Chapter 41: Games & Mind Games

~“Nobody’s hurt you like I have, but nobody’s loved you like I do. I promise I won’t take it personally, baby, if you’re moving on with someone new.”—Ed Sheeran.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Happier” by Ed Sheeran.

HARMONY

Dustin gives the bottle a spin, and it lands on Yuna. She giggles, covering her eyes with her hands. “Why do I have to go first?”

She looks around the circle, her gaze landing on Tia. Tia tries to shift out of her line of sight, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

In the midst of my own laughter, I catch Blaze’s eye. He’s staring at me, a hard look on his face. I clear my throat and look away.

~Is he still angry? He said hurtful things too.~

“T, truth or dare?”

Tia pretends to think before she grins. “Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss Dustin on the cheek,” Yuna says, and Tia looks at her friend in shock.

“I’m going to get you back for this, Yuna.”

Dustin grins, sticking out his cheek. “I’m all yours, baby.”

Everyone snickers as Tia leans in to kiss his cheek. Just as her lips are about to touch his skin, he turns his face and their lips meet.

She pulls back in surprise, and everyone bursts into laughter.

“You cheated,” she mumbles, her cheeks turning pink in the firelight.

Dustin grins at her, but she avoids his gaze as she spins the bottle again.

It lands on James, who’s fast asleep next to the fire, his mouth wide open. We laugh, and Dustin spins the bottle again since James is out for the count.

Someone had a bit too much to drink.

“Aha! Me!” Kite says, grinning. He looks at me. “Truth or dare, Harmony?”

~I knew he’d pick me.~

I smile. “Truth.”

“Hmm.” He pretends to think, but I have a feeling he knows exactly what he wants to ask. “Is it true...that you think I’m cute?”

Honestly, Kite is attractive—not as much as Blaze, but he’s good looking in his own way. But that doesn’t mean I have a crush on him.

I giggle. “Yes. It’s true.”

A chorus of “oooohs” rises above the crackling fire, and I chuckle, my gaze falling on Blaze. He looks so angry that my smile fades.

I swallow and look away, focusing on Yuna as she spins the bottle. It lands on Dustin, who pumps his fist in the air.

“All right! Blaze, truth or dare?”

My heart skips a beat.

He shrugs. “Truth.”

Dustin leans back on his hands. “Craziest place you’ve ever fingered a girl.”

~No. Not that question, please.~

I don’t know why the question makes me so nervous.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been at each other’s throats all night and I’m scared he’ll reveal what we did, or maybe it’s because hearing about his sexual experiences with other girls would break my already fragile heart.

But the first possibility scares me more than the second, especially since I was the one who threw the last hurtful word at him. He’ll use any chance to get back at me.

Blaze runs a hand through his hair, then looks at me. I’m so tense that my palms are sweaty.

“In her room, on her bed, during a power outage.”

~Oh God, he’s going to tell them everything. He’s going to tell them what we did.~

My breathing quickens as fear grips me. The thought of everyone knowing that he touched me is too much to bear.

April looks as uneasy as I feel, glancing between me and Blaze. My heart is pounding so hard I’m afraid they’ll hear it. ~Why is he doing this to me?~

My hands start to shake again, and Kite notices.

“You okay?” he whispers. I nod.

“Ooooh, did that happen at Homewood?” Dustin asks.

~Oh please. Don’t say it, please.~

I press a shaking hand to my forehead, bracing myself for the humiliation.

Blaze is watching me, and I can tell he sees my fear. He looks away. “No. It was in high school.”

I look up at him. I know he’s lying. I know he was talking about what happened between us in my dorm room that night.

~Does he enjoy watching me squirm? His games are too much.~

“This is so juicy!” Dustin laughs, reaching for the bottle, but Kite pushes his hand away. “You spin too much. My turn.”

Dustin frowns as Kite takes over, and surprisingly, the bottle lands on Kite. That’s too much of a coincidence. Did he do that on purpose?

Kite grins, turning to the girl sitting between Blaze’s legs. She’s playing with a lock of her hair, dropping it as he points at her.

“Your turn, my dear friend.”

She sits up, rolling her eyes. “Finally. I was getting bored.”

“Truth or dare?”

“Always dare.”

He thinks for a few seconds, then a mischievous smile spreads across his face. “I dare you to give Blaze a hickey on his neck.”

My eyes widen, and everyone exchanges glances, grinning. Except for April, who looks at me with concern.

“Okay, that’s easy. I’ve given Blaze plenty of hickeys,” she says, and the thought is enough to make me want to cry, but I hold it in.

I haven’t even witnessed the full explosion of it all yet. I need to hold back my tears for when her lips meet his neck.

She turns his head to the side and presses her lips to his skin. His blue eyes meet mine, and he’s watching me while the girl kisses his neck as if it’s the most important thing in the world.

My eyes fill with tears, and I can’t hold it together anymore.

A tear rolls down my cheek, and April sighs. “Oh, Harmony—”

I stand up quickly, unable to control my emotions.

I’m crying uncontrollably as I rush across the field towards the dorms. I hear footsteps behind me, probably April. I don’t look back to check because I’m too busy wiping the tears from my face.

“Harmony!”

~A guy’s voice.~

“Leave me alone, Kite!” I sob, using my sweater sleeve to dry my eyes.

A hand grabs mine and spins me around, and my green eyes meet Blaze’s blue ones.

They soften. “Harmony.”

“Leave me alone!” I cry, pulling my hand away from him. “You’re such a jerk, Blaze!”

I usually don’t curse, but Blaze Xander is changing so many things about me. I wish I’d never met him. I wish I’d never come to this stupid place called Homewood.

“I know I am,” he admits. “I know, okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

He reaches out to touch my arm, but I step back. “Go back to her! Go back to her and let her kiss your neck like a vampire!”

“I don’t want to go back to her. I did all of this, all of this, to show you how much you’re messing with my head, Harmony.”

“I’m messing with your head?” I scoff. “You think? You’re messing with mine! You were going to tell them everything. You were going to tell them what we did!

“You wanted to humiliate me. That was my first time and you’re playing with it like it’s a game, Blaze!”

He sighs. “I wasn’t going to tell them anything, okay? And how can you blame me? You walked out on me after saying you wouldn’t give up on me! You did what everyone else did, Harmony!”

“Because you used me! You used me, Blaze. To get me to sleep with you, how could you be so…” I run my hand through my hair, and he takes a step closer to me.

“What about you and Kite? Huh? What’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing! Unlike you, I’m not trying to make you jealous.” I wipe my eyes, but the tears keep falling. “You don’t see me kissing his neck!”

“Yeah, but he kissed your neck at the party and you danced with him. I still see it all in my mind, okay? Don’t act like you’re innocent!”

“I’m not innocent!” I snap back. “Especially since I let you touch me like that!”

His gaze softens. “Harmony—”

“Harmony, are you okay?” April arrives, and I cover my eyes and turn away as I cry softly.

“Blaze, stop it, you’re hurting her,” April scolds as she comes over and hugs me.

She looks at Blaze, who’s pushing his hair back from his forehead. “Give her some time, Blaze.”

He takes a deep breath and walks away.

^~“Nobody’s hurt you like I have. But nobody needs you like I do. I know there are others who deserve you, but darling, I’m still in love with you.” —Ed Sheeran.^~