Harper's Rules 1 & 2

Chapter 17: Harper

After I escorted Earl to the edge of his section, I turned and disappeared the best I could on the field, which was pretty easy because a stadium worker escorted me back to my seat. Instead of the normal lower-level seat next to Mrs. H., I sat in row H of Section 323 next to Li, AKA, the UCLA Bruins fan nosebleeds.

A night breeze, colder and stronger than the field-level one, blew against my cheeks as I panted from climbing up the two levels of stairs to get up here. The sea of fans below me took my breath away because, from the close-up view, I hadn't fully grasped the concept of ninety-three thousand fans until they were spread out below me.

The overhead lights hummed quietly from their close proximity, but Li stood up in her seat and waved her arm wildly at me. Our entire section was dressed in UCLA's blue and yellow, with a strong scent of beer and louder conversations and taunts dispersed in the air. Once I apologized and stepped over a few feet, I took my seat next to Li's and sat with my knees wedged in my chest.

With zero patience anymore for UCLA's WAGS, my poor roommate had requested we sit in 'normal student' seats for tonight's game. While I wanted to show support for Jake, like a coward, I slunk up here because the last thing I wanted was a confrontational conversation with his mom about mine.

Yes, I'm avoiding her too. It's completely pathetic as fuck but that's me lately.

Li cupped her hand around my closest ear and her soft voice vibrated the shell of it. "What happened with that video? We could barely see it up here but -"

I clenched my teeth together tightly and glared at the ant-sized UCLA players on their sidelines. "Ethan happened."

"Ethan?" By the time Li's head reared back, her mouth was open and her eyes stretched wide. "But... how? Why?"

"Jake slept with his sister," I mumbled bitterly.

And treated her like he treats all the others.

He still doesn't deserve the retribution attempts.

He also doesn't deserve two weeks of ghosting from me either. Not that it helped.

I was the biggest hypocrite in the state of California if I expected Jake tracked me down again, after tonight, also after I'd told him to fuck off... twice. Day by day, as more time passed, I still hadn't pulled myself out of the awful funk that had taken over my existence.

When Li told me he stopped by yesterday while I napped, I actually assumed I was still dreaming and lulled myself back to sleep.

Of all the times I actually didn't want that stubborn ass to not listen... this time I'm glad he didn't listen.

The insults hurled around us from other student fans showed exactly why Jake staying at USC was best this week.

"You suck, Harrison!"

"Fuck you, Jake! Go home and cry to your mommy!"

"My asshole has more talent when I take a shit!"

A quiet snort left me at the last one as I cupped my chin in my palms and elbowed my knees.

I understood why Jake sat in silence during our time apart, since he'd told me that he waited. Yet, my fucked-up mind still borderline obsessed over the similarities between me and his other girls. Sure, I'd outlasted all the others and he'd tenderly cared for me, but was Jake even capable of... more?

And why the fuck would he even want it with me?

Guess I'll have to ask him myself.

Beyond pissed at myself for not warning him about Sarah being Ethan's sister, I also had the sense that whatever Burke had planned, public embarrassment within the stadium wasn't the end of it.