Chapter 27: I’d Come For You—No one But You

~“By now you know that I’d come for you. No one but you. And I’d fight for you. I’d lie, it’s true. Give my life for you. You know I’d always come for you.” —Nickelback.~

Chapter Theme Song: “I’d Come For You” by Nickelback.

BLAZE

~^Before he finds Harmony^~

I was sitting in calculus class, lost in Harmony’s picture on my phone, grinning like a fool. I only snapped out of it when I caught my reflection in the screen.

She’s doing something to me.

Ever since my diagnosis at ten, I’ve never felt this way about anyone. This need to be near them, to see them.

It’s strange and unfamiliar, and I can’t quite put a name to what’s happening to me.

Maybe I should Google these symptoms or go back to that dull therapist.

This isn’t like me. Something must be off.

But the picture isn’t enough. I want to see her in person. I want to see those innocent green eyes, not just in a flat image.

“Yo, check this out!” James yanks me back to reality, shoving his phone in my face. I jerk back from the grubby device that nearly smacks my lips, shooting him an annoyed look.

~He’s got to be a few fries short of a Happy Meal.~

“This girl finally texted me! I gave her my number on Sunday, and it took her two days. Woah.”

I give him a flat look, leaning back on my desk. “That’s why April doesn’t want you. You’re a player, man.”

He laughs heartily, scratching his head. “Yeah, I admit it. But so are you. Hanging around sweet, innocent Harmony just to take her virginity.”

I roll my eyes, but he keeps going.

“You’ve known her for a while now, and you still haven’t slept with her. You even got locked in your room together at that party and nothing happened.”

I shrug nonchalantly, my eyes drifting back to the picture she sent me this morning.

“You guys really didn’t do anything that night?”

“Nope.” I pop the ‘p’ without a care.

“Not even a kiss?”

My mind flashes back to that night, from the kiss to the thrill of her moving against me. I shake my head briefly.

“No. Nothing happened.”

I’m not sure why I suddenly feel the need to keep our secrets. ~Damn, I must be losing my mind.~

His eyes land on the picture on my phone, and he grabs my hand curiously. “Woah, is that her?”

I hit the home button, and his face lights up. “Damn, did she send you that? Does she send you nudes too?”

I grimace. “What?”

The words ‘nude’ and ‘Harmony’ don’t belong in the same sentence. It makes me feel...dirty.

~Dirty~. Another feeling I haven’t experienced in a long time. This girl is definitely doing something to me.

And then the urge to see her hits me harder than ever. I need to see her. Just one glance would be enough.

“I’ll be back, Jay.” I stand up and head out of the theater, not caring that the professor is in the middle of her lecture.

She doesn’t seem to mind either; she’s probably had enough of my antics.

Harmony should be in literature class now. With that jerk Malcolm.

I find her lecture hall and peek through the glass door, but my heart sinks when I see Malcolm sitting alone. Harmony is nowhere in sight.

She told me she was running late this morning, so where is she? I check my watch. 8:35 a.m. She should be here by now.

I pull open the door, and the professor looks up from his desk as I walk in. “Blaze Xander, you are not a part of this class.”

~No kidding.~

I smile. “I know that, Mr. Foster. Sorry, but I need to talk to someone.”

Malcolm sees me coming and his eyebrows knit together in confusion. He probably thinks I’m here to kick his ass.

I drop into the seat next to him with a sigh, and a girl in the front row tries to flirt with me, twirling her hair and blushing.

I ignore her and continue my search for the only girl I care about.

“Hey, where’s Harmony?” I ask him, my eyes scanning the room like a searchlight.

Malcolm looks at me like I’m from another planet. “Are we friends?”

“Obviously not, Malcolm. Just tell me where she is. She’s not in class?”

“You should just leave her alone,” he snaps, turning back to his notebook.

I sigh. “That’s not what I asked. Just tell me where she is, okay?”

“Blaze Xander, please leave my classroom.” Mr. Foster sighs, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

I flash him a toothy grin. “Yes, sir. Right away.” I grab Mal’s arm, digging my fingers into his skin. “Tell me.”

“Ow, are you nuts?”

“Tell me where she is.”

“What’s your problem?” He shrugs off my hand and scoots away from me. “Mr. Jones, her English teacher, took her to his office. What the hell is wrong with you?”

~Mr. Jones?~

My teeth grind together as I tap my finger on the desk. ~Why did that creep call her to his office?~

“Blaze Xander!”

“Okay, Mr. Foster, I’m leaving now,” I assure him, giving him my goofiest smile. I stand up. “Thanks, Mal, it was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Just leave me the hell alone,” he retorts, but I’m not listening. I’m already on my way to find Harmony.

***

I reach the imposing doors of the staffroom. It’s empty, giving Mr. Jones all the space and time he needs to do whatever he pleases.

~If that bastard so much as touches a single hair on her head, I swear I’ll split his throat like a loaf of bread.~

I stand there, hands on my hips, gnawing at the corner of my lip. I know if he’s up to no good, his office door will be locked. I spot a girl strolling by and quickly step into her path.

“Excuse me.”

The moment our eyes meet, her cheeks flush a rosy hue, a reaction I often get when I talk to girls. I pretend not to notice.

“Hi.”

“Do you have a hairpin?”

She grins, her forehead creasing in confusion. “A hairpin?”

“Yeah, you know, the black thing girls use to—” I’m making hand gestures to illustrate, and she laughs.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I do have one actually.”

She rummages in her bag and hands me two.

“One is fine,” I tell her. “But I’ll take both.”

She chuckles, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “Okay.”

“Thanks.”

I lift the hairpin with a smile and start to walk away when she grabs my arm. I glance back at her. As much as I appreciate her giving me the pins, she’s eating into my time.

“Do you...maybe want my number?”

I laugh. “No.”

She looks hurt, and I realize how blunt I can be sometimes.

“I mean, maybe next time,” I try to soften the blow, not really caring if it’s not enough to soothe her bruised ego. ~I’m not interested~.

“Okay.” She presses her full lips together, disappointment clear on her face. “But what are you gonna do with a hairpin though?”

My lips curl into a wicked smile. “I’m going to pick a lock.”

~^Present^~

“H-having a knife is illegal on school property,” Mr. Jones stammers, stepping back and nearly tripping over his own trembling feet.

The dim light in his office is enough to reveal the fear in his eyes.

I shrug nonchalantly. “Well...so is trying to molest your student in your office, Mr. Jones.”

The sight of him looming over Harmony just now has me so furious I can feel my blood boiling.

It reminds me of when a kid in my physics class pissed me off so much I ended up stabbing him in the neck with a 3b pencil.

I meant to kill him, but he moved too much and I missed the vital spot. I’m still disappointed in myself for not aiming better to this day.

But I was fifteen then, so it was expected. Now? I’m twenty, and I’m sure I won’t miss this time.

“Put the knife away!” Mr. Jones demands, and the fear in his eyes only fuels my excitement.

You know that thrill a kid gets when they get a new toy and can’t wait to play with it? That’s exactly how I feel right now.

I love how he’s trembling under my intense gaze; it gives me control.

“Where’s all your confidence gone, Mr. Jones?” I take slow, deliberate steps towards him, drawing out each word. I don’t want this to end too quickly.

“You seemed pretty confident when you were forcing yourself on her a minute ago.”

“I did not force myself on her!”

Harmony glares at him through narrowed, tear-filled eyes, and I notice a red mark on her cheek.

My eyes narrow further when I see Mr. Jones’s handprint on her tanned skin. My anger morphs into something darker and my grip on the knife tightens.

“Did you...did you actually hit her?”

Harmony’s eyes snap to me, filled with fear at the malicious look in mine.

“Did you lay your fucking hand on her, Mr. Jones?”

He swallows hard, and his silence tells me everything I need to know.

“How dare you?” I lunge at him, but Harmony steps in between us, pressing her hand against my chest. “Blaze...please.”

She’s crying softly, resting her forehead against my chest. Her tears are soaking through my T-shirt.

I sigh and close my eyes. “Harmony, don’t—”

“Blaze, just let it go,” she pleads. “Please. This is going to get you in trouble and—”

“Let me see your face.” I grip her chin and turn her face to the side to get a better look at the bruise.

Harmony’s face is so small, and Mr. Jones’s damn hand is so big it almost covers her entire face.

“Look what he did, and you want me to let it go? No, I can’t fucking do that!” I grab her shoulders and move her aside.

“Blaze! Stop!”

“I will report you!” The man starts grabbing papers and files from his desk, throwing them at me in a pathetic attempt to defend himself.

They hit my chest but do no damage. I still kick him in the stomach, sending him sprawling across his desk.

As he lands on the floor with a thud, I’m looming over him, trying to stab him while he squirms like a worm.

His pleading eyes beneath me only make me more ruthless and merciless.

I want to stab him until his life leaves his body, and even after he’s dead, I won’t stop until his damned soul knows that touching Harmony was the worst thing he ever did in his life.

“Please.” He’s begging, and it makes me smile in satisfaction.

The look on my face, pure joy and delight, makes his eyes widen. He’s finally realized that I’m not as sane as he thought.

“You’re crazy...,” he whispers in terror.

I laugh. Has he just figured that out?

“Say your prayers, Mr. Jones,” I whisper, the edge of the knife inching closer to his face. Suddenly, I feel the small, delicate arms of Harmony wrap around me from behind, her face pressing into my back.

“Blaze...please don’t. This will destroy you.”

“Harmony.” I let out a sigh. “Can you let me go?”

“No...please.” She rests her forehead against my back. “We can find another way, please don’t do this...”

“Listen to her!” Mr. Jones pleads, covering his eyes like a coward. “Listen to—”

“Shut the fuck up, you sick bastard!”

“Blaze, let it go. Please, just let it go!”

But I can’t. I can’t let this go. Because he might try it again.

“Close your eyes, Harmony! Look at what he did to you!”

“Blaze!” Her sobs continue, and I try to pry her hands from my waist when I hear the front door of the staffroom open, followed by the sound of light chatter and laughter.

“The teachers! The teachers are back!” Mr. Jones exclaims, relief washing over him as he opens his watery, beady eyes.

The sight of his smile makes my blood boil. If Harmony wasn’t holding me back, I would have plunged my knife into his fucking face.

“Let’s go, Blaze, please!”

I rise to my feet, my gaze still locked on the man. In my mind, I’m stabbing him repeatedly until my T-shirt and hands are soaked in his blood. If only he knew the fate he just narrowly escaped.

“I will report you!” he threatens, finally finding his voice. “I’m going to report you for having a knife!”

“I’m going to report you for touching me!” Harmony retorts.

She looks at me, still glaring at Mr. Jones, not uttering a word. He looks uncomfortable, my eyes alone telling him that this isn’t over.

“Blaze, come on! The teachers will be here soon!”

“Don’t think I’m done with you,” I finally say, before turning away and pulling Harmony with me.