of the night, I slipped out of the bunkhouse and headed into town. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I got there, but I knew I had to get out of here. When I got to town, everything was closed except an all-night diner. I went in because I was starving. Dana hadn’t given me any food in days because I fought when they tried to bring me here,” she says, motioning to the room. “Not that it stopped them.
“The waitress took one look at me and hurriedly got me seated. She didn’t even ask what I wanted to eat. She just brought me a huge burger and fries. I ate it even though I had no money to pay for it. When she went into the back, I slipped out but left a note thanking her and apologizing for stealing. I wrote it with a crayon I found at the table for little kids. I snuck back into camp because I had nowhere else to go. Yesterday, all the adults were running around frantically. I heard that the police showed up after someone alerted them that a student was spotted in town looking a little roughed up. I only know thatbecause two of the counselors were talking right outside the window of my bunk house.
“We were locked in our rooms all day and all night. Then, this morning, all of a sudden, the doors were unlocked, but everyone was gone. Dana, the doctors, all the counselors… there was no adult in sight. Then, the parents started showing up and taking their kids. I was the last one, and it was starting to get darker. I went to check the kitchen for food, but found it empty. I was about to give up and walk into town when the rain started, and a car pulled in. When my parents arrived and my father asked me that question, I lost my cool. I started yelling at him and told him everything happening here…” Harley’s eyes fill with tears, and this time I gently wipe them off. The beast inside is roaring and demanding that we find her parents and get our revenge.
“He told me I deserved it and that if I wasn’t cleaned yet, I wasn’t coming back with him. When I yelled at him that there was nothing wrong with me, he hit me. I tried to run after him because I didn’t want to be left here alone. I was scared that Dana or someone else would come back and take me with them. He never hit the brakes. Not once. Not even when I tripped and fell. I don’t know what to do. I have nowhere to go, and no one wants me.” Harley pulls her hand from mine and covers her face as her small shoulders shake.
“Harley, you are so brave and so much more than what happened to you here. Because you were strong enough to sneak out, you stopped what was happening,” Sonny says for the first time.
“I agree.” Reaching forward, I gently pull Harley’s hands away from her face. “You’re a lot braver than I was at your age.”
“But Dana and them got away,” Harley says, sounding frustrated. I second her frustration, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“That’s true, but I’m right behind them for the first time in five months. The lady I described to you, Sandy, does she sound like she could be Dana?” I had briefly described what Tom and Sandy looked like, hoping it was them. It sickens me that I have to hope that the two people who hurt me also hurt Harley, but that is the only way I have to stop them.
“Yeah, she could be. Dana had a tattoo. I only saw it once when she tripped, and her skirt rose up. On her left ankle, there was a?—”
“Four-leaf clover with the stem broken?” I ask, cutting Harley off.
“Yeah.”
My eyes snap toward Sonny and Jerry, finding a raging inferno in both of their eyes. Clearly, we all are feeling the itch to burn down the world to find the people who hurt Harley. They had the same look when they heard my story, but knowing that Harley’s pain is fresh seems to be making that rage worse. Hell, the need to seek revenge has shifted inside me. It’s no longer because they hurt me, but because they hurt Harley. We are less than a day behind them, but if we move fast, we can make up those hours.
“It’s her.” For the first time, all the softness is gone from my voice, but Harley doesn’t even flinch at the darkness.
“They left in such a hurry. Maybe we will be lucky, and they left something that can help us easily find them. I’m going to join the guys in the search,” Jerry says before leaving us behind.
“Trent, I know you want to lead the search, but I think maybe you should stay with Harley,” Sonny says, motioning to the fact that she is still clinging to my hand like I’m her lifeline.
“I don’t want to be a bother,” Harley says, and my fucking heart lurches in my chest.
Cupping her uninjured cheek, I turn her face so she can see the honesty in my eyes as I say, “You are not a fucking bother,Harley. I want you to forget everything you've been told by everyone in your past. Take up space. Demand your worth and never cower before anyone again.”
Slowly, like pouring cold syrup, a fire ignites in Harley’s gray eyes as her shoulders raise, her spine straightens, and that spark of courage I saw earlier returns. “That a girl,” I whisper.
“Harley, how old are you?” Sonny asks as his phone makes a soft beep.
“I just turned sixteen yesterday,” Harley answers, looking over at him.
“Is there anyone that you feel comfortable going to live with?” I ask, knowing that we need to find a safe place for Harley tonight. Whoever she goes to live with will have to pass my inspection. But I want her to have the choice of picking where she goes. This girl will be safe no matter what I have to do.
“No. Dad told me that no one back home wanted me. Even my best friend agreed that they should send me away. Plus, I don’t want to go back there. We had just moved here when everything happened. We are originally from Texas, but after my grandpa passed, Dad moved us out here.”
My mind is swirling around, trying to figure out what we are going to do with a sixteen-year-old girl. Then I remember a story Demon told me about how he got a new identity for an eighteen-year-old girl who was running away from an abusive foster home. “Harley, I’m going to step right outside the door and make a phone call. Is that okay?” I don’t want to, nor will I hide anything from her, but I know how secretive Demon is, and I don’t want to piss him off.
“Do you think I could possibly take a bath?” Harley looks down at her mud-covered clothes with a slight sneer.
“Sure. I’ll help get you to the bathroom. I’ll have Jerry bring you some fresh clothes from the dorms, and they will be waiting out here. I also have a wrap for your ankle on my bike. Sonnyand I will be outside whenever you are done,” I say. When Harley nods her head, I help her hobble into the bathroom and start the water for her. “When you get in, let me know.”
