The rest of the day rushed by fast that I barely noticed the time go by, which was a relief. I still had to go meet Mr Turner for our tutoring lesson but I was hoping that Daniel wouldn't come along with me this time. I didn't want to see him. He made me crazy and my emotions go wild. I'll be angry, upset and deep down still attracted to him. He may have stuck up for me in class but that doesn't mean he stopped flirting with the same girl. For the rest of my other classes, he was still with Slyvia even though she tried to get me in trouble. At times they would whisper to each other and she would again kiss his neck and rub her grubby hand all over him in secret when the teacher wasn't looking but she would make sure to smirk at me as if she won the lottery or something. 

I wanted to punch her right then and there if I could. My blood boiled at the disgusting sight. I almost snapped my pencil in half this time. I've never gotten this mad in my life and I hate that it's over Daniel and her. How pathetic could I get? I'm getting petty and jealous over two people I shouldn't give any time of day to. Ruby tried to comfort me, suggesting that I not look at the two but how could I stop myself when it felt impossible? Even though it should be easy for me. The feeling I felt throughout today sucked, my heart felt like it was already shattered and what's even more stupid is that we weren't even dating! But I had hope that we would, especially after that kiss but that was just all a lie. 

The unusual thing that had me wondering was that Ivy looked irritated at Daniel and Slyvia. She kept gritting her teeth at them and at one point when they weren't looking, she threw both her middle fingers up at them, mouthing curse words. She was giving them disgusted stares while narrowing her eyes. She wasn't very subtle with the way she felt about the two. Ace and Lukas just seemed to roll their eyes and ignore them both. They also didn't seem to like Daniel and Sylvia though I don't know if they knew her or something.

I'm not even sure if it was a regular occurrence before but judging by Evelyn's statement earlier at lunch today, I'm guessing it was, which yet again sent a twinge to my heart. I wish I listened to her but she never mentioned that he was a 'player'. I'm surprised she didn't since whenever she speaks about Daniel, it's mostly just insults. 

I took a deep breath, trying to rid my thoughts of Daniel once again today and entered the library where Mr Turner was sitting at a table with the book, 'War and Peace', beside him. Once he saw me, he grinned and waved. I put on my best fake smile to conceal what I was truly feeling inside so that I wouldn't get questioned. I sat down in front of him and took my notebook out plus my reading glasses. 

"Hey Harmony how are you today?" Mr Turner asked.

"I'm fine, you?" I replied.

"I'm great, thank you, but are you sure you're fine? You look a bit upset" Mr Turner frowned. 

He placed one hand on my shoulder. I remained silent. I didn't want to tell him anything about why I was upset. It was personal and it was for me to handle on my own since it was my fault for being so naive. Mr Turner surprised me when he unexpectantly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. A small gasp left my lips. It was weird since technically he was supposed to be my 'teacher' though not my real one but it felt comforting and nice. I hugged back to return the kind gesture. 

When we parted from each other, his chair was suddenly pulled back as Daniel leaned forward, giving Mr Turner a menacing glare. My eyes widened as I clutched onto my seat. What the hell was he doing? He wasn't supposed to be here. Mr Turner didn't do anything but try to comfort me. Daniel didn't have to come out of nowhere and hurt him. We weren't even friends anymore so he had no right to do any of this for no reason. He can't make up the excuse of 'protecting me' when there was nothing to protect me from and I wasn't a damsel in distress.

"Don't touch her again fucker" Daniel snarled.

"Daniel! Let go of him" I demanded.

"Hey man, I'm not trying to cause any trouble, I was just trying to see if she was ok, she seemed upset" Mr Turner defended. He held his ground but I could tell from the reflection in his eyes that he was intimidated from Daniel. They were the same height but Daniel had a slightly more muscular form than him. Daniel clenched his hands on the chair tighter at that.

"Daniel please let him go" I begged. He turned his head towards me with the same glare on his face making me shrink back in my seat. His eyes softened before he sighed and pushed himself away from Mr Turner's seat.

"Fine but if you try anything, I won't hesitate to beat up someone who is only three years older than me bastard" he threatened. Mr Turner nodded his head frantically. Daniel grinned with amusement in his eyes as I huffed in annoyance. Of course, he would be enjoying Mr Turner's misery though he didn't deserve it because of me.

"Can you leave now?" I asked with irritation in my voice while I glared at him. Daniel rolled his eyes before smirking and pulling up a seat next to me.

"Nah, I'm good right here" he smugly replied.

I shook my head, deciding to just ignore him. If he wanted to stay and listen in, that's fine by me but I'm not going to give any attention to satisfy him. While Mr Turner explained the new chapter of the book to me, I kept getting distracted since I could feel Daniel's hot breath against my neck, making goosebumps appear on my skin as I tried to keep myself from shivering. I bit the top of my pencil as I tried to decipher the reading material so I could answer Mr Turner's question. My breath hitched when I felt Daniel's hand on my thigh. Damn it, I picked the wrong day to wear a dress, I should have worn some jeans but nope, I had to be stupid today, how lovely of me.

I tried to discreetly slap Daniel's hand away but his hand always found their way back to the same place. When I felt his hand slide up, I jumped out of my seat with wide eyes towards Daniel's smirking face. Mr Turner frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. I shook my head, ignoring Daniel's smug look towards me before sitting back down. This time though, I scooted my chair closer to Mr Turner's but Daniel did the same to me. I stopped and huffed in annoyance. I gave him a pointed look for him to stop but I knew he wasn't going to listen to me. 

Once the lesson was over, I abruptly stood up, clutching my notebooks to my chest and my bag over my shoulder. I walked as fast as I could out of the library without waiting for Daniel or saying goodbye to Mr Turner. I just wanted to go home and crawl into my bed so I could paint the drawing I had finished off in class. It'll be something that'll relax me and put me in a better mood than what I was feeling today. I was walking down the stairs of the library until I heard my name being called out. I looked over my shoulder but ended up missing a step and falling over down the last three steps, to the bottom. I groaned as I heard footsteps rush towards me.

"Fuck are you ok?"

I looked up at Mr Turner as he grabbed both my hands to help me up. I winced at the pain that shot up through my knees before brushing the gravel off it. My Knees were bleeding and the blood was dripping down my leg now. I wanted to cringe at the sight. I'm going to have to clean it up when I get home but I also have to put up with the pain in my leg while I walk home now. My day seems to just keep getting better and better by the hour. I'm so lucky. 

"I'm fine Mr Turner really, it's my fault, I should have stopped and looked" I reassured him. Mr Turner sighed and ran one hand through his messy hair, pushing it back.

"Firstly I told you to call me Wesley and secondly you're obviously injured, do you have a ride home?" he asked. I smiled and went to reply but Daniel decided to arrive at that moment.

"Fuck, what happened Harmony!? Are you ok?" Daniel asked as he ran down the steps towards me. 

"I'm fine Daniel but you should probably go home," I said. 

"Is he your ride home?" Mr Turner quired, pointing at Daniel. I shook my head while Daniel glared at him.

"Yes, why?" he snapped. I smacked Daniel's arm while narrowing my eyes at him. He rubbed his arm but didn't back down. Mr Turner rubbed the back of his neck nervously. There was no way I was going to go anywhere with Daniel. I didn't ask for him to stay behind or for him to give me a lift home. I would have walked home on my own. I'm perfectly still capable of doing that despite the pain in my knees.

"I was going to offer her a ride if she didn't have a way home since she was injured" Mr Turner explained. I smiled at him and his lips twitched up in reply. 

It was sweet of him to offer. That would have been nice though I don't know if I would have accepted his offer. I didn't want to waste his time by making him drop me off home just because I was injured. Daniel had noticed our exchange and decided to embarrass me by picking me up bridal style. I yelped in shock as my arms instantly went around his neck. Not again. At least he didn't throw me over his shoulder because that would have been worse considering the dress I'm wearing. Oh god, now the flashback towards Friday night when he did this entered my mind. 

No, don't think about it, forget it. It was a lie.

"I think she'll be fine going home with me" Daniel stated before walking off to his pick up truck. 

"Daniel! Put me down now! I'm not getting in the same car as you!" I demanded. He ignored me and kept walking. I huffed before peeking over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about this Mr Turner!" I called out to him.

"It's fine! I'll see you in class tomorrow Harmony!" he hollered back as he waved. Daniel placed me onto the passenger seat before slamming the door shut and getting into his side of the truck. As Daniel drove off, I could see his hands clench the steering wheel. I don't think he should be the one mad here, I should considering he just picked me up and put me in his truck despite the fact that I didn't want him to drive me home.

"Why are you so mad?" I asked. He didn't reply. "Well ok fine then, be stubborn" I grumbled while rolling my eyes and resting my head against the window. It was quiet for a few minutes until he spoke up.

"Do you like him?" 

"Excuse me?"

"Do you like him?" Daniel repeated, sounding more irritated this time. I crossed my arms and turned to him with a raised brow. 

"Who? I hope you know I can't read minds" I said sarcastically.

"That asshole Mr Turner!" he fumed making me narrow my eyes at him.

"Don't yell at me" I snapped.

"Just answer the goddamn question" Daniel grumbled.

"Bossy much? No, I don't like him, at least not like that" I replied.

I thought I heard Daniel sigh with relief but that could be all in my head. I waited impatiently until he parked out front of my house. I was quick to grab my bag and exit the car, running inside. I slammed the door shut after hearing Daniel's truck drive off. I sighed before heading upstairs and into my room, throwing my bag onto the floor. I collapsed back onto my bed to stare up at the ceiling blankly. Today had just been an absolute mess. I wasn't upset or angry, I felt empty, numb from any emotions. My phone rang loudly from my pocket but I ignored it. It's most likely either Ruby or Kylee calling to check up on me. 

I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to be alone and try to do something to improve my mood. I sat up and tied my hair into a ponytail before changing my clothes into my denim pants overalls. I got my paint colours out and poured them onto the wooden board, mixing them together. I was originally going to continue on the drawing I had finished off in class but decided to alternatively continue on the painting I was going to submit for a scholarship. I put my music on full volume. With every stroke of the brush against the canvas, it calmed my nerve and soon the stress I was feeling had vanished. 

I was planning to get this done by at least the end of this year so I can show it to an administrator and wait in anticipation. I sang softly to myself as I painted. My phone kept buzzing but I had flipped it on silent. I'd call them back later when I feel like talking. I know they would mention Daniel and I wanted to erase him from my memories. I now have to see him in school five days a week with Sylvia. I shook any thoughts of them together after school out of my head. I don't even want to know about that or else I'd break down again. I already feel pathetic for crying the first time today.

I put my paintbrush down after two hours passed by. I washed the paint off my hands and arms before heading downstairs, into the kitchen. I made myself a simple fruit salad and some hot chocolate. I sat at the dining room table and ate my dinner in silence. It was completely dark since I hadn't turned on the lights. I had a candle burning in the background while I stared out of the glass door that led to my backyard. The moon was noticeable from here. I probably looked depressed sitting here alone in the dark. I began to hum a lullaby that used to calm me down when I was little. It's the only thing I clearly remember from when I was a toddler. 

Once I was done, I cleaned up the mess. The front door shut and soft footsteps could be heard against the floorboards coming down the hallway here. I smiled when my mother entered the kitchen. She gave me a tired lopsided smile and kissed my forehead. I decided to make her some dinner while she sat at the dining room table. I made some tea and a turkey sandwich for her. She thanked me as I sat in front of her. It's not the best dinner for both of us but it's something to last the night before tomorrow morning. 

"How was school today?" she asked.

"It was ok" I shrugged. I didn't know what to say but I did know that I wasn't going to mention the incident with Daniel today.

"Are you sure? You look upset" she questioned, tilting her head.

"I'm just tired, I promise you I'm fine" I reassured her though I was just sprouting out lies so she doesn't worry over me.

"Harmony, remember what I said, you can talk to me, I'm your mother, I'm going to understand" my mother urged softly. I contemplated telling her. She reached out and placed her hands over mine that sat on top of the table. "You can tell me anything."

"Today I found something out, I got played and my heart was broken in the end" I admitted. She frowned and squeezed my hand. "I feel so stupid."

"You're not stupid Harmony, you're a teenager who's going through their first love, now I can't say much about this boy who was stupid enough not to see how beautiful and kind-hearted my daughter is but I'm sure he has his reasons, everyone does, everything reveals itself in due time but you shouldn't beat yourself up for falling for someone, we can't help who we like and sometimes it's not all good but it's up to us on whether we wallow in our sadness or cry then get up and keep moving on" she advised. My lips quirked up as tears welled up in my eyes.

"You're right, I needed that, thank you, mum, for being there for me to comfort me," I said. She pulled me in for a hug and kissed my forehead while patting my hair down.

"There's no need to thank me, I love you, I only want what's best for you, you may be upset now but that feeling won't last forever" she reassured me. I nodded and embraced the warmth of her embrace. It eased my conscious.

I wiped my tears away after we parted. We soon talked about her day at work and how she had been invited to a masquerade theme party for her work on New Year's Eve. I had to go with her so now we both needed to find a dress and a mask. It sounded exciting actually but my mother wanted to introduce me to someone at the party when the time comes. I was a bit worried since she looked nervous. I'm sure I'll be fine with whoever she wants me to meet. If it's a coworker, I've already met one and they were good. As long as they don't hurt my mother in any way shape or form, I'll like them.

I bid my mother goodnight when I saw her keep dozing off before heading to my room. I began to read a bit before I would later go to bed. But that didn't last long when I was disturbed after reading only five pages. There was yelling coming from outside. They were cackling and soon I heard fireworks that felt way too close to my house. It made me spring up from my bed, dropping my book onto the floor, and run out onto my balcony. I could barely see anything since it seemed like the streetlights weren't working but then the fireworks went off right in front of me, on my lawn. I yelped, jumping back at the sparks flying up near my face. I heard the annoying laughter again.

"Did we scare you princess?!" I heard one of the boys who were lighting up the fireworks tease from below. He was the one with the messy hair. The other one had a buzzcut. I looked over the railing, down at them with narrowed eyes. There were two guys just laughing with a lighter in their hands. I've seen them around school but I didn't know they were the kind to show up to my house and do this unless they were drunk but not even that is an excuse for this stupidity.

"Get off my property assholes!" I shouted but they just kept laughing as if this were a comedy.

Dumbasses

"How cute, she's trying to be angry, babe you look like a kitten when you did that" the one with the messy hair teased, smirking up at me. I could only faintly see them from the light coming from the moon. I noticed the light turn on from my mother's room beside me. She opened her window and stuck her head out. She looked like she wanted to throw her shoe at those boys. I wouldn't stop her or complain if she did.

"Get off my property before I call the cops for trespassing and harassment!" she yelled. That seemed to scare them since they immediately bolted after that. Their car was parked just across the street so they hopped in and drove off, their tires screeching loudly. "Are you ok Harmony?" my mother asked. I nodded.

"I'm fine, they were probably drunk anyway" I replied.

She nodded before heading back inside to sleep. I walked inside my room, locking the door behind me. I grabbed my phone and noticed that I had more than 30 messages from both Ruby and Kylee and 15 missed calls from each of them. Guilt bubbled inside of me for ignoring them for so long when they just wanted to check up on me. I mean they were still trying since the recent message by both Ruby and Kylee in our group chat they just created today was sent ten minutes ago. I sighed, sitting on my bed and decided to reply. They read it quite fast as if they were staring at their screens waiting for a reply because I soon got a call from Ruby with Kylee on the line as well.

"Hello," I answered with hesitation.

"Hello? Is that all you got to say? Hello? You had us worried!" Ruby yelled. I flinched, holding the phone away from my ear.

"The volume Ruby! We talked about this!" Kylee scolded, but not as loudly as Ruby.

"Oh right, sorry" Ruby muttered apologetically. 

"But no seriously, why didn't you answer any of our calls or messages Harmony?" Kylee demanded. I bit my bottom lip and fell back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Because I didn't want to talk about today with what happened between me and Daniel and how I feel" I admitted.

"You have to talk about sometime Harmony, you can't bottle everything up," Ruby said softly.

"I know but for now, I'm just not ready" I mumbled. They both sighed.

"We respect your decision, we'll wait until you want to talk to us about it but know we are always ready to listen and we got your back" Kylee reminded. The corners of my lips turned upwards.

"Thanks, to both of you, really," I said.

"We are like pigeons, we won't leave you the hell alone" Ruby joked. 

"Oh god you are so weird" Kylee mumbled. "Anyway, are you still coming to school tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going to skip school just because I'm upset and don't want to see Daniel or Sylvia together, I'll get over it" I shrugged. I didn't even believe my own words. I don't know if I'll get over him but I'm sure I will in due time if I just ignore him I hope. I need to so I can heal, forget and move on.

"Ok good, well we'll be there to pick you up tomorrow so be ready" Kylee ordered. 

"Ok, ok, I'll make sure I'll be ready before you both arrive at my house tomorrow," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Good you better girl" Ruby sassed, dragging out the word 'girl'. 

"Well, I'm going to go before I end up shouting out words that haven't even been invented towards Ruby" Kylee joked.

"Rude!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Whatever, goodnight," Kylee muttered.

"Night!" Ruby and I sang simultaneously. When Kylee hung up, soon Ruby and I followed after. I ended up reading for an hour until I couldn't keep my eyes open. I took my glasses off, putting it on my nightstand and curling up in my blankets. I dozed off but unfortunately and not surprisingly my dreams consisted of Daniel again that night.