Page 33 of Disharmony

“Why did you do it?” I ask, guessing it must have something to do with whatever happened last year with her old roommate.

Leila doesn’t answer and looks at the leaves above. “You think it’s nice here, don’t you?”

“Sure,” I reply, not sure where she’s going with the conversation. “It’s pretty.”

“Don’t let that fool you,” she says. Her tone turns serious. “This place is a bloodbath. Everyone is out for themselves. Last night, at the beach, I just snapped. Seeing Tiffany like that… I wanted her to feel how she makes everyone else feel.”

“She’ll probably turn green into the new edgy color,” I mutter sarcastically.

“Probably,” Leila sighs. “You’re really lucky that you’re sharing a cabin with Cookie. Her and the guys are some of the only decent ones left.”

“There is something else I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I say, thinking this would be the perfect time to continue our conversation on the beach. “Last night, you talked about something that happened last year. What happened to Riley?”

“The others are right about not talking about it.” She bites her lip to stop words from flowing out. “Riley is better off now, away from here and all the toxic bullshit. Cookie and the twins are the best part about this place, but I wouldn’t have come back if my parents didn’t force me to come. Before you say it’s because they want the best for me, it’s not that. They’re separated; Mom’s in Switzerland, Dad’s in Paris. When boarding school ends, they don’t want to look after me themselves. They want me out of the way to get on with their own lives.”

“That’s shitty,” I say lamely. The understatement of the century. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I don’t care anyway.” Leila shrugs like it’s nothing, but her shoulders are tense. “This is my last summer here, then I’ll be free to tour, travel, and do whatever the hell I want. I don’t need my parents or Jacqueline’s connections to make it.”

“Are you not a Jacqueline fan?” I ask, noticing how she wrinkles her nose like she smells something gross when saying her name.

From what I’ve seen, everyone worships the ground Jacqueline Tate walks on. Her level of success and self-assuredness awes people into submission. After meeting her, I sensed a ruthlessness about her, like she’d do anything to get what she wants. No matter the cost.

“Jacqueline is as bad as Tiffany.” Leila’s expression darkens. “I know this is where people come for their dreams to come true, but what price would you put on that? You should think about that before it’s too late.”

Before I can ask more questions, Cookie’s rainbow hair darting through the trees catches our attention.

“Here you are.” Cookie waves and bounds over with the enthusiasm of an excitable puppy. “I’ve been looking for you both everywhere. I have a surprise for you, Ash. I’ve been working on it all morning.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Have you finished painting the mural already?”

“Nope, something way better.” Her eyes shine as she passes me her cell. “Take a look.”

I look down at a perfectly curated social media feed. There’s a few short clips of me singing at my mom’s funeral and from my cover ofLion Slayerlast night. I was so wrapped up in the song I didn’t realize she’d been filming.

“I told you I’d help. I even linked it to some of the YouTube videos of you,” Cookie says triumphantly. “What do you think?”

“It… well… it doesn’t seem like me,” I say, clicking on my cover ofLion Slayeraccidentally and closing it instantly. No one can do a beautiful song like that the justice it deserves. “I didn’t know you were filming.”

“I’m sorry.” Cookie’s face falls as she senses a shift in my demeanor. “I didn’t think you’d mind. I thought I was helping.”

“You are,” I insist, not wanting to seem ungrateful. She has the best intentions and is right about improving my online presence. Who can be a star without having an active social media presence in the twenty-first century? “It just reminds me of the first video.”

… and of Brick.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asks, taking a seat next to us on the bench.

Between McCallister’s brutal coaching, Tiffany trying to discredit me, and accidentally insulting one of the Lionheart mentors, what do I have to lose by telling them about the origins of the viral video?

“I didn’t know the viral video was being filmed either,” I say.

“But wasn’t that a good thing?” Leila frowns in confusion. “It got you into Camp Harmony. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

I hang my head. “It’s from my mom’s funeral.”

“Oh, Ash...” Cookie’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry…”

“You didn’t know,” I say quickly. “I never wanted people to see me like that, and Brick cut the recording right before I started crying.”

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