"No. Not his violin." Owen was quaking. "It was handmade just for him by Hans Weiss, the famous violin crafter from Germany. It's one of a kind."
"All the more reason for me to steal it." She rubbed her hands together. "And you wouldn't have to do anything too big. All I want you to do is what comes to you naturally."
"And that is?" He groaned.
"I want you to spill soda on his shirt again," she said. "He'll be so busy being pissed at you he won't notice me."
"Annamarie, this is a really, really bad idea." He ran a hand through his hair. "Remember what I said about my dad? I can't make Daniel angry."
"Just cower and apologize." She gave him two thumbs up. "You'll be fine. He won't suspect that you had anything to do with the violin disappearing."
"Fine. I'll do it. But if something happens to my dad, I'm never talking to you again." Owen sighed. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
"You're the best." She gave him a hug and his cheeks turned pink.
"I guess," he said. "But how are you going to get out of second period? You're already in enough trouble as it is. If Mrs. Carmichael sees you wandering around without a good reason, you may get suspended."
She'd find a way. Skipping lessons had never been a problem for her before.
****
Five minutes before the end of first period, Annamarie looked at the clock. What should she do to get out of class today? Fake puking was always great, but she wasn't sure if that was grandeur enough. She had to make sure Mrs. Larson had no other choice but to give her a note to the nurse's office. That way she could find the perfect time to steal the violin without getting into trouble. What should I do? she thought, frowning at the girl next to her as she pretended to play. Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea. Back when she was younger, she never stopped messing around for long enough to eat and sometimes ended up passing out from anemia. Her parents were always too busy to notice her lack of appetite until she got sick. She decided a quick fainting spell wouldn't hurt now. Just as the music started to build, she blew hard into her flute so it made a high-pitched trill—that was to get everybody's attention—and then flopped dramatically on the floor.
Give me my Oscar now, she thought, fighting to hide a grin as the girl beside her screamed. Mrs. Larson ran up the steps and kneeled beside her.
"Oh goodness." Mrs. Larson grabbed her hand. "Are you okay?"
She opened an eye and let out a groan. Slowly she sat up. Her classmates formed a semi-circle around her.
"I'm so sorry." She managed to make her bottom lip tremble. Bonus points for her. "I think I need to go to the nurse's office. My anemia…It must be acting up again."
"Is that what this is?" Mrs. Larson grabbed her under her arms. "Up you get. Who wants to walk Ms. Chadwick to the nurse's office?"
Not a single person raised their hand.
"It's okay." She wiped invisible sweat off her forehead. "I can make it…I know I can…I've done this before…"
"If you're sure." Mrs. Larson swallowed. "I could always walk you."
"No, no." She fanned herself. "I'll be okay."
"Let me write you a note."
Thank you, Mrs. Larson. She hid a smile behind her hand. Her plot worked. Now she just had to keep it up. She tried to stand, but then staggered to her knees again. The teacher helped her and led her to the front of the class. The others students whispered to one another. She had a feeling news of her passing out would fly around the school like wildfire, which was exactly what she hoped.
As Annamarie leaned against the teacher's desk, the woman scribbled a note on a piece of paper.
Ms. Chadwick passed out during class. She has been excused from classes today until she is feeling well again. Mrs. Larson
"Here you go, dear." Mrs. Larson handed her the note with a kindly expression.
"Thank you." Annamarie headed for the door.
"Are you sure you'll make it?" Mrs. Larson asked. "I can walk you down—"
"I'll really be okay." She left the room before Mrs. Larson's guilt became too strong and the woman walked her to the nurse's office.
After she was out of sight of the teacher, she tucked the note in her jean pocket and sprinted toward Owen's second period. First period hadn't ended yet, but at least now she had time to mentally prepare. She made it to the classroom and heard the dull voice of the music teacher, Mr. Finley, as he lectured the students. She hid behind the wall by the bathroom until the bell rang and students streamed out of class. Nobody noticed her.
As students headed into the class in replace of the ones who'd left, she saw Daniel walking down the hall with a pack of girls behind him giving him goo-goo eyes. Please don't see me, please don't see me. Luckily, he didn't spot her and walked into the classroom. Girls whimpered their goodbyes at the door as if spending a moment away from Daniel was enough to kill them. It was disgusting.
Where are you, Owen? Annamarie thought as she checked her watch. Class started in less than a minute. Just as she was beginning to become really worried, she saw the crowd of students part for a large boy with tousled blond hair. That had to have been Owen. She seized his hand and pulled him back by the wall. She was relieved to see he was carrying a large soda.
"There you are," she said. "I was worried you weren't going to make it."
"I forgot to get the drink," he said. "I had to double-back."
"Well, I have good news." She glanced at the classroom.
"Daniel didn't show up today and I don't have to do this?" Owen said.
"Hardy-har-har." She rolled her eyes. "No, he's here and he has the violin. Go in and spill on him. Make it a good spill too. I'll love you forever if you somehow manage to mess up his perfect hair."
"You really hate this guy, don't you?" Owen raised an eyebrow.
"He just gets on my nerves like nobody else I've ever met."
She couldn't explain why it was so important that she got back at him. From the moment she met him she'd been obsessed. Considering the amount of effort he'd put into stealing and dying her karate uniform, the feelings were mutual.
The bell rang, cutting off her thoughts.
"You ready?" she asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Owen unscrewed the top of the soda.
"Go get him, tiger." She patted his shoulder bracingly.
Owen gulped and walked through the door of the classroom. When she peaked inside, she saw the teacher was looking down, which was good. She ducked back behind the door again. There was a thud, a crash, and another thud.
"You idiot!" Daniel roared.
That's my cue, she thought, having to fight the urge to laugh out loud. She looked inside the classroom and saw that Daniel stood in the middle of the aisle surrounded by students. Not only had Owen spilled on him, he'd drenched him head to foot in sticky soda. The guy was so mad he was shaking. She was going to owe Owen big time for that. The best part was, though, that all of the other students were packed around Daniel and not paying the slightest attention to his violin perched on the side of his desk. She walked inside like she was curious about what the yelling was about, wrapped her hand around the handle of the violin case, and walked out of the room as calmly as she could.
Once she was in the hall, she grinned and ran away from the classroom. She was on her way to her dorm when she slowed. Wait a second. He's going to figure out that I was involved in stealing his violin the moment he discovers it's missing. I can't leave it in my room or he'll find it. She remembered the locker room and chuckled. Yeah, she had a feeling nobody would ever think to look in the girl's locker room in the abandoned, broken locker. Today was going to be a fantastic day.
****
The lunch bell rang, so Annamarie walked outside and headed over to the tree. To her surprise, Jaiden was already there. When he saw her, his grin widened and his bright eyes sparkled. His overwhelming attractiveness stunned her, but since almost everybody at the academy was gorgeous, she got over the affect pretty fast. She took her place by the t
ree and leaned against the trunk, still grinning from ear to ear. How could she have ever thought she hated this academy? Tormenting her little brother was not nearly as entertaining as tormenting Daniel. She just wished she could have seen the look on the guy's face when he found out his violin was gone.
"You seem to be in a good mood today," Jaiden said. "I'm surprised."
"Why?" She raised an eyebrow when she realized he must have known something about what Daniel had done. "Did you have something to do with the fact that my karate uniform ended up pink last night?"
"I didn't take part in it, but I knew Daniel was planning the attack. I feel a little bad about not telling you, but since you're both my friends, I wasn't sure what to do." Jaiden shrugged.
"We're friends?" She raised an eyebrow.
"What did you think we were?" He chuckled. "I wouldn't wait out here for you otherwise."
"I didn't know you were waiting for me." She was surprised by how pleased she was that she'd made another friend. "I thought this was your place and I just infringe on it."
"Well, it's our place now." He sat down and patted the grass at his side.
Shrugging, she sat down by the trunk and stretched out. She may have gotten an F in musical theory, but she still felt accomplished because of her ginormous prank—and she wasn't even done with it yet. She pulled out a bag of semi-healthy fruit filled snack bars she'd bought from the vending machine and took a bite. They'd never tasted so sweet.
"Shouldn't you eat more than that?" Jaiden asked.
"Huh?" She had more breakfast pastries stowed in her backpack, but she didn't know why he was looking at her food choice with such concern.
"You passed out today," Jaiden said. "I heard the rumors. You have anemia, right? Shouldn't you eat more?"
"Oh." She burst out laughing. "Right."
"I didn't know being sick was so funny." Jaiden was obviously perplexed.
"It isn't." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's just that I—"
The front doors of the school crashed open. Daniel and Gavin came out. Crap. What was she going to do? If Daniel saw her, he'd make a bee-line straight for her.
"Where is she? She isn't in the dining hall!" Daniel roared. "I know she has this lunch. She's the one who took my violin. She's the reason that punk spilled soda on me too."
"Calm down, man," Gavin said. "You don't even know she did it. Maybe one of those crazy girls with a crush on you took your violin. They're always stealing our gym clothes."
"No, it was Annamarie Chadwick!" Daniel yelled. "I can feel it in my bones."
"Maybe it's not her," Gavin said. "Haven't you been obsessed with that girl lately? Yesterday you were talking about her all day."
"I'm not obsessed," Daniel barked.
"Get behind the tree," Jaiden said, shoving her behind the fat trunk.
She heard Jaiden head toward Daniel and Gavin.
"What's the matter, Dan?" Jaiden asked.
It was the first time anybody had called Daniel anything other than his full name. Dan didn't seem to fit him.
"It's that girl again." Daniel sounded furious. "I'm pretty sure she stole my violin. I'm going to kill her this time."
"He doesn't even know for sure she took it." Gavin let out an exasperated sigh. "It disappeared during class."
"I'm sure you can borrow somebody else's violin until you find yours," Jaiden said. "It will turn up. Calm down."
"That violin was special." Daniel groaned. "I can't just use any violin. She crossed a line when she took it."
"Well, maybe that karate uniform meant something to her too," Jaiden said. "Maybe she thought you crossed a line first."
"Why would a stupid uniform have anything in common with my violin?" he asked. "Karate is dumb. Why are you taking her side, anyway? You never do that."
All regrets she had about stealing the violin disappeared. Maybe she wouldn't destroy it, but she'd torture him for a while. The wicked grin returned to her face.
"She's not out here," Jaiden said. "I haven't seen anybody."
"Shoot me a text if you do see her," Daniel said. "I'm going to her dorm room. She was probably dumb enough to hide it in there."
"You can't keep going into the girls' dorm," Gavin muttered.
"I won't get detention. I'd complain to my father and the school would be in trouble." Daniel stomped his foot. "Come on. Let's go. Maybe I'll see her on the way there and then I'll wring her little neck."
Footsteps carried away from her. Jaiden re-appeared by the tree and shook his head, an exasperated smile on his face.
"That's why you were in a good mood, wasn't it?" Jaiden stared at her. "You were torturing Daniel."
"Yep." She bobbed on the balls of her feet. "Thanks for lying for me."
Jaiden rubbed the back of his neck.
"I feel guilty about that," he said. "I just betrayed my best friend because of a girl."
"You hid me behind a tree. It's not that big of a deal." She laughed. "I promise I won't ever tell him you helped me."
With a sigh, Jaiden nodded and made eye contact. He looked at her so intensely it made nervous sweat cover her forehead.
"What?" She cocked her head.
"Nothing." He frowned at his feet. "About that violin…You aren't going to destroy it, are you? I wouldn't feel comfortable if you were going to do that."
"I don't need to destroy it to mess with Daniel." She sunk down to her butt again. "Now let's talk about something else. I can tell this topic makes you feel guilty."
Jaiden's grin returned. When he sat at her side, she was surprised how comfortable being friends with him felt.
Chapter Five
Annamarie headed down the hall of the dormitory after class. She still had to go to detention, but she wanted to make herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner first. As she approached her room, she saw her door was ajar and several girls surrounded the threshold, gasping. Most of them left when they saw her, but a thin girl she believed was named Lucy remained.
"Somebody ransacked your room," Lucy said. "Everything's a mess. I don't know who did it either."
She looked inside. Sure enough, her posters had been torn from the walls and her karate uniform lay on the floor. She should have known Daniel wouldn't just search her room but ransack it too. It was hard to describe her emotions. Yeah, she was annoyed she'd have to put all of the posters back on the wall and re-make her bed, yet she kind of enjoyed how pissed off she'd managed to make Daniel. All she had to do was taunt him a little and she'd consider the two of them even after what he'd done to her uniform. She grinned.
"Why are you smiling?" Lucy asked. "This isn't good."
Lucy looked at her like she was nuts. Who knew? Maybe she was.
"It's just a game I'm playing with somebody," she said. "Everything's fine."
"A game?" Lucy raised an eyebrow and turned around, muttering, "Boy, that girl is weird…"
As she silently agreed with Lucy—she was undoubtedly a real freak—she went inside to clean up and prepare for her next plan of action. It took her fifteen minutes to place the posters on the wall and straighten her sheets. Just as she'd picked up her family picture and placed it on the dresser by her bed, she heard somebody stumble into the room. It was Owen.
"Are you okay?" Owen asked. "I heard some girls talking outside the dining hall. They said your room was torn apart."
"It was just Daniel." She snorted. "It's fine. I've cleaned up the mess he made, but unfortunately I don't have much time to eat now before I go to detention."
"Why are you so happy right now?" Owen asked.
"Everything is going according to plan." She shrugged. "Daniel's pissed, which puts me in a great mood. Thanks again for your stunt today with the soda. I'm going to take you out to dinner anywhere you choose and I promise I'll help you out with something too."
Owen grimaced. "It wasn't that big of a deal. After the violin went missing, he completely forgot about me. Though I do have to get his uni
form dry-cleaned. He said he was going to text me when he was going to drop off his clothes, but he hasn't done it."
The stars were lining up. It was her official destiny to torture Daniel until the day she died. How could Daniel have made the mistake of giving Owen his cell phone number?
"Owen, give me Daniel's phone number," she said sweetly.
The color drained from Owen's face.
"Haven't you done enough?" Owen asked. "I don't get why the two of you are so obsessed with torturing each other."
"He trashed my room and dyed my karate uniform pink," she said. "Now it's my turn. Think of it like playing chess, except both players hate each other."
Owen swallowed. "I guess I'll give you the number."
"You're the best."
She gave Owen a huge kiss on his cheek. She'd never seen him so red.
****
Annamarie stared into the final toilet. Some of the students had filled the basin full of candy bars. It was both disgusting and juvenile. Perhaps Daniel had done it. She thought about that for a moment. Nah, it wasn't his style. This was somebody else. Maybe Bridget. She winced and flushed the toilet. Clear water swarmed the chocolate bars and the toilet clogged at once. This is my karma for messing with Daniel, she thought morosely before sticking the plunger in the toilet. She plunged and plunged. Finally, she heard the sound of draining. Water and chocolate remnants were washed away. She gave the basin a quick scrub and then left the stall. Today Rafael was cleaning the sinks with bleach.
"See you tomorrow, Rafael," she said.
"Later, toilet girl," he said.
She waved and seized her backpack. She broke into a sprint as she headed to the locker room. When she made it to the door, she froze when she heard footsteps behind her. What is that? She looked over her shoulder, peering through darkness. Maybe it was another janitor. She knew that Rafael wasn't the only one around. Nervously, she opened the locker room door and snuck inside. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the violin case hidden inside the clutter in the broom closet.
After she made it back into the hall, she looked both ways. The hair on the back of her neck stood in pins. Was she being watched? She didn't think this school had cameras. Heaven help her if it did. She decided her fear was situational. Nothing was there. The darkness was just overwhelming. It reminded her of when she was two and had almost drowned in the public swimming pool. When the water choked her, she'd been surrounded by darkness too. She shrugged it off and sought out the concert hall. She turned on the light.
Sweet Harmony Page 4