Chapter Twenty Nine
“Hey Harp, how are—”, Addy’s voice cuts off as she takes in my appearance.
My bags have bags, my hair a catastrophic mess that could rival a rock back from the eighties, and there’s a coffee spill on my pajama top.
I’d momentarily tricked myself into thinking I might have that cute bedhead thing going on, but judging by Addy’s shocked expression, I was totally kidding myself.
It might be the weekend and the sun may be shining, but sleep continues to evade me.
The restless dreams worrying about Clayton and Rhys killing each other over me were bad enough, but that was before the lab.
Before I realized the person I’m fearing doesn’t have a face.
Now, sleep would be a mercy. Anything to switch my brain off, to stop the possibilities from running through my mind’s eye.
My only saving grace has been Clay’s own insomnia.
Each night since the field trip, he’s stayed up to message with me for hours on end.
It’s amazing how much one can say whilst remaining surface level, but we share reels and memes, finding a way to communicate without Rhys’ looming shadow always pressing in.
Clay tells me what I’ve missed in classes while I’m taking the ‘rest’ Dean O’Sullivan has ordered.
He sends over his notes, and keeps me up to date on the disciplinary Peterson received for his negligence on an academy-funded outing.
He’s been my link to the world whilst I hide away and pretend it doesn’t exist for a while longer.
Some of us aren’t having the same inner turmoil.
Perky-and-Pink across the room has just returned from a morning jog in tight lycra that shows off her mid-section.
Ugh, I hate her sometimes. Groaning, I slip back beneath my covers and pick up a crumbled paperback that I’m halfway through.
My mattress dips, giving a moment’s warning before she wrestles the duvet off my face.
“Nope, we’re not doing this again. Get out of bed.
” I wriggle and shout. The neighbors probably think there’s a cat fight happening in here.
For a split second, I manage to grab the cover back and roll in it like a sausage, until Addy and her surprising strength whips it back off and sends me flying onto the floor.
Giving up the will to live, I just lie there like a suicidal starfish waiting for a seagull to finish me off.
“What’s got you all miserable? Ooo look at me I’m Harper,” she steps over me to do a terrible impression of swaying hips and expressive arms that I have never done.
“I’m super smart and gorgeous, and have two of the hottest guys in school fighting over me but I am soooo not secretively dating both of them. ”
“I’m not dating Rhys,” I grumble, frowning at myself. Although, a quickie in a hospital storeroom might be Rhys’ idea of romance.
Refusing to move from my new spot, I reach up to switch off the slimline receivers which were waiting for me on the doorstep this morning.
I was just trying out the weight of them when Addy got back, her bossy orders proving that I can hear with astonishing clarity.
Rhys must have paid a fortune for express delivery on the latest processor upgrade.
I’ve made a promise to myself to pay back every cent by the end of the semester.
On a shrug, Addy walks out of view and I return to my pity party for one, inspecting the ceiling from a new angle.
How long has the lampshade been so dusty and where is the spider responsible for all of the cobwebs inside?
Looking from corner to corner, on the hunt for a valid distraction, Addy suddenly dives onto me, grabbing my thumb and pressing it on my phone’s home button.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” I yell, shoving her aside and sitting upright. Her chocolate brown eyes are glimmering as she leans across to switch my receivers back on and tosses my phone into my lap.
“Oh, me? I’m not doing anything. You, however, have just booked a last minute slot at the gymnasium.”
“What on earth am I going to do at the gymnasium?”
“You’ll see,” Addy grins, dragging me upright. She’s already dressed for a round of fitness, but thankfully, it’s not spandex she shoves into my arms. I quirk a brow at my bikini and a fluffy sweatsuit, allowing her to usher me into the hallway in the direction of the bathroom.
“Make sure you shave!” she shouts through the throng of students milling around me, all of whom stop to snigger. The door is slammed closed, leaving me to either stand long enough for someone to post my humiliation online or rush in the bathroom before anyone else does.
Fine, Addy wins this round, but if she thinks she’s tricking me into a weekend workout, she’s seriously underestimated my upper body strength.
By the time I’m convinced Addy hasn’t lured me into some sadistic spin class, I am already melting into the bench of the newly installed sauna.
The dry heat presses down like a heavy blanket, loosening the knots buried deep in my shoulders, forcing the weight of sleepless nights to bleed out through every pore.
Addy sits opposite me, hair pinned high, her expression caught somewhere between smug satisfaction and blissful surrender.
She closes her eyes with a sigh that looks theatrical.
I let my head fall back too, because I can finally take a break from Clayton’s insecurities and Rhys’ twisted perceptions.
Better yet, I can relax with the knowledge that no one is watching from the shadows, waiting for another opportunity to strike.
Before long, we abandon the smothering heat and move into the adjoining room which hosts a line of three hot tubs.
The bubbling water greets us with a rush of steam that fogs up the windows and curls around the edges of the tiled floor.
Sliding into the water, I feel my bones go soft, dissolving into the warmth until I am convinced I could live here forever.
Addy stretches her colorfully tattooed arms legs dramatically, bringing forth a memory of Rhys’s tattoos shimmering within the water, his blue eyes focused on me as I straddled him in his own jacuzzi.
More flashes from that evening assault me, drawing my thighs together tightly.
Luckily, I can pass off my sudden blush as a reaction to the temperature when Addy turns to me.
‘I told you I have the best ideas,’ she signs lazily from across the other side.
‘Yes you do.’ I sign back and grin. ‘How did you know this place was open?’
‘The track team was given a heads up before the official reveal next week. We won the AAU championships last week, we deserve a reward.’
‘And I happily accept that reward on your behalf.’ My arms float gently by my sides as I curve into the provided seat and groan in pure bliss. Not for the first time, I thank whatever ultimate power ruling over us for placing Addy in my life.
Of course, peace never lasts long around here.
The glass door opens and Klara sweeps in with a towel slung over her shoulder, her designer bikini barely a scrap of material that does nothing to cover her.
She steps into the hot tub without waiting for an invitation, despite there being two others which are empty.
Arranging herself between Addy and I, her eyes flick to me first, traveling down and back up with all the subtlety of a knife blade.
Addy lifts one eyebrow and grins lazily, not bothering to adjust her seat. ‘Well, look at that. The water just got colder.’ She signs with a smirk, fully aware that Klara can’t read it.
Unaffected, Klara leans back, dipping her hair into the froth of the water. Tension clings to the steam, thick and inescapable. Her painted nails drumming along the edge of the tub as if she is waiting for me to leave. Fuck that.
I force my shoulders back and meet Klara’s stare, unwilling to look away first. I’d hoped our drama was over with, my revenge exacted for screwing with my hair and our rivalry settled at the party.
How na?ve of me. There is still a war brewing in Klara’s blue eyes, and judging by the smirk tugging at her lips, Klara thinks she’s going to win it.
“Doesn’t a part of you think this is a little bit ridiculous?
” I finally give in and attempt to break the tension.
Brownie points to me for trying to be the bigger person.
“We don’t have any real grievances, Klara.
There’s no need for…this,” I wave a wet hand in between us. Klara doesn’t seem convinced.
“Do you know he’s shut me out completely?” I read her words, my brow raising. “At least he would let me hang around as long as I stayed out of his way. Now, the only person he lets close is you.”
Addy catches my eye with a demented expression but I subtly shake my head.
We’re not going to even touch on how tragic that is.
Klara is a fully grown woman, if she hasn’t learned self-respect by now, it’s beyond us to explain it to her.
Instead, I keep on track, trying to defuse our conflict amicably.
“Isn’t it archaic for women to fight over a man these days? It’s not like his attention didn’t stray before I came onto the scene.” Klara sniffs, twisting her head away. Luckily, Addy is there to interpret for me.
“It’s part of the deal he has with my parents. Whilst at school, Rhys can do whatever or whoever,” cue bitchy up-and-down glare which Addy unhelpfully mimics, “he wants. But once he graduates, he’s all mine.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think he’ll ever be yours. Surely you want better for yourself?” I ask, unable to keep the pity from showing. Addy bites back a grin, clearly enjoying herself as the third wheel in this fight. Scoffing, Klara’s brow tilts, her expression filled with conceited attitude.
“Better for myself?” she repeats back. Her eyes sweep over me with cruel precision, the frost settling between us contradicting the heat of the water.
Her lips twitch into a faint smirk as she leans forward, her voice no doubt sharp enough to cut through glass.
“Bitch please, I’m doing better. You’re the distraction.
A pretty toy for him to play with until he remembers he already belongs to me.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re anything special.
He’s just getting a taste of trash before he comes back to quality. ”
Addy’s hands slow towards the end, her disbelief stalling her signing but it’s fine.
I caught the gist. My heart pounds, a mix of fury and adrenaline flooding every inch of me.
Heat bubbles inside me, hotter than the water lapping against my shoulders.
I tried. I offered peace, trying to put an end to this stupidity.
Klara took it, twisted it, and shoved it back down my throat.
Rising from the tub, every muscle strung tight with purpose, I grab my bag from where it was waiting right where I left it. Droplets cascade down my simplistic black bikini as I roughly dry myself off and push my receivers into place.
“Fine, Klara. You want a fight, you’ve got one.
” I let my mouth curve into a smile, though there is no humor in it.
Pulling Rhys’ jersey from my bag, I shake out the fabric and slip it on.
We’re not going to talk about why I had it on me, or how many times I sneakily inhale the lingering scent every now and then.
Klara’s reaction is brief, quickly smoothed over with practiced poise, but I catch it.
She’s stunned that I’ve accepted her challenge, proving that she’s done this before.
Intimidated women that Rhys has shown a margin of interest in.
Addy is silently cheering in the background, signing to ‘go fuck his brains out’ in the air.
The last thing I see as I close the door is the fury in Klara’s eyes, the promise to see this war through until only one of us is left standing.
I suppose it’s lucky that I have no self-preservation then.