Protectors of the Universe: Episode 2. The title card flashed on the screen for a moment as the credits finally began to roll.

“Hey, that was almost as good as the first one!” Harper smiled, glancing at her friends to judge their reactions.

Beside her, Rylie shook her head. “Are you kidding? It was way too touchy-feely!” Her friend’s words were slightly slurred… Clearly the celebratory shots they’d done earlier were still taking their toll. And the beers they’d been throwing back all throughout the movie probably weren’t helping either…

Devin shrugged, replying much too loudly. “Baby Root was so freaking adorable though, wasn’t he?!” He’d always had a soft spot for the strange looking flower-creature ever since the first film.

Erik practically leapt to his feet before Rylie had a chance to reply. “Alright, we can debate about the movie later… It’s time for presents!” He cried excitedly.

Harper giggled to herself, relishing in the pleasant fuzziness that filled her head. Her boyfriend was definitely in rare form that day. The size of his pupils when she and her friends first arrived at his apartment had been a dead giveaway that he’d done a couple lines before they arrived. He’d been so upbeat and almost jittery the whole time… And that was so much better than the alternative.

Harper had felt his leg shaking nervously for about half the movie. And though she knew the drugs likely played a factor, she had a feeling he was genuinely excited about… something. Her present, maybe?

“Easy there.” Rylie laughed as she watched Erik race across the room on unsteady legs to retrieve the small pile of gifts. “Miss Money-Bags over here probably doesn’t give a shit about whatever crappy presents we got her.” She teased.

Devin nodded, smiling playfully. “Yeah, rolling in the dough now that you got that raise you’ve been talking about, huh?” His words slurred together just as Rylie’s had.

Harper fought as hard as she could to not let her smile falter. “Y-yeah.” She muttered weakly, her shame breaking through her drunken high for a moment. “About time too.”

How could she tell them that there had been no raise?

How could she tell him that she hadn’t even gotten a paycheck yesterday like she was supposed to?

Or that there weren’t going to be any more paychecks.

That two-faced bitch. Harper tried to hold back the sudden wave of anger that flooded her chest.

She should have known Nyla would do something like this. After all, she’d turned on her once before hadn’t she? Moving on, leaving Harper behind for other friends… And now ratting her out to her boss for stealing.

They’d gone back through the security footage. There was no sense in denying it.

It was so humiliating. Terrifying. Harper was just grateful they chose not to involve the police. All the items she’d stolen amounted to less than two hundred euros… And she was pretty sure that was the only thing that saved her. It made her sick to imagine what could have happened if she’d been caught taking something more valuable.

But the thought of being fired was enough to make her sick too. Now she was left without a job. No way to prove to her parents she could be responsible. No way to help Erik pay his dealer…

What am I gonna do?

She’d been trying so hard not to think about it. Last night had probably been the most difficult… Her family celebrated her and her grandmother’s birthdays together, just as they always did. But it was difficult to enjoy the delicious cake her father had baked for her, or focus on their annual viewing of Moonlight Massacre… Her mind was simply too far away, panicking about what she would do now.

I’ll figure something out. Harper kept telling herself. It’ll be fine. Maybe she’d just tell everyone she quit? That she’d grown tired of working down at the drugstore? Maybe Papa will let me work at his restaurant… Wash dishes or wait tables or something? She thought hopefully. Harper would talk to him about it tomorrow. For now, she needed to focus on celebrating her special day with her friends.

“Here we go.” Erik ended up dragging his small kitchen table into the living room, along with an extra folding chair. “Save my present for last though!” He added with a smile as he took a seat beside her on the couch.

Rylie jumped up to sit in the chair Erik had brought over, allowing Harper to slide closer to her small pile of gifts.

Shaking her head in amusement, Harper lifted the first present from the pile. It was from Devin. She peeled away the wrapping paper eagerly. Inside, she found a beautiful journal with a purple cover — her favorite color.

“I know how much you love writing.” He explained. “Even when we were little kids, you were always writing. And not just your stories… your diary too.” He rambled on for a bit more than he would have if he were sober. “And like, I figured your old notebook was probably getting pretty full by now, so…” Devin’s voice trailed off as he eyed her hopefully for a moment.

“I love it.” She smiled warmly at him. “It’s perfect, Dev. Thank you.”

He was right — her old journal was getting pretty full, and she’d already been itching for a new one. He knows me so well. The pleasant warmth in her cheeks seemed to spread into her chest at the thought. Harper’s smile widened for a moment as she reached for the next present in the pile.

Rylie rubbed her hands together gleefully. “Great! My turn.”

Harper found herself genuinely surprised when she ripped open the present and saw what was inside — a large photo album filled with pictures of herself and her two best friends. It even came with a stand to display it on. Harper’s smile grew wider and wider with each page she flipped through. It was almost hard to believe how may ridiculous selfies and silly photos the three of them had taken together since September.

“Wow… Who are you and what have you done with Rylie?” She teased. “This is so, like…” For a moment, her mind struggled to find the right word. “Sentimental.”

“I know. It’s disgusting isn’t it?” Rylie laughed. “I’m so ashamed of myself…” She paused for a moment, her expression suddenly more serious. “Just… with me and Sage going off on our little adventure or whatever, and Dev going to uni… I thought it’d be nice to make sure you don’t forget about us.” Rylie shrugged slightly.

“Are you kidding? How could I ever forget you guys?” Harper smiled at her friend. “But thank you. This is so awesome, Rylie!”

She propped up the photo album beside the journal, then turned back toward the pile of gifts. But Harper found that there was nothing left. Huh? Hadn’t Erik said he’d gotten her something? She glanced somewhat curiously at him for a moment.

“Okay, confession time — I totally didn’t wrap your gift.” Erik laughed softly as he rose to his feet, reaching into his pocket. “But close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

She gave him a slightly skeptical look, but did as he asked. “Okay.”

Erik pressed something cool and metal into her palm. It seemed to have something large and bulky attached to one end of it. The weight of the gift caught her off guard and it slipped from her hand, clanging as it hit the table in front of her.

Intrigued, Harper opened her eyes to see what it was.

“Oh my God… Is this…?”

Erik nodded. “One key to the apartment, one to the mailbox… I want you to move in with me, Harper.”

She jumped to her feet, squealing in excitement as she threw herself into his arms.

Laughing, he caught her as she buried her face in his neck. “I take it that’s a yes?” He asked.

“Of course!” Harper pressed her lips against his for a moment before finally pulling away from him.

“We’ll have to make sure your parents are cool with it though.” Erik’s voice was a bit nervous this time. “I was thinking maybe we could wait til we’re both done with our exams… Give us a little extra time to sweet talk ‘em?”

“Works for me.” Harper agreed. “Not that I really care what they say anyway… I’m an adult now. I can do what I want.”

He smiled softly. “True… but it’s still better to at least ask first?”

She rolled her eyes, but kept her smile. “I guess.” Harper paused for a moment. “Ahh! This is just so exciting! Isn’t this awesome, guys?” At last, she turned to face her friends.

Harper regretted doing so almost instantly.

Her heart sunk at the sight of their concerned faces. “What?” She asked, her tone almost accusing. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Rylie insisted. “Just… it’s a little surprising.” She muttered. Her tone was so unconvincing. Harper knew instantly that there was something Rylie wasn’t telling her.

“Well, we love each other, and Harper’s finally old enough to move out… Shouldn’t be too surprising.” Erik chuckled jovially.

Devin bit his lip. “Yeah, but like… I dunno. Maybe you should think about it a little more before you guys decide to live together?” His voice was very small.

Oh my fucking God! This again?! “Oh come on, Dev. You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Harper did nothing to hide her anger and frustration. “You sound like my Papa right now!”

“I’m not kidding.” He replied seriously, rising from his seat. “Just… Maybe this isn’t a good idea, Harper.”

“Look, we know it’s none of our business.” Rylie interjected hurriedly. “We just don’t want you rushing into anything… But if you’re happy, we’re happy too, Harper.” She assured her friend with a smile.

“Really? Because Dev sure doesn’t look too happy.” Harper narrowed her eyes at him. Her cheeks were burning again, just like before… But this time, the feeling was anything but pleasant.

Beside her, Erik forced a laugh. “Okay guys, we’ve all had way too much to drink. None of us are really thinking too straight right now… Let’s not ruin Harper’s birthday.”

She shook her head slowly. “No, I wanna hear what he was to say. Spit it out, Dev. What the hell’s your problem?!” She had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer. The words spilled from her lips before she’d even thought them through. But it was too late to take them back now.

Her friend looked so uncomfortable. “I’m just… worried, okay?” Devin muttered, uncertainly stepping closer as he spoke. “And I know Rylie is too. But… Erik’s right. This isn’t the right time to talk about this. Maybe another time. When we’re all a little more sober.” His laugh was just as forced as Erik’s had been.

Harper knew she should have dropped it. She knew she would have left it alone. Yet she couldn’t help it. Something made her keep pushing. “No, we can talk about it now.”

“Harper, I —”

“Are you jealous, huh? Is that what this is about?!” She demanded.

“WHAT?!”

“You’re jealous I’m moving in with Erik, aren’t you?!” She cried.

Devin’s chest was practically heaving with every breath he took, but he seemed unable to find his voice.

Harper felt her boyfriend’s hand on her arm. “Hey… You don’t mean that. She doesn’t know what she’s saying, Dev.” For a moment, Erik flicked his eyes toward Devin. “Maybe we should call it a night, okay?”

Rylie had now risen from her seat like the others. “Erik’s right… Why don’t we start heading back? I think we both gotta walk off these drinks anyway…”

Devin pulled away from his friend, glaring daggers at Harper. At last, he opened his mouth to speak.

“You’re really gonna make me say it, huh?” He snapped at her. She could still smell the alcohol on his breath, even from several feet away. “Your boyfriend’s a fucking junkie, Harper! THAT’S what my problem is!”

“What the FUCK did you just say?!” Erik closed the distance between himself and Devin so quickly, Harper almost couldn’t believe it.

Devin didn’t even flinch. “You know exactly what I said. We all know what’s going on here, so can we drop the fucking act?” For a moment, his expression softened slightly. “Look man, I’m sorry. I really like you, Erik. You know that. And I know you and Harper are crazy about each other. But until you cut this shit out, I can’t be okay with her living here. It’s dangerous and you know it. You know it!” His face had suddenly contorted into anger once more.

“Don’t you lecture me about what I know when you don’t know shit!” Erik shot back at him. “It’s none of your business where she lives, okay? You’re drunk off your ass right now, Dev. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, I’m drunk. But so what? You’ve been high as a fucking kite since the moment we walked through the door! You don’t think we noticed? You think we’re that stupid?!”

“And you think I’m stupid enough to put Harper in danger?! You think I’d EVER do that?!”

“Yeah, I do. I think you already have!” Devin narrowed his eyes as he spoke. “So don’t stand there and talk about how much you love Harper if you’re gonna do this shit when she’s around!” He shook his head in disgust. “Or maybe you love the drugs more than you love her…”

Erik reached forward, shoving sharply against Devin’s chest. “Fuck you!”

“Don’t fucking touch me, you son of a –”

“Let’s go, Dev!” Rylie stepped in front of him and placed her hand on his arm as she spoke, cutting off the insults he’d began shooting back at Erik. “There’s a time and a place, okay? And this isn’t it… We’ve all had too much to drink. We just need to calm down…”

Harper couldn’t believe what was happening. This was so much worse than she’d feared… They ruined it! They ruined everything!

At last, she managed to find her voice. “You’re a real piece of shit, Dev.” She muttered, blinking back tears. “Get the hell out of here!”

Her friend’s expression seemed to change in an instant at her words. The anger and frustration suddenly melted away, replaced with… sadness? Regret? Harper couldn’t quite find the right word. “Harper, look. I’m sorry. I just—”

“Yeah, party’s over, asshole.” Erik cut him off, his eyes narrowing as he pointed to the door. “Go.”

Rylie had to practically drag Devin out the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” Her voice was pained as she called over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Harper…”

Yeah. She thought miserably. Me too.