Are we friends or are we more?

Chapter 23

Joe and I exchange a glance and he gives me a nod as if to say 'she's your friend'. I sigh, I really don't want Harper to come. I don't even know if she would be welcome at Zoe's anyway. "Look Harper..." I say trying to find a way of telling her she can't come without being mean. "It's not that I don't want you to come, it's just Zoe doesn't really know you." I say.

Harper just shrugs, "I do know her! I've spoke to her loads at your parties and stuff." 

"I know that." I say trying to sound calm and nice. "It's just it's her first night in her new apartment. I don't really think she would want a load of people over you know?" 

"It'll be fiiinnne." Harper says. Joe groans throwing his head back.

"No it won't." He says, "You aren't welcome in my sister apartment. You're not now and you won't be tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow or the day after that." He voice raises, he's not shouting but  he almost is.

Harper doesn't even look at Joe she just keeps her eyes on me. "Are you going to let him speak to me like that?" She says calmly.

"She doesn't own me. I can speak to you how I like." Joe says getting even more annoyed, all his anger from the past few days of Harper staying here has finally started to raise to the surface. 

"Then stop acting like you own her!" Harper shouts at Joe flinging her arm in my direction and pointing at me. 

Joe laughs sarcastically. "You're the one that bosses her about Harper. Perhaps if you didn't boss her about she would be a bit more confident." 

I open my mouth to say something but Harper shouts over me. "She's only shy when you're around. Doesn't that make you think perhaps she just doesn't like you?" I all of a sudden feel like I did when I was 15. Dad lost his job and mum and him started to argue 24/7. I normally ended up getting in the middle of the arguments. It was horrible, I used to feel so small and unwanted. The only difference here is mum and dad got through their problems and loved each other again. Harper and Joe? I don't think that's ever going to happen. 

"Oh yeah, sure. She doesn't like me, that's why we live together and spent New years eve together and most of Christmas time together. Where were you this Christmas Harper? Oh yes that's right with your new friends from uni getting high." 

Harper jumps across the room and lurches for Joe. I scream jumping forward and grabbing her before she has a chance to actually get to Joe. "Alright!" I say. "That's enough." 

"You had no right to say that!" Harper screams pushing at my body to try and get by me to Joe.

"Truth hurts doesn't it?" Joe asks walking past us and taking his jacket off a stool in the kitchen. "Are you coming to Zoe's or what?"  He turns to me. 

I want to I really do. I don't want to stay with Harper because all she is going to want to do is go and get drunk somewhere which I really don't want to do. I want to go and laugh and joke around with Zoe and Alfie. I want to meet Marcus' girlfriend and catch up with Tanya and Jim. Then I think of Harper, she has no one else at the moment, not her mum, dad, not even a friend. I imagine her sat here by herself with no one to talk to and I remember how she was there for me. I sigh," I'll stay here with Harper." I say quietly.

Joe frowns slightly and shrugs. "Alright." He says calmly before turning around and walking out the door. I wince as the door closes and slowly let go of Harper. I already know I made the wrong decision Harper just seems to suck all my energy away from me and it hurts. I should of gone with the people that make me happy but it's too late. I made my decision, I made it a long time ago.

"So, want to go grab a coffee?" Harper says smiling as if the whole thing didn't just happen. "And by coffee I mean drink, and by drink I mean alcohol." She says. 

"Okay." I say emptily staring at the closed door.