Basics:

Full name: Carter Oakley Harris

Birthday: December 31st

Height: 5’8

Family:

Father: William Harris (npc)

Mother: Cynthia Harris (npc)

Older brother: Rhett Harris ( @callme-harris )

Older sister: Syrena Harris ( @syrenaxharris )

pet(s): cat named Artemis

Other connections:

Girlfriend: Gianna Sutherland ( @giannasutherland )

Best friend: @jokangmin

Friends: Nikki Keaton ( @ambivalenceshefelt ), Emerson Cassidy ( @emersonxcassidy ), Linnea Lorenzo ( @linnea-lorenzo ),

ex- friends: Drew Ohara ( @drewohara ),

Everyone says the youngest child is always the favorite, the one who always gets his way, and the eldest siblings are always pushed aside. It’s an unfair assumption, really. Carter grew up in the shadow of his older brother and sister. He was only ever acknowledged when he was getting in trouble. With a father so involved in his business, Carter could maybe understand not having as much time, but William never seemed to go out of his way for them at all. 

It was lonely for Carter, so he clung to his friends in high school and even his siblings, but what helped him the most was his piano. Music was an important part of the Harris’ lives after all, and he began to find himself in it. His love for it was not wasted, he was incredible and even joined an orchestra, but he’d never forget looking for his father in the crowd only to never find him. 

William began talking about one of the boys needing to take over the family business some day and wanting to show them the ropes now, but with Rhett going off and doing his own thing with his band, it seemed Carter was the only hope for the business in William’s eyes, so within a day, the rest of Carter’s life was planned out for him.

Looking back, Carter wished he’d realized that the only reason he was remotely interested was because his father was finally paying any kind of attention to him. It made him feel seen for the first time in years. But as time went on, Carter realized just how unhappy he was with the life planned out before him, especially after learning he was accepted into Julliard. Carter now had to watch his brother work on his band while Carter was stuck going on business trips for the family. He felt so bitter towards his brother for getting to do what he wanted. 

Things changed a bit when Rhett had his accident. Carter stayed with his brother when he could but even then he was frustrated that duty called, and he often had to leave with William again. Things only seemed to get worse when Cynthia got sick.

After being on a business trip with William for the past few months, Carter is back home in Aurora Bay. Despite setting aside their differences for Rhett’s accident, Carter still finds himself bitter with Rhett.

Trigger warnings: mentions of cheating, death, grief, self-loathing.

Carter pinches the window latch between his thumb and forefinger and unlocks it with a small squeak from the rust, and pushes. The warmth of Aurora Bay’s spring sun kisses his forearm as the aroma of his mother’s garden fills his lungs. The nostalgia hits him like a punch to the gut as he mourns the life his mother is still trying to hold onto. It doesn’t seem fair that while she’s in bed, sick, he gets to live a normal life- he, his siblings, and his father. Why couldn’t it have been his father?, he thinks, causing a painful twist of guilt in his stomach. It feels like an internal battle, dealing with this grief. Life is fleeting and he knows this painfully well now. Sometimes he wishes it would just happen rather than waking up in the morning with the anxiety that his mother is gone. But then he’d finally have to accept that he would need to get used to nights without watching his mother’s favorite movies with her, or talking to her about Gianna, or seeing the smile on her face when she tells him how beautifully he played his piano for her.

If it weren’t for her, he may have never touched those keys again. Carter looks over his shoulder at the grand piano in the middle of the room. The sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows lights up his path to its bench while the sound of the waves down the beach fill the room. He knows she’s waiting for him to play a song, and he wonders if she knows how hard it is sometimes. This grand piano reminds him of his father tearing his acceptance letter to Juilliard. It reminds him of all his hard work and hours playing, painfully working to be the pianist in his school’s orchestra, the thrill of being accepted into a school with such high expectations… all of it wasted. With all of that aside, this grand piano also has him asking himself, would this be the last time he played his mother’s favorite songs? Once she was gone, would his love for playing pass away with her?