“It will be, just hang on,” Whitney smirked, her arm wrapped around the little round basket that Harmony kept her meager jewelry collection in. “See, I’m not finished yet. And you want to look cute and summery because you’re coming out with me, and we’re going to forget all the old drama, and we’re going to have fun. Real fun, the kind where you don’t sit in your apartment dwelling on the past.”
Harmony sighed, but Whitney held her free hand up defensively. “Look, I’m not trivializing what happened to Cameron. You know I’d never do that, Harmony. And I’m not trying to trivialize what you’re going through, either. But it was a long time ago. If she’s over it and she’s learned to let it go, then you can to. Besides, you said distraction helps.”
“Alright, alright, maybe,” Harmony answered, catching the edge of her lip in her teeth. “Okay, so skinny little jeans and a fitted tank that I only ever sleep in. This doesn’t really leave a lot of me to the imagination, so hang on with the fashionista routine and let me change into something a little more –“
“Harmony, it’s not like you’re naked. It’s the end of summer, and you’re wearing jeans and a tank top. It’s not like it’s a hooker costume, relax. Besides, you used to run around in worse stuff when you were competing. All those leotards?”
“Totally different,” Harmony grumbled. “That was for ease of movement, not ease of displaying my body.”
“Seriously,” Whitney laughed. “I have no idea how you manage to work with AWG, then. I know there’s the whole athletic thing and the acting and stuff, but seriously, there is an aspect of self-display.”
“I know, I’m weird. But still.”
“Well, lucky for you, I know how modest you are and I plan ahead.” Grinning, Whitney winked as she lifted a filmy yellow scarf from the basket in her hands. She settled the basket on the dresser next to her hip and held the scarf out in front of her, folding it in half. By the time she was done twisting and contorting the flimsy material, she’d created a simple vest – light enough to be worn in the heat of late summer, but gauzy and loose enough to feel more modest.
Slipping her arms into the vest, Harmony turned back to the mirror. “I have no idea where you come up with this stuff,” she said, shaking her head as she adjusted the fit of the improvised garment.
“Yeah, I know, I’m a total genius. Oh, and this. Here, this is perfect!” Whitney pulled a simple necklace of yellow beads from the basket, lifting it over Harmony’s head and letting it settle around her neck. “And of course, the matching bracelets!” she exclaimed.
“I can’t even remember the last time I wore any of that,” Harmony said, laughing. “You know I only dress up like this when I’m with you, right?”
“That’s what friends are for. Here, one of these on each wrist,” Whitney answered distractedly, holding out two bracelets made of the same simple yellow beads as the necklace. After digging a little longer, she held out a wide yellow bangle. “Pick a wrist, any wrist,” she said, waving the bracelet at Harmony with a grin.
“Stop digging in there; you’ve already given me three bracelets and I’m not wearing anymore,” Harmony laughed. “I’m already more dolled up than I’ve been in ages.”
“Alright, alright, fine.” Whitney turned – grumbling – and retreated into the closet to return the little basket. Meeting Harmony at the doorway to the bedroom, she dropped a pair of sunny yellow flip flops on the floor in front of Harmony’s feet.
Rolling her eyes, Harmony slipped her feet into the sandals. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“The river. There’s a summer festival thing going on out there, so there’s food, music, dancing. Hotties.” Whitney laughed as Harmony rolled her eyes again. Stepping through the bedroom door, she moved into the bathroom, lifting a hairbrush from the counter. “Now, I’m not helping with this stuff, but you’ve got like, ten minutes and then I’m coming in after you. So go girl, get gorgeous.”
“Alright, alright. Go … make coffee or something,” Harmony said, smiling. “And Whit? Thanks for this.”
“Hey, I’m not opposed to bullying my best friend back to good cheer,” she joked. But, stopping with her hand closed around the door knob, Whitney looked back thoughtfully, suddenly serious as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “You just need to stop being too scared to take a chance.”
“Easier said than done,” Harmony retorted, pulling the brush through her tangled hair.
“I know, but worrying all the time over every bad thing that could possibly happen? All that does is stop you from reaching out for the good things. Don’t be too afraid to live life, Harmony. Because if you’re always too afraid, you’ll just be cheating yourself.”
Harmony waited until the door latched closed before turning to the sink, mulling over the unexpected wisdom of her usually carefree best friend. And as she prepared for a day in the sun, a day likely to be spent in laughter and good cheer, making new friends and having a good time, she thought of a man alone, isolated by his celebrity status but still willing to reach out to her.
She thought of a blue-eyed dragon with a devilishly handsome smile. She thought of Xander and the disappointment in his voice as she’d rejected him. And not for the first time that day, as she thought back on the missed opportunity, she wished that she had said yes.
Chapter Eighteen
“So tell me, what do you really think of all this?” Xander asked, leading Harmony – as he always did – through the heavy black curtain and into the backstage area, away from the eyes of the audience.
“The job?” Harmony asked, allowing her hand to slip away from his arm.
“Of course,” he answered, looking slightly surprised as he met her eyes. “What else?”
Looking up at him, she smiled, loving the ease of their conversation. He hadn’t mentioned their missed date opportunity at all; he wasn’t pushing, and she was grateful for his willingness to let it go. “I like it pretty well,” she said. “It’s definitely different from gymnastics, though.”
“I can imagine it is,” Xander agreed quietly.
Harmony pressed her lips together, her eyes dropping to where her fingers twirled a strand of fringe that dangled from her costume. “It’s an adjustment,” she said, shrugging. “I missed competing when I first let it go and started teaching instead. Now, I miss teaching the kids at the gym, watching them learn to train their bodies. I miss watching the dream form in their eyes. And I have to say, the acting aspect of all this is completely new to me. I’ve never done anything like this before. But, adjustment aside, I do like it very much.”
“Well, you’re doing it like a pro,” he laughed. “I’m glad you showed up to the audition that day. Diane would never tell you, but I heard her telling another one of the scouts that you were the most natural talent of anyone there that day.”
“Really?” Harmony looked up, her eyes wide.
“Really,” Xander answered, wrapping one arm lightly around his waist. “I’m starving, those long matches really take it out of me. Want to grab something to eat?”
Still thoughtful of her conversation with Whitney from a few days earlier and determined not to miss her chance again, Harmony nodded. Lunch with him in a date setting might have been more than she could handle just yet, but she could definitely keep him company in the common room. “Yeah, I’m actually pretty hungry, too. I hope J.J. wasn’t teasing me earlier when she said there would be subs in the back.”
“Who, Jessica? Oh, I doubt it. She can be a kidder, but food is serious business around here. Fifty hungry athletes all crowded into one building and being paid to act violent? In this place, food is no joke,” Xander laughed.
“Apparently,” Harmony muttered, quickening her steps as shouting erupted from the common room at the end of the hall. “Is that Minx I’m hearing?” she asked.
“Minx,” he repeated. “I forget you’re still new and you don’t know everyone all that well yet. But back here, she sheds the bitch image and she’s really pretty sw
eet. Her name’s Lauren. Look though – the cameras. They’re filming her, so it’s probably for a bit or something.” Using his arm as a barrier, Xander stopped Harmony from walking into the common area just as Diane caught sight of them and stepped out from behind the camera crew.
“Hello, Harmony,” she rasped, her voice low and hoarse as she offered her hand.
“Diane.” Harmony took the extended hand, tightening her grasp slightly before releasing the other woman.
With an almost imperceptible nod of approval, Diane stepped back. “I’ve been watching your training videos from this week, and I have absolutely loved what I’ve seen,” she said.
Trying not to look surprised, Harmony smiled. “Well, I’m glad you approve of my progress, Diane, thank you. I like to think I’m a quick study, but I won’t pretend it’s all easy. I’m giving it my best, though.”
“Clearly. That’s why we’re moving up your schedule. You’ll still have some time to train at home, but we’ve decided to move into your storyline a little sooner. But this? What’s going on in there?” she said, turning to gesture to the scene unfolding in the common room. “It’s all about you, Harmony.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Harmony asked, confused.
“Just watch.” Stepping to the side, Diane made room for Harmony to move closer to the action.
As Harmony moved toward the entry to the common room, she crossed her arms over her chest, watching in silent confusion as Minx – Lauren – leaned over the buffet, shoving a handful of olives into the face of a crying young woman. “Olives?” Lauren screamed. “Did I ask for olives?”
“No,” the girl cried, flinching away from the assault. “I’m sorry, please. I’m sorry! I’ll make it again!”
Arching an eyebrow skeptically, Harmony turned away from the scene, meeting Diane’s grey eyes. “Okay, so Minx doesn’t like olives. I’m not sure I really understand what that has to do with me,” she said.
“I actually had someone waiting to meet you in the locker room, just in case you went there after Xander’s match,” Diane explained. “To catch you and send you this way.”
“To watch Minx beat up a sandwich maker?” Harmony asked, turning to glance back at the chaos in the common room.
“To step in and stand up for the sandwich maker, actually,” Diane answered. “This is your chance to move into more active work, Harmony – if you want it.”
“What if I’m not ready?”
“Well, I think you are.” With a shrug, Diane met Harmony’s eyes and continued. “If you aren’t, then we’ll drag this on for a while until you are.”
“Okay. And if I am ready?”
Diane smiled, stepping closer to turn Harmony back toward the common room. “That’s my girl. Now look, Minx has already been furious about her break from The Dragon, and his bringing you on has only fueled her fire. She’s been extra … catty … with everyone lately, and now it’s time you stand up to her. Show her that you’re not willing to bow down and give in, or she’ll be coming for you next.”
“Won’t she be coming for me, anyway?” Harmony asked dryly.
“Of course she will,” Diane answered, waving her hand dismissively. “But right now, this is the moment where you decide how your character takes persecution.”
“Okay, well, if I’m choosing not to lay down and have my ass handed to me, then what?” Harmony asked.
“Go in there and stop her.”
“That’s it? No script? No plans?”
“Nope. We want it to look as real as possible, so it’s all ad lib this time. You have your character and you have your story – so does she – but no lines for this. Can you stay in character?”
“I guess we’ll see.” Crossing her arms, Harmony stepped through the doorway into the common room, where Lauren was very much ‘in character.’ Minx was enraged, her black hair flying, her dyed red streaks standing bright against the dark of her hair. Stepping over to a table that had miraculously escaped the chaos of Minx’s rage, Harmony reached for a bowl of olives, lifted one from the bowl, and popped it neatly into her mouth. “You know, these things aren’t half bad,” she said. “You should try one, Minx. New things don’t always have to be scary.”
Minx turned to her – glaring – her blue eyes as cold as ice and glittering with the menace of a freshly sharpened blade. “You,” she spat, her chest heaving with her breath. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of my face. I am so not in the mood for you right now.”
Sighing, Harmony took another olive, chewing it carefully before she spoke again. “If I know what’s good for me? Because you’re not in the mood? Newsflash, the world doesn’t operate on the swing of your moods, Minx. You’ve been running around here fueled by nothing more than rage and jealousy since I hooked up with The Dragon, and frankly, it’s a little sad.” Taking a falsely casual stance, Harmony lifted another olive from the bowl in her hands, chewing it thoughtfully as she waited for Minx to respond.
Stepping closer, Minx allowed her slender body to shake with rage, the toned, lean definition of her muscles both terrifying and impressive. “He. Was. Mine,” she growled. The leopard spots tattooed down her arm rippled as she alternately flexed and relaxed her fist.
“I can see where you might think that,” Harmony answered calmly, settling the olive dish back on the table and resting her hands on her hips. “But even if he was yours, ‘was’ and ‘is’ are two very different words, Minx. Whether he was yours or not, right now he is mine, and if you’re a little bitter over being passed up for a younger woman, then that’s your personal problem. I doubt having childish tantrums makes you look younger or more appealing, though.”
“Nothing more than a child, and you speak to me like this?” I will shred you!” Minx threatened.
“Out of jealousy? Envy? Maybe you can take me,” Harmony said, shrugging, maintaining a casually relaxed posture as if she were unafraid. “But maybe not. Either way, maybe if you know what’s good for you, then you’ll let this go and stop making a fool of yourself.”
“And you think I’m supposed to back down from you? An ignorant child with no history? A runt with too much attitude stuffed into the body of a prepubescent girl? And I’m supposed to back down? You think you frighten me?” Minx hissed, her fingers shaking as she poised for her attack. Only the barest glimmer in her eye reminded Harmony that it was all an act.
Planting her hands on her narrow hips, Harmony met Minx’s eyes with a bored expression. As a cameraman stepped closer for a better angle of the interaction between the two women, she channeled her confidence. Over Minx’s shoulders, she caught sight of Diane’s approving nod and Xander’s impressed smile.
Stepping daringly close to the tattooed terror in front of her, Harmony drew herself to her full – though unimpressive – height and squared her narrow shoulders. She narrowed her eyes, arched her brow and said, as menacingly as possible, “You listen here. If you think for one second that I am the one who needs to be afraid here, then you’re just as stupid as you are washed-up. I’m small maybe, but you are living proof that it takes more than barely covered boobs to make a good woman. I may still be young enough to have a short history, but at least I’m not old enough to be history.”
“I’m history?” Minx hissed, her voice low, trembling with rage. “I am not history.”
“Oh, but you are,” Harmony answered coldly. ”Don’t get me wrong though, Minx. Women like you pave the way. But don’t forget, you pave the way for me. I may be young, but my career is just beginning. And it’s my time now. And this scene I just walked in on? Mistreating someone smaller than you just because you have beef with me?” she continued, stepping back to gesture at the destroyed common room. “I’d better not catch anything like this happening again.”
Pausing to watch as Minx struggled to maintain her control, Harmony was surprised at the deathly calm of the other woman’s voice when she spoke next. “I’ll go easy on you because you’re new around here Harmony, but you’
re treading on thin ice here.” Her eyes had grown impossibly cold, her posture impossibly rigid.
“I don’t think so,” Harmony fired back, beginning to enjoy the banter even as she began to wonder if she hadn’t crossed a line. Still, the show must go on – she could apologize later. “You see,” she went on. “I think you’re just pissed off because you’ve realized that you’re not the top cat around here anymore, Minx. But I’m telling you right now that your days of terrorizing the little people are over. There’s a new girl coming up, and you’d do best to remember that.”
Barely controlled rage shivered through Minx’s body as she moved to slap Harmony’s face, screaming wildly.
Prepared for Minx’s action, Harmony took advantage of her gymnastics background, using it to her benefit. Falling into a simple backbend, Harmony was able to avoid the blow, and as she kicked over to regain her feet, she pressed the heel of her boot into Minx’s stomach, pushing her backward.
Wrestling Harmony (The Kingsley Series) Page 13
