Sweet Harmony

by A. M. Evanston

  "Did you have to remind me?" Daniel looked like she'd stabbed him in the hand with her fork.

  "Why are you sulking?" She thought of the dance. "You had a date too. Allison Ankudinov. She's gorgeous."

  "I only brought her so I wouldn't look like an idiot going to the dance alone." Daniel paused and a sly grin crossed his face. "You sounded angry just now. Like you were jealous."

  "I…I…" Oh, crap. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "Were you jealous of Allison?" Daniel drummed his fingers on the table.

  "Of course not!" she snapped.

  "Then why is your face so red?"

  "Don't make me punch you." She threatened him with her fist.

  "Annamarie, jealous." Daniel cackled triumphantly. "That's a comforting thought. I'm glad you feel so strongly for me that you'd get jealous."

  "It wasn't like that," she muttered under her breath, even though it was like that and even she knew it.

  Daniel was smiling and humming. It was the first time she'd ever seen him so happy.

  ****

  By the time Annamarie made it back to campus, she felt as though she'd shoved three days into one. Daniel was talking into his phone again, but this time, she wasn't sure who he was speaking with. She rounded a corner, her hands buried into her pockets, and heard somebody approach from behind. Since the person didn't have heavy footsteps, she knew it wasn't Owen. After last night, her first instinct was to whirl around and face the potential opponent with her fist raised. Luckily, it was just Jaiden.

  "Jaiden," she said, relieved to see him.

  But Jaiden wasn't looking at her. Instead he was staring at Daniel. For the first time ever, she saw a frightening amount of anger in his eyes. Unlike Daniel who was so like her she knew what to expect, Jaiden was passive aggressive and calm. Seeing him glare at somebody with such malice was alarming.

  "Jay," Daniel said, lowering his phone from his ear.

  "What was the meaning of that text you sent me, Dan?" Jaiden held up his phone and read the text message. "'Don't worry about Annamarie. She spent the night with me.'"

  The way Daniel had phrased the text made her suck in air. Anybody would take that the wrong way.

  "It wasn't like that." Her cheeks reddened. "We didn't do anything wrong."

  "I know you didn't do anything. You aren't that sort of person. That's why I need to know why he wrote the text," Jaiden said. "Dan, all of these years I've stuck by your side. We did everything together. Yet you knew that Annamarie was my date and you're doing crap like this to me."

  A fight was coming. Annamarie could tell because Daniel was tensing his fists. Normally, she was a big fan of fights. Something about punches being thrown got her blood rushing. This was different. She may have had the emotional knowledge of a teaspoon, but she knew that if these two were pushed much further, their lifelong friendship would break. She wasn't going to let that happen. As a person who knew what it felt like to not have any friends, she knew their bond was too valuable to give up.

  "I was almost killed last night," Annamarie said quickly, even though the words brought her shame. "Daniel rescued me and brought me back to his room. He didn't mean for the message to sound the way it did."

  "What?" Jaiden stopped glaring at once. His face paled in concern. "What happened?"

  "Somebody shoved me into a swimming pool," she said. "I have a phobia of water."

  "I didn't know that," Jaiden whispered, his eyebrows furrowing.

  "Well, it's the truth." She stepped in front of Daniel. "Daniel didn't mean anything by what he wrote to you."

  "I can handle myself, toilet girl," Daniel whispered.

  "You obviously can't," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

  Jaiden was watching the two of them with obvious confusion written on his face.

  "Is what she said true, Dan?" Jaiden asked.

  "Of course it is," Daniel said.

  "Oh." Jaiden's jaw clenched. "I'm sorry I misunderstood."

  Daniel didn't anything. Leave it to him to be so stubborn. She elbowed him in the ribs. The guy shot her a dirty look as he stepped out of reach of her elbows.

  "Fine," Daniel said. "It's okay."

  Despite the words, the atmosphere remained awkward. She looked from Daniel to Jaiden and then back again. How could she fix this? Considering the fact this fight was her entire fault, she couldn't let the two of them argue. She needed some master plan that would make the pair buddy-buddy again. She waited for a brilliant idea to be beamed into her brain from the heavens. Wait for it…Wait for it…Darn it. No idea came. She was left standing between the pair of boys, grinding her teeth like an idiot.

  "We have to go to the office to talk to Mrs. Carmichael, don't we?" she asked, deciding a change of subject was the only way to go.

  "Yeah, we do." Daniel seized her hand. "Let's go."

  Before Daniel could drag her away, Jaiden stepped toward her.

  "Wait," Jaiden said. "I need to talk to Annamarie alone."

  Daniel looked like he'd rather chew barbed wire rather than let that happen, but she could see the urgency in Jaiden's eyes. Probably she owed him another apology, one that wasn't marred by the fact Daniel looked one push away from punching something.

  "Okay," she said. "You can talk to Mrs. Carmichael alone, can't you, Daniel?"

  "Well, I could," he said begrudgingly. "I promised I'd look after you, though."

  "Jaiden's here." She doubted the guy would let anything happen to her. "I'm not a two-year-old who's going to go wander in front of a car or something."

  "I don't know," Daniel said. "Something might happen."

  "Daniel." Her fists tightened into balls.

  "Okay, okay." Daniel took a step back, but pointed a threatening finger in Jaiden's direction. "Jay, keep your eye out. Both of you wait here until I get back. I mean it, Annamarie. Don't. Move."

  The guy scowled at them both and then left. Annamarie gave an awkward, high-pitched laugh. Maybe she should have gone with Daniel after all. Dealing with the crotchety principal would be more fun than standing in front of Jaiden all alone, not knowing what he was thinking.

  "About yesterday…" She was desperate to clear the air. "I'm sorry that we lost track of each other."

  Jaiden didn't say anything but instead approached her in three strides. She thought he might slap her like her mom had once done. Instead the guy hugged her tight. He smelled of sweet incense and cologne. In the close confines of his arms, she recalled yesterday evening when he'd poured his guts out to her.

  Her heart pounded as she laid her head against his chest. Daniel's face, indignant and angry, filled her mind. No. This isn't right. She pushed Jaiden back, knowing that she had to figure out her emotions before she let herself get swept up by him. She wasn't the sort of girl who played around with two guys. Heck, right now she wasn't sure if it was worth it to be involved with even one. They brought too much confusion.

  Despite the fact she'd stepped out of his arms, Jaiden was not to be deterred. He tucked a lose strand of black hair behind her ear.

  "I'm glad you're okay," Jaiden said.

  "I wouldn't be, if Daniel hadn't shown up," she said. "He jumped into the water and pulled me out before I drowned."

  Even the thought of what Daniel had done made her both warm inside as well as overwhelmed by a sense of vulnerability. She hated that. All she'd ever wanted was to be a self-sufficient girl of steel.

  "Why was Dan following you in the first place?" Jaiden asked, his jaw tense.

  She remembered how Daniel had told her he knew where she was because he was always thinking about her and looking for her. She couldn't tell Jaiden what Daniel had said, though. It would be too cruel. Even though she didn't have a clue what others were thinking most of the time, she knew that much.

  "I don't know," she lied. "Lucky timing?"

  Jaiden didn't look like he believed her, but he didn't pursue the subject.

  "I want you to know I'm not going to let
something bad happen to you ever again," Jaiden said. "I'm going to look out for you."

  First Daniel, now him. She was going to have so many shadows she wasn't going to be able to walk.

  "I'll be okay." She cracked her fists in frustration.

  "You can't rely on your karate skills in a situation like this," Jaiden said. "I don't want you to handle the situation alone."

  "I'm not." She swallowed. "You see, Daniel's looking out for me too. He's being a little crazy about protecting me, to tell you the truth."

  A strange expression crossed Jaiden's face, but she couldn't name it.

  "Are you okay?" She pressed her hand to his forehead. "You aren't running a fever, are you?"

  "I'm fine." Jaiden forced a smile on his face. "But since the dance ended up going amuck, you owe me at least one more date, wouldn't you agree?"

  The words made her freeze. Uh-oh. She felt like she'd been given a pop quiz in Latin—and she didn't even speak Latin. Her first instinct was to fight, but she doubted punching Jaiden in the face was the best solution to an innocent question. Beads of sweat covered her forehead. Jaiden was looking at her so earnestly.

  What do I do?

  That was when she decided to do what any cowardly person would when faced with a question they couldn't answer—flee.

  "I…um…you know…I'll get back to you on that," she stuttered.

  Then she took off running as fast as her legs could carry her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Annamarie hid in the abandoned music room and hit her forehead against the wall. Stupid, stupid, stupid! she thought every time her skull collided with the wall. There were a thousand mature actions she could have taken when Jaiden had asked her out again, but running away was not one of them. Now the guy was probably hurt because she'd acted like he was a mutant and Daniel was likely back from the principal's office and throwing a hissy fit because she'd gone off somewhere on her own.

  She stared at the ceiling. How was it that nearly being murdered was not as concerning as the attentions of Daniel and Jaiden? She was crazy. Plus she hated herself for hiding. What happened to the girl who'd once punched out a guy in a supermarket because she'd seen him hit his sweet four-year-old daughter? She hadn't been scared then.

  She narrowed her eyes. I'm not going to give up because of my own emotions. She left the abandoned music room and peered down the hall. Even though she didn't see a psycho creeping after her didn't mean he wasn't there. The guy could have been anywhere—in one of the classrooms, hiding in the dustbins, or maybe even in the room she'd spent the last hour in. Shaking, she headed down the hall.

  Nobody was there. Thank heavens, she thought. Since her stalker had been a weakling who'd resorted to pushing her into a pool when her back was turned, she doubted he'd come at her unarmed. Even she'd have trouble if her opponent held a knife. She breathed in deep as she walked.

  She was heading down the hall by the recreational room when she heard pounding feet behind her. Her hair stood up on end. It's him! He knows I'm alone and he's coming to get me.

  The guy reached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

  "No you don't!" Annamarie yelled.

  She stepped on the guy's foot and drove her elbow straight into his diaphragm. It was a perfect hit and he dropped like a bag of rocks.

  "You think you're so tough, don't—"

  Annamarie whirled around and saw Daniel crumbled like a tin can on the floor.

  "—you?"

  The color drained out of her face. Holy crap! She'd nailed the wrong guy. It wasn't an enemy at all.

  "Oh man. Daniel." She dropped to her knees at his side.

  Even though Daniel was pale and clutching his stomach, he was still glaring at her. It was a good sign.

  "You…" Daniel waggled his finger at her threateningly as he struggled to breathe. "I'm going to kill you."

  Funny words coming from a guy who was trying so hard to protect her.

  "Come on." She grabbed his hand and dragged him to his feet.

  The guy stood but still bent over at the middle, clutching his stomach.

  "What did you hit me for?" Daniel asked.

  "You ran up behind me and grabbed me," she said. "I'm a little on edge."

  "A little on edge?" Daniel shook his head. "I'm surprised I still have a kidney."

  "Next time don't surprise me." She puckered her lips.

  "Why didn't you attack the guy yesterday?" Daniel asked. "How did he even manage to push you?"

  Yesterday she'd been thinking about her feelings for Daniel and hadn't expected an attack. Even she could be distracted sometimes. Her cheeks colored.

  "I was off guard," she admitted. "Don't judge me."

  "Why can't I like a normal girl?" Daniel muttered under his breath.

  "What does that mean?" She didn't like how Daniel made her sound like she was infected with leprosy or a flesh eating bacteria.

  "You know what I mean," Daniel said. "Why can't I like a girl who doesn't elbow me in the kidney? Or how about one who doesn't run away even though I tell her that she shouldn't go somewhere alone?"

  Uh-oh.

  "About that…" She let out a nervous laugh. "I just sort of panicked and ran away. I didn't think about my stalker."

  "Yeah, Jay mentioned you took off but didn't explain why," Daniel said. "He's worried about you too."

  It didn't surprise her that Jaiden hadn't told Daniel why she'd run.

  "I'm going to give Jay a call," Daniel said when she didn't reply to his words. "I'll let him know where you—"

  "NO!" The word came out harsher than she'd intended.

  Even Daniel stilled in surprise.

  "No?" Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who begged me to call him at breakfast. Now you're telling me not to let him know you're safe?"

  She knew she'd have to face Jaiden's questions if she talked to him again. Since she still hadn't figured out what to say, meeting him now wasn't a good idea.

  "Let him know I'm with you." She hung her head. "Just don't tell him where I am. Please."

  "Did something happen between you two?" Daniel ground his teeth. "If it did, I swear I'll—"

  "Nothing happened." At least, nothing that she couldn't handle. Eventually.

  "Fine." Daniel grunted. "I'll text him that you're with me and that's all. Happy?"

  "Happy." She nodded.

  "Slave driver," he muttered.

  "Hey." She punched him in the arm.

  "Dating you is going to leave me with permanent bruises," Daniel said.

  "Who said I'm going to date you?" What was with these guys not even asking her first?

  "You will," Daniel said. "You like me."

  "Now wait one second." Her cheeks were enflamed. Sure, he was right, but so what? "I never said anything about liking you."

  "Yeah, you did." A nasty grin crossed Daniel's face. "Just not while you were awake."

  She thought weeping in her sleep was the worst thing that had happened last night, but she'd been wrong.

  "I don't believe you," she said.

  "It doesn't matter if you do or don't." Daniel winked. "I heard what I heard and nothing is going to change that."

  She had to fight the urge to start hitting her head against the wall again.

  "By the way, you're spending the night in my room so I can look after you." Daniel seized her hand.

  "I'm not." She glared at him. "I want to sleep in my own dorm."

  "Fine," he said.

  Was he letting it go that easy? That wasn't like him. Knowing Daniel was a lot like knowing herself, so she was aware something was up.

  "You're really going to let me sleep in my own room?" she asked, skeptical.

  "Yep." He nodded, still holding her hand as he led her down the hall.

  "In my own bed?" she asked.

  "Yep." He nodded again.

  Maybe the guy's stubborn streak was coming to an end.

  "Daniel, you aren't as annoying as I thought."

>   She allowed herself to be led down the hall.

  ****

  Daniel threw his comforter and overnight bag on the floor of her room. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of it. No. No freaking way. If sleeping in Daniel's room was bad, having him sleep here with her was even worse. Her room was tiny. The two of them would be bumping elbows all night.

  "No. You're not staying here," she said.

  "I'm staying whether you like it or not." Daniel straightened the comforter, appearing so smug she wanted to hit him in the stomach again.

  "Think of what the others will say," she said. "Did anybody see you come in here?"

  "Pretty much everybody," Daniel said cheerfully.

  "You…you…" She was shaking as she glared at him. "By the end of the year, everybody at this school is going to think I'm a tramp. It's going to be your entire fault."

  "I'm sorry for sullying your good name," he said.

  The guy had the nerve to smirk.

  "You're laughing at me, aren't you?" she snapped.

  "Undoubtedly."

  She seized her pillow and hurled it at his head. The two of them must have been spending too much time together because he expected the blow and caught the pillow before it smacked him in the nose.

  "Thanks for the pillow," Daniel said, dropping it on top of his comforter. "I left mine at my dorm room. This saves me the extra trip."

  "I hate you." She glared at him.

  "No you don't." The slimy guy was so overconfident it made her sick.

  "I do too." Right now, she even half believed her own words.

  "Don't get so riled up right before bed," Daniel said. "You're not going to be able to sleep tonight."

  The fact that Daniel was going to be in her dorm room already guaranteed a sleepless night, but she was so pissed at him for his smug comments that she leapt off the bed and smacked him over the head with the back of her hand. The guy's smile slid off his face and he seized her wrists.

  "That's it," he said. "I'm going to sit on you."

  He yanked her onto his comforter. Half fighting, half playing, she squirmed as Daniel pinned her down. Unfortunately, that was when somebody opened the door and stood at the threshold. It was Jaiden. This was worse than when Gavin had walked in on them, if only because Daniel's butt was a mere inch from her face.