Harper Cooper's Story

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For some reason or another he hadn't been able to sleep for the past couple of months, which really sucked. He could feel the tiredness of his eye bags, he didn't have to see them to know they were purple and blue shades. He knew if anyone saw them they'd freak and ask what was wrong, so he had been covering them with concealer her borrowed, without asking, from his mom. He was so tried and ready to just fall asleep, to doze off until a world that wasn't real, but lately that hadn't been working for him. Every night he tried keeping himself entertained by doing things likes reading, watching T.V., dancing, and just other pass times that made him forget about the fact he needed some sleep; at the moment he just watched the ceiling. He felt slightly lonely, but it's not like he could just call someone up at three in the morning, that thought had already crossed his mind and he had decided it wasn't the best idea. Most of his friends normally didn't rise until around two in the afternoon, meaning his loneliness might stretch longer then he wished.

"Ok, this is enough of silence!" Finally growing tired of the loneliness, he sat up and let his feet touch the warm white carpet. He's room wasn't very grand, in fact it was very simple. The bed was barely big enough to fit two people in and was pushed up against the right wall next to the door, the same wall was covered of pictures of so many things that Axel had taken, on the opposite wall there were random black and white poster of old famous stars and more pictures he had taken, there was also a keyboard in front of the window (which he was trying to teach himself to play); the view from the window was beautiful. Outside the window was nothing but soft moon light casting gentle shadows across tree tops and floating on the pond in his backyard. In the summer he'd swim in the pond with his friends, the closet thing to a lake he had ever seen since there were none on the island. In fact Axel lived out in a small area of woods with his brother.

Once he was completely up on his feet he walked over to the wooden door, pulled the golden nob, and then made his way down the hardwood floor. He only took about ten steps before reaching his destination and stopping in front of another wooden door. Raising a clenched fist, he hit the door before opening it himself. As soon as he entered the room he was attacked by coolness of the early morn, he immediately got cold chills all over his body. "Why the heck do you insist on sleeping out here? You're going to catch your death!" His voice was barely below a yell as he called to his brother, who for whatever reason thought it was okay to sleep in the screened-in patio during such cool mornings, and even sometimes during the winter. It was cold to Axel, but he knew his brother was probably finding warmth from the fact he was lying on a bed that he had drug in himself years ago and was bundled in a cocoon of covers.

"Why the heck did you come in here? I need my beauty rest!" Before Axel had time to react his brother had already brought his arm back and threw a pillow towards Axel's face. When it hit him it didn't hurt at all, it was the most comfortable thing ever either, but at least there was no pain. The pillow fell to the ground followed by his glasses. "If you had broken those I would have made you buy me new ones." "Like hell I would. Can't you go bother someone else?" He watched his brother flop around in the bed before quickly falling back to sleep. Thanks for the heart warming conversation. As the thought faded, wit the feeling of defeat he sighed and left the room shutting the door behind him.

Knock! Knock!

"Who the fuck could that be?" The groan from his brother's room only made him laugh as he walked through all the twist and turns to make his way to the living room to the door. Normal people probably would have thought it was crazy he was about to open the door at three in the morning without any weapon, but of course on the island everyone knew each other so there was no need to fear anything.

Opening the door he was kind of shocked to find a girl wearing a black leather jacket with silver studs. The outfit was sexy in it's own right: a black loose shirt, skin hugging black ripped tights, black combat boots, and in her cotton candy pink hair was a homemade crown of sunflowers, which really showed the girls personality. "I hope I didn't wake you." A warm smile grew across her face as she brought Axel into a comfortable hug. She was in most ways perfect, from her personality to her appearance, Axel cared greatly about her, in fact he viewed her like a little sister. "You're always welcome here, Barbie, and you already know that." Before he even got the chance to finish his sentence Barbie had made her way to the couch and stared at the suitcase that laid in front of it. "You're taking another trip." Without words he just nodded his head to her statement. The tiny girl giggled as she began to step inside the case and crouch down in it. "Well this time you have to take me too!" Watching her only brought a smile to his face. "I would invite you, but we only bought three plane tickets-" [color=#ED6868]"I know, I know, you're going to invite Marius to go with you, though you haven't yet." At this statement Axel bit his bottom lip. He was nervous to ask his best friend to go on a trip with him, though the two had gone on vacations with each other before this time was different. Not to long ago when the two boys had been drunk they had shared a kiss, he wasn't even sure if Marius even remembered it. "In fact..." Before he had time to react Barbie had popped up and taken his phone from him. Dialing some number she put the phone up to her ear. "Who are you calling." "Marius of course, if you can't ask him I will for you." His heart raced as he tried to prior the phone from her, but she was to fast and began to run.



The phone rang around three times and she wasn't sure if it had been answered or not, so she just began to speak. "Hey, Marius, this is Barbie, and Axel was wondering if you wanted to-" Stopping mid-sentence Axel had caught up to her when they had reached his room and hung the phone up. "I didn't get to finish!" Frowning at his actions, she just pulled her phone out and held a finger up to him when she noticed he had flinched. "Hey, Jessica, I love you and we should hang out later, bye love you." Barbie didn't give her girlfriend much time to reply or even pick up, for all she knew she just caught the answering machine again. "That was extremely brief." With a flimsy smile she yawned, and that made Axel yawn as well.

She didn't say another word, but instead laid down on his bed and quickly drifted off to sleep. Axel smiled at her and covered her up with his blankets, happy that his loneliness was gone. Watching her he decided to curl up next to her and hold her in his arms, though he wasn't tired, he just laid next to her in silence with his eyes shut.

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Jessica slowly woke up, the sunlight spilling through gap in the curtains. The sun was billion of miles away yet still had perfect aim. She glared at the giant fireball, reluctantly getting out of her bed. Her feet tapped on the cold floor, searching for her slippers. Finding them, she sunk her feet into the soft wool and mentally prepared herself for the day. Her brother was home for the summer. She could hear him clattering about in the kitchen. She pulled her dressing gown around her and checked the phone in the pocket. The screen informed her she had one voicemail. Checking the message, she smiled when she heard Barbie's voice over the line. Screw what the rest of the island would say, Jessica loved Barbie and that was final. She could see nothing perverse about her love for the younger girl. Love was a beautiful and Barbie was the one Jessica shard that gift with.

Jessica slipped her phone back into her pocket and padded downstairs. As she expected, her brother, Matthew, was in the kitchen. The room was filled with the rich aroma of coffee as Matthew stood over the coffee machine, "Staring at it won't make it work any quicker," Jessica said as she placed two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Morning," Matthew croaked.

Jessica gave a half smile at her brother's back while they waited for food and coffee. As Jessica ate her toast, she thought about what she could do with Barbie for the day. She sent a text to Barbie.



"Who you texting?"

Jessica's head snapped up at the sound of her brother's voice, "Just Barbie."

Matthew nodded slowly. As far as Matthew was concerned, his sister and Barbie weree simply very close friends. Like everyone else on the island, the thought that a family member could be gay never crossed his mind. For this, Jessica was glad. It might one less person for her to lie to. It wasn't lying, not really. Simply omitting the truth. He had never asked her and she had neither confirmed nor denied. She loved her family, but Jessica couldn't wait to get off the island so she could live her life without having to keep a part of her secret. Jessica dropped her plate in the sink and began her usual ritual of dressing. After washing herself, Jessica laid out her outfit on her bed, casting her phone the occasional glance so she didn't miss anything, particularly from Barbie, but Harper too. She hated Harper, but missing a summoning from her would be more trouble then it was worth. It meant running the risk of Barbie finding out, which was something Jessica wanted to avoid for as long as possible. She wasn't sure she could handle the inevitable disappointment that would be on Barbie's face. She took a deep breath, checking her make up in the dresser mirror before heading back down into the front room, where she waited for a call from the outside world to summon her into action.

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The sound of her iPod player was muffled as her ears slipped under the bathwater. The world seemed to slow down, as she let herself sink to the bottom of the tub. She let her mind wander, recalling her night out. The house had been overly crowded- with more people than she had expected. Of course, Jacob didn't let her spend much time down the party. He had pulled her away for some private fun early in the night. It wasn't until the sound of sirens blared through the second story window that Harper realized what was happening. She made it out the window and down the tree. Then she was running, running as fast as she could. The cops were too busy busting all the stumbling drunks in the front yard to really notice a skinny brunette making off into the woods. Luckily, it was a small neighborhood- and her house wasn't too far.. only about three-four miles, which for her as a runner- wasn't that bad.

Coming up for air, Harper sat in the bath and let out a sigh. She had ignored her phone all night. No doubt she had missed a text or a million from Lucas. She briefly wondered what he would think if he knew she was sleeping with the college boy. With an annoyed roll of her eyes, she stood. He wouldn't care, he'd find a way to make it the guy's fault and still love her through it. Harper lifted her fingers and brushed them against the steam on the mirror. Why did she always want to bruise the hell out of Lucas? What was it about seeing him battered and bleeding that made her so hot under the collar? She smiled, taking a moment to admire herself in the mirror. With a small smirk, she wrapped a towel around her and made her way to her room.


As she was getting dressed, her mother came in. "You'll have to start packing soon." College. She was talking about college, again. Harper sighed, turning around to face her. Running a hand through her hair, "Um... I know. I just.. I thought I could, you know, wait until summer was a little closer to being over.. you know, so I could have clothes to wear?" "Oh. I had thought you'd want to move into your apartment by campus as soon as you could.." "You thought wrong," Harper said flatly, turning her back to her mother as she straightened the outfit she had laying on her bed. "You haven't told him that you're leaving, have you, Harper." Harper froze, slowly straightening. Turning to look at her mother, she narrowed her eyes. "I need to get dressed." Her mother sighs and holds up her hands, silently leaving.

Harper rolled her eyes and finished getting ready- remembering to put her bikini on under her outfit and picking up her cellphone to text Lucas.

To: L <3
Message: Are we still on for tonight? I need to get away. Meet me by the dock in 20.

She knew he'd never deny her, if he could avoid it. She hadn't told him that she was accepted into the college. She would be moving out of not just the island, but the country. Not that he didn't have the money to fly and see her; at least, that's what she tried to reason with herself. Dressed, Harper made her way out of the house and toward the docks. She'd walk, since it was a nice day out. Her sandals left little prints in the gravel and sand as she walked along the road from her house to the beach.

As she walked, she paused in front of Derek's house. She debated going inside, but at the last minute decided against it- choosing to text instead.

To: Deerdick
Message: Wake up, deerdick. Time to go! Lucas' is taking me out on the boat, you should come. You know you wanna see me in my bikini! Or maybe you want to see me out of it... (;

Smirking, Harper continued walking. When she arrived at the beach, she made her way to the dock- ignoring the chatter of the fishermen. Lifting herself onto the railing, she looked around- waiting for someone she knew to arrive. Since she was bored, she pulled out her phone again and turned on the camera. Directing the lens down her shirt, she snapped a picture of her cleavage and sent it to Jessica.

To: J <3
Message: Miss me? Come for a boat ride with me. Don't keep me waiting long. <3 XoXo baby.

Jessica sat up when he phone beeped. She checked her phone and her stomach dropped when she saw that it was from Harper. Sighing, she opened the message and was greeted with the familiar image of Harper's cleavage and a text summoning her to the docks. Harper wanted to go on a boat ride. Jessica had a feeling that her protests would fall on deaf ears. She could think of a million and one things she'd rather do than go on a boat trip with Harper and whoever else she had invited along.

Pouting, Jessica replied to the text


Jessica skipped into the kitchen, "Matthew?" She called, waiting for her brother to acknowledge her, "If Barbie comes round, can you tell her I'm just running errands."

"You hiding something from her?"

Jessica looked at her brother, an eyebrow raised, "What? No?" She hated the fact that her brother, who was so dim sometimes, could see straight through her at times. He looked at her, his gaze steady and Jessica relented, "Fine, yes, I'm seeing someone and I wanna keep it quiet OK?" It wasn't exactly a lie, Jessica told herself, she just knew that Matthew would put a different context on her words.

Matthew nodded, "Sure, I'll let her know you're busy."

Jessica rolled her eyes before slowly making her way upstairs back to her room. She rifled through her wardrobe, searching for a swimsuit to wear. She had a few bikinis but she didn't really want to wear one with Harper around. She pulled out a black swimsuit. It was sexy but not obviously so. She slipped it on underneath her clothes, suddenly questioning her choice in outfit. Was it too sexy? What would Harper think of it? Jessica shook her head, she couldn't live her life in fear of what Harper might think of her. She was her own person and was responsible for her own life.

Making her way back downstiars, she grabbed her little bag in leiu of having any pockets and yelled a goodbye through the house before making her way to the dock. It was a nice day outside, the sun was warm on her bare arms as she walked through the streets. She smiled politely at the people who knew her, thankful that she hadn't wandered into Barbie on her way to the dock. Jessica searched the dock for the horribly familiar face of Harper. Spotting her, Jessica gave a half hearted wave to the girl and made her way to the girl's side, her arms folded forming a shield between herself and Harper. "You summoned me?" Jessica asked, her voice hollow, not even bothering to hide her feelings about being here.

Lucas Jonas

The buzzing of Lucas' phone was enough to wake him from his light sleep. He jumped up- or at least, he tried to- and hit his head on the ceiling. Ow. Luke gingerly patted the top of his head and sighed. Reason number 38 why he told his parents not to buy him a loft bed. He'd really have to start writing them down someday. Luke yawned and slid to the ground. He ran a hand through his hair before finally remembering why he'd woken up in the first place. Luke practically dove to the other side of the room where his phone was charging and quickly checked his texts. He smiled as Harper's name appeared.

At nine o'clock the night before, he'd sent her a text. When she didn't immediately respond, a number of worst-case scenarios had passed through his mind, but he'd tried to remain calm. Luke never was good at pulling all-nighters, but he'd managed to stay awake until three in case she replied. Now that it was morning, Luke realized that hadn't been the best of ideas. He was going to need caffeine to make it through this day. He read the message and grinned. She must be wanting to go out on the boat. The sun shining through his window was proof of the good weather, so he quickly replied:



Luke pulled on a pair of cargo shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Even with that little amount of movement, he winced slightly while using his arms. His shoulders and upper arms were sporting several bruises and cuts that weren't going away fast. But Harper had been feeling a little sick, and he'd probably said something, so it wasn't her fault. Luke quietly walked down the stairs and to the kitchen, where he grabbed a bagel, before entering the garage. All of the family's car, boat, and house keys were hanging by the door. He took the boat one and left his house through a side door before his parents could notice. When he told Harper that he'd gotten out of the family's dinner hosting, he'd neglected to tell her that it was because she was "introducing him to her family," but that didn't matter. It was true in the sense that he was spending time with Harper.

Before entering the dock, Luke took a small detour at the closest gas station and bought a pack of Sun Drop soda. He knew one bottle would probably have been enough to last him the whole day, but caffeine crashes were never a good thing. Besides, Harper might want one or two. And speaking of... Luke could see Harper sitting on the railing close by, looking breathtaking as always. He smiled and was about to shout her name when he noticed the girl she was talking to. Jessica Treys. Luke stopped short and scowled slightly. What the heck was she doing here? He finally started walking again and set the soda down near Harper's feet. Luke gave Jessica a small nod before pulling out his bagel. He looked up at Harper and smiled again. "Morning Harper. You look beautiful, as usual. Do you want some of my bagel?"

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Within a few minutes of soaking up the sun, Harper felt her phone wiggle to life. Checking it, she read over the text from Jessica, Sure, I'll be there in a few. Harper smiled, but didn't bother to reply. What was there to say, anyway? 'K'? Not worth the effort. As she waited, she inspected her nails, and offered a flirt to the group of joggers that went by. It wasn't long before Jessica's stunning self was walking down the path to the dock. "You summoned me?" Harper pouts, looking up at Jessica through her lashes. "What kind of a greeting is that? I offer you a fun day out on the boat, and you act like I've forced you into fucking me out here in the open while everyone watches," Harper sighs. Rolling her eyes, she shifts her weight on the rail and looks Jessica over. "That's not your bikini strap," she notes, boredly. "Sometimes you can be such a prude."

Growing annoyed, Harper looks away from her girl-toy; her phone vibrates again. It's Lucas; I was able to get out of the dinner event, so everything's planned for tonight. I'll be right there. Smiling, Harper looks up to Jessica. "Bad news, baby boo. Lucas says he can make it, so you don't get me all to yourself. Still smiling, Harper reaches out to Jessica to take her wrist, pulling Jessica closer and between her legs if Jessica would allow. "I promise I'll find a time to steal you away so we can have some us time," she whispers, "Kay?" Harper winks and releases the girl, if she had been allowed to pull her close. If not, she would have said the same, only out loud and not in a whisper. Her texts must be arriving late, because it's within moments that Lucas appears on the horizon. Harper grins and jumps down from her perch on the railing, running over to Lucas and wrapping her arms around him if he would allow. "Hey there, handsome! You made it!" she chirps. Releasing him and stepping back, she moves to stand beside Jessica as Lucas looks her over."Morning Harper. You look beautiful, as usual. Do you want some of my bagel?" Harper laughs and shakes her head.

"Nah, I'm not really---sec." she pauses mid sentence as her phone vibrates again. It's Derek, saying he'll think about it but she knows what that means. Rolling her eyes, she sends him a text back. It's simple, and to the point.

To: Deerdick
Message: Pussy.

After she sends the text she turns back to Lucas, asking "Do you have the keys? I really want to go to the island. You've got drinks on the boat, right? Doesn't your dad keep the mini-bar stocked up pretty good?" As she speaks, she starts to unbutton her top, looking up as the shirt hangs off her slender figure. "Let's get going, I don't there Deerdick is going to make it. Probably too busy fucking the preachers daughter. Cause, you know, she's too good to hang out with us," Harper explains, rolling her eyes as she turns and starts to walk toward the boat. She steps aboard and turns to offer her hand to Jessica to help her get on. If Jessica accepts the help, that is; if not, Harper goes to the front of the boat and drops her shirt onto a chair, taking a deep breath. She slowly releases it as she closes her eyes and feels the warmth of the sun on her tanned skin. Grinning now, she turns to Jessica and points to the radio, "Turn it on, and let's get the hell out of here," she chirps. When the music comes on, Harper dances over to Jessica and takes her hand, pulling her close and grinding against her as she leaves Lucas to drive the boat away from the dock. If Jessica doesn't dance back, Harper would simply grind on her anyway, effectively giving her a standing lap dance. After a while, Harper leaves Jessica to sulk if she wants to, and goes down into the cabin.

When she comes back out, she's got a liquior bottle in her hand. Unscrewing the lid, Harper throws the bottle back and takes a long drag, taking a sharp breath of air afterwords. She dances with the bottle in her hand, offering the bottle to Jessica after a moment. "Lucas!" Harper giggles, dancing over to him. She leans against wheel and takes his jaw in her hand, turning his face away from the water and to her if he would allow. "I am going to leave you breathless when we get to the beach," she says softly, releasing his jaw and turning away. She walks back to the front of the boat and flops down on the large couch that takes up the very front of the boat. Water occassionally sprays up at her, but she doesn't seem to mind. "What are your summer plans, Jess?" she asks, reaching out to take the bottle back and have another slow gulp.

"What kind of a greeting is that? I offer you a fun day out on the boat, and you act like I've forced you into fucking me out here in the open while everyone watches," Harper sighs. Jessica looked out over the dock. Maybe, she thought, because you're blackmailing me into this. They were never words she would say out loud though. Jessica had noticed the bruises Lucas had and, while she was never completely sure where he got them from, Jessica wasn't about to take the risk of putting herself into Harper's line of fire. "That's not your bikini strap," she heard Harper comment. "Sometimes you can be such a prude."

Jessica shrugged, "I prefer swimsuits, it's nothing to do with being prude," Jessica leant back from the railings, her hands keeping grip on the railings while her arms straightened out. She looked at Harper, "Besides, you know fine well I'm not a prude."

If Harper had heard her, she gave no indication of it. Instead her focus was on the cellphone. Jessica didn't mi d. The longer Harper spent on the damn machine, the less time Jessica had to spend talking to her. Harper eventually looked back to Jessica.

"Bad news, baby boo. Lucas says he can make it, so you don't get me all to yourself. Still smiling, Harper reached out to Jessica to take her wrist, pulling Jessica closer. Jessica followed the pull like a ragdoll, standing uncomfortably close to Harper. Jessica stiffened slightly when Harper whispered in her ear, "I promise I'll find a time to steal you away so we can have some us time," she whispers, "Kay?" Harper winked and let go of Jessica.

"Can't wait," Jessica said dryly, folding her arms back across herself, making it harder for Harper to hold her. Lucas must have arrived because Harper's demeanour changed once again. Sometimes, Jessica could barely keep up with Harper's moods. Heaven knew she'd much rather be with Barbie right now. Why did Harper need her to hang around when she had Lucas anyway? Jessica looked over her shoulder, offering Lucas a weak smile in place of a verbal greeting, largely tuning out their small talk as they fussed over each other for a while. Jessica was a pretty decent actress, and she searched for the character in herself that wanted to be here and had no problem with Harper and their messed up relationship. Jess found that character and she clung to it like a safety cord.

"Do you have the keys? I really want to go to the island. You've got drinks on the boat, right? Doesn't your dad keep the mini-bar stocked up pretty good?" Harper started speaking again. As she spoke, Harper started to unbutton her top. Jessica couldn't help looking appreciatively as Harper stripped. Jess knew Harper liked to keep in shape, and it showed. Harper had a good figure. There was no way Jessica would ever think Harper was anywhere near as beautiful as Barbie, not to Jess anyway, but there was no harm in looking. "Let's get going, I don't there Deerdick is going to make it. Probably too busy fucking the preachers daughter. Cause, you know, she's too good to hang out with us."

Jessica bit her tongue when Harper started badmouthing Charlotte. Jessica didn't know the girl personally, but she seemed a nice enough girl. But she knew Harper was a borderline control freak and couldn't accept that her friend had made his choice.
Jessica stood back as Harper climbed aboard the boat, taking the hand Harper offered to help herself on. Standing on the boat, Jessica pulled her t-shirt over her head, revealing the cutouts of her swimsuit. She shimmied out her skirt and folded her clothes, placing them under the chair that held Harper's shirt.

"Turn it on, and let's get the hell out of here," Jessica looked up and saw Harper pointing at the stereo. When the music came on, Harper danced over to Jessica and took her hand, pulling Jessica close and grinding against her. Jessica found the character again and allowed herself to feel comfortable with Harper dancing against her, responding in turn to Harper's movements before the other girl momentarily disappeared beneath deck. Harper soon came back with a bottle in her hand, taking a deep swig from the bottle before passing it to Jessica. Figuring it was something alcoholic, Jessica gladly accepted the bottle while Harper went of to flirt with Lucas. Jessica watched for Harper coming back to her, taking several swigs from the bottle, hoping for a little liquid courage. Harper came back to sit by Jessica, indicating that she wanted to the bottle back. Jessica gladly handed it over, the alcohol making her head feel a little fuzzy from drinking too quickly. She was starting to think thoughts that she really didn't want to be thinking. Mostly involving Harper where they should have involved Barbie.

"What are your summer plans, Jess?" The question took Jessica by surprise. Once again, she was going to have to lie. Lucas didn't know want was going on, and Jessica felt that this was a situation where ignorance was bliss, especially when it came to protecting Barbie. He could think what he liked about Jessica, but the notion that anyone would have a bad word to say against Barbie made her blood boil.

Jessica shrugged, "Hanging out with Axel and Barbie, y'know, being third wheel and all that," she said with a small laugh, remembering the charade the two friends had going, "Helping dad out at the garage. The usual really, maybe start looking into college options, I dunno," Jessica looked out over the sea. She knew she would be looking into college. The sooner she could get away from this place, the better and college was one of her tickets out, "What about you two?" She asked, looking back into the boat, "What are your plans?" She wanted the attention off her as soon as possible and the best way to do that, Jess figures, was to get the other two talking.