Page 122 of Disharmony

“Don’t worry,” I reply, “I’m not taking any chances.”

I catch a glimpse of Declan’s watch. It’s nine p.m. Staying for an hour to uphold tradition seems reasonable. I can’t fuck up tomorrow by going on a crazy bender. The first unaired performance starts at six p.m. and the live show airs an hour after, but wardrobe and makeup are scheduled to arrive at noon to start preparations.

Cookie grabs my arm and pulls me into the pit of bodies. “You’re not drinking, but you can still dance!”

She continues to talk, but I can’t hear her over the music as we’re close to the pounding speakers. While we’re dancing it suddenly hits me that this is our final night here. Camp Harmony used to be everything I dreamed of. I may not have found exactly what I was looking for, but I’ve made amazing friends.

My limbs cry out for a rest after trying to keep up with Cookie’s energetic dancing. After a day rehearsing, there’s only so much a girl can do in a day. Fuck! Tiffany storms through the crowd, barreling into me, almost knocking me over, then hurries away without an apology. Damn, she’s in a bad mood!

Cookie holds up her thumb. “Are you okay?”

I shake my empty soda can and nudge my head toward the edge of the dance pit.

“I’ll be right back,” I mime.

She nods and starts a dance-off with a tipsy first-year.

I head to the ice bucket. No one else is around. They’re too busy partying or sneaking off into the bushes to make out.

Tiffany steps out of the shadows and corners me. She doesn’t look as flawless as usual. Her mascara is slightly smudged, and her hair has gone frizzy at the ends.

“Ashley,” she says.

I straighten up, preparing for a verbal attack. “What do you want, Tiffany?”

“I-I…” Her bottom lip trembles. “Can we talk alone?”

I look over my shoulder to see a small crowd gathering around Cookie. Leila, Declan, and Conor are among them, cheering her on. I want to return to them, but Tiffany’s eyes well up. She isn’t her usual confident self, and it reminds me of the time I saw her arguing with her mom.

“Fine,” I sigh, casting a quick look back at my friends. A few minutes won’t hurt, right? “But make it quick.”

“This way,” she says.

I follow her deeper into the forest. She uses the light of her cell to guide us. The temperature is dropping fast now the sun has gone down, and I kick myself for not wearing extra layers.

We stop by a tree lying on its side. It must have fallen during a storm, but some of its gnarly roots are buried in the earth, keeping it alive. Tiffany sits down. Without her Lockets around her, she seems smaller and more fragile somehow.

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask.

“I…” She looks around then her gaze rests on her wringing hands in her lap. “I want to apologize for how I’ve treated you this summer. I know I’ve been a bitch… it’s just…”

Her apologizing seems as unlikely as her dropping out of the final show. Her cocky arrogant front is gone, but I struggle to buy it. Why the sudden change of heart now?

“We haven’t been working together,” Tiffany continues. “All I want is for the final show to be perfect tomorrow. I don’t want anything to compromise that.”

“I’m not going to do anything to fuck it up,” I say defensively. “I’m not a complete idiot.”

“I want to put old grudges aside,” she says, “for the sake of the camp.”

“I never had anything against you.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I can put aside our differences for your precious show, but I can’t forget what you’ve done. We’ve had to paint our cabin three times over.”

The bitch has treated me like an outcast all summer. Her sudden guilty conscious and half-baked apology isn’t going to change that.

A tear slips down her cheek. “I’m such a fucking bitch.”

Instead of caving to my urge to run away, I sit next to her and pat her arm awkwardly. As much as she’s made my life miserable, I’m not a total heartless monster. When I look through the trees again, everything looks fuzzy around the edges. Tiffany’s emotions must be getting to me.

“My mom tells me I’m never going to amount to anything,” Tiffany snivels. Her voice is bordering hysteria. If this is what happens when you grow up in a celebrity family, I’m glad to have had an ordinary life. “I’m going to prove her wrong.”

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