by Jenna Bernel
"Gee, I wonder why. Wait! Why would Harper need Dale as an escort?" I asked, turning my attention to Evan.
"That's what I was trying to tell you! I broke up with Harper this weekend."
"You did what?! And you waited until two minutes before I'm stuck in a class alone with her to tell me that?!" I shouted, my mouth nearly hitting the floor.
"I tried to call you like a dozen times this weekend to give you a heads-up. Check my texts. It's all there." Evan defended himself in a "don't blame me" manner.
"Isn't it great?! And I thought senior year was going to be boring," Dale said as he playfully started to punch Evan's arm, like he was the coach of a champ fighter.
"Dale, get lost, would you?!" Evan said, punching him back, but much less playfully.
"Dani might need my bodyguard services. I need to pay for that Homecoming limo somehow. My parents might not pony up when they get the bill for the new carpet. It's not my fault Kool-Aid is so red. What else am I supposed to mix the punch with for my party guests?" Dale said, looking over at me with a hopeful grin, but I had no patience for his antics right now.
"Dale, go!" I said curtly while pointing my finger in the other direction.
"All right, all right, no need to get out the scissors," he quipped, sneaking in another lip-smacking cheek kiss, and running off while dodging Evan's punch. Dale, who normally stuck to hugs, had been extra affectionate all week, and I thought it was just to get a rise out of Evan. Although it annoyed us both, despite Dale's efforts, it didn't really work like it worked on Alec. Yet suddenly, I was very nervous for Evan to come tonight at my balcony door. I didn't want to think about what was running through Evan's mind when he started a fistfight with Alec after he saw him embracing me.
"I can't believe you did this. She will kill me," I said, raking my hands through my hair as I thought about seeing Harper in a matter of mere minutes.
"Well, what else was I supposed to do? After the beach party, when she heard what happened, I didn't ask for her stupid forgiveness, and I didn't want it. She just wanted to appear like the ‘saint,’ to secure her Homecoming title. I couldn't take it anymore. She wouldn't stop bad-mouthing you, and I wasn't going to just sit back and do nothing. I told her to go to hell. I don't know what I was thinking by ever getting involved with her." Evan had such conviction in his voice, I could tell he was relieved it was over with her.
"You were thinking that she's hot, so why not?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Uhhh…" Evan trailed off, lacking a clever response to that statement. Men!
"I don't even know what to say," I said, realizing this already horrendous day was about to get a whole lot worse.
"Say that it's still okay for me to come over tonight," Evan said with a hard gulp, and I nodded my consent.
Stepping closer to me, he gave me a gentle feather kiss on the top of my head, like he had done a million times before when we talked through the night. I wanted to pull away, but I was too tired to fight. There was something so familiar and pure about his touch, so genuine. Basically, Evan offered the opposite of Dale's condescending affection. He took a deep breath into my hair as he whispered, "Good luck," before walking past me to go to class. I watched him walk away as the crowd of students filtered through the hall, eyeing me, probably wondering what our exchange was about. I felt sure Harper must’ve already heard he was at my locker door once again. I bowed my head and prepared for Senior Sculptures class, where Harper's claws awaited me.
Chapter 3: Break my Bones
I slowly made my way into Senior Sculptures, keeping my eyes firmly planted on the ground. If Dale heard about Harper and Evan's break-up, that meant the entire school knew it too. I suddenly wondered why Kate hadn't said anything on the way to school. She was always tightly plugged into Mapleton's gossip. I kept my head down as I slid into a chair on the opposite side of the classroom where Harper and I used to sit together. Now, it was her side. I could feel everyone's stares boring into me as I looked up, and I did my best to ignore them. I turned away from the large art table toward the front, waiting for the bell to ring and break the dead silence in the room. I looked at the teacher, hoping it wouldn't be long, when Harper came strolling through the door.
She looked fantastic, like she hadn't shed one tear over the break-up, while everyone held their breath, even I, while waiting for her reaction. She didn't go to her side of the room, but instead came over and sat down right next to me, as if it were any other day. Dozens of eyes darted around the room in confusion, wondering what was going on, and I continued to hold my breath, unsure of what she was plotting. She slowly pivoted toward me, and I angled my body away ever so slightly, poised to dodge whatever weaponry in the art room she might grab to use against me.
"Hi Dani," Harper said casually.
"Hi Harper…" I replied curiously, wondering when the joke would be on me. Everyone was in awe of her demeanor toward me, since they all knew she was plotting my death all week. A stunned silence descended on the whole room.
"Do you think our pottery will be ready for glazing today?" Harper asked, looking at me as if the past week never happened, and suddenly, my breath hitched. At the same moment the thought passed through my head, I looked up to see Alec walking into the classroom. Oh, yes! There would be a death today... his!
"I think so," I replied, trying not to act shaken, and Alec took the vacant seat next to Harper.
"How are things going over here?" Alec asked, and I just shook my head at him, while mouthing you are so dead. The bell rang and I jumped a little at the harsh sound, along with the rest of the class from being so fixated on our exchange, but Harper remained unaffected. She turned to Alec, putting her back toward me.
"Dani thinks we should have our pottery back today. I hope mine didn't break in the kiln," Harper said, like she even cared. She leaned into Alec as she batted her eyes, (I'm almost positive I saw that).
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Alec reassured her, patting her shoulder, and she sighed happily at the gesture.
"All right class, most of the pieces made it over the weekend, and you can find them across the hall on the drying racks. If you don't see your piece, that's because it broke during the firing, and you'll have to go back to the wheel and try again," Mr. Anglewood said with two claps, in a "let's get moving" gesture. The room buzzed to life as students got up and shuffled towards the room across the hall.
"Come on, let's go check ours," Harper said, faking her enthusiasm, like she had ever since Alec joined the class. I tried to pretend it didn't bother me when she grabbed his hand to pull him along with her.
I followed behind them slowly and cautiously, wondering what Alec said when he so clearly Tranced Harper. I specifically told him to butt out of it. He knew I was against Trancing fellow students. I told him it was a Gift for emergencies only, and high school drama didn't count. My infuriation grew as Harper cozied up to Alec's side. I made him promise not to Trance her, and he obviously already broke that promise. Alec officially couldn’t be trusted to be taken at his word, and what hurt even worse, was this ultimately proved I could never trust him again.
When we entered the other art room, I saw that all the pieces from each class were displayed on the shelves that spanned the length of the back wall. Everyone migrated toward the left end to begin our search, where a "First Period" sign was taped up, marking our class’s work. It was only on a small section of shelving, so I stepped back and let the others crowd in and bump shoulders while they scanned the wall for their pieces. Alec and Harper both emerged from the crowd holding objects, but I noticed right away that Harper was holding the cereal bowl that I made. She approached me, and I eyed the bowl in her hands, waiting for her to smash it into pieces right in front of me.
"Mine must have broken, but I saw your bowl, so I grabbed it for you," Harper said, dropping it into my hands. I caught it with a gentle cradle to cushion the rough hand-off from and keep it cracking in half. What did Alec tell her? Be nice, but not too nice?
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"Thank you, that was really thoughtful. You can use it as your own if you want. I know you're not a fan of the wet clay," I offered, holding out the bowl. She gave me a tight smile along with a little laugh.
"No offense, Dani, but I'd rather I handle the clay over you," she said teasingly. Now she was even joking about it! I accidentally gave her a clay bath last week, when Alec first enrolled at our school. This was getting too bazaar. I wanted to test how Tranced she was, so I dared to broach the subject.
"I was sorry to hear about you and Evan. I thought you two made such a cute couple," I said with as much sincerity as possible. Her faced contorted into a nasty scowl, and her eyes became slivers.
"I'm sure you did. I was over Evan weeks ago. I just didn't want to be rude and dump him before Homecoming, when he and I will obviously be king and queen. But unlike him, I didn't think it was fair to pretend, when we've already moved on with someone else, so it had to be done. If you'll excuse me, I have a new latte mug to make," Harper said in her clipped tone, which I'd accepted as a signature part of her personality. She bumped my shoulder in a "don't mess with me" manner as she walked past. I watched her walk out of the room, wondering what the hell Alec did to her. I felt his palm pressing into my back when he approached me from behind. It felt like an electrical current of pleasure shooting through me, but that only made me resent him more.
"She's a doll, isn't she?" Alec said mockingly, and I spun around to face him. His mouth was curved in a lopsided grin, and I didn't appreciate his amusement over the situation. Nor was I amused that he thought it was funny whenever he broke a promise to me. I grabbed the material of his shirt and dragged him with me out of the classroom, but instead of going back into the main room, I ducked us into the art supplies room, which was mostly occupied by the giant kiln. I untangled my fingers from his shirt and slapped him across the face, motivated by pure hurt and betrayal. He rubbed his jaw with his free hand, since the other was holding his fired vase, and pretended that it hurt.
"How could you!? I specifically told you not to Trance Harper, and you promised me! How do you expect to earn back an ounce of my trust, when all you do is break all your promises?!" My words faltered. I was heaving with anger, and Alec smirked at me, like my little outburst was the most adorable thing he ever saw. He rested his hand on my hip, leaning into me as if he were about to wipe away my anger with a heated kiss.
I stepped away from his touch, which made me feel cloudy. He was never allowed to kiss me again. Becoming hypnotized by the passion in his eyes, I slapped him again, more to snap myself awake than anything else, but also to wipe that smirk off his face.
"You are such an ass for smirking at me like that. You really crossed a line this time. You don't even care that you broke my trust once again, and then you have the nerve to try and kiss me on top of it! Didn't I already make it abundantly clear that you never can touch me again?" I said, the bitterness tainting my voice.
"I didn't break your promise, Dani. I never Tranced Harper," Alec said, shaking his head at me, like I was being silly for even thinking he would dare break his promise.
"Yeah, right! Harper Smith who is personally responsible for the demise of at least a dozen reps, false rumors, and countless tears, just woke up this morning and decided to forgive me, after proclaiming her undying hatred for me all last week. The same Harper who thinks I hooked up with her boyfriend while they were still together. And she's already denying he was the breaker-upper, the guy whom I supposedly cheated with, who dumped her right before Homecoming, and also the first guy in history to break-up with her to boot. And now you're going to sit there and tell me you had nothing to do with her magical change of heart?" I said in one long, ghastly breath, while trying not to crush my bowl into clay dust by venting my anger.
"I never said I didn't have anything to do with her change of heart. I just didn't use any Gifts to get her off your back," Alec said with a small, proud smile, as if he explained it all quite clearly, when really, he told me nothing. My jaw was set with irritation, and I tilted my head to show what little patience I had left for this conversation.
"I heard about what happened when Bennet texted me on Sunday night, after we got back from our trip. I called Harper to offer her a ride to school, knowing she'd love the idea of arriving with another guy right after the break-up. I could tell she had a thing for me since the beginning. Her type always does. So, on the way over, I offered to help her drive Evan crazy, by taking her to the Homecoming dance; but only on the condition that she stop dividing the group and play nice, so we could all enjoy senior year together. I also threw in that taking the high road would make her look like more of a goddess to the Mapleton student body, so that also helped. She was happy to accept my offer, but stipulated two of her own conditions…" Alec explained, looking a little nervous now.
"What conditions were those?" I asked cautiously.
"That we start dating for more than just the Homecoming Dance, and that if anyone asked, I dumped you because I wanted to be with her," Alec said quietly, dropping his eyes to the floor. My mouth fell along with my pottery bowl. Alec caught the bowl a millimeter before it shattered on the ground, using his vamp super reflexes. I stood there in stunned silence for a moment, trying to process that.
"So let me get this straight. You pimped yourself out to Harper so she'd stop making everyone miserable?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"If you prefer to see it that way, then, yes, I did. More specifically, I did it to help you out. Your life is about to get so much more complicated, and social tension at school should be the least of your worries," Alec said, and I scrunched my forehead at the statement.
"I don't need your help. My life is fairly simple--get Eli back and start our work up again," I said quickly, because that was all I really cared about.
"Dani, I know you don't want to hear this, but everything has changed. Yes, believe me, our top priority is to get Eli back. The longer he's in the hands of the 7th Circle, the more dangerous it is for all of us. But whether you like it or not, eventually, you need to know what's really going on here." Alec put his hand on my shoulder and appeared thoughtful, but I shrugged it off.
"I don't need to know anything accept the location of my partner," I said stubbornly, and he sighed.
"It's coming one way or another, if not from me, then from someone else, and I think you'd rather hear it from me than a stranger," Alec said with an underlying hint of pity. My stomach instantly went sour as all the worst case scenarios ran through my mind.
"You're a stranger to me, Alec. The more you speak, the more it feels like I don't even know you, like I never knew you," I said, turning to leave. There was the darkness again, and I felt like it was trying to take over my soul. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and slowly turned to look back at him, if only to see his reaction to my words. His jaw strained with tension as he tried to hide the pain, but I could see it beneath the surface. Still, it wasn't enough.
"Tell me something. Did you proposition Harper to try and make me jealous? When you kiss her, will it be the same way you kissed me?" I asked, daring him to answer.
"I have no intention of kissing Harper, even if it would make you jealous," Alec said, raising his eyebrows like it was a question.
"You'd be surprised. Harper always has a way of getting what she wants. At least, you've had plenty of practice in how to fake a relationship. I'm just sorry I was the dummy." The instant the words left my mouth, I regretted them. It was that other woman, the scary one, who was starting to overtake me, and I didn't know why.
"I know you're not yourself right now, so I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Alec said, looking away.
A punch of shame hit my gut, and I wanted to crawl under a rock. Part of me wanted to hurt him more for making me feel guilty, but another part knew he was right. I wasn't myself. That wasn't who I was, and I didn't know how to fix it except by getting Eli back.
I didn't say another word, figuring either way
, I'd probably only succeed in making it worse. Swiftly walking out of the supplies room and back to the classroom, I was briefly thankful that students were still milling back and forth between the two rooms. Hopefully, the teacher didn't notice our absence. I sat down, staring at my cereal bowl, without feeling the least bit creative or artistic, much less, motivated to continue working on it. All I could think about was getting through the day so I could go home, turn vamp, and bury this horrible ache inside me away.
Chapter 4: Lost Allies
"Urgh! I'm going to kill Bennet. I still can't believe he didn't text me about the biggest news of the year," Kate said begrudgingly as she gripped the steering wheel more tightly.
"Evan and Harper breaking up is the biggest news of the year?" I looked at her in disbelief.
"Well, I would never correct her, but we all know Evan was the one to call it quits, and that's pretty huge. I'm cutting Bennet off at Dale's next party, if I ever get out of the house again. I mean, how drunk do you have to be to mix up the fact that I was there, but two weekends ago, and not on Saturday," Kate said, shaking her head.
"Hey, I'm surprised he even remembered that, considering his condition at that party," I defended him with a shrug.
"Man, I can't believe I missed all the juicy gossip at Dale's this past Saturday, and now Alec is dating Harper? Only two days later!? Talk about a slap in the face! How are you doing with all this?" Kate asked me with a look of worry. I smiled to myself, remembering with smug satisfaction that I already slapped Alec in the face twice today.
"I don't care; she can have him," I said nonchalantly, but my twisted insides disagreed. Kate gave me an "I can see right through you" look, and I sighed, putting my face in my hands.
"Can we not talk about this? I’m nervous enough for Evan to come over tonight. I don't need to think about Harper sucking face with Alec too," I said through my muffled hands, and Kate patted my shoulder.
