Page 41 of Harmony

I swallow hard as he turns, leaving me standing in the hall trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.

I don’t linger upstairs. My heart is hammering in my chest at almost getting caught, but also from Jared. My gut tells me I can’t trust him. That he is up to no good. His words only reaffirm my gut feeling.

Once I make it back down to the living room, I run into Katie.

“There you are. Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Nah, just some asshole trying to come onto me.”

“Well fuck him. Let’s dance.”

I let her pull me onto the floor. I dance with her as I keep my eyes on the room. Smiling and dancing with Katie is easy. The mask on my face reflects all the fun she’s having, keeping her attention off of me for the most part.

It’s not until much later that I find the familiar set of eyes in the crowd. I wish they were the hazel ones I’ve come to crave.

They aren’t.

Instead, they are the dark brown of the mysterious man who seems to be watching me closely.

Is he my stalker? Is he behind all of this?

-

Fifteen

Mondays fucking suck.Especially leading the double life I am.

Everyone thinks spies look badass in movies. Being a double agent is exciting with all the action and shit. The truth is, the farther you fall into the persona you are forced to adopt, the more you lose yourself.

The longer I play the bitchy cheerleader, the more I wonder if I will ever get to be the old Hailee again. I’m losing myself to this world. I feel suffocated. The stress of everything overwhelming me to the point that yesterday all I did was lie on my bed staring at the wall. I couldn’t find the energy to even watch television.

Sleep didn’t come any easier. That must be why I’m off today.

“Heard you were whoring yourself out at the party Saturday.”

I turn to face the new bane of my existence. Nate only has gone harder against me since Willow came back. It kills me because pretending to hate him is more exhausting than everything else I’ve been doing.

“Yep. Gotta pay for college somehow, pretty boy.”

I know I should be giving it as much as he is to keep up the facade, but I’m fucking tired. I haven’t been sleeping well. Another note showed up Sunday afternoon, confirming my suspicion. It warned me against doing shady things and that all eyes are on me. I really felt like it was telling me the trust I earned was temporary. Like I’m on thin ice that’s ready to break through at a moment’s notice.

Now that I know Mr. Kendall is involved, I just need to find a way to tell Willow. That’s the tricky part.

“Is that why you’re doing it?” Nate’s brows furrow, almost as if he is confused by my answer.

I shake my head. “I really can’t do this with you today, Nate. Can you just pretend I gave as hard as I got and move on? I promise tomorrow I’ll give you my A-game.”

When I go to move past him, he grabs my arm. I look up, staring into his eyes as he studies me. I don’t know what he sees, but before I know it, he drags me down the halls, turning down an emptier one, before pulling me into a dark room. When he flicks the light on, I see we are in a supply closet.

“What the fuck, Nate? Seriously?”

I push against his chest, trying to get some room. Having him so close is a blessing and a curse. I ache for his touch, but I know as soon as it’s gone, I’ll only hurt worse.

“Shut up, Comet.”

He presses closer to me, caging me against the wall. My breaths come faster as his proximity both frightens and excites me.

“What do you want?” I whisper.

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