Sweet Harmony (15 page)

"I really don't think you need me to
taste test the food," she said.

"Okay, I lied." Daniel's brows furrowed. "I
didn't bring you hear to taste my dinner."

"Then w
hy am I here?" she asked.

"I'm trying to figure something out." Daniel squinted at her like she was a puzzle meant to be
put together.

"
What are you trying to figure out?"

"Do you really want to know?" Daniel drummed his fingers on the table.

"I wouldn't ask otherwise." She nodded, her eyes narrowed.

"
Okay." Daniel sighed. "I'm trying to figure out why you annoy me more than anyone else on the face of the planet."

The words made her heart sting again
.

"I think you answered that question this afternoon." Her jaw was tense. She'd been brought here to be antagonized. "You hate me."

"I just said that in the heat of the moment. If I hated you, I would avoid you, not seek you out." Daniel scowled. "Do you know how aware of you I am? If you appear in front of me, I'm happy because that means I get to make fun of you. I show up at your dorm hoping you're there. I let you into my room even though it's off limits. I don't hate you, but there's something about you that annoys me. I just can't figure out what it is."

For some reason, her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it.

"Have you come up with anything yet?" Heaven knew she hadn't figured out her feelings for Daniel.

"No." Daniel let out a deep sigh.

"And dinner was supposed to do what exactly?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It wasn't my idea." Daniel shrugged. "I
intended to keep harassing you like I normally do. Gavin was the one who said it would be a good idea to spend time with you to see if anything becomes clear."

"Gavin?" She wasn't sure how good his advice was. "Do you trust him?"

"I trust all my friends." Daniel's fists tightened suspiciously as he said the words.

"For someone who trusts his friends, you sure did freak out when you heard
that Jaiden asked me to the dance without telling you." She gauged his reaction and saw his face pale.

"That annoys me especially," Daniel said. "Him and you. I hate that."

"First off, it really is just a low-key, platonic event for me. You don't have to worry about me clinging to Jaiden afterward." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not the kind of girl whose entire goal in life is to have a boyfriend. I'm too busy for that."

Daniel's eyebrow twitched. "That's a little better, but I still don't like it."

Is he jealous?
It was the first time she'd ever thought of jealousy and it was startling. She stared at him, the clouds clearing. No freaking way. He wasn't jealous. Because if he was, then that meant he liked her.

She made eye contact with him. All of the evidence was starting to add up. He thought about her all the time and became
angry when Jaiden asked her out. And how did she feel toward him?

"You would rather have gone to the dance with me and you know it,"
dream Daniel whispered in her head.

Annamarie was so shocked and horrified she
pelted her head with her fists again. So what if she was giving herself the world's most massive headache? Right now she'd rather have a concussion than think about all of this. The two of them having feelings for each other didn't make sense. Yeah, she may have enjoyed it just a little when he held his hand. She'd also liked learning about his past. That didn't mean a darn thing. She'd just wanted to get into the mind of the enemy and…and…

Crap, she was running out of excuses.

She started to hit herself harder. If she knocked herself out, maybe she'd forget about the whole thing.

"Stop that.
" Daniel seized her wrist. "Why are you hitting yourself?"

"I can't take this." She grabbed fistfuls of hair. "Why did you have to come into my life and ruin the harmony? Ever since
I met you, my feelings are always screwed up. I can't tell whether I'm angry or happy."

"Ah-hah." Daniel pointed at her triumphantly. "That's exactly it. That's how I feel too."

She froze. If that was how Daniel felt too, then that meant he may have been arguing with himself over the same thing. All of this was too much to handle.

"I think I should go." She leapt to her feet.

Daniel seized her and forced her back into her chair. "Toilet girl, you're going to sit back down and eat dinner with me whether you like it or not."

"
Well, I won't like it."

"I don't care." Daniel sniffed.

The two of them were eye to eye. The anger faded and was replaced by that same intense pull. Why was Daniel drawing her closer to him again?

"Ah-hem," the male waiter cleared his throat
from the threshold.

She ripped her wrist out of Daniel's grip. Daniel opened his menu and stared determinedly
at the pages, his cheeks a smidgeon red.

****

Annamarie lay down on the bed after she got home and stared at the ceiling. Her stomach was still in knots after the night she'd had.
Why Daniel?
she thought, so confused she might just melt into the bed. No, she was refusing to admit she liked him. If only she had a female friend to talk to. Unfortunately, between being the only girl in her karate class and enduring homeschool, she'd never had any female friends. A girl could go to her mom with something like this, but…Her heart pinched at the thought of her parent who was likely with her boyfriend right now. Homesickness crashed over her and she decided to call her dad. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number, not caring what time it was where he was at. Surprisingly, he picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Annamarie," her dad said. He sounded sleepy.

"Hey," she said. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," he said. "I
'm just tired."

"Do you know when you're going to come get me?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet. Soon," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Who, me? I'm fantastic. I totally fit in."
Liar
, she thought.

Her dad chuckled
sleepily. "You're making trouble, aren't you?"

"Of course not."

She clutched her pillow tight to her chest. Hearing her dad's voice brought back memories of her mom. She wondered how long thinking of the woman would make her heart sting.

"I can't believe how much I miss you," her dad said. "Whenever you were here, you were always up to something
. Now it's too quiet."

"You could fix that in an instant." If it was noise her dad wanted, it was noise she'd give him. "I can be on the next plane out."

"You know I just told you no." Her dad paused. "Why did you call so late anyway? Tomorrow is a school day, isn't it?"

Admitting that she was homesick made her
appear too vulnerable. She'd already asked him to let her go home and he'd said no.

"I just thought I'd call to check up on you," she said.

"I'm fine," her dad said.

The conversation fell flat.

"I got invited to a dance," she said, hoping that might spur on the talking.

Her dad sucked in air. His surprise was unflattering.

"By a boy?" he asked.

"No, by a toad." She couldn't help but laugh now. "Of course by a boy."

"Oh." Her dad seemed to be struggling to decide what to say. "Do you like him?"

At the mention of the word "like
," she thought of Daniel and his hauntingly handsome face. Why couldn't she stop thinking about that spoiled brat? She bit her tongue and remembered her dad was talking about Jaiden.

"He's nice enough." She shrugged. "He's really good looking."

"Be careful," her dad said. "I know I haven't had the chance to give you
the talk
yet."

She realized he
meant the S-E-X speech. Even the thought of discussing that with her dad was enough to make her hair stand on end. She'd rather swallow a live jellyfish.

"You don't have to
talk to me about that." She was sixteen years old and lived in the twenty-first century, after all.

"Still…" Her dad sounded uncertain. "I really
wish Yuki could talk about this with you."

She could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Mom isn't going to be around anymore," she said quietly. "Get some sleep Dad. Don't worry about me."

"Bye," her dad said.

"Bye." She hung up the phone and rolled onto her side.

Poor Dad,
she thought.

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Annamarie awoke, her eyes as heavy as steel blocks. She staggered out of bed, cursing Daniel for giving her another nightmare. She'd dreamed the two of them were fighting when an ugly toad interrupted and said they had to get married. She wasn't sure what was more revolting—the idea of marrying Daniel or the ugly toad.

S
he left her room, did her toiletries, then escaped the dorm in a hurry. Owen wasn't waiting for her by the door. That was probably because he was too embarrassed to face her after admitting he'd planned to ask her to the dance. She was just on the way to the school when she spotted Jaiden on the sidewalk.

Today Jaiden wore a suit with an emerald green tie. It brought out the color of his eyes, making
them appear luminescent. She was stunned by his handsomeness, but once she recovered, she waved at him. The guy grinned back and trotted over to her.

"Good morning," Jaiden said.

He gave her a hug and she could feel the hardness of his chest.

"Morning." She
stepped back. "You look nice today."

"The seniors are giving a performance in the auditorium to practice for the competition next week," Jaiden said.

"Does that mean we'll get out of class?"
Please tell me I get to skip math.

"Yep," he said.

"Yes!" She did a happy dance. "That means I might not get any homework. That's perfect because I have to pick up a dress for the dance tonight after I get out of karate."

The words made Jaiden's already wide smile grow bigger.

"Speaking of the dance, I was hoping I could pick you up at six at your dorm room," Jaiden said. "Is that okay with you?"

"That's fine." She nodded.

"Right." Jaiden gave her two thumbs up, his green eyes glistening.

Suddenly, she felt awkward. She wasn't sure why. They'd always had such easy, free-flowing conversations before. She glanced at the
door of the school.

"I better go get myself some breakfast pastries from the vending machine before
class starts," she said.

"That's a good idea." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "See you at lunch?"

"See you at lunch," she agreed.

One second she was standing a foot away from Jaiden, the next she was in his arms. He hugged her so close her face was pressed against his chest and she could smell
expensive cologne. By the time she realized how close he held her, Jaiden was already stepping away. Her heart thundered in her chest—from surprise, she told herself—as the two of them made eye contact.

"You're going to have the time of your life at the dance," Jaiden said. "
And don't eat first. I've got dinner planned."

She
nodded and watched Jaiden walk away.

****

That evening, Annamarie trotted out of the dojo with sweaty black hair sticking to her face. After class, her endorphins were flowing and she was in a great mood.
Now I just have to go buy my dress
. She was so deep in thought that she jumped sky high when one of the guys from her karate class clapped her on the shoulder.

"Good job
today," he said.

"Thanks." She grinned and
waved. Considering the fact she'd thrown him three feet in class, she thought he was being a good sport about being beaten up by a girl.

The two of them parted ways. She walked five blocks to a strip mall she'd seen
while riding the bus and headed inside a dress shop. An old lady with blonde hair sat behind the counter picking at her nails. When the woman saw her, she forced a smile on her face.

"Hello." The woman
cocked her head. "Anything I can help you with today?"

"I need a dress for a school dance." And she didn't know the first place to look.

"Middle school?"

"High school. I'm a junior.
" She grumbled as she looked down at her non-existent cleavage. That was the problem with being mousy and short. She'd probably be ID'd at R rated movies until she was eighty.

"Oh." The woman's eyes
widened in surprise. "We have a rack over there in the corner specifically for school dances."

Annamarie nodded and headed into the corner where the woman pointed.
The rack held dresses in all colors with a wide array of puffiness. She picked through the clothes and didn't find much to be excited about. A) she was too small for a lot of the dresses and b) she didn't want to be swallowed up by fluff.
There's got to be something better for me than this,
she thought, picking up a flamingo pink gown that would make her look like she'd time traveled from the eighties. She was just about to leave the store in disappointment when she spotted a dress out of the corner of her eye.

The dress
was the color of champagne and was made from smooth silk. It was low cut in the front—not that she had much to display—and was even lower in the back. She checked the sales tag. It said it was extra small.
Perfect,
she thought, triumphant. Even with her mousy body, she'd look okay in a dress like that. She draped the dress over her arm and headed to the salesclerk.

"Can I try this on?" No way was she buying a dress without
seeing if it fit first.

"
The dressing room is in the back." The woman pointed at a door behind her.

She headed into the back and saw a lone changing room. Th
e store must not have had many customers. After entering the changing room, she undressed quickly and pulled the dress on with her back to the mirror. The fabric was cool and clung to her perfectly. She hesitated before turning around to look at herself.

It
was like she was wearing a river of gold. The silk contrasted with her pale skin, making her face look bright instead of translucent. The material and design made her tiny figure appear delicate and graceful instead of bony and mousy. When she came into the store in her baggy pants and oversized sweater, it was easy to understand why the salesclerk had thought she was in middle school. But when she was in this dress, she looked like she was on her way to womanhood. She was proud of her body for being more than just a destruction machine.
Daniel is going to drop dead when he sees me in this dress,
she thought as she pulled the gown over her head.

Wait a second…Daniel? Crap!
As she draped the dress on the dressing room door, she tried to tell herself that she'd meant to think Jaiden. The problem was a person could only be so naïve. She knew in the darkest depths of her heart that Daniel was the one she wanted to wear the dress for.

As she looked down at the clothes, she
felt a painful pinch of guilt. Jaiden was the one who was honest, sweet, and kind. Daniel was temperamental and childish. She shouldn't be wearing the dress for him. Angry at herself, she picked up the gown and went to select a pair of shoes with a large enough heel to gouge her brain out with it.

****

Annamarie headed up the steps of the dorm with the bag containing her dress and shoes hanging on her arm. A group of girls were talking outside of her room.

"Is it true,
Allison?" one of the students in the group asked a black-haired girl. "Did Daniel ask you to go with him to the dance?"

Allison
nodded, looking like she barely believed it herself.

Something
big and slimy was swimming around in Annamarie's stomach.

"He never goes to the dances," one of the
girls said. "You're so lucky."

"But I thoug
ht he was dating that weird transfer student," said another girl in the group.

The words were a slap to the face. The group must not have seen her come up behind them. She headed to her
room and went inside. She sunk down onto the bed and cupped her head in her hands.

You were wrong,
she thought.
Daniel likes Allison. And why wouldn't he? She's gorgeous.
With tears of rage filling her eyes, she picked up a pillow and started hitting her bedframe with it. She tried to tell herself she was mad because Allison wasn't right for Daniel, but soon, her excuses ran out and she was left with the truth. She liked Daniel. Crap. In frustration, she beat the bed harder.

She'd been doing this for a few minutes when her phone rang.

"What?" she snapped, realizing too late she shouldn't answer the phone like a raging beast.

"Whoa." It was Jaiden. "Bad time?"

"No," she lied, placing her hand on her heart and fearing it might pound out of her chest.

"Are you sure?
" Jaiden paused. "If you're not okay, I can be at your room in a second. We can talk."

She sunk
onto her bed and laid her head on the pillow. Having Jaiden come over now was the last thing she wanted. She had too much anger to deal with. She didn't want to end up punching the guy because of her mixed up feelings.

"It's nothing," she said. "Somebody, ugh, stole my last donut."

"You have a lot of anger over a donut." Jaiden sounded skeptical.

"It was a really good
one," she said. "It was the kind with the thick cream in the middle."

"That sounds delicious," he said. "I'll tell you what. I'll
bring you a donut tomorrow morning. Will that make you feel better?"

"You don't have to do that.
" She was such an awful person for misleading him like this.

"I want to," he said. "I'll get some for myself too. I'm
serious about jelly filled."

"Jelly filled donuts are pretty good," she
said.

The talk of donuts was defusing some of her anger, but
Allison's face kept appearing in her mind. The girl was too freaking pretty with her long eyelashes and her full lips.

"
Jelly filled are the best," Jaiden said. "But I obviously didn't call to talk about baked goods. Did you buy a dress for Saturday?"

"Yeah." She fished around in
her bag and pulled out the gown. "It's nice. I was surprised I found one that fit me so well."

It wasn't easy buying a dress that looked good on a surfboard.

"What color is it?" Jaiden asked, his voice husky.

"Why?" A chill ran up her spine. Was Jaiden
trying to take this conversation someplace dirty?

"So I can match my tie and get you the right flowers," Jaiden said. "You thought I was creeping on you right now, didn't you?"

She couldn't help but laugh. Now she felt ridiculous because of her paranoia.

"Yeah, I kind of did," she admitted.

"I love how highly you think of me." Jaiden still sounded chipper, despite his newly earned creeper status. "But I'm glad you laughed just now. You sounded so miserable and angry when you picked up the phone."

"Did I really sound that bad?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jaiden sighed.

"Don't worry. You cheered me up." That wasn't
one hundred percent true, but she was touched by Jaiden's thoughtfulness.

"Really?" Jaiden sounded hopeful.

"Really, really." Oh man. She hated herself for lying.

"I'm glad," Jaiden said. "By the way…"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Thanks again for saying yes to going to the dance with me," Jaiden said. "You made me the happiest guy alive."

Her heart sped up, but it ached too.

"You're welcome," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

After Jaiden hung up, she released a deep sigh.