Battle Scars

seven.

The weekend slipped by faster than she anticipated. It was nicer than she thought it would be, though it was still filled with awkward attempts at bonding. Ryan was trying; she would give him that. But it would take a lot more than a nice room and him trying to get to know her. Each effort had been met with a mix of appreciation and resistance from her. Because all of this was just too much, too soon. And over a decade too late. She thought back to all the times she had needed someone, someone who was supposed to be there, and he hadn't been. Because he'd given her up. Because he hadn't wanted her in his life... until now apparently.

She pushed back more, which in turn made her feel guilty. And then she would give him a chance, but that resulted in her feeling guilty as well because it meant she was trying. And trying meant that she was giving him hope while he was attempting to take her from the one family that wanted her. It wasn't fair to him, she knew that, but every time she softened, she felt like she was betraying the one family that had actually chosen her.

It was a messed-up situation that Harper had no idea how to navigate.

But Monday came too quickly, bringing with it the dread of another school week—a reminder that no matter how hard she tried to settle into this new life, her old one still had its hooks in her. She hoped it would go better than the previous one, but she didn't hold her breath. Because asking the universe to be kind to her was wishing for the impossible. A miracle that would just be a pretty box disguised as a nightmare.

She got dressed reluctantly, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. The idea of facing everyone after putting Kyler in his place was daunting. He wouldn't let it go that easily. It was a public humiliation on his part, and she knew she should expect him to retaliate.

Ryan knocked on her door before peeking in, his smile tentative, as if testing the waters. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, kid," he said, overly cheerful.

"Okay, thanks. I'll be down in a sec."

Once Ryan left, Harper gathered her books for the day. She shoved everything into her bag, but the slow realization of his words processed in her mind. "He cooked? Oh, no."

Harper's heart raced. Abandoning her bag, she threw the door open and raced down the stairs. She braced herself to find the kitchen filled with smoke or up in flames if his last attempt was any indication of his cooking skills. Since the mac and cheese disaster, they'd ordered takeout every day. Neither one of them trusted him near the stove. Her heart pounded as she reached the bottom step, bracing for the worst.

She reached the kitchen and stopped short, staring in surprise. Because there was no disaster. There was no smoke-filled room. Instead of the mess, she found a simple setup: various boxes of cereal, a carton of milk, and a bowl with a spoon. She looked on in confusion while her heart slowed its frantic beating.

Ryan stood there, casually leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in hand. "Morning," he greeted her, catching her horror-struck look with a laugh. "Thought I'd keep it simple this morning."

Harper let out a relieved breath. "Oh, okay," she said with a small smile.

"Want some coffee?" Ryan asked, pointing to the built-in coffee machine.

"Sure," Harper said, taking a seat at the informal dining table. She stared at the different cereals laid out before her and opted for the one with the most sugar. Her bowl filled, she took a spoonful of the sugary cereal.

Ryan placed the coffee in front of her before sitting down and helping himself to breakfast. He kept the conversation flowing, asking her questions about school, hobbies, and more. Though the topics were innocent and casual enough, his attempts to get to know her only caused her to shut down. Each question reminded her of the years he wasn't there, of all the times she needed someone, and no one came.