Page 117 of Disharmony

“Thanks,” I reply. “I’d tell you where to get one if I knew who gave it to me.”

She, Cookie, and Conor exchange funny looks.

“What do you mean?” Leila asks sharply.

“It was slipped beneath the cabin door,” I say dismissively. “There wasn’t a note. I figured it was one of you guys.”

Leila descends, yanking me toward her. She pulls my jacket open and unclips the pin to inspect it closely.

“Hey,” I object. “It’s just a pin.”

Leila ignores me as she turns it over in her hands and passes it to Conor to look over. What the hell is their problem? Since when are they the badge police?

He hands it back. “It looks fine to me.”

“Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?” I demand. “It’s just a badge.”

“You’re basically a viral celebrity now,” Cookie brushes it off. “Coulda been some crazy stalker. You can’t be too careful.”

“I don’t think anyone cares about me enough to become a stalker,” I mutter.

“Have you even looked at your socials lately?” She makes a few furious taps on the screen and spins it around. “You have thousands of followers. It wouldn’t be the first time someone broke into Camp Harmony and left random gifts.”

“If someone wants to keep leaving me pins and patches, I’ll take it!”

“What?” Leila almost falls over. “There was a patch too?”

“It was nothing,” I insist.

“Maybe you have a secret admirer?” Cookie suggests. If Cookie didn’t make it in the music business, she’d make a good matchmaker. “Someone at camp may have their eye on you.”

“Yeah, right…”

forty-three

Ripper

I watch her from across the lake, sitting on the rocks in the spot I showed her. My quiet place.

I’m not sure what happened during her coaching session with Zed, but he’s been working out in the gym since. Our girl is driving him crazy, and I can tell he’s resisting every urge in his perfect body to tell her who we really are. He won’t. I know that. I’m not stupid, but maybe he is starting to see I’m not mad for not being able to give her up.

Ash laughs with her friends. What does she like about them? What are they talking about? I try to remember a time where we had friends outside of the three of us. When the Lionhearts took off, it became too hard to know who was out for your money or fame. Ted is the only other person we see on a regular basis… which is pretty fucking pathetic.

I decide to walk back to the house, content that I’ve seen her at least once today. I’ve had my fix and seen her happy. I can wait another few weeks until she gets her cell back and see if she reaches out. I’m not ready to let her go, but what if that’s what she decides to do? Ash doesn’t let people see what she’s really thinking. Like us, she hides in plain sight, which means nothing is guaranteed or can be taken for granted.

When I get in, Venom is still upstairs, pouring over Ash’s lyrics. He’s been obsessed with that book since she left it on the bus. He’s been working on something, but he’s not ready to share it yet. He’s a perfectionist and won’t show off his work until it’s complete.

I stroll through our pristine kitchen and living area. Camp Harmony pays for cleaners to come every few days, but I hate that someone has to come into our space. It puts me on edge and makes me feel watched, which is exactly what Jacqueline wants. She wants to make sure we don’t step out of line and jeopardize Starnote’s precious reputation.

I head into the basement, where I know I’ll find Zed working out. He lies along the bench, lifting weights above his head, and the veins in his muscles flex. Zed is smoking hot. There’s no doubt about it. He’s not beautiful like Ash, but I can’t deny my attraction toward him. And, while we don’t have Ash around, my cock is craving something to release my pent-up frustration. Something Zed feels too, judging by the amount of weight he’s bench-pressing.

I wait until he pauses and sits up to take a sip of water.

He wipes the dripping sweat from his brow and meets my gaze in the mirror.

“What do you want?” he snarls.

I hold my hands up in mock-surrender. “Is it a crime to watch you work out?”

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