Taming Harley

The incessant ringing of the alarm clock woke me, the shrill sound making my head pound. I grabbed the annoying object and flung it at the opposite wall, flopping back with a groan.

I tried to go back to sleep, but there was a gentle knock on my door.

“Harley, sweetie. Are you awake?” a familiar voice asked as the person entered.

I managed to sit up, the movement making my headache worse as I blinked several times and squinted at the woman standing in the threshold of my bedroom.

“What are you doing here, Madison?” I groaned.

“Is that any way to speak to your mother?” She took a few steps in, her lip curling in disgust as she stepped over piles of dirty clothes, empty beer bottles, and discarded cigarette butts. “We haven’t seen each other in ages.”

I scoffed. I’d long since stopped referring to her as my mother. She hadn’t done anything to deserve the title.

“Really? I haven’t noticed.” I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the throbbing in my skull. “Why are you here? Already squeezed your new husband dry? Or did he finally come to his senses and realize he was about to marry a gold digger?”

She flinched like I’d struck her, glancing away so I wouldn’t see the hurt in her eyes. I didn’t care though. She’d made it clear where I stood a long time ago.

“Harley, please. I’m not here to fight with you,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “Your grandmother called. She’s worried about you being on your own, so I came to bring you home to Los Angeles with me. I’m getting married next week, and…I want us to be a family again.”

I laughed bitterly. “I’m happy here, thanks. My best to husband number four though. Congrats.”

Her face fell, and she sighed. “You can’t stay here anymore, Harley. You can’t live like this.”

“Why the hell not?”

“You’re a minor,” she countered. “And you can’t live on your own. Besides, with your grandmother at the facility full time, she’s decided to sell the house.”

I shook my head in denial, instantly regretting it.

“Grandma wouldn’t sell the house,” I groaned, pressing the heels of my hands over my eyes. “She wouldn’t do that without talking to me. And I’m eighteen now. My birthday was a few months back, not that you care.”

Madison perched on the edge of my bed.

“Sweetie, I stopped by the care facility before I came here. Your grandmother knows she’s not getting any better, and she doesn’t want to be a burden on you. So, she’s asked me to take you home to California. She already has a buyer, sweetie.”

I yanked the covers back, unknowingly baring my very naked boyfriend, Dave. Madison shrieked, jumping up and covering her eyes as he shot up, blinking blearily and fumbling for the sheets as he tried to cover himself.

“Fuck!” he grumbled. “What time is it?”

“Who are you?! What the hell are you doing in my daughter’s room?” Madison scolded him before turning to me. “Harley Marie Anderson! Why is there a nude boy in your bed?!”

I rolled my eyes. “Why the fuck do you think, Madison? Wake up. It’s not the eighteen hundreds anymore, and you’re not in charge of me. I don’t have to tell you shit. Besides, he’s leaving anyway.”

She pointed a stern, manicured finger at him and glared. “Stay away from my daughter. Harley doesn’t need bad boys like you ruining her life.”

“Whatever I do is my fucking choice, Madison,” I snapped, throwing Dave’s jeans at him. “No one pushes me to do anything I don’t want to, including you. It’s my life. Mine. Not yours. You gave up your right to have any say in it a long time ago.”

Madison looked crestfallen, like someone had left a scuff mark on her favorite Valentino handbag.

“This isn’t you, Harley. You’re a good girl, a straight-A student. You wanted to go to college and be an astronomer. And now look at you.” She sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. “Your poor father must be turning in his grave.”

My throat tightened. Just hearing her mention my father made me want to fucking break things and drink until I couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” I hissed angrily. “Don’t you dare talk about my daddy. You didn’t give a shit about him.”

Her lip trembled, but she didn’t leave.

“Get out, D,” I said, throwing his jacket at him. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

In less than a minute, Dave was on his feet and out the door.

“Harley, sweetie,” she begged when we were finally alone. “Are you ever going to forgive me? I told you I made a mistake. I should have never left. Trust me, I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. Please, can we just start over?”

“Why? Leaving was the best thing you ever did for me,” I mumbled. “I don’t want or need you in my life, Madison.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” she sniffled, wiping an errant tear away. “But it doesn’t change things. The house has been sold. You’re going to come to California with me.”

“Grandma wouldn’t sell this place.” I shook my head, still in denial. “She can’t. It’s mine. Daddy left it for me along with the lake house. I get both when I turn twenty-five.”

“She’s only looking out for you, Harley,” she replied. “She knows she can’t take care of you anymore, and she wants you to have a good future, sweetie. All of the money from the sale of the house will go into your trust, and she’s granted me guardianship over it until you’re of age.”

“You did this,” I snarled. “You manipulated her so that you can get what you always wanted, control over my life. Well, I’m not going to let you have it. I’ll figure out how to get what’s mine. I’ll never live with you! I hate you!”

Several tense minutes stretched between us before she cleared her throat. “I know you don’t want to live with me, so I’m going to make you a deal.”

“What?” I sneered.

“Come with me to California and finish school. I’ve already spoken with the principal of the local academy, and they’ve agreed to admit you under special circumstances so that you can get your diploma. Once you graduate, I’ll transfer over ownership of your trust and give you the deed to the lake house.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What’s the catch?”

“You go to college after you graduate,” she replied. “Your dad always wanted that for you, so I want you to apply and enroll in a university of your choosing before I transfer anything. What do you say?”

I rubbed a hand across my face.

I let out a frustrated sigh. “All right. I accept, but don’t think this changes anything between us.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Madison said softly, a small triumphant smile on her lips. “Now, why don’t I help you pack? Then we can go say goodbye to your grandmother, if she’s still having a good day—”

“Whoa!” I said, interrupting her. “I’m not going to be rushed into leaving. I’ll finish things here and then make my way on my own. I don’t need your help.”

Madison had no idea how hard it was going to be for me to leave my grandma and everything I’d ever known.

I’d been born and raised here in Chester Morris County, New Jersey. Except for a few camping trips to the family lake house in New York during summer break, I’d never been anywhere else.

Not to mention I also had to break up with Dave, even though what we had was casual. I still cared about him. He’d been the only thing that kept me busy and distracted from my life. If nothing else, he deserves a goodbye.

I could see that she wanted to argue, but she sighed and gave me a forced smile.

“Okay, fine. I’ll leave you some money for the plane ticket,” she said as she started to leave. “I get married in a week. It would mean the world to me if you were there.”

“I missed the other two,” I drawled, not giving a shit about the look of hurt on her face. “I’m sure this one will be just fine without me as well.”

She pursed her lips, nodding sadly as she turned and walked away. I heard her head down the stairs, the sound of the front door closing resonating through the house as she shut it behind her.

I sat on the edge of the bed, dropping my head into my hands.