Reece's Haven

42

"My cat misses you..."
– Nautica

❀❀❀

~ D O R O T H Y ~

January 1998

When I finish telling them everything, Nolan, silent, stands up, marches to the VCR, pulls out the cassette and drops it on the floor only to step on it repeatedly, crushing it, before he kicks it across the room. Harris is sitting silently with a blank expression while Reece is standing, with his arms crossed and his back leaning against the wall. Jenny has her arm draped around my shoulders and Damien is holding my left hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb.

It does not escape my notice that Reece glances at our intertwined hands now and then.

"Lets report the shit outta them," Nolan huffs.

I shake my head.

"I don't want anyone else to know about this," I say.

"Well we can't just let them go free!" he says, running his hands through his blonde hair as he paces back and forth the room. "To harm someone as sweet and innocent as you... They should be punished!"

His words touch my heart.

"I agree with Nolan," Damien says. "They should pay for what they did."

"I've already handled that," Reece says in a low tone.

All of us turn to face him.

"...What did you do?" Damien asks, wary.

"It doesn't matter what I did. What matters is that they got the taste of their own medicine."

"Is that what you did while you were away last night?" I ask.

Reece looks at me.

"Don't think too much about it," he says. "It's not your concern."

Before I can respond, Jenny speaks up.

"Now it makes sense why Luna took me away from you during the party. She knew what was coming, yet, frighteningly, she was ok for it to happen. That's just... wicked. I knew that she's the kind of person who would do anything to get what she wants, but I didn't think she'd go this far."

"Same," Harris adds, nodding.

"And for what? To catch Reece's attention? Absolutely toxic! Luna Evans is no longer my friend. I don't care if our mums are friends, I refuse to associate myself with her."

Then, she looks at me.

"Dorothy, we're here for you," she says.

"All of us," Damien adds.

Nolan crouches down in front of me.

"No matter what," he says.

I look at each and every one of them with profound affection, gratitude and relief.

"I can't emphasise how much that means to me," I say, smiling with watery eyes.

About an hour later, they begin to leave, but Jenny decides to stay over for the night, which makes me happy. As all of us make our way to the front door, with Jenny acting as my support this time, I tap Harris on the shoulder, catching his attention.

"We need to talk," I whisper, to which he nods.

After waving Damien and Nolan goodbye as they drive off, I excuse myself and Harris from Reece and Jenny. With Harris as my new support, I head upstairs to my room, away from Reece and Jenny's earshots.