Sweet Harmony

by A. M. Evanston

  Golden beams illuminated a beautiful room. She took a seat in a squishy chair and opened the violin case. She pulled out the instrument and sucked in air. Boy, the violin was beautiful. She could see why Daniel was going loco over missing it. Every part of the instrument gleamed. The guilt returned. Her karate uniform could be replaced, but this couldn't. She shook her head. It was fine. She wasn't going to hurt a single string. This was all a scare tactic. She remembered what Daniel had done and it strengthened her pranking resolve. Wasn't she the girl who'd once switched the push and pull signs on the doors at the famous Centre de Musique concert hall? Hadn't she cupped water in her hand and pretended to sneeze on her little brother's head? She wasn't a weak person. Plus, Daniel had started it when he dyed her uniform pink.

  She straightened the violin, holding it gently. After she positioned herself next to the instrument, she pulled out her cell phone and took a selfie of her stroking the fine strings. She sent the picture to Daniel and less than fifteen seconds later received a reply.

  You little punk. I know where you took that picture. I'm coming right now. Don't think you can escape me.

  Oh crap. He must have been waiting for something like this. She leapt to her feet and rushed up the stairs, clumsily holding the violin tucked under one arm. The violin case was left on the seat, but that was fine. It would just be more bait to piss him off. She rushed out into the hall. She rounded the corner by the gym and skidded to a halt when she saw a tall boy staring at her. It was Daniel and he was fuming.

  "You!" Daniel yelled, pointing straight at her. "I'm going to kill you."

  She took off running. He chased after her, his feet pounding on the carpet. Even though she was in shape, he was faster than her. Every step she took, he took two. She headed around the corner and rushed up the steps two at a time. A hand closed on her arm and jerked her backward. Daniel's grip was strong. She broke his hold by twisting around like she'd learned in karate class, but then he shoved her against the wall and stared into her eyes. His warm breath covered her face and he used his whole body to push himself against her. She knew she could break his hold again, but she needed a proper plan of escape. Unfortunately, when she stared into his angry blue eyes, some of her creative energies were depleted.

  "Let me go," she snapped.

  "Not on your life." He snarled at her. "You took my violin."

  "You can have it back," she said. "Just let me go or else you're dead meat."

  "You're the one who is dead meat." He growled.

  "Really?" Her blood boiled. "Then hurt me. I'll let you have one punch. I freaking dare you."

  Silence fell. Daniel glowered at her, but he didn't raise his fist.

  "See." She scowled. "You're weak. You're scared of fighting me."

  "Please." He rolled his eyes. "Why are you so freaking difficult? I'm not scared to fight you. You're a girl. I'd never punch a girl. That's the only reason why you aren't bruised from head to foot right now."

  "Then what are you going to do, hot shot?" she asked.

  Crinkles appeared in Daniel's forehead. He was thinking hard.

  "See?" She pushed him away. "You have no idea. Leave me alone. I'm going back to my dorm."

  "No you're not. I'll figure out what to do with you." He shoved her against the wall again.

  "Stop that." She writhed and tried to kick, but the angle was bad.

  "Quit squirming." His hands tightened on her skin.

  While still cradling the violin protectively, it was hard to get Daniel in a body lock, but she managed to wrap her arm around his neck and squeeze.

  "What are you doing?" Daniel sputtered. She hoped he was in pain.

  "Do you like it?" she asked. "Do you?"

  "Ugh." Daniel groaned, trying to break her hold.

  His hands ended up on her chest as he tried to escape her trap.

  "Ahem," someone said.

  Both of them went rigid. She looked over Daniel's shoulder and saw Mrs. Carmichael glowering at them. She realized what the situation looked like. Right now, both she and Daniel were breathing heavy. Daniel's forehead was covered with a sheen of sweat. She had her arm wrapped around his neck and his hands were on her chest. To the casual observer, they'd been in the middle of the world's most intense make out session. The misunderstanding made her nauseous.

  "Get off of me, you slime ball," she said.

  She shoved Daniel away and he stumbled straight into Mrs. Carmichael. When he met her beady eyes, the color drained from his perfect face. He looked back at Annamarie. He too must have realized they'd looked intimate because he let out a groan of remorse.

  "I'm surprised at you, Mr. Marino," Mrs. Carmichael said. "I never imagined you'd be doing such a thing with a young lady. And after curfew too."

  If she was surprised to see Annamarie making trouble, she didn't say it.

  "It wasn't… I mean, we weren't…" Daniel sputtered. "I hate her guts, Mrs. Carmichael."

  Mrs. Carmichael's lips curled. "It seems to me that you like her a lot more than you're letting on. Ms. Chadwick, Mr. Marino, detention for a week for both of you. If I see the two of you like this again, it'll be suspension. Students at this academy shouldn't grope one another."

  Oh man. Annamarie hung her head. Grope? Even the word left a bad taste in her mouth. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if Daniel had the sense not to put his hands on her chest.

  Mrs. Carmichael scowled, then turned to leave.

  "My father..." Daniel muttered.

  Mrs. Carmichael stilled.

  "This was all a misunderstanding," Daniel said, gaining confidence now that he had the principal's attention. "My father would be very unhappy to hear that I was treated unfairly, Mrs. Carmichael. I feel this punishment is unjust."

  "Do you?" Mrs. Carmichael turned. Her nostrils were white as they flared.

  "Yes, I do." Daniel crossed his arms. "I believe my father was the one who recommended you for the position as principal even though you had a less favorable background than other candidates. Should I tell him I feel he made a mistake in recommending you?"

  "No. Don't do that." Mrs. Carmichael looked like she would like to punch Daniel just as much as Annamarie did. "No detention. Just don't do this again."

  Did Daniel just win against Mrs. Carmichael? She'd never imagined he had so much power. The principal walked away, her back rigid. The moment the woman went out the front doors, Daniel whirled around and took the violin from her.

  "You can thank me now." He glared at her. "I should have made her give you detention for a year."

  "I'd rather scrub toilets for the rest of my life than thank you." She scowled. "Next time, watch where you put your hands. Were you trying to cop a feel?"

  "Pssh." Daniel rolled his eyes. "Like there was anything to feel to begin with."

  That was it. He was dead. She punched Daniel so hard in the arm he staggered backward and almost dropped his violin.

  "This isn't over, Annamarie." Daniel spat.

  She pointed her finger threateningly at him and then headed to the dorm.

  ****

  Annamarie was chest to chest with Daniel, breathing heavy. Time slowed down. His hands were on her hips and his blue eyes stared into hers. Her heart pounded and her lips parted. He leaned in closer and closer—she could smell his sweet breath on her face—and his mouth met her own. She wanted to move but something strange was happening to her. Tingles spread from limb to limb, tickling her skin. She closed her eyes.

  Wait a second. Am I…enjoying this? To her horror, she discovered she did enjoy it. The taste of his mouth on hers, the way his fingers curled in her shoulder-length hair, his body's heat—she liked all of it. Holy crap.

  She opened her eyes and screamed as she sat up. Her breathing was heavy as she looked around the dorm room. Where was she? Was everything okay? There was nothing there.

  It was just a nightmare, she realized. She pressed her hand to her chest and discovered her heart was thundering like in her dream. She'd had night
mares where she was being eaten alive by zombies or being hacked apart by mad axmen, but she'd never had a dream as horrifying as this one. She rolled over onto her right side and wrinkled her nose. This was all Daniel's fault. She didn't know why it was, but blaming him made her feel the teensy-tiniest bit better.

  Chapter Six

  The next morning, Annamarie was grumpy. To help ease her crankiness, she seized a pack of powdered sugar donuts she'd bought the evening before and shoved one into her mouth. The white powder dusted her blazer, but she didn't care. She left her dorm room with her book bag hanging over her shoulder as she munched on another treat. When she walked down the hall, she passed by the same two girls who'd glared at her on the first day.

  "Hey, Annamarie," one of the girls said.

  The other girl just waved at her.

  "Ugh, hi," she said. Was this a sign of the apocalypse?

  She shook off her worries and headed down the flight of stairs. When she stepped outside, Owen almost tackled her.

  "Morning, Owen." She shoved another donut into her mouth. "Isn't the weather lousy?"

  It was sunny outside. Too sunny. Stupid sun.

  "Don't you have something you need to tell me?" Owen asked.

  "Ugh." She raised an eyebrow. "Not really."

  Another couple of girls walked past and waved at her like they'd known her for forever. Another girl just stared in awe.

  "What the heck is with everyone today?" She looked over her shoulder in paranoia. "Is something going to happen to me?"

  Owen groaned. "Isn't it obvious? The girls are nice to you because you're close to Daniel. Half the student body wants to kill you and the other half wants to suck up to you because of your relationship with him."

  "Relationship?" What kind of relationship did she and Daniel have? Mortal enemies, maybe? "I'm afraid I'm not following the logic here. Why would anybody be jealous of the relationship I have with Daniel? We loathe each other."

  "Are you still going with that cover story?" Owen looked about ready to shake her.

  "Cover story?" Okay, this was just getting weirder and weirder. She pinched herself to make sure she was awake. She was.

  "A rumor has been going around school like wildfire that you and Daniel are dating." Owen stared. "Last night, you and Daniel were caught rounding second base in the middle of the science hall."

  The words were worse than a punch to the throat. She sucked in air and started to cough. Her and Daniel in a relationship? No freaking way. She'd rather date a toad. And how did the school know about Mrs. Carmichael's misunderstanding last night anyway? Was the woman a gossip hound? She was going to puke up her donuts.

  "Are you okay?" Owen asked. "You're pale."

  "Let's get one thing straight here." She had to clear up this misunderstanding fast. "Daniel and I weren't making out in the science hall. Somebody saw us wrestling."

  "Wrestling?" Owen looked skeptical.

  "He found me with his violin," she muttered. "He grabbed me and pinned me against the wall. I put him in a head lock to retaliate. Long story short, what was seen as us making out was actually the two of us trying to kill each other."

  "Oh." Owen let out a relieved laugh. "That makes so much more sense. I thought you were keeping secrets from me."

  "Why would I?" she asked. "I just can't believe the whole school thinks I was sucking lips with that slime ball."

  Owen nodded. "It's not the greatest rumor. Daniel has some hardcore fans. You could have some girls seeking vengeance."

  "I'm more worried about my dignity than heartbroken girls." She dusted the powder sugar from her blazer. "Let's just head to class, okay? All of this talk about me kissing Daniel is making me sick."

  "Gotcha." Owen nodded. "I'll walk you, just in case something happens."

  "Thanks." She grinned, glad she had such a good friend in the face of such a horrible situation.

  ****

  Annamarie headed out of the school and walked down the steps. She'd decided to be healthy for once and carried a turkey sandwich on wheat bread. As she took a bite of her food, she searched the grounds for Jaiden and found the guy standing by the oak tree. When they made eye contact, he waved and grinned. She walked over to him, grateful that there were at least a couple people in school who didn't treat her like a) she was an oozing monster or b) that she was deserving of awe-inspired gawking. She sunk to her butt and Jaiden plopped down beside her.

  "How are things with Daniel going?" Jaiden asked, his expression mock serious. "I heard the two of you made progress in your relationship last night. Congrats."

  She punched him and he winced.

  "Ouch. You do hit hard." He smirked even as he said the words.

  "You have to know what Daniel and I were really doing." She leaned back against the trunk. "I've been asked about that stupid story all day. I don't know why nobody believes me when I tell them that there is nothing between me and Daniel besides sheer hatred."

  "Ah, just let the story burn out," Jaiden said. "Another rumor will pop up soon enough and everybody will forget about you."

  "It just sucks," she muttered. "If it was any other guy that people thought was my boyfriend, I would be fine. I just hate anybody thinking that Daniel is dating me."

  "Then there's your answer," Jaiden said. "Why don't you really date somebody else? That will make the rumor go away faster."

  Date somebody? She'd never thought of that. The problem was she had zero experience dating guys. She wasn't sure she was girlfriend material anyway.

  "What's wrong?" Jaiden asked. "Don't like the idea?"

  "I don't know." She shrugged. "I've never dated somebody. I'm not sure I'm even likeable. I mean, look at me. I have a bad temper, I'm messy, and I'm not girly at all. Plus, I don't have curves anywhere. I'm like a walking stick."

  "Are you kidding?" Jaiden elbowed her. "I think you're spunky and intelligent. Plus, unlike every other girl at this school, you have a strong personality and won't change it for anyone. I think that deserves a lot of respect."

  "Really?" Her cheeks went hot. "Thanks, Jaiden. Why are you being so nice to me, anyway?"

  He stared at her. "I just find you endearing."

  "Ah, thanks." She really did have some super friends.

  His face fell. She had no idea why.

  "Maybe you're right about dating somebody." She frowned. "Or maybe I could just fake date somebody."

  "I suppose…" He nodded, the smile returning.

  "I think I know the perfect somebody." She reached out and seized Jaiden's hands.

  "Yeah?" His grin widened. "Do you think he'd go for it?"

  "I don't know." She paused. "I'll have to ask him."

  "I think he'll say yes." Jaiden smirked. "In fact, I know for a fact he'll definitely say yes."

  "I don't know." She frowned. "Owen might like somebody, though. I don't want to screw it up by making him fake a relationship with me."

  "Owen?" Jaiden's eyes narrowed. "What?"

  She released Jaiden's hands. "You know, the kid who Daniel was picking on that I saved. His name's Owen. We're good friends now. He might fake date me."

  Groaning, Jaiden leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "I thought you were talking about me." Jaiden sighed, then shook his head. "Don't do anything with Owen."

  "O-okay." She frowned, concerned.

  Guys at this school sure were funky. She took a bite of her sandwich and tried to figure out why Jaiden looked like she'd just whacked him in the groin with her flute.

  ****

  Annamarie finished cleaning the last toilet and went to report her progress to Raphael. He wasn't in the bathroom. When she went into the hall, she saw him taking a vacuum out of the closet. Just as she opened her mouth to announce that she was done, she heard footsteps heading down the hall behind her. She whirled around and saw her worst nightmare approaching. It was Daniel. He was being followed by Jaiden and Gavin. When Jaiden saw her, h
e gave a friendly wave while Gavin stared at him with shock on his face. Daniel, like always, looked ready to kill. How the heck did he find me down here? she thought, wondering how she'd gotten stuck with such bum luck.

  "So you really are scrubbing toilets during detention." Daniel grinned at her rubber gloves.

  She took off one of the gloves and threw it at him. He yelped and ducked. As Daniel straightened up, furious, Jaiden went red in the face from trying not to laugh.

  "Do you know how many germs are on that glove?" Daniel scowled at her. "You could have given me a disease."

  "Since you're pretty much a germ already, I doubt you're at risk of contamination."

  The two of them shot daggers at one another.

  "You sure don't treat your boyfriend very nice, toilet girl," Raphael said.

  The color drained from her face. Worst. Timing. Ever.

  "Toilet girl." Daniel grinned at her like Christmas had come early. "Your nickname is toilet girl?"

  "Shut up!"

  "Don't be so mad." Daniel sniggered. "The nickname suits you."

  She tore off her other rubber glove and hurled it at him. This one smacked him right in the middle of the face because he was too busy laughing to dodge. As he seized the glove, his smile was replaced with a sneer. She was glad to see his skin was red from the blow.

  "You're going to regret that," he said.

  "Really?" she asked. "What's the worst you could do? Dye my shirt pink?"

  "I could do a lot worse than that." He glared at her. "You're just lucky I'm a nice person."

  "Nice person? Ha!" She threw up her hands. "Only if nice is synonyms with conniving weasel. Why does everyone have to think that I'm your girlfriend? That's the worst."

  "You should consider yourself lucky." Daniel snarled.