Careless and Reckless — Chapter 45

"Belle?" She chokes out before she suddenly faints. Luckily, Nathan reacts quickly and catches her before she can hit the floor.

There's looks of both worry and confusion on the boy's faces and I'm sure my own expression is very similar. Wyatt looks as though he's piecing everything together in his mind and Nathan has already picked Harper up and is laying her on a nearby sofa in the lounge.

Belle. That's a name I haven't heard in years but it still pains me to this day. Why did Harper call me that? And what am I missing here?

Around twenty minutes later she, thankfully, begins to wake up, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. "Drink this," Nathan murmurs to his sister, handing her a glass of water which she gladly accepts, gulping it down like her life depends on it.

I'm sitting in the corner of the room because I don't want to startle her again and because I'm feeling anxious after what she said. It makes my stomach tie itself in knots to think that Harper is somehow involved. It confuses and scares me at the same time.

"Nathan, what happened?" Harper asks her brother in a quiet voice. "The last thing I remember was hugging Wyatt, then—" she cuts herself off and gulps. "There's no way. I thought I saw Belle but that can't be sh—she—she's dead. I don't understand..." she trails off, sounding distressed.

There's no way...

Could she be talking about...

I suck in a deep breath and slowly walk over to Harper. Calm down, Ari. Just breathe. "Hi," I say quietly, kneeling down beside her. Her eyes go wide as saucers and it looks as if she's about to pass out again. "I'm not Belle," I tell her hastily, not wanting her to faint again. "But I am her sister."

Recognition seems to pass across her eyes and before I know it she's embracing me in a tight hug, crying into my shoulder. "You're her sister? Oh my god. I — I — well — I —" she stutters between sobs, clutching me tightly as though I'll disappear if she lets go.

I let her cry, knowing that she needs it and that it's better to wait until she's more composed before I ask any questions.

Nathan looks uncomfortable, unsure of what to do and I can see Wyatt whisper something into his ear. Nathan gives him an unsure look before nodding and leaving the room. Wyatt, on the other hand, looks conflicted. For some reason, I think he understands what's going on but not fully, either way, he seems to be the only person who somewhat has their shit together.

"Harper," Wyatt mumbles quietly into her ear after she stops crying. "I think it's best if we explain to green eyes what's going on, she's surely very confused."

Harper lifts her head from my shoulder, her eyes puffy and red-rimmed. "Right," she laughs through her last few sobs. "You're mind must be so muddled. I'm so sorry, where are my manners? My name's Harper and you must be Aurora, Wyatt's told me so much about you and it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm deeply sorry about my outburst but I just couldn't control myself, you see, Belle was my best friend at school and seeing you just opened a floodgate of pent up grief because you two look so much alike," she explains, trying to sound cheerful but the sadness is evident in her voice.

"You knew my sister?" I croak out in surprise.

She nods. "Yeah, that girl was the most incredible person I've ever met and the best friend I could've ever asked for." She's looking her her lap now, wringing her hands together uncomfortably and it's obvious that this is a sensitive topic for us both.

None of us say anything and it's Wyatt who ends up breaking the silence. "Green eyes," he starts cautiously, making me tense. "There's something I think you should know. Harper is the one River messed with and I'm afraid your sister was caught up in that too. It has never been my place to tell but I think Harper and I can both agree that you deserve to know what happened between the three of them."

Harper nods along to her brother's words but I can tell she's nervous. "Right, Wyatt told me about you and River and I think you deserve the truth," she pauses, thinking over her next words. "You never really saw her much, did you?"

I shake my head. "No, my parents divorced when I was only six and Belle moved out with dad to a different city so I rarely got to see them," I tell her, feeling tears starting to well in my eyes at the thought of my sister and father.

Wyatt must notice as he wipes away a stray tear that must've fallen down my cheek without me realising. He kisses my hair softly and he clutches my hands soothingly to comfort me. I lean into his chest for support but urge Harper to continue.

"Well, Belle and I had been friends since she moved here, the two of us were inseparable, always doing everything together and that never changed. Boys came and went but the two of us were forever, no matter what. But just before year 12 started I got a new boyfriend, River."

I heart drops at the mention of his name. And I can feel my body beginning to shake. Wyatt is quick to calm me, bringing me closer to his chest in a comforting and protective manner, essentially telling me that he was right there with me every step of the way.

I take a few deep breaths to ease my nerves and Harper continues. "In the beginning, he was the perfect boyfriend, always making me smile and treating me like I was the only girl in the world, like I was his everything. Things were going great and I couldn't have been happier. Belle was ecstatic for me, glad that I'd found the right guy but, as time went on, her attitude towards River changed.

River had never really liked Belle very much and didn't like it when we spent time together so, gradually, I started hanging out with her less and spent more time with him but, oddly enough, that's not what upset her. She said that she thought River was manipulative and bad for me but I ignored her. She said that he was changing me for the worse and that he was a deceitful bastard who lied to me all the time.

I actually laughed at her when she told me this. I was so blinded by my love for River that completely dismissed what she said without a second thought. River told me that she was trying to break us up because she was jealous of how much time we spent together and I believed him.

I listened to him over my best friend. So little by little I started shutting her out of my life, until we barely spoke anymore. Months later, River and I got into a huge fight and his true colours started peaking through and slowly but surely I stated to realise what type of person he was — a lying bastard.

He got me to do all types of things I shouldn't; most being dangerous and stupid but there were a few illegal things sprinkled in the mix as well. It was small things at first but overtime it got more and more serious until I just couldn't do it anymore and that's when we had that big fight. As time went on, I stated to understand just how he manipulated me. He would use my emotions against me.

When things didn't go his way or I didn't want to do something he'd say that I didn't love him anymore or that I didn't care. He was an emotional manipulator but I couldn't see it. Our relationship was toxic and unhealthy but I didn't realise, Belle did and I ignored her.

It took a while but I eventually managed to break up with River. Every time I had tried in the past he coerced me into staying with him but that day I had gotten a text message from Belle. It was the first time I'd heard from her in months and I knew then that if my best friend hadn't given up on me, despite how much of a bitch I was being, I needed to do the right thing. So I did it and I finally broke up with him.

As soon as I had done it, I rushed over to Belle's house to tell her everything and apologise, begging in my mind that she'd forgive me. However, when I got there no one was home so I left, deciding to try again the next day.

Three hours later, mum got a call and I found out that both her and her dad had died in a motorcycle accident. My heart was crushed to say the least but not just because I never got the chance to apologise to my best friend but because of what was in her bag.

It was a birthday card addressed to me that she was on her way to post. Inside, she wrote that she had forgiven me for everything and despite all that had happened she still cared for me. She talked about how much she missed me but understood if I didn't want her in my life anymore. She even went as far as to say that if River truly did make me happy she'd be okay with it, regardless of what she thought and felt; she just wanted me to be happy.

She was always such a good person and I guess it was my fault she died. If I had just listened to her in the first place she never would've went to post that letter and she never would've been hit.

I'll never forgive myself for what happened, Ari, but I want you to know that your sister was the best person I've ever met. She had a beautiful and kind soul and was taken much too soon.

All I can say is that I'm so so sorry."

I was speechless. I couldn't think and I couldn't move. I just sat there for what felt like an eternity, processing Harper's words.

I didn't blame her, there's no way she could've known that would happen. Besides, I came to terms with my sister's death a long time ago.

It took a few long moments but once I finally had control of my limbs again, I sprung up from my seat, releasing myself from Wyatt's comforting hold. I dashed to their garage and grabbed the keys for Wyatt's motorcycle — the vehicle I knew would be the easiest for me to ride.

Snatching a midnight black helmet, I hopped onto the bike, ignoring the fact that my mind was screaming that this was a bad idea and that I was breaking my promise to Belle and dad.

I raced off the property with determination and a clear goal in mind, noticing Wyatt standing in the garage, a gobsmacked look on his face. But I didn't have time to explain to him what was going on or my sudden change in attitude because I only had one thought on my mind.

After what Harper said, I knew what had to be done: it was time to confront River and break up with him once and for all.