Good morning, flower.
Good fucking morning, flower.
That was the message he left for me in my kitchen. I was thanking every lucky star that I’d woken up first and found it. Having to explain this to my mum and dad was another ball ache I could do without.
I guess he thought he was being funny, leaving a note with a flower and calling me fucking flower. But his passive-aggressive bullshit was starting to grate on me. Not to mention the fact that he’d overstepped so many boundaries coming into my home. How the fuck did he get in? I couldn’t see any signs of forced entry.
Shit.
I hoped he didn’t climb through my window. Mine was the only one left open the night before.
Fuck.
The thought creeped me out, made me shiver, want to take a bath in bleach, and scrub my skin off. I felt so violated.
I shoved the white rose and the note to the bottom of the bin, hiding it under the gross vegetable peelings and other shit in there so no one would see it. Then I took the apple and binned that too. Like I’d eat anything he’d touched.
I glanced around, suddenly feeling like I was being watched. What if he hadn’t left at all and was hiding in our pantry? My life was turning into a horror movie, but I wasn’t the dumb blonde everyone thought I was.
I stomped over to the pantry door which was ajar, but when I flung it open, all I saw were the shelves full of cereals, tinned food, and other groceries my mum was stocking in preparation for the zombie apocalypse. I slammed it shut, then marched over to the patio doors. I pushed the handle down, and sure enough, the door opened.
Shit.
It must have been like that all night.
I’d need to start checking all the locks and bolts myself before I went to sleep. Dad was dropping a big fucking ball leaving us open and vulnerable to the likes of Brandon Mathers and his psychotic ways.
I shut and locked it back up, giving the handle a good yank to double check it was secure. I didn’t even trust myself with my safety anymore.
Mum walked into the kitchen just as I was throwing myself against the door again one last time for good measure.
“Are you okay, love? Did you manage to get any sleep?” She smiled at me, trying to look bright and refreshed, but the bags under her eyes were dark and heavy. When she stifled a yawn, I could tell she’d had as restful a night as I had. Just my shitty luck that the time I was asleep was the time he’d made his night-time visit.
“I got a bit of sleep,” I said, sitting up at the breakfast bar and taking an apple out of the fruit bowl. Then I remembered that Mathers had had his hands all over the fruit and I put it back again, grimacing.
“No appetite again?” She sighed. “What do you have planned for today?”
I shrugged. What kind of stupid question was that? I was doing the same today that I did every day.
“Nothing. Just gonna hang around here.”
Mum was busying herself making coffee, but she stopped to give me one of her stern motherly expressions.
“Maybe you should try to get out. It’s not healthy to lock yourself up in your room all day.”
“Hold on.” I wrinkling my brow in confusion. “You said I shouldn’t be going out. That I was too vulnerable. Now you think I shouldn’t be staying in? Which one is it, Mum? ‘Cos I’m starting to get really confused.”
I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on my mum, I knew that. It wasn’t her fault we had a crazy guy breaking into our house and leaving roses on the counter when we were asleep, but I couldn’t think straight.
“I think you should be seeing your friends more. Sal hasn’t been round for ages. You two used to be inseparable. Why don’t you hang out with her today?” Mum asked as she filled the coffee machine and fussed over wiping the already pristine counters down.
“Mum, I haven’t spoken to Sal in months. You know, since she broke up with Brodie. Do you even remember that? Do you know anything about my life?”
Obviously not, otherwise she’d know to drop this right now.
She stilled and threw the cloth into the sink, rubbing her hands over her tired face as she sighed.
“I forgot. I’m sorry. What can I say? Since losing your brother, my memory has been all over the place. I went to see Meredith with my slippers on yesterday and left the car running in the car park throughout the whole hour-long appointment. I’m lucky I still had a car to come back to when I got outside. I’m hopeless.” She pressed the button on the coffee, but she’d forgotten to put a cup underneath and the scalding liquid poured out all over the countertop and onto the floor. “Oh, shit. Look. I can’t even make a bloody coffee.” She started to tear up as she grabbed a handful of paper towels to soak up the mess. I hopped off my stool to help her.
“I think we’re all a bit hopeless, Mum.” I felt guilty that I’d just snapped at her. “We’re all trying to get through this the best way we can.”
“I know.” She threw the sopping wet towels into the bin and then turned to face me. “But if you go out, Harper, it’ll help. Get yourself into the real world. I know it’s hard at first. I hated it too, but we have to start living again, or at least trying to.”
“Fine. I might head into town later. I’m running low on hair products. Maybe I’ll meet up with someone and go for a coffee too while I’m there.”
I couldn’t give a shit about my hair, and God knows who I’d meet for coffee. Maybe I could buy two coffees-to-go, head to the park, and leave one in the bushes for my stalker. He was the only person who seemed interested in following my life these days.
“That’s the spirit, love. A day with a friend will do you the world of good.”
“I’ll make sure I leave my slippers at the front door.” I grinned and gave her a hug, then left her to make a more successful cup of morning coffee.
I headed up to my room, still feeling the anger from his break-in coursing through me. I needed to find out where he was hiding. Maybe pay him a few visits of my own. He wasn’t the only one holding a grudge.
I locked my bedroom door and gave an involuntary shiver as I thought about him wandering around my home. Like a nervous child, I double checked the lock, even though deep down I knew I was safe. It was morning, and creatures like him didn’t come out to play in the light.
I made my way over to my desk. It was still pretty early, so I doubted there’d be many people on the group chat, but I logged on anyway. I needed to do something to take my mind off the violation of being broken in to. This chatroom was slowly becoming my lifeline. It made me feel less alone.
LadyStoneheart23 has joined the chat.
Regina_Phalange- Lol. I am fucking dying here.
Fucking_Alan- That’s it, Reggie, laugh at my misery.
Regina_Phalange- Only you, Alan. Only you.
JoeNotExotic- Come on then. Give us the low down. You can’t tell us that and leave us hanging.
EmoGirl – *Runs to get popcorn*
Fucking_Alan – We matched on Tinder. What can I say? She looked hot and her messages were dirty as fuck. I arranged to meet her at a bar in town.