Chapter 85: Dinner?

~“Still I want you, but not for your devil side, not for your haunted life, just for you.” —Foxes.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Devil Side” by Foxes.

HARMONY

The silence is thick and heavy as Blaze pulls into the Homewood parking lot. He’d told me earlier not to talk to him, so I’m keeping my mouth shut.

His mood swings are exhausting, but I remind myself that he’s dealing with sociopathy, ASPD, and a touch of bipolar disorder. That explains his unpredictable behavior.

I’m doing my best to understand him.

We step out of his car, and he locks it up. We start walking toward the school building.

“Blaze Xander!” A harsh voice stops us in our tracks. I turn to see an irate Malcolm storming our way. His nostrils are flaring, his jaw is clenched—he’s seriously pissed off.

I tilt my head. “Mal?”

He points at Blaze, who’s just standing there, hands in his pockets, glaring at him.

“You! What the hell did you do to my sister?!”

I’m confused. I look at Blaze for answers, but he’s just smirking, looking down his nose at Mal like he’s some kind of idiot.

“Mal? What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Ask this jerk! My parents had to rush my sister back to the hospital because she’s not responding to anyone!

“She’s not talking, she tried to overdose on sleeping pills, and it’s all because of him!”

I blink, looking back and forth between a smug Blaze and a furious Mal. “What do you mean—what did he do?”

“Yeah, Mal, what did I do?” Blaze taunts, and that just makes Malcolm even angrier.

“You son of a bitch!”

“Mal, calm down and tell me what happened.”

“Blaze did something to her. The only word she’s saying is his name! I told you to stay away from my sister, you asshole, didn’t I?!” He’s about to charge at Blaze when I step in front of him.

“Calm down, okay? Blaze didn’t—”

“Telling her I only fucked her because she was easy was enough to send her into a psychotic episode?” Blaze interrupts, and I freeze.

“Damn, I should’ve tried something more painful...like how bad she is in bed. I’ve had better sex with my clothes on.”

I gasp, staring at him in disbelief.

~Did he really just say that?~

“You son of a—!” Mal pushes me aside.

I stumble back, but I look up just in time to see him balling up his fist to hit Blaze. But then I see something that makes my blood run cold.

Blaze is reaching for what looks like a knife tucked into his waistband, and there’s a deadly look in his eyes.

Oh, God.

I jump in front of Mal before he can throw a punch and before Blaze can grab the knife.

~Is he insane? Why does he still have a knife?~

I swallow hard and push my hair back. “Malcolm, go.”

“Harmony, get out of the way.” Mal argues.

He really needs to leave. He has no idea he was about to get stabbed by a sociopath who doesn’t care about anyone else.

“Harmony, don’t defend him. He deserves a good ass-kicking!”

“Malcolm, go!”

“Yeah, Malcolm,” Blaze says in a calm, relaxed voice. “You should really go.”

I know Blaze well enough to know that his words are a threat, and it makes me so anxious I feel like dragging Mal away from here myself.

“Why do you keep defending this asshole, Harmony?”

“I’m not. I just need you to leave.”

“You’re ruining my peace and quiet, and I’m not in a good mood.” Blaze adds. “Don’t push me.”

“Blaze, shut up. Malcolm, please, just go!”

“Yeah, you should listen to her, Malcolm.”

Mal glares at him. “This isn’t over, you son of a bitch.”

Blaze chuckles. “Really? Then let me know when and where. I’ll clear my schedule just for you.”

Mal’s nostrils flare in anger, and he grits his teeth. I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “We’ll talk later, Mal. Just go...please?”

He shoots Blaze one last hard look before turning and walking away. Finally.

I let out a sigh of relief, but then I hear Blaze scoff behind me. It reminds me that I should be mad at him for even thinking about stabbing someone.

I don’t care about Maddie—not after what she did to me. But Blaze needs to stop pulling weapons on people. He could kill someone and ruin his whole future—his whole life. And mine too.

I spin around to face him, and he sighs when he sees the look on my face. He shoves his hands back in his pockets.

“What? Another lecture? What’s with everyone today?”

“Blaze, why do you still have a knife?”

He puffs out his cheeks. “Harmony, I don’t remember ever telling you I’d get rid of my knife.”

“This is a school, Blaze. And you can’t keep reaching for weapons every time someone pisses you off. That’s not how you live—that’s what I’m trying to tell you.

“You need to stop this, stop losing your temper, you can’t keep acting like a—” I stop myself, thinking better of what I was about to say.

But it’s too late. He’s already curious about what I was going to say, and he steps closer, looking down at me, urging me to finish my sentence.

“Like what, Harmony?”

I sigh. “Blaze...”

“Say it.”

My previously stern expression falters, and I shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Like...like a juvenile delinquent.”

I watch as his jaw tightens, and I realize my words have struck a nerve.

I shouldn’t have said them.

He remains silent for a moment, then makes a move to walk away. I reach out and grab his arm. “Blaze.”

He pulls his arm from my grip and turns to glare at me. “Then why the fuck are you hanging around a delinquent?”

~Ouch.~

Not again.

“Blaze, for once, stop being so damn arrogant!” I snap.

“Arrogant?” He scoffs. “You know, Harmony, you sound a lot like my dad right now. You all think you can change me and claim it’s for my own good.

“Well, guess what, you can’t. I don’t need your goody-two-shoes lectures, Harmony Skye. I’m fine without them, and I’m fine without you!”

Oh God, the tears are coming.

I swallow hard. “Okay, fine...t-then I guess you wouldn’t mind if you never saw me again? I should just leave you alone, right?”

He looks away from me, and I take a step back, nodding.

“I’ll stay away from you, Blaze Xander. I won’t talk to you or hang around you ever again. I’m sure you’ll be fine without me, and I’ll be fine too...eventually.”

He doesn’t look at me, and I fight back the tears as I turn and walk away.

I won’t cry in front of him, not again. I’ve done enough of that for one day.

He doesn’t need me, that much is clear. But the painful truth is, I need him. More than he realizes.

I make it back to my dorm room, proud of myself for not breaking down in tears.

But I know the minute I lay down to sleep, the thoughts will come, and so will the tears. They’re saving themselves for the night, when the world is asleep.

My college days shouldn’t be spent pining over a guy. The only thing I should be worrying about is acing my tests and getting my degree.

That was the plan, but now Blaze Xander is taking up so much of my mental space. It’s a good thing I’m still managing to do well in school.

I miss the days when I didn’t care about love and all the emotions that come with it. But now, I can’t remember what it felt like not to love someone, not to love Blaze Xander.

~Harmony, what have you become?~

Maybe going home for the weekend will help. I miss my mom, and it might be a good chance to talk to her about Blaze and everything else.

Or maybe that’s not such a good idea.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial her number, collapsing onto the bed.

“Harmony.” Her cheerful voice comes through the line, and I can’t help but smile a little. I miss her.

“Hey, Mom.” I sigh, idly picking at a loose thread on the sheet.

“I was just about to call you, but I forgot I had a cake in the oven, so I had to put it off. How are you, sweetie? How’s school?”

I scratch my forehead. “School is cool.”

I don’t mean that; it just rhymes.

“I kind of want to come home for the weekend.”

“Are you okay, Harmony? You sound down.”

My mom and I are so in tune with each other that we can always tell when something’s not right.

“I just need a break from Homewood,” I tell her.

“Okay, dear. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow evening, okay? Then we can spend Saturday and Sunday together.”

That’s exactly what I need. I smile. “Sure, Mom.”

The door opens and April walks in with her duffel bag. I quickly end the call with my mom, promising to call her back later.

“Hey, stranger,” she says, dropping her bag and walking over to me.

I sit up and put my phone aside, tilting my head to get a better look at her tired face. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’ve been trying to cheer up a distraught Tia all day.” She flops down next to me with a groan. “She’s worried about Kite.”

“Is he okay?”

Even though Kite did something awful, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him, especially since we didn’t sleep together and he didn’t sexually assault me like I thought he had.

“Well, yeah, but he won’t be leaving the hospital for a while.”

“Oh...” I look down, hoping he’ll be okay. I don’t hate Kite; I’m just disappointed that he did something so terrible.

“Do you know what might have happened?” she asks.

I shrug, avoiding her gaze, but the guilt on my face gives me away.

She gasps in realization. “Wait...does this have something to do with Blaze? Did he do it?”

I sigh. “I...I guess, but he had his reasons.”

She gasps again. “I knew it! I knew it had to be him! Oh God, Blaze is just so out of control, what the hell is wrong with him?!”

“No, Blaze isn’t the one who’s wrong this time. April, please don’t blame him...” I rub my arm and look away. “He did it because Kite did something to me...”

Now she’s even more curious. She turns to face me. “What did he do?”

“Well, he was working with Maddie. She drugged me and took some pictures of me and Kite in bed. I was unconscious and they made it look like I slept with him so Blaze would get mad and hate me.”

April’s eyes widen. “What kind of picture?”

“Some naked ones...” The memory makes me blush all over again. I can see why Blaze can’t look at me the same way. He’s probably picturing that image every time he sees me.

“Oh my God...are you serious? That’s crazy. Now I get why Blaze reacted like that.” She shakes her head, disbelief written all over her face. “I can’t believe Kite would do something like that. Why would he?”

“He says he loves me.” I let out a sigh. “I can’t believe he embarrassed me like that.”

“Love? That’s not love. Love doesn’t humiliate someone like that. And the fact that he went to such an extreme, stripping you naked, is just mind-blowing.

“He’s out of his mind if he thought teaming up with that crazy girl to destroy you was a declaration of love. That’s just...”

“I know.”

“I would have told you to report it, but Blaze already gave him a beating. And I love my cousin, so I’m not going to let him get into trouble because of two messed-up jerks.”

I press my lips together, not knowing what to say.

April takes a sharp breath, all of this being too much for her. Imagine how I feel. I’m the one who had my whole body displayed on a phone screen for the boy I love to see.

“But Blaze was wrong too, for beating him up like that,” she adds. “You should see Kite’s face. Even his eyes are swollen...”

The image of Kite with a broken rib and two swollen eyes makes me cringe. Blaze must have really given him a beating.

“I know my cousin; he probably wanted to kill him.”

“Please don’t tell Tia or anyone... I think it’s best if Blaze tells them himself. I don’t want to be a tattletale, if you know what I mean.”

She nods. “I understand.” She places her hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry that he did that to you, Harmony.” She pulls me into a comforting hug. “You’re going to be okay, alright?”

I manage a smile. “Thanks, April.”

***

The weekend arrives quickly, and spending time with my mom is just what I need to forget about the drama at Homewood.

Friday night is spent watching movies with my mom and Eli, eating popcorn and chatting. It’s a familiar, comforting feeling that I’ve missed.

I’d forgotten how nice it is to just spend time with my family, away from all the teenage drama.

I consider moving back home and quitting school, but that would only lead to a future of binge-watching movies and eating stale pizza, with a landlord constantly knocking on my door for rent.

I don’t want that life, so I just have to tough it out, drama and all.

Saturday isn’t bad either. My mom and I go to the mall in our hometown. I buy new underwear and a few T-shirts while she gets her hair permed at the salon.

Eli is with his babysitter for the day, so my mom and I don’t get home until six o’clock. We eat dinner, watch some comedies, then head off to bed.

I want to hang out with Callum, but he’s at a church camp with his girlfriend, so we just FaceTime before I crawl into bed.

I think about Blaze for a long time before my eyes finally close and I fall asleep.

***

Today is Sunday, and my mom wakes me up early to help her with the gardening.

She loves planting flowers, and she has a red rose planted in a special spot to symbolize her undying love for my father. She’ll never let go; I’m sure of that.

My room is a mess, and now that we’re done with the garden, I head upstairs to clean while my mom does the laundry.

I miss Blaze. I’m not sure I can stand not seeing him anymore, and I’m starting to regret telling him I’d keep my distance.

“Harmony, where are the dirty clothes you brought back from Homewood?” My mom walks into my room with soapy hands, and I point to the duffel bag I brought with me.

“In the pink bag.”

I usually do my own laundry, but she insisted on helping me since she hasn’t seen me in a while.

She hums to herself as she walks over to get them, and I go back to my sad thoughts about the boy I promised I’d stay away from.

“Harmony?”

“Mm?” I’m busy packing some old books on my lamp table, not bothering to turn around.

“Why do you have this in your bag?”

“What?” I turn around to see my mom holding a small box between her fingers.

I squint to see what it is, and when I recognize it, my eyes pop open.

“Condoms?” She raises an eyebrow, and I cough nervously.

“Uh...they were handing them out...”

I quickly walk over to her and take the small box of condoms Dr. Kar had given me from her fingers.

She puts her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows while looking at me. “Where?”

“At school, Mom,” I reply, shoving it into my bag.

“God, are you having sex, Harmony?”

I roll my eyes. “Mom, no. I’m not having sex.”

“Really?” She crosses her arms over her chest. She doesn’t believe me.

“Yes, it’s just a box of condoms, Mom. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m still a virgin. They were just handing these out at college, and we all had to take one.”

“Well, you should throw that out. Why would you need it? Boys only want one thing, Harmony. I hope you’re not messing around with any of them at that college.”

I frown. “Mom, come on.”

“Come on? I’m not ready to be a grandmother. I’m still young. Please keep your head on straight, or I’ll enroll you in a different school,” she warns as she picks up my clothes and leaves the room.

I close my room door and continue cleaning. My mom has always been like this, so it doesn’t bother me.

Blaze is the only thing on my mind right now. I'm trying to figure out how to keep my distance from him. It's been just over two days, and I'm already thinking about throwing in the towel.

Before I know it, evening is here and I'm sitting on my bed, trying to study.

After a day of wrestling with my thoughts, I decide I need to stick to my promise. I said I'd stay away from Blaze, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I won't let myself be tempted.

The door to my room swings open, and I yank my earbuds out as I see my mom standing there.

“Harmony, get dressed. We have plans tonight.”

I glance at the clock on the wall. “It's 6:15. Where are we going this late?”

“Just get dressed. We're already late. We're supposed to be there at 7.”

We spent the whole weekend together, and she didn't think to mention this ‘plan.’

Seeing the look on my face, she tilts her head. “I forgot to tell you, honey. I've been busy, you know.”

I let out a sigh. “What's the occasion?” I get up from my bed and drag myself to my closet.

“A dinner,” she says. “A dinner with Mr. Blake and his son.”

My eyes go wide as I whip my head around to look at her, and she steps back, surprised. “Why that look?”

I clear my throat. “Uh...nothing.”

“Now hurry up, I told him we'd be there at 7.” She turns and leaves the room, and I'm left standing there, frozen, wondering if I heard her right.

~Dinner with who?~

The universe must be messing with me.