Page 31 of Obsession

Luckily, the others helped me, and thanks to my ambition and boundless ego, I found myself ten feet off the ground, my soles planted on the backs of the two girls in the middle, who were already shaking under the weight.

“You call that a good angle? You look like a hunchback,” Amber bellowed again and I realized I was hunched forward.

I grumbled, straightening my back, and breathing frantically. I was lucky my equilibrium was good, even if it was damn hard to keep my balance while my surroundings spun like a centrifuge. My body betrayed me when I needed it most, and I deserved it, considering how many drugs I’d fed it.

“You all look like crap, straighten up and stop wiggling as if you’re Jello,” Amber demanded.

If only I had something in my hand to throw at her. I thought about taking off my shoe while the girl below me mumbled something, associating Amber’s brain with Jello.

I felt the loss of balance as my vision blurred again. My knees grew weak, and I searched for something to hold on to, but up here, I had nothing. The last thing I saw were Harris’ frightened eyes as he was already on his feet and running towards us.

My knees gave way, and I closed my eyes as I felt the cold air pass me by.

I was falling.

Screams rang out around me.

I waited in fear to feel the impact on the ground. An impact that would injure me for life, guaranteeing I’d be relieved of this stupid cheerleading team for good. But it didn’t happen. Instead, I collided with something else. Something strong that caught me at the last second, something that closed around me immediately afterwards. Two arms. Two huge, hard arms, one supporting my back, the other wrapped around my thighs. Theyheld me to a strong, warm chest, and I could feel the heartbeat pounding in it, making my skin vibrate.

I already knew that heart.

“Katherine,” his voice whispered my name as if out of a thick fog as his arms slowly lowered me to the grass, his chest still supporting my head.

Two warm fingers pushed the strands of hair out of my face, and I finally managed to open my eyes, feeling a real dizziness come over me as I found Harris’ face inches from mine. His black eyes glowed with concern as he kept stroking my forehead and hugging me to his chest. I could feel his breath on my feverish skin, cold and soothing, his scent a mixture of menthol and tobacco.

He ran his tongue over his dry lips and asked, “Are you okay?”

Was I okay? I had no idea.

I started to blink as needles seemed to prickle in my eyes and my head buzzed.

Trying to process what had happened, I glanced around and noticed many pairs of concerned eyes watching me. Not even two meters away were the other girls in the pyramid, who were only now finally managing to stand up, crying in pain and massaging certain parts of their bodies – probably the ones they had landed on during the fall. No one had caught them, it seemed.

Startled, I turned to Harris, who was still holding my waist in his arms. He scowled at me as his dark eyes watched me, giving me the impression that I was no longer in the same world. I had fallen into hell, straight into the hands of a demon with kind eyes and a menacing face – far too beautiful, even for an angel.

“Harris,” my ears bled as Amber’s sharp, high-pitched tone rang out.

I didn’t look at her, but continued to stare at Harris, who didn’t even seem to hear her. I tried to rise from his arms, but I couldn’t. He saved me from falling, but not from feeling faint. My head hung heavy, my eyes burned dry, and my bones seemed to weigh a ton in my body as each breath stung my lungs. I just had to stay strong, it wasn’t the right time or place to lose consciousness.

“Harris, let go of her,” Amber roared and in the next few seconds two cold hands brutally grabbed my arms, trying to pull me up.

I turned my head and looked into Amber’s hateful face, unable to fight back. I waited for her to drag me away from her boyfriend until I felt one of Harris’s arms leave my body and his large palm wrapped around Amber’s wrist.

“That’s enough, Amber,” he spoke through clenched teeth, seemingly calm but grim at the same time.

She was bursting with anger and wincing in pain, because the grip with which he held her was anything but gentle. His fist was clenched around the dangling bracelets that were probably now imprinted on her skin. Eventually she relented and released my arm, and Harris released hers. She covered the injured area with her other hand and looked at him with animosity, but also… anguished. Once again, I couldn’t understand why he was doing all this.

My friends gathered around me and pushed her away.

“Kath, are you okay?” Kristen’s worried voice was close as she sat down on her knees in the grass next to us.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t.

“You don’t look it,” she concluded, watching me with the same curious eyes as Harris.

Okay, was there something in my face?

“Maybe we should take her to the nurse?” Chris suggested as he stepped a little closer.

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