Sweet Harmony (13 page)

"Isn't the school supposed to be closed this late?" She wasn't even allowed to be in the bathroom past seven for detention.

"I got special permission." Jaiden shrugged. "
Mrs. Carmichael is a woman, after all. She's got a soft spot for certain things."

What did
Mrs. Carmichael's womanhood have to do with anything?

She was silent until Jaiden led her through the doors of the gym. When she
looked around, she froze when she saw several violinists, a lone flute player, and a harpist standing together in the middle of the room. Jaiden led her to the bleachers.

"What is this?" She laughed. "Why an impromptu musical performance?"

"You'll see," he said.

When she was halfway down the stairs, the musicians
played a song she recognized as "Moon River." Her dad used to play the song on his piano during performances to strike up a romantic mood in the crowd. Her cheeks grew hot as she glanced at Jaiden in confusion.

"Jaiden…" She
raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Please sit down, milady." He showed her to the bleacher to her right, extending his hand.

"Ugh, okay."

It was hard to say whether he was trying to be goofy or not. Her cheeks burned even more. What a bizarre day. First Daniel puking all over her, now this.

"How did you get these guys to play for us?" She looked at the violinists.

"We
attend a
music
academy." Jaiden chortled. "Most people here not only play their instruments, they like to do it. It wasn't that hard."

"I still don't understand why
you did all this." She glanced at him, her eyes wide.

The
musicians switched songs to one she didn't recognize. The music still held a sweet harmony that would have made anyone's heart pound.

"A guy has to do something when he's asking a girl to a dance, right?" Jaiden asked.

She must have heard him wrong. No way was he asking her to the dance.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I thought there was a girl you liked. Are you showing me what you're going to do to ask her to the dance?"

Jaiden groaned.

"Did I say something wrong?" For once, she thought she was
having a decent conversation.

After Jaiden took a deep breath, he
seized her shoulders and stared straight into her eyes.

"
Annamarie Chadwick, you're the one I'm asking to the dance," he said. "I gathered a group of my friends together to play for you."

Her legs went numb and she suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe.
The sweet harmony of the song mingled with the buzzing of bees. What should she say?

"But what are you going to do about the girl you like?" she whispered.

Jaiden looked like he was going to cut off his own thumb. "You're the one I'm asking out, right? So who do you think is the girl I like?"

Oh. She understood now. He liked
her
. But how could he? She wasn't anything special. Heck, she couldn't even remember if she'd combed her hair after she showered. Now one of the hottest guys at school was asking her out? It didn't make a lot of sense.

"Are you serious
about asking me to the dance?" She wanted to make sure he wasn't having an aneurism or something.

"I'm dead serious," Jaiden said. "I wanted to ask you yesterday, but I had to gather my courage to do it.
That's why I just threw some hints around and prepared myself."

She could see from the look in his eyes that he meant
his words. She had to make a choice. The problem was that the only experience she'd had with boys in the past was in karate class. She knew she had a lot of options in a situation like this, but punching Jaiden wasn't one of them. This was harder than the test to earn her black belt. Worse yet, Jaiden was still staring at her expectantly and she had no idea what to do.

Do I like Jaiden?
she wondered. She'd never had any crushes, so she didn't know her own feelings. Jaiden cleared his throat and she realized he was uncomfortable too.

"I'm sorry
I'm sitting here like a bump on a log." She stared down at her shoes. "It's just that I've never been asked to a dance before. You kind of surprised me."

"I c
an tell." Jaiden chuckled, but he wasn't really laughing. "You can have time to decide, if you want. It's just a dance. It's not like I'm asking you to marry me."

It was obvious he was trying to downplay his disappointment, but he was right. It was just a stupid dance. She was sixteen years old. Soon her dad would bring her back to
London or wherever else and she might never have a chance to attend something like this. If she went to a dance, then she'd know what all of the drama was about on TV.

"I'll go with you," she said. "I'm sorry I was such an idiot about it."

Jaiden's eyes widened. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course." She winked at him
. "You know me well enough to be aware of the fact that I don't break promises. I'll go to the dance with you."

The grin that crossed Jaiden's face made
her choice worth it.

Chapter Twelve

Annamarie walked into a ballroom in a bright green dress that brushed her ankles. A crystal chandelier hung above her, making the whole room glow. Girls danced in multi-colored gowns, flashing grins at their dates. But something was wrong. All of the men wore white bags over their heads, concealing their faces. If there was anything odd about this, none of the other girls appeared to notice.
Where's Jaiden?
She whirled around, feeling confused and alone. No one was around. She searched the crowd, but she didn't see her date. Just as she was about to panic, somebody touched her elbow.

She looked at the person who'd
touched her. It was a tall boy with great physique.

"Jaiden?" She tried to seek out his green eyes within the holes in the bag, but she couldn't.

The boy silently extended his hand and took her own. His fingers were warm. A black strand of hair fell out of her bun and hung in her face. The boy reached out and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. It was strange how she couldn't see his face, but there was so much electricity when he touched her.

She was led out onto the dance floor. His
arm snuck gracefully around her waist. The world faded out as a romantic song played in the background. She spun and twirled as if she'd trained in dance all of her life. It was like she was in a different world, one of graceful elegance. She never thought she'd enjoy herself at a dance so much, but in the arms of her date, she found that she did. Just as she spun one more time, enjoying the brush of the boy's hand on her slender hips, somebody laid a hand on her shoulder.

Both she and the boy stopped dancing. She looked
up and saw Jaiden. Unlike the other boys, he didn't wear a bag over his head. His green eyes glowed with anger. Even in his fury, he was hauntingly beautiful like an enraged god.

"You were supposed to go to the dance with me," Jaiden said.

She glanced at the person who still held her in his muscular arms, confused.

"You would rather have gone to the dance with me and you know it," said the masked boy, his voice so soft she could barely hear him speak. 

Every eye was on her now. She was humiliated and angry. Before she could start yelling, a clock's chime cut through the air. It was loud and eerie, but she couldn't say why such a simple sound could make the hair on the back of her neck stand at attention. The boys in the ballroom all reached for the bags on their heads at once and removed them, including the person she'd been dancing with. It was Daniel.

The
boy stood in front of her, his intense blue eyes drilling straight into hers. Despite the fact he'd worn a bag over his head, his wavy blond hair was perfect. He looked like a debonair prince. The sight of him made her stomach flop, though she was not a girl who enjoyed fairytales. Jaiden reached for her hand and pulled her away.

"You promised you'd go with me," Jaiden said.

To her surprise, Daniel let her go. She found herself seeking him out even after Jaiden swept her up in his arms and spun her around the dance floor. Unfortunately, after the third turn, Daniel disappeared.

Annamarie
awoke with a start, sweat pooling on her forehead. The alarm clock was buzzing at her side. She was grateful for the annoying, shrieking clock for once in her life because it had awoken her from the nightmare. She couldn't figure out why Daniel managed to make her feel such intense emotions, even in her dreams. Worse yet was the message in the nightmare.
I don't actually want Daniel to ask me to the dance, do I?
she thought, swallowing hard. She hung her head in shame at even the idea of that. Of course Daniel wouldn't ask her to the dance and of course she didn't want to go with him. The two of them were enemies, not friends and certainly not more than friends.

Pissed off, she tore the blankets off and climbed out of bed. She was so absentminded she almost pulled on a pair of jeans instead of her uniform. By the time she'd managed to get dressed,
there was fifteen minutes until class was about to start. No time for breakfast again today. She left the dorm and was surprised Owen was waiting for her outside the door so late.

"Hey,
Annamarie," Owen said.

"Hey," she said. "I'm surprised you aren't in the dining hall."

"Do you think a few missed meals would hurt me?" Owen grabbed his rounded stomach and jiggled his belly.

She laughed. "You're going to be hungry later."

"I'm the kind of guy who is always hungry." The two of them walked side by side. "So I heard from Kevin Baily that Jaiden asked you to the dance and you said yes."

"Well, I wanted to see what a dance experience was like." She shrugged it off. "You know I've been
homeschooled all my life. Back home, my only choice of partners was my little brother or my sixty-year-old tutor."

Owen didn't laugh like he normally might have. His face was s
olemn.

"Can I ask you something?" Owen asked.

"Sure." What was with his seriousness?

"If I had asked you first, would you have said yes?" he whispered.

She slowed down, stunned by his question. Owen's face was beet red.

"Were you going to ask me to the dance too?" That information startled her.

"Well, yeah." Owen rubbed the back of his flaming neck.

She'd never seen somebody more florescent in
her entire life. Now she was going red too. Even though she only saw Owen as a friend, she would have liked to have hung out with him at the dance.

"Of course I'd go with you," she said. "Next
dance I will."

Though there might not be a next time because she wasn't planning on staying
at the school much longer.

"Really?" Owen beamed at her and some of the redness left his face. "Even with guys like Jaiden hanging around you?"

"What does Jaiden have that you don't?" She gripped his shoulder bracingly.

"Good looks, a lot more money, and a Ferrari," Owen said.

Okay, she couldn't argue with him there.

****

That afternoon, Annamarie left the school and headed outside. She was halfway to the oak tree when Bridget stepped in front of her with a pissed off look on her face. Annamarie cracked her knuckles. This girl was annoying her. Would it be bad if she punched her in the face? It would be nice if she could wreck that all-too-obvious nose job.
Calm down,
Annamarie told herself.
Girls cry when you hit them. You hate it when you make people cry, even in a fight.
She sighed and tried to sidestep Bridget, but the girl just jumped in her way again.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bridget asked.

"I'm walking," Annamarie said. "You know, when you put one foot in front of the other."

"Don't be smart with me," Bridget said.

"I'm not." She crossed her arms. "Now move."

"No. I have a bone to pick with you." Bridget reached out and seized a handful of hair. "Are you messing with Daniel and Jaiden?"

Her scalp burned, making her eyes water. Screw it. She
wanted
to make this idiot cry. Her fists tightened at her sides.

"I'm not messing with anybody, but if you don't let go of my hair in the next five seconds, I'm going to wreck your nose job," she said. "Your poor daddy will have to fork out thousands to make your face pretty again."

"What?" Bridget yanked harder. "I've never had plastic surgery."

And
Miley Cyrus never licked a hammer.

"Five, four, three, two—"

"What do you think you're doing?" Daniel said from behind her.

Bridget released her
. Even though she was relieved her hair wasn't going to be ripped out, she was a little disappointed she didn't get to kick Bridget's butt.

"I was...she just…" Bridget took a step back.

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Get out of my sight, Bridget," he said.

Bridget looked about ready to cry.

"Go," Daniel ordered.

Bridget headed through the doors of the school and disappeared. To Annamarie's surprise, she saw Daniel's fists were balled at his side.

"I could have handled that, you know," she said.

"It didn't look like you were handling it," Daniel said. "It looked like she was about to scalp you."

"I was just taking my time," she said. "
I don't like fighting girls because they don't know how to throw punches."

Daniel gritted his teeth but didn't say anything.

"What's the matter with you, anyway?" she asked. "Normally you'd be happy to see me get picked on."

"Is it true?" Daniel asked, completely ignoring her question.

"Is what true?" Were they not on the same wavelength today? She yelled at him and he returned with a quip. That was how the game was played.

"That you're going
to the dance with Jay," he said.

To her surprise, he looked more
furious than when she'd dumped soda on his head or even when she'd stolen his violin.

"Well, yeah." She shrugged. "I thought I wouldn't get to go otherwise. Didn't Jaiden tell you? You're best friends."

"He hasn't said a word." Daniel's voice was a dangerous hiss. "But
you.
How could you say yes?"

Of all things to fight abou
t, he was going to choose this?

"I don't think it's any of your business who I choose to go to the dance with." She stared at him defiantly. "Why does it bug you so much? It's just a dance. It's not
like he asked to be my boyfriend."

The word boyfriend made Daniel's golden face
become the color of a ripened plum.

"Don't even suggest he's your boyfriend," Daniel said.

"I didn't. I said he
wasn't
my boyfriend." What the heck? He was going nuts, wasn't he?

"Good!" Daniel yelled. "Nothing would piss me off more than
the two of you being together!"

"Why?"

"Why?" Daniel sputtered, seeming to be at a loss for words. "You'd be an awful match, that's why. He needs somebody who isn't going to punch him in the face."

"Just because you think you're too good for me doesn't me that Jaiden feels the same way." She was so mad she was shaking.

"I never said that," Daniel said.

"That's what
you implied."

The intensity of their fight made
her forehead slick with sweat. Students gathered around them, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to let Daniel win this yelling match.

"I didn't mean
it like that, okay?" Daniel said.

"Then why
are you this angry?" she asked. "You shouldn't care this much that me and Jaiden are a bad match."

A strange, heavy silence filled the air. Daniel's brows furrowed and he looked like she'd just whacked him over the head with a shovel.

"Why am I so angry?" he whispered, talking to himself more than her now.

"Yeah, that's what I just asked you." She glared at him.

His eyes widened like he'd had some epic epiphany, then his eyes narrowed again.

"No, I hate you." Dan
iel pointed at her. "That's why I don't want you going to the dance with him."

To her surprise, the words stung. She remembered what the disguised Daniel had said in her dream.
"You would rather have gone to the dance with me and you know it."
No, that wasn't true. It couldn't be. But then, why did his words hurt so much just now? They'd fought a zillion times.

She'd never been great with dealing with h
urt or confusion. If she was sad, she wanted to punch somebody. If she was confused, she wanted to punch somebody too. Right now, Daniel was the one making her feel confused, so he was the enemy.

"You
're such a jerk." She sprinted at him and drove her fist straight into his stomach.

Daniel toppled to his knees. She parted the crow
d and rushed down the sidewalk, seeking a place to hide.

****

Annamarie stood in the hall, her fists clenched at her sides. Her head was aching and she pretended the reason why her eyes ached was because she was having an allergic reaction to the dust.
Why am I so upset right now?
I shouldn't be.
Daniel didn't deserve to be on her mind. She'd rather think of ugly bugs and leeches than him. As she sighed and started punching the wall, her phone rang. She answered it.

"Yeah?" She knew she sounded pissed, but there was nothing she could do about that.

"Annamarie, are you okay?" Jaiden asked. "I heard that you and Dan had an argument."

That
meant Jaiden knew she'd punched Daniel in the stomach.

"We had a minor disagreement."
She didn't want Jaiden to know how upset she was. "I'm fine."