"Get off of me." She pushed Daniel.
"Do I even want to know what the two of you are doing?" Jaiden stared at them.
"We were fighting," she said. "You're lucky Jaiden came in right now, Daniel, or else I would have kicked you so hard you'd be puking all night."
"You're only saying that now." Daniel glowered at her.
Even Jaiden chuckled. The sound brought her back to reality. And not a warm reality. A cold, I-ran-away-from-Jaiden-after-being-asked-on-a-date reality. She swallowed after making eye contact with the guy. Since she'd been in the middle of a tussle, she'd forgotten about the stunt she'd played this afternoon.
"Um, Jaiden—"
Jaiden cut her off. "Is this a sleepover?"
Did he interrupt me on purpose?
"I'm just looking out for Annamarie," Daniel said. "She doesn't have a lock on her door. It's asking for trouble."
"Then you won't mind if I spend the night too," Jaiden said. "It'll be fun."
"Wait a second," she said. "It's already cramped enough as it is with Daniel here."
"Sleepovers are supposed to be cramped." Jaiden winked at her. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
After Jaiden left, she sat in uncomfortable silence. Having Daniel stay in her room was difficult enough without someone else being added into the mix. Jaiden and Daniel were barely able to stand across the sidewalk from each other without jabbing one another with sharp sticks. It was going to be a miracle if she lived through tonight without the dorm exploding.
How could such a deep, long-term friendship break like this? She didn't understand how someone like her could injure such a great bond. That wasn't right. She let out a low groan.
"Want me to prop a chair against the door so he can't come back in?" Daniel asked nastily.
She punched him in the arm for the thousandth time.
"He's your best friend," she said. "How can you even think about doing something like that?"
"I don't know." Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is that the idea of him spending the night in here with you pisses me off."
"I want you to remember that the two of you are like brothers." She climbed into her bed. "If you start a fight, I'll…I'll…"
"You'll what?" Daniel smirked at her.
Darn it. She strained her brain but couldn't think of a threat.
"Just be nice to him, okay?" she said.
"Me?" Daniel looked flabbergasted. "I'm always nice."
"You're about as nice as a serial killer," she muttered.
"For the record, the only person I've ever contemplated killing is you." He flopped back onto his comforter.
"Liar," she said. "You've never thought about killing me."
"I'm not lying," Daniel said.
"Are too," she said
"Are not." Daniel was defiant.
Since she could see this argument going in circles for all eternity, she decided it was better to be silent. She needed to think anyway. What am I going to do about Jaiden? she wondered. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to think about what she was about to say because the guy opened the door and stepped inside with a backpack swung over his shoulder. A navy blue comforter was draped over his arm.
"Good to see you two are behaving normally this time." Jaiden unrolled his comforter and laid it down next to Daniel's.
"Yeah, well, Daniel decided not to sit on me." She scowled at the guy.
"What?" Jaiden looked confused.
"Nothing," she and Daniel said together.
Jaiden settled down on the floor next to Daniel. This scenario should have been every teenaged girls dream—two guys, each hot enough to melt metal, were in the close confines of her room. Both of them, for reasons she couldn't fathom, liked her. But this dream was more like a nightmare. She cared about Daniel and Jaiden, which meant she didn't want to bounce them off each other. This was literally hell on earth. And nobody was talking either. Say something! she thought, straining her mind to think of a topic that wouldn't lead to trouble. No ideas popped into her head.
Luckily, Jaiden came to the rescue.
"Dan, remember when we went camping in Rhode Island for the first time?" Jaiden asked. "We were so confused we couldn't even put up the tent and slept side by side outside instead."
Some of the hardness on Daniel's face disappeared.
"We tried to make s'mores like we saw on TV." Daniel fought back a smile. "That was fun."
"Yeah, I remember those s'mores." Jaiden elbowed him. "Your marshmallow caught on fire and you panicked and shook your stick. The enflamed marshmallow flew through the air and lit the bushes on fire. Gavin had to put it out with his jacket."
"Nice going, master chef." She cackled.
"I panicked, okay?" Daniel frowned at her, a V forming between his eyebrows. "I was fourteen at the time and had never roasted a marshmallow before. It was hard."
"Mmm-hmm." She still laughed anyway.
"Dan just shouldn't be around fiery objects in general." Jaiden tousled his dark hair, his green eyes glistening. "On New Year's Eve two years ago, we bought a whole bunch of really expensive fireworks. Being sixteen and stupid, Dan shot one off and launched it straight into the window of his father's penthouse."
The look on Daniel's face was priceless—his mouth hung open and his eyes bulged out of his head.
"Hey, if we're telling each other's embarrassing stories, then Jay has more than his fair share." A smirk crossed Daniel's face. "Know why the guy drives so slowly?"
She'd wondered that herself. Grinning, she shook her head.
"During driving lessons a few years ago, Jay, Gav, and I were in the same car during road lessons. Jay got the break and the gas confused and launched us straight into oncoming traffic," Daniel said. "We didn't hit anybody, but he ran straight into a wall and totaled the car. Our instructor quit teaching classes because of him."
"Ah, that's not funny." Jaiden hung his head. "I still feel bad about that."
"It's a little funny." Daniel needled him. "After we figured out everyone was okay, the teacher went mute and wandered off without another word. I think he went to a bar or something."
"He did do that, didn't he?" Even Jaiden was smiling again. "I don't think I've seen a face so purple before. He wanted to kill me."
If she was the instructor, she'd have wanted to kill him too.
She watched the two of them elbow each other and exchange quips. Not only did she feel guilty that she'd caused a wedge between a relationship so rich with memories and affection, but she was jealous too. My whole life I've never had friendship like this, she realized. She must have been silent for longer than she thought because both boys glanced at her with concern.
"You look like you swallowed a lemon." Daniel placed a hand on her forehead.
"I'm okay." She brushed away his hand. "I'm just a little tired."
"It's been a pretty long day for all of us," Jaiden said. "Maybe we should get some sleep."
She felt bad for bringing the fun to an end, but she had to admit she was looking forward to lights out.
****
Annamarie stood in a vacant hallway. It took her a moment to realize she was at school, not in her dorm. How did I get here? she wondered. She heard the sound of shifting feet behind her and whirled around. A dark, masculine shadow loomed. She held up her fists to fight the darkness, prepared to take it on headfirst. Nobody had the right to make her feel hunted in her own life. Nobody!
The dark mammoth glided down the hall, drawing closer and closer to her. The shadow figure released a rattling exhale. He was almost upon her now, a faceless, overpowering wall of darkness. The stench of something sour hung in the air, draping over her like a thick blanket.
The figure took one more step toward her, then another. At long last, the demon was upon her, staring down at her with pupil-less eyes that rolled around like billiard balls. She was more scared than she'd ever been in her whole life, even more than when she'd learned her mom had abandoned her. It was fea
r that drove her to take the first punch.
She was used to the sweet burn of fist on flesh, but she didn't experience it this punch. Instead her knuckle passed right through the black figure like he was nothing more than air. She punched him again and again, but no blow landed. This was good, right? If she couldn't hit him, then he couldn't hit her. She stepped back to head down the hall when a hot hand grabbed her wrist.
Crap. He could touch her after all.
The black figure leaned over her, taking excited breaths. She didn't know what he wanted or why, but that was what made it scarier.
Someone grabbed her shoulder. She looked up, startled that it was not just her alone with the demon. She stared straight into Daniel's shimmering blue eyes. Her angel was back. Looking into his face was like seeing straight into heaven.
"Run." Daniel ripped her from the monster's grasp.
She and Daniel fled side by side. The black figure gave chase, each unsettling breath causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stiffen. Daniel led her around a corner where someone awaited them. It was Jaiden, standing at the end of the hall.
"We've got to get away," she said when they reached him.
"Let's go this way." Jaiden tried to pull her down the hall to the right.
"No, this way." Daniel yanked her to the left.
Suddenly, she was being pulled from both sides. Death loomed ever closer. She didn't care whether she went left or right, if only she escaped the demon's grasp.
"Guys!" she yelled.
"Why are you stubborn?" Jaiden asked.
"Because left is the right way to go," Daniel said.
"He's coming!" she cried.
Both boys ignored her. Her blood was rising and her heart was pounding. The demon seized her around the waist.
They were too late.
Annamarie awoke with a start, grasping her chest as she panted. It had been a horrible nightmare. I never want to have a dream like that ever again. For a few minutes she sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, but then the gravelly sound of snoring jolted her from her normal thoughts. It was Daniel. How had she not woken up last night if he'd slept by the bed?
She looked down at the guy and saw that he was as gorgeous as ever, even in his sleep. His eyes were closed and his golden hair was tousled. He looked more angelic than when he was awake because his perfect face was often marred by his annoyance and anger. Jaiden lay across from him, facing his best friend with his eyes closed. His snores were soft and nasally instead of loud and boisterous. Before she'd fallen asleep, she'd heard the two of them whispering to each other in the dark. It was a different experience than earlier when Daniel had been moments from charging his friend like an angry bull. What am I doing? she thought, her stomach churning.
She'd thought she needed to choose one guy to end the fighting, but what would that do to them? Even though she tried to deny that she felt strongest for Daniel, she knew it was the truth. The guy made her angry, annoyed and euphoric all at once. She hadn't known she was capable of so much emotion for a single person. They reacted to each other like flint and steel, but she liked it that way. She'd never be bored with Daniel. The problem was she liked Jaiden. If Daniel wasn't around, she would have dated him. Unfortunately, admitting that fact would cause a rift in a deep friendship. Truly caring for somebody meant being selfless enough to give them up, if that was for their greater good.
That was why she realized she'd made a mistake in thinking choosing between Daniel and Jaiden would solve the problem. Maybe, to save them, she'd have to give them both up.
The thought of not seeing Daniel anymore made her heart ache. I don't have to decide this all tonight, she thought, flopping back onto the bed. She tossed and turned. Even though she pretended it was Daniel's horrible snoring that made her wince, she was lying to herself. Her own thoughts were worse than knives and definitely worse than his snoring. She didn't like being crammed into a room with the root of her pain. She needed space.
Even though she knew it was sheer stupidity, she decided to leave the room. She climbed out of bed and stepped over the two boys. She'd never noticed how long Daniel's limbs were until she had to step around them in the dark. She made it to the door and snuck into the hall. It was empty. She was the only one up at three o'clock in the morning.
Now that she was alone, she sat down and stretched out her legs. Dad, what do I do? she thought, as if he could communicate telepathically. If the man could, she doubted he'd have much advice for her anyway. He was about as romantic as a hedgehog. Her lips parted as she let out a deep sigh.
Minutes oozed past. As her thoughts flowed through her mind, her head lulled on her shoulders despite the fact she'd thought she was too wired to fall asleep again. Sometime between thinking, I'm strong enough to handle this! and Whose trying to kill me? sleep swept her up with warm arms. She was jerked awake again by a hand brushing her cheek.
The shadow man! Annamarie leapt like a crazed animal and tackled the person who'd touched her. She found herself eye to eye with Jaiden who was staring up at her with a shocked expression on his face. She needed to stop hurting the people. Why did she manage to land a blow on every guy but the one she wanted to bring down?
"Are you okay?" Annamarie climbed off of Jaiden.
Jaiden sat up slowly. "Do you always tackle someone when they try to wake you up?"
"This would be a first." She looked down the dark hall. "I guess I wasn't sleeping soundly."
"Well, you're in the middle of a dark hallway when there's a stalker on the loose. Few would sleep soundly." Jaiden's jaw clenched, though he wasn't freaking out like Daniel would have been. "When I woke up and saw you were gone, I almost had a heart attack. What were you doing out here all alone?"
She winced guiltily, then decided to lie.
"Daniel snores so loud that I needed to get some quiet," she said. "He really should see a doctor. It's insane."
"He does snore pretty loud, doesn't he?" Jaiden nodded.
"Yeah." She blew out a sigh.
The atmosphere was as thick as pudding again. She realized she had some explaining to do.
"I'm sorry about this afternoon," she said. "I shouldn't have run away."
"It was my fault." Jaiden glanced at her. "My whole life, I've pretty much gone with the flow. I followed Dan because it was natural for me. When I'm around you, it's different. You make me feel like I don't want to go with the flow anymore. I think the big problem is that I'm intimidated by Dan. Unlike me, he's not ashamed of crashing through doors. I feel like I have to compete with him, even though it's not in my nature to be forceful."
The mention of Daniel made her groan.
"What would you do if Daniel made me date him?" she asked.
Jaiden was silent for a moment, then his eyes narrowed.
"I wouldn't give up," Jaiden finally said. "I'd wait. That's another thing I'm good at. Waiting."
"But what about your friendship with him?" she asked.
"It would change things." Jaiden stared down at clenched fists. "Since I'm already being honest, I might as well tell you now…The idea of the two of you being together kills me. I don't think I could hang around him anymore, knowing that he has you."
The words engulfed her heart with the most painful fire she'd ever known.
Chapter Nineteen
Annamarie stood with Daniel in front of the beefiest guy she'd ever seen. He was the size of a tank and made even the wide expanse of Daniel's room appear small. His brown eyes were dark and mean, and there was hardness to his mouth that suggested he'd been around the block more than a couple of times.
She stuck out her hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you, Borgis."
The man shook her hand but didn't speak.
"You're a verbose one," she said jokingly. "How am I going to manage with such a chatty bodyguard?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "You even antagonize people who haven't said a word to you."
"I didn't antagonize him," she said.
"
Did she antagonize you?" Daniel asked the man.
"If you think she antagonized me, sir, then she did," Boris said, his voice a deep rumble.
"See." Daniel grinned. "He feels antagonized."
"Only because you told him to feel that way." She let out a sigh. "You must have brainwashed him."
"The only brainwashing he's received is a large retainer." Daniel glanced at the bodyguard. "Besides, it's his job to be silent. He'll be like a shadow. With luck, you won't even notice he's there."
The guy was the size of a killer whale. He'd be noticed in the middle of a thick fog in a dark alley.
"I think people are going to realize he's around," she said.
"There you go, being pessimistic again." Daniel groaned and rolled his eyes.
"I'm a realist." Her jaw tensed. "Now if you're done calling me names, I have a class to go to that I'm already thirty minutes late for."
"Aren't you missing a flute class?" Daniel looked like he was withholding a laugh. "The teacher is probably glad you aren't there."
That was it. She was going to pound him. Just as she was about to deliver a killer blow, her phone vibrated, alerting her that she had a text. She checked the message and saw it was from Owen.
Hey, Annamarie. I think I know who's been trying to hurt you. Meet me at lunch. I'll explain everything.
Owen knew who was stalking her? Yes! She turned toward Daniel, glad to have some good news to deliver.
"Owen thinks he knows whose trying to hurt me," she said. "He wants me to meet him today at lunch."
"He knows who did it?" Daniel asked. "I underestimated that guy."
Nodding, she grinned. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The problem was, she wasn't sure what she was going to do when she faced the person who'd hurt her. She doubted a good beat down would solve anything this time. This wasn't just a class bully. This was a real, genuine psycho. She muttered under her breath, naming all the torture practices she could think of.
"What are you mumbling about?" Daniel asked. "You look pissed off instead of excited."
"I'm just debating what I'm going to do when I meet this jerk." Her jaw clenched. "We could hand him over to Mrs. Carmichael and she'll probably expel him, but he's been working pretty hard to hurt me. I'm not sure that'll be enough."
Sweet Harmony Page 18
