Chapter 64: What on Earth Have I Gotten Myself Into?

~“I see a storm rolling in.” —Klergy & Beginners.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Dangerous Game” by Klergy ft Beginners.

HARMONY

The sun is gently sinking below the horizon, bathing the grounds of Homewood in the soft glow of its farewell.

With classes done for the day, I make my way across the campus to Ainsley Hall, hoping to find Blaze in his dorm room.

He’s usually the life of the party, but ever since we started hanging out, I’ve noticed a change in him.

After some thought, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to put in a good word for Maddie.

I want to help heal her broken spirit and, in doing so, help Blaze confront his past. I want him to face the things he’s been avoiding.

But I’m not sure if this is the right approach. Still, it’s worth a shot.

Maddie says she just wants to be friends with him. If Blaze doesn’t have romantic feelings for her, then there’s no reason for me to feel threatened...~right?~

I knock on his dorm door, and when there’s no answer, I knock again, glancing up and down the quiet hallway as I wait.

I hear footsteps behind the door before it swings open to reveal James, a crooked grin on his face.

“Hey, Harmony.” His voice is rough, his brown hair a tangled mess, suggesting he’s been lying down.

I might have interrupted his nap, but that idea is quickly dismissed when I hear the loud sound of a video game coming from inside.

“Hey. Is Blaze around?” I ask, returning his smile.

He nods and steps aside, holding the door open wide enough for me to enter without brushing against his bare chest.

“Thanks.”

Blaze is sitting at his gaming station, furiously tapping on his controller, his eyes glued to the screen.

“Harmony’s here, jerk!” James calls out, grabbing a piece of clothing from somewhere and tossing it at Blaze.

Blaze scowls but doesn’t look away from his game. “That stinks, asshole.”

I can’t help but giggle as he saves his game and turns off the system, swiveling around in his chair to face me.

He raises his eyebrows and grins at me, a stark contrast to the way he looked at Malcolm’s sister earlier.

When he saw her, his eyes lost all their light, becoming two black voids—the way they often were when we first met.

“What brings you here?”

I shove my hands in my jean pockets. “Um, I wanted to talk to you about something and—”

“I’m heading to the snack bar,” James interrupts, now wearing a tank top, as he heads for the door.

“Yeah, grab me a bag of chips. Lays or Doritos, either one’s fine.”

James responds by flipping him off over his shoulder.

“Stick that up Brittany’s ass!” Blaze shoots back, and my puzzled look makes him chuckle.

“His ex. Anyway, sorry about that. What were you saying, babe?”

~Babe.~

The term of endearment throws me off, and suddenly I can’t think straight. I try to hide my blush as I sit down on his bed, hearing his light footsteps behind me as he follows.

“Well...”

“What?” He plops down next to me, narrowing his eyes as he waits for me to speak.

I turn to face him. “I wanted to talk to you about Maddie.”

His face hardens and his jaw clenches. “Seriously, Harmony? I thought you wanted to talk about us.”

“No, she wants to know if you two can be friends?”

He rolls his eyes. “Friends? Maddie doesn’t want to be just friends with me, trust me. How did you even end up talking to her?”

I fidget with my fingers. “She saw me standing there after you left. I was talking with Malcolm and she begged me to—”

“Harmony, you need to stay away from her, okay? She’s a fucking psycho,” he snaps.

“She seems...kind of okay...”

“Listen.” Blaze shifts so he’s facing me directly. “She’s not okay, she’s crazy—literally. I’m not exaggerating. She could hurt you, especially if she finds out about us.

“So I’d suggest you play guardian angel with someone else, Harmony, but not with her...it won’t end well.”

“Oh...but she—”

“Harmony, please, enough about ~Medusa.~”

~Medusa.~ That’s harsh, but I can’t help but laugh. Blaze looks at me, then starts chuckling too.

“That’s mean,” I say.

“No, you’re mean.” He frowns. “Coming here to talk about Maddie when I thought it was about us.”

“Sorry.” I give him a small smile.

He leans over and kisses my forehead, then looks into my eyes. “Stay away from her, Harmony. She’s not normal.”

I smile nervously.

For me, staying away from her is easy, but what if she’s already latched onto me? What do I do then?

***

I push open my dorm door and walk in, only to stop dead in my tracks when I see Maddie sitting on the lower bunk.

~How did she find my dorm room so fast?~

“Harmony!” She jumps up and wraps me in a tight hug, and I force a smile, wincing as she squeezes the air out of my lungs.

“Mhm...hey...”

Once more, my hands rise up, unsure of their purpose. I rub them on my jeans until she finally lets go of me.

~She sure likes hugging people she barely knows.~

When she releases me, I take a soft breath, surprised by the strength in her delicate frame.

She’s bouncing on her toes, full of excitement, and I’m clueless as to why. Am I missing something?

“Why are you here?” I ask.

“Quick, quick, tell me!” She grins, her hands pressed against her cheeks.

“Tell you what?”

I look over at April, who’s still wearing a skeptical expression. She’s keeping her distance, leaning against the wall as if Maddie is contagious.

“Well...” Maddie grabs my hand, her fingers cold, and leads me to the bed. She sits me down and then plops down next to me, the bed bouncing beneath her slight weight. “What did he say?”

“Who?”

“Blaze, duh!” She laughs. “Did you talk to him? What did he say? Can we be friends?”

“Uh...” I glance at April again. She shrugs and sighs, offering no help. I turn back to Maddie, who’s watching me expectantly.

“Well, no,” I say. “I haven’t had the chance to yet.”

That’s a lie, but I’m trying to protect her feelings.

Her shoulders slump in disappointment. “Oh...”

Then her eyes narrow, her face hardening. It sends a shiver down my spine and I try to hide my discomfort.

It’s hard to believe that someone with such a soft face can look so intimidating. The way she can switch her expressions so quickly is unnerving.

“You’re lying, aren’t you?” she whispers, and I blink, a chill running down my spine.

“What?” It’s all I can think to say. My mind is suddenly blank.

“You’re lying, aren’t you?” she repeats.

I open my mouth to respond, but she beats me to it, burying her face in her hands. “He said he didn’t want to be my friend, didn’t he?! He said that, didn’t he?!”

I hear soft sobs, and I’m taken aback. Is she crying?

Her back shakes, her thin shoulders hunching as if she’s having a breakdown. It’s terrifying.

“Oh, oh no, he didn’t—” I reach out to touch her back, feeling her muscles tense under my hand. “I didn’t get to talk to him, so I will—”

“No!” she screams, and April jumps at the sudden outburst. “He doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore! He’s done with me! He’s done with us for good! He’s serious about staying away from me!”

I let out a breath and look to April for help, but she just shrugs, at a loss for words. I can’t blame her.

“Listen, I haven’t spoken to him yet. Give me some more time, okay? I’ll talk to him,” I assure her.

She looks up, her cheeks wet with tears.

“Okay...please do.” She sniffles, then wraps her arms around me in another hug. “Please do, Harmony. I really can’t be without him. You understand, don’t you? It’ll kill me. It’ll kill me if I stay away...”

I pat her back and meet April’s eyes again. Her skeptical look has been replaced with a clear message of ~you’re in deep shit, Harmony~—and I couldn’t agree more.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?