Chapter 77: A Message From Kite?

~“I’m a fool for you.” —Ariana Grande~

Chapter Theme Song: “Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart” by Ariana Grande.

BLAZE

“Maddie’s back and she’s all about you!” James laughs, flopping onto his bed like a fish out of water.

He finds it hilarious that I’m being stalked by a girl who’s lost her marbles. I, on the other hand, find it draining.

I roll my eyes, not letting his comment distract me from the ~Need for Speed~ game I’m engrossed in. “She’s nuts. I don’t know why she’s back.”

“Well, you’re the one who made her that way.” James shrugs, sitting up. “You just had to go and sleep with a psycho.” He snickers, and I finally tear my gaze away from the screen to shoot him a glare.

He clamps his mouth shut and mimes zipping his lips.

“I can’t help it if I’m good in bed,” I brag, blindly reaching into the bag of Doritos next to me and shoving a handful of the cheesy chips into my mouth. “I’ve got game when it comes to sex.”

“Sure, you do.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm. “I mean, you still haven’t slept with Harmony.”

“Harmony’s different,” I say, a soft smile playing on my lips at the thought of her. “She’s not just some random girl or a club chick; she’s special. I can’t just jump into bed with her. I need to take it slow.”

“You’re right. I feel the same about April, but it’s a shame we ended up—” He cuts himself off, and I glance over at him, curious about his unfinished sentence.

“A shame what?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“Don’t play games, James. You were about to say something.” I drop the controller and turn to face him. “Spit it out.”

He rubs the back of his neck, looking away guiltily.

“April told me not to say anything,” he finally admits, and I lean forward, resting my elbow on my knees.

“Tell me, James.”

“No, Blaze.”

I narrow my eyes at him, and he winces. He knows I could easily jump over this chair and strangle him.

I study his guilty face, my lips twisted in a scowl.

Growing up watching humans interact and learning to mimic them to get what I want has given me the ability to read body language and facial expressions.

It doesn’t take long for me to fill in the blanks of his unfinished sentence, and my brows furrow in realization.

“You slept with my cousin, James?”

His wide eyes confirm my suspicion.

“How did you even—”

“Did you?”

“Um, it...it was just once.”

“You little...” I jump up in anger, and he quickly scrambles off the bed and bolts for the bathroom. I chase after him, nearly knocking over the table in the process. “I’m going to kill you, you horny jerk!”

“We were drunk, Blaze! We weren’t thinking straight!” He dashes into the bathroom and slams the door shut. I step back, glaring at the door, and he catches his breath, his voice echoing through the door.

“Come on! You can’t blame a guy for not being sober!”

I huff and place my hands on my hips, shaking my head.

“I hope you know I’m standing out here with a big knife in my hand. The minute you step out, I’m cutting you into pieces, and I’ll hang your bloody skin at the entrance of Homewood for everyone to see.”

“It was just once—one time!”

“I’m not moving from here.”

“Blaze,” he whines from the other side of the door. “It’s stuffy in here from me using the bathroom earlier. Please just let me out. What happened to peace, love, and forgiveness?”

“Shut up, you sneaky piece of shit.”

He makes a noise that sounds like a cat crying, and I sigh.

“Okay, fine. I’m proud of you. That was a good move.”

He’s silent for a moment before his voice filters through the door. “Really? You mean that?”

“Yeah, man. That means she’s probably head over heels for you now.”

“Really? You think?” He sounds excited and starts to open the door. “I didn’t think you’d approve—”

I grab him by his collar, and he yelps, struggling to free himself. “Come on. I thought you surrendered, Blaze!”

“Surrender, my ass!” I smack him on the head while holding him in a headlock.

He tries to hit me back, and I dodge his attack, laughing. Soon, we’re both laughing and messing around like a couple of five-year-olds.

A loud knock on our dorm door interrupts our childish antics. I let him go, and he backs away, rubbing his neck. “Damn, are you a sumo wrestler or something?”

“No, you’re just a wimp, that’s all.” I give him one last kick in the ribs before laughing my way to the door.

“If it’s Harmony, I’m going to tell her you have the potential to be abusive, and she should run away before she ends up on an episode of Oprah in the future!” James chuckles, panting.

“Shut up, cousin-sleeper.” I flip him off over my shoulder.

“Stick that in Maddie!”

“She wishes!” I grab the doorknob, a wide smile on my face, but it disappears the moment I see who’s standing at the door.

Maddie.

It’s like I summoned her or something.

“Damn,” James grumbles from behind me.

“Hi, Blaze.” She grins, a playful sway in her stance.

I roll my eyes and motion to shut the door, but she blocks it with her hand. “Hold on.”

I frown. “What?”

She folds her arms across her chest, her smug smirk still in place.

“Maddie, I’ve told you a million times, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m not interested, and I never will be. And leave Harmony alone. It’s really getting on my nerves.”

“Blaze, this isn’t about us.” She frowns.

“Okay, so what is it then, trick or treat?”

James bursts into laughter inside, and I fight the urge to join him, biting my lip to suppress a grin.

She looks offended, but she doesn’t leave. “I have something to tell you.”

“Really? What’s that? You’re checking back into the loony bin?”

James chuckles again, shaking his head in amusement. “You’re such a jerk, Blaze.”

I flash him a wide grin. I know I am, she knows it too, but she still won’t back down.

“No.” She shakes her head, and I can tell our constant laughter is hurting her feelings. I didn’t even know she had any. “It’s not about me. It’s a message from Kite. He asked me to deliver it to you.”

My smile fades, and I cross my arms over my chest, leaning against the doorframe. “So, Kite’s too chicken to face me and sends his secretary instead?”

“No. He said he wishes he could be here himself, just to see the look on your face when he tells you what he has to say.”

“Yeah, right, tell him he can shove his message where the sun doesn’t shine.” I try to shut the door again, but she wedges her foot in the way. I grit my teeth. My patience is wearing thin.

“Blaze, you need to see and hear this. It’s important.”

I narrow my eyes, giving her a silent glare. She raises an eyebrow, and I growl. “This better not be a waste of my time.”

She grins. “Oh, it won’t be.”