Sweet Harmony

by A. M. Evanston

  "I'm taking the bus home," she said.

  "It wasn't that bad." Daniel grinned at her. "Are you too chicken to handle my driving?"

  A NASCAR driver would be to chicken to handle his driving.

  "Anyone would be. You shouldn't drive like that." She straightened up, her eyes narrowed. "I'm surprised you didn't break the sound barrier with how fast you were going."

  "Believe me, I've tried." Daniel seized her hand and pulled her toward the store. "Now let's go. We have a lot to do tonight."

  A lot to do? She thought they were just buying ramen. And what was with guys holding her hand all the time? Daniel's touch made her palms sweaty and her stomach tingle. Her ironclad sense of self was fading again—and all because of some guy. She was quiet all the way until Daniel passed through the double doors of the store and led her to the end of an aisle. Even as he slowed down, he didn't let her go.

  "Where now?" he asked, staring at her.

  "Probably the foreign foods aisle," she said.

  Daniel nodded and yanked her forward again. Her arm was about to fall out of its socket after all of his pulling. He led her down the main part of the store and then paused at the correct place. Sure enough, several different kinds of ramen lined the shelves. He marched toward the packaged noodles with his mouth gaping.

  "The kind we had before were the cups, right?" Daniel pointed at the cups of ramen.

  "Yeah, but my personal opinion is that the ones in those packages are better." She pointed at the large box full of ramen. "You need to cook them on a stove. I only have a microwave, so it's not like I can make them."

  With no hesitation, Daniel seized the box of ramen.

  "I can always have a stove put into my room," he said confidently.

  She was so glad she'd punched him in the stomach. Nobody should be this freaking rich.

  "Is that all you wanted?" she asked.

  "At this store, anyway." Daniel nodded. "But this is only the first stop. There's a restaurant where I want to eat dinner."

  "Why did you bring me for that?" She was so confused her head was spinning.

  "I want to make you taste the food first to see if it's worthy of my delicate palette." Daniel grinned, his expression knowing.

  That was it. She was done being Daniel's personal dog. No way was she playing taste tester for him.

  "I'm taking the bus." She released Daniel's hand. "You can have somebody else taste your stupid food for you."

  "If you want to take the bus home, that's all well and good." Daniel sounded amused. That was bad news. "Unfortunately, you don't seem to have a purse or a wallet with you."

  The words made her still. She patted her skirt and groaned. Her wallet was sitting on her bed at home. She hadn't expected to be dragged from her dorm.

  "I don't think buses chaperone people around for free, do they?" Daniel was taunting her.

  "I'll walk back," she snapped.

  "Twenty miles?" Daniel checked his gold wrist watch. "I believe you should be home by two o'clock in the morning. They seal the gate of the academy at eleven. The only way you can get back to your dorm is if you scale the wall or face Mrs. Carmichael. I won't bail you out this time. Do you think the principal will understand about you showing up so late?"

  Annamarie didn't want to face Mrs. Carmichael. She'd get detention for sure.

  "You planned all of this, didn't you?" she whispered, her voice dark. "You knew that if you dragged me out of my room, I would be at your mercy."

  Daniel chuckled and seized her hand again. "Let's go, toilet girl. I made dinner reservations for seven. I don't want to be late."

  "Dinner reservations," she sputtered. He really had planned this after all.

  Once Daniel made it to the cash register, he placed the ramen on the belt. The cashier, a woman in her early thirties, stared at Daniel as if she'd never seen a boy before. Of course, most people had never seen anyone as gorgeous as Daniel. If he wasn't the heir to a successful company, he could very easily make a fortune gracing the covers of magazines around the world. Stupid guy. He's rich and good looking.

  "Your total is one dollar and thirty six cents," the cashier said, driving Annamarie's thoughts from her head.

  "This will be my dinner for weeks." Daniel flashed a grin at Annamarie while absentmindedly handing the cashier his credit card. "Poor people sure are smart."

  He spoke like those who were poverty stricken were a completely different species.

  "Let's just go." She hung her head in defeat.

  Daniel took his credit card back and tucked the ramen package under his arm. When he reached for her hand, she accepted it without a word. If she was going to be at his mercy all night, then she shouldn't exhaust herself by fighting anymore. She just prayed there would be a way out of this situation like maybe she'd find a twenty dollar bill on the ground or something. She silently trudged toward the car.

  Once she and Daniel made it to the Lamborghini, he threw the box of ramen in the trunk. She sat down in the passenger seat and waited. After he climbed into the car too, he turned on the ignition.

  Annamarie said, "Please don't drive so fa—AGH!"

  Once again, Daniel jetted out of the parking lot like he was being chased by a herd of hungry zombies. He pulled onto the road and zoomed through traffic. Eventually—she lost track of time because she had her eyes squeezed shut—Daniel pulled into the parking lot of a small, intimate looking restaurant. The walls were cobblestones and the windows were stained glass. A red sign hung above the door that read, Deep Channel Restaurant. She jumped out of the car and steadied herself.

  Daniel climbed out of the Lamborghini too and headed over to her. He held her hand again and dragged her to the door. His grip was so tight it made her fingers ache. When the two of them made it inside, she saw a hostess standing behind a granite counter. After the woman spotted the two of them in their school uniforms, she did a double-take.

  "I'm David Marino," David said. "I reserved a private room."

  At the mention of David's name, the snide look evaporated from the hostess's face and was replaced by a smile of utmost graciousness. Annamarie knew that if David wasn't filthy rich, the two of them would have been thrown out.

  "Right this way, sir," the hostess said. "We have a fine table reserved for you."

  Annamarie followed behind the hostess and entered the main dining room. Suddenly, she understood why this place was called Deep Channel Restaurant. A river ran through the room. Inside the water, koi fish swam. The creatures were the most vibrant colors; gold and white, silver and yellow. She slowed her pace and Daniel surprisingly matched his stride with hers.

  "This is awesome," she said, impressed.

  "They're just fish." Daniel shook his head, but he was smiling.

  "I suppose." She shrugged. "I just hope I don't fall in."

  "How would you fall in?" Daniel snorted. "Besides the water is three feet deep. You could just climb out again."

  "I just really hate water, okay?" She couldn't even take baths because she was so scared of being submerged. Only showers for her.

  The hostess cleared her throat, so she followed the woman again.

  As she walked, people kept staring at her and Daniel. At first she thought it was because they looked so mismatched, but then she realized it was because the two of them were still in school uniforms. By the time the hostess led them to a private room in the back, she was flustered and a little defiant.

  "Everybody else is in fancy clothes," she hissed.

  "Would you have dressed up if I told you where we were going?" Daniel asked.

  "Well, no." She was surprised she even wanted to dress up for the dance.

  "Then this is fine."

  Daniel held out a chair for her and she sat down. It took her a moment to realize she'd just trusted the guy enough not to rip the seat out from under her. As she contemplated that, Daniel spoke with the hostess and pressed a crisp twenty dollar bill into the palm of her hand. The woman flashed a smile
and then disappeared.

  "I really don't think you need me to taste test the food," she said.

  "Okay, I lied." Daniel's brows furrowed. "I didn't bring you hear to taste my dinner."

  "Then why am I here?" she asked.

  "I'm trying to figure something out." Daniel squinted at her like she was a puzzle meant to be put together.

  "What are you trying to figure out?"

  "Do you really want to know?" Daniel drummed his fingers on the table.

  "I wouldn't ask otherwise." She nodded, her eyes narrowed.

  "Okay." Daniel sighed. "I'm trying to figure out why you annoy me more than anyone else on the face of the planet."

  The words made her heart sting again.

  "I think you answered that question this afternoon." Her jaw was tense. She'd been brought here to be antagonized. "You hate me."

  "I just said that in the heat of the moment. If I hated you, I would avoid you, not seek you out." Daniel scowled. "Do you know how aware of you I am? If you appear in front of me, I'm happy because that means I get to make fun of you. I show up at your dorm hoping you're there. I let you into my room even though it's off limits. I don't hate you, but there's something about you that annoys me. I just can't figure out what it is."

  For some reason, her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it.

  "Have you come up with anything yet?" Heaven knew she hadn't figured out her feelings for Daniel.

  "No." Daniel let out a deep sigh.

  "And dinner was supposed to do what exactly?" She raised an eyebrow.

  "It wasn't my idea." Daniel shrugged. "I intended to keep harassing you like I normally do. Gavin was the one who said it would be a good idea to spend time with you to see if anything becomes clear."

  "Gavin?" She wasn't sure how good his advice was. "Do you trust him?"

  "I trust all my friends." Daniel's fists tightened suspiciously as he said the words.

  "For someone who trusts his friends, you sure did freak out when you heard that Jaiden asked me to the dance without telling you." She gauged his reaction and saw his face pale.

  "That annoys me especially," Daniel said. "Him and you. I hate that."

  "First off, it really is just a low-key, platonic event for me. You don't have to worry about me clinging to Jaiden afterward." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not the kind of girl whose entire goal in life is to have a boyfriend. I'm too busy for that."

  Daniel's eyebrow twitched. "That's a little better, but I still don't like it."

  Is he jealous? It was the first time she'd ever thought of jealousy and it was startling. She stared at him, the clouds clearing. No freaking way. He wasn't jealous. Because if he was, then that meant he liked her.

  She made eye contact with him. All of the evidence was starting to add up. He thought about her all the time and became angry when Jaiden asked her out. And how did she feel toward him?

  "You would rather have gone to the dance with me and you know it," dream Daniel whispered in her head.

  Annamarie was so shocked and horrified she pelted her head with her fists again. So what if she was giving herself the world's most massive headache? Right now she'd rather have a concussion than think about all of this. The two of them having feelings for each other didn't make sense. Yeah, she may have enjoyed it just a little when he held his hand. She'd also liked learning about his past. That didn't mean a darn thing. She'd just wanted to get into the mind of the enemy and…and…

  Crap, she was running out of excuses.

  She started to hit herself harder. If she knocked herself out, maybe she'd forget about the whole thing.

  "Stop that." Daniel seized her wrist. "Why are you hitting yourself?"

  "I can't take this." She grabbed fistfuls of hair. "Why did you have to come into my life and ruin the harmony? Ever since I met you, my feelings are always screwed up. I can't tell whether I'm angry or happy."

  "Ah-hah." Daniel pointed at her triumphantly. "That's exactly it. That's how I feel too."

  She froze. If that was how Daniel felt too, then that meant he may have been arguing with himself over the same thing. All of this was too much to handle.

  "I think I should go." She leapt to her feet.

  Daniel seized her and forced her back into her chair. "Toilet girl, you're going to sit back down and eat dinner with me whether you like it or not."

  "Well, I won't like it."

  "I don't care." Daniel sniffed.

  The two of them were eye to eye. The anger faded and was replaced by that same intense pull. Why was Daniel drawing her closer to him again?

  "Ah-hem," the male waiter cleared his throat from the threshold.

  She ripped her wrist out of Daniel's grip. Daniel opened his menu and stared determinedly at the pages, his cheeks a smidgeon red.

  ****

  Annamarie lay down on the bed after she got home and stared at the ceiling. Her stomach was still in knots after the night she'd had. Why Daniel? she thought, so confused she might just melt into the bed. No, she was refusing to admit she liked him. If only she had a female friend to talk to. Unfortunately, between being the only girl in her karate class and enduring homeschool, she'd never had any female friends. A girl could go to her mom with something like this, but…Her heart pinched at the thought of her parent who was likely with her boyfriend right now. Homesickness crashed over her and she decided to call her dad. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number, not caring what time it was where he was at. Surprisingly, he picked up on the second ring.

  "Hey, Annamarie," her dad said. He sounded sleepy.

  "Hey," she said. "Did I wake you up?"

  "No," he said. "I'm just tired."

  "Do you know when you're going to come get me?" she asked quietly.

  "Not yet. Soon," he said. "Are you okay?"

  "Who, me? I'm fantastic. I totally fit in." Liar, she thought.

  Her dad chuckled sleepily. "You're making trouble, aren't you?"

  "Of course not."

  She clutched her pillow tight to her chest. Hearing her dad's voice brought back memories of her mom. She wondered how long thinking of the woman would make her heart sting.

  "I can't believe how much I miss you," her dad said. "Whenever you were here, you were always up to something. Now it's too quiet."

  "You could fix that in an instant." If it was noise her dad wanted, it was noise she'd give him. "I can be on the next plane out."

  "You know I just told you no." Her dad paused. "Why did you call so late anyway? Tomorrow is a school day, isn't it?"

  Admitting that she was homesick made her appear too vulnerable. She'd already asked him to let her go home and he'd said no.

  "I just thought I'd call to check up on you," she said.

  "I'm fine," her dad said.

  The conversation fell flat.

  "I got invited to a dance," she said, hoping that might spur on the talking.

  Her dad sucked in air. His surprise was unflattering.

  "By a boy?" he asked.

  "No, by a toad." She couldn't help but laugh now. "Of course by a boy."

  "Oh." Her dad seemed to be struggling to decide what to say. "Do you like him?"

  At the mention of the word "like," she thought of Daniel and his hauntingly handsome face. Why couldn't she stop thinking about that spoiled brat? She bit her tongue and remembered her dad was talking about Jaiden.

  "He's nice enough." She shrugged. "He's really good looking."

  "Be careful," her dad said. "I know I haven't had the chance to give you the talk yet."

  She realized he meant the S-E-X speech. Even the thought of discussing that with her dad was enough to make her hair stand on end. She'd rather swallow a live jellyfish.

  "You don't have to talk to me about that." She was sixteen years old and lived in the twenty-first century, after all.

  "Still…" Her dad sounded uncertain. "I really wish Yuki could talk about this with you."

  She could hear the sadness i
n his voice.

  "Mom isn't going to be around anymore," she said quietly. "Get some sleep Dad. Don't worry about me."

  "Bye," her dad said.

  "Bye." She hung up the phone and rolled onto her side.

  Poor Dad, she thought.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning, Annamarie awoke, her eyes as heavy as steel blocks. She staggered out of bed, cursing Daniel for giving her another nightmare. She'd dreamed the two of them were fighting when an ugly toad interrupted and said they had to get married. She wasn't sure what was more revolting—the idea of marrying Daniel or the ugly toad.

  She left her room, did her toiletries, then escaped the dorm in a hurry. Owen wasn't waiting for her by the door. That was probably because he was too embarrassed to face her after admitting he'd planned to ask her to the dance. She was just on the way to the school when she spotted Jaiden on the sidewalk.

  Today Jaiden wore a suit with an emerald green tie. It brought out the color of his eyes, making them appear luminescent. She was stunned by his handsomeness, but once she recovered, she waved at him. The guy grinned back and trotted over to her.

  "Good morning," Jaiden said.

  He gave her a hug and she could feel the hardness of his chest.

  "Morning." She stepped back. "You look nice today."

  "The seniors are giving a performance in the auditorium to practice for the competition next week," Jaiden said.

  "Does that mean we'll get out of class?" Please tell me I get to skip math.

  "Yep," he said.

  "Yes!" She did a happy dance. "That means I might not get any homework. That's perfect because I have to pick up a dress for the dance tonight after I get out of karate."

  The words made Jaiden's already wide smile grow bigger.

  "Speaking of the dance, I was hoping I could pick you up at six at your dorm room," Jaiden said. "Is that okay with you?"

  "That's fine." She nodded.

  "Right." Jaiden gave her two thumbs up, his green eyes glistening.

  Suddenly, she felt awkward. She wasn't sure why. They'd always had such easy, free-flowing conversations before. She glanced at the door of the school.

  "I better go get myself some breakfast pastries from the vending machine before class starts," she said.