When good meets really, really, really bad.
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Daniel Harper is down on his luck as he struggles to pay for his sophomore year at NYU. Desperate times lead him to sell drugs for some time. When that proves to not be enough, his only option is to...
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DANIEL HARPER
I stared out the window of my childhood bedroom, watching the sun beam down on the ground below. It’s not like New York. New York was cold, frigid, and snowy. Arizona is warm and sunny. Complete opposites.
Before Lucien, I was more reserved. Less confident. Less experienced. Now, I feel like I’m finally alive. After the death of my parents, it was as if my life was put on pause. I just lived with no development.
But then came along Lucien. Stubborn, quick to get angry, extreme, loving, handsome, and protects me like I’m his world. He’s shown me so much. He was my first everything. First time having sex, first time visiting a foreign country, first time living in an apartment. First time falling in love.
There’s good things that come with Lucien. But he’s a packaged deal. If you want his good, you’ll also have to get his bad.
And I had to take his bad. It was small moments. His possessiveness at times. His ability to quickly choose violence. And when he laid his hands on me, he didn’t even stop. He continued. Despite my cries.
So I did what the old Danny would do. I ran. I ran away and chose to ignore the problem and put it off for a later day.
The knock on my bedroom door alerted me. My aunt stood there looking at me.
“You okay, Danny?” She asked. She got closer, her green eyes on me. She looks very similar to my mother. She has her green eyes, black messy hair, and fair skin.
“I miss him…” I muttered, placing my head in my arms and crying.
After I returned to Arizona, I explained to my aunt and uncle a small bit of what happened. They were shocked to learn that I already had a boyfriend. But I didn’t explain to them that he was a dangerous person. Nor did I explain that he had literally spanked me a few hours earlier.
They just think that we got into an argument.
“It’s been a week already. Why don’t you try calling him.” My aunt said.
“What if he’s too angry? I’ve ghosted him for a week. Would he still want to talk to me?” I asked.
“By the way you described this guy, I bet he himself is dying on the inside waiting for you. You’ll never know if you don’t try.” She said. She rubbed my back and kissed my head. “Just call.” She said.
“Okay…” I muttered. I heard her walking out of my room, closing the door behind her.
I got my phone and was met with my wallpaper, a picture I took of me and Lucien. I pulled up his contact and, with a final breath, clicked on the call button.
The phone rang for a while. Until he finally decided to answer.
“Lucien?” I asked, already feeling myself wanting to break down.
