Extra Bonus #98: Harriet Meets Xander and Ben (Patreon)

IMPORTANT: Please do not screenshot and post any part of this bonus scene to other sites or share with non-patrons. All of the Patreon content is exclusive to Patreon and for current patron's eyes only.  Thank you!! xoxo Krista & Becca

RESOURCES:  Check out this narrative timeline graphic to visually see when this bonus scene takes place.

AS FAR AS BAD IDEAS GO, this might be one of them. But I seriously can’t back out now. Like I have come way too far just to call it quits. You’re doing this for Luna, I remind myself.

I park Harold, my Honda, at the back of the lot, far from the front doors of the galaxy-themed bowling alley. My backseat is a mess. Among the clutter are two pillows, a Hello Kitty blanket, and a bag of day-old Dunkin’ donut holes that will still be delicious tonight. My bookbag fills one footwell, and my shoes fill the other. My boots and sneakers are neatly arranged, so there’s that.

After I snag the manila envelope from the passenger seat, I climb out of Harold and force myself to stop overthinking this. It’s done.

You’ve come this far, Harriet, deal with it.

I just really, sincerely hope that I don’t run into Tom Cobalt. What are the chances he’s at Luna’s birthday party too? Whatever—it won’t stop me. This is a quick greet-and-leave anyway. I’m not lingering around.

I have things to do.

Like study for finals and finish my application to Manhattan Valley University.

Penn is great and all, but my academic scholarship only covers tuition, and I would love to stop living out of my car. If I can somehow snag a spot in the honors program at MVU, it’s a full fucking ride. No more being out-of-pocket for fees and books, and they’ll even give me a small stipend for living expenses. I’d be way better off than I am now. So yeah—just deliver this envelope to Luna. Wish her a happy birthday. And then get back to work.

Easy.

Easy.

How many times do I have to say it in my head to fully convince myself? Fuck, whatever. I’m going in. I slam the car door a little too aggressively and wince. “Sorry, Harold.” I tap the roof a couple times before I head toward the bowling alley.

Three burly guys are standing outside the door—and they don’t look like normal bowling alley security. It’s not a total shock that Luna’s family would bring their own security after the whole kidnapping thing. My heart squeezes. Shit, I really don’t even want to think about it. Like I’ve been avoiding the news big time just so I don’t have to picture what happened to Luna. I don’t want the graphic details. I can infer enough from how long she was in the hospital and how much school she’s missed.

As soon as I make it to the curb, I say, “Hi, I’m—”

“Harriet Fisher.” The tallest one nods like he’s been expecting me.

He’s not even holding a clipboard and checking my name. I have never been this cool. This might actually be the peak of my public recognition. Like I’m sure I’ll never be on any VIP list for a club. No skipping to the front of the line. But here, at a neighborhood bowling alley, I feel kind of like a movie star.

I hold back a smile. “Oh wow. You know my na—”

“I’ll need to check that,” he interrupts me and motions to the envelope tucked under my arm. Okay, the stars in my eyes have officially gone out. I am definitely not cool.

“Yeah, sure.” I hand it over to him. “It’s just some schoolwork. I’m dropping it off for Luna.”

He checks the papers. I wonder if he thinks I’d like hide something heinous in there. A live garden snake? Rat poop? What do evil people do to famous people?

Thinking about it curls my lip in a soured grimace.

“If you’re just dropping this off, we can do that,” the Tall One tells me, returning the papers inside and clasping the manila envelope shut.

“Umm…” I take a deep breath, panic infiltrating. I have gone through too much to leave this part up to some random dude I don’t know. “It actually needs an explanation, and I’d like to wish Luna a happy birthday. If that’s okay?”

He narrows his eyes at me for a long moment, and I watch him touch his ear like he’s listening to someone on his radio. He adjusts the wire to his earpiece as his brows knit.

I crane my neck toward the doors. Jeez, I’m missing Luna’s bodyguard. Frog was someone who didn’t make me feel like I could be drop-kicked into the Atlantic at any second.

The Tall One lets his hand fall from his ear and then gives me a slight nod. When he holds out the envelope, I take it from him quickly. He sidesteps, clearing my path to the building. I can now see a sign taped on the door. Closed for a private event.

I’m just hoping there are more than ten people in there. I would like to blend in and not be a total fucking neon sign flashing “I don’t belong.”

Taking a breath, I keep that hope and enter the bowling alley.

It’s dark.

Thank God.

The galaxy theme is really serving me well. Neon lights flash and dance over the lanes, but the overall lighting is moody and dim. My heart is pounding hard in my chest as I scan the many faces for Luna. I don’t get that starstruck, not really, but there’s no greater emotion than when you feel like you are out of your element—which comes in full force being surrounded by a bunch of famous people.

It’s disorienting. I’m really glad that there are also faces I don’t recognize. Like a lot of them. It calms down my racing pulse. For a second, I think I spot Maximoff Hale, but I really do not want to do a double-take to verify.

I have a singular purpose. Find Luna.

Yes. I let out a breath of relief when I spot her. Over on Lane 8, Luna is wearing a mint-green retro diner costume with alien antennae. I don’t waste time. I am on a mission.

Passing a rack of bowling balls, I make it to Lane 8 without face-planting or being body-slammed by security. As soon as I’m near the seating area, this disarmingly attractive guy—tall and lean with a face that’s just wow—jumps to his feet so abruptly that I skid to a stop beside the ball return.

My heart has legitimately stopped. Why was I worried about running into Tom fucking Cobalt? When I should have considered that, yeah, Luna’s brother would be here.

This brother.

He’s in some sort of sci-fi costume—a black armored bodysuit and matching black cape. I don’t watch enough movies these days to pinpoint what film it’s from.

I’m more caught up on his face anyway. His sharp jawline, disheveled brown hair, and hypnotizing, amber-colored eyes. He’s ridiculously beautiful. The kind of beauty that’d cause people to walk into walls and faint.

So I think I’m fine, okay. It’s not like I’m on the floor.

Still, it feels unreal seeing him in real life after all the times that I’ve come across his picture while scrolling through social media. Like girls are obsessed with this dude.

And he is currently, in real life, holding up a hand in greeting. “Xander,” he introduces himself. “Or Paul Atreides. You are?”

Paul Atreides. Okay, so not The Matrix…I don’t think.

“Harriet. Just Harriet.”

“Harriet?” Xander frowns and turns around to face Luna, his back to me.

I’m sweating. It takes so much effort not to fan the manila envelope at my face. I can hear him ask his sister. “Harriet? Do you know a Harriet, Luna?”

Cool, her little brother is protective of her. Totally do not want to meet her older brother.

Luna says brightly, “I do know a Harriet. Lab partner Harriet.”

I try not to be crushed by the absence of the word friend. I didn’t delude myself into thinking we were friends just because we’re lab partners. But I don’t know, the invite to her birthday party made me feel like maybe there was a way to build a friendship? Then again, I got my invite before everything bad happened and she stopped coming to class. So maybe that path obliterated itself. I’m not sure.

It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. I didn’t come here to be friends, and I honestly don’t have time for one right now. Plus, if all goes well, I’ll be in New York next fall. Maybe this is just for the best.

I’m about to reply to Luna, but there’s a guy coming toward this lane. Eyes pinpointed on me. Oh fuck me. It’s a Cobalt.

I wince instantly.

He’s going to hate me because of Tom.

Ben Cobalt. I know less about him, but he goes to Penn and plays hockey for the Ivy League. He’s tall—super fucking tall—and built for his height, not gangly at all. He’s sliding a hand through his wavy brown hair on his journey over here, which is too hot in its casualness. Like he’s unperturbed. I guess that’s just how jocks are—I wouldn’t know. I’m friends with zero.

He’s wearing jeans and a ringer tee that says, love the earth, which doesn’t feel as on-theme with the whole space-birthday-party vibes that most of Luna’s family members seem to be adopting. But it honestly makes me feel less like a loser for just wearing a pair of red plaid pants and a plain white top.

When Ben lands in front of me, he smiles with a way too cool, friendly, “Hey.”

I am stunned. Why the hell is he smiling at me?

“We go to Penn together,” he adds.

“Thousands of people go to Penn,” I say, my voice tight. “How would you know I go there? We’re not even in any classes together.”

“I remember people and faces fairly easily, and I’m positive I’ve seen you on campus before.” His smile is so charismatic and magnetic that I have to shift my gaze to the floor to keep my thoughts aligned. I don’t get him at all.

“Am I wrong?” he asks.

“Dude, I know who you are, and your brother hates my guts, so maybe you should stop fraternizing with the enemy.”

“My brothers’ enemies aren’t mine.”

What? My brows knit. “Aren’t Cobalts all like, we all kill and die together, hoorah?” My voice is deadpan, and I raise a pathetic fist in the air.

Ben laughs, a genuine laugh, as if I’m funny.  

My mouth might as well be on the floor. How the fuck is this guy related to Tom Carraway Cobalt? How is he amused by me right now and not shoving me out of the front door?

“You want some cake?” Luna asks me, and I shift my attention to her.

“No thanks. I can’t stay long.” I step forward to hand her the manila envelope. “I talked to our professor again, and he okayed you finishing out the course off-campus. You just have to peer-review our labs and email them back to him.”

Luna frowns as her fingers curl over the envelope. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble…”

“It’s nothing,” I say hurriedly. I really don’t need her to think this was a big deal. I don’t need her to ask any other questions about it. Because I will not be telling her the truth. Hey, Luna, I made an agreement with our professor. One blow job from me, and he’ll let you finish the class. That will go over about as well as being dunk-tanked at a carnival.

Blow jobs are nothing to me. They are. They truly fucking are. I think I’d feel worse if I let someone like Professor Turner unjustly fuck over Luna after all she’s been through. It’s just not fair.

Luna holds on to the manila envelope like I handed her precious gold. “It’s not nothing,” she says so quietly under her breath. Then she tilts her head up and tells me, “Thank you.”

I nod once.

Time to go, Harriet. Mission fucking accomplished.

I spin on my heels, passing both Ben and Xander as they stare down at my short self. “Bye, Cobalt boy. Bye, Paul Atreides.” Peace out. I did it.

“See you around, Harriet,” Ben says so smoothly. I honestly wonder how many people he’s charmed in his life.

My heart is fucking racing.

Xander raises a hand in goodbye, and I meet his emotive amber eyes for a short blip. It’s long enough for me to feel my face turn red.

Again, thank God for the galaxy theme and those dim fucking lights.

I leave the bowling alley as quickly as I arrived. The double doors shut hard behind me. The cool November air fills my lungs, and the bodyguards outside stop chatting as soon as I’m in earshot. They stare at me, probably waiting for me to disintegrate into the gravel on the road.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. My time in the spotlight is over.

I realize that gifting Luna a way to complete the course off campus means she really won’t be coming back to class. This will probably be the last time I ever see her.

See any of them, really. I’ve only been circling her famous family because of my connection to her.

Then I hear Ben in my head, See you around, Harriet.

I laugh all the way to the back of the parking lot. Yeah, fucking right.

Thank you all for reading the extra bonus this month! We took it a little farther back in time to an iconic moment in the Like Us series. We love that Harriet meets Ben and Xander at the same time! She is THAT girl 🥰 And expanding on Harriet's backstory feels so awesome to add to Patreon during this timeline too. We love when a new POV gives new context to the books. That's it for this month's bonus scenes, but we will be back in June with more new content and LOTS of announcements/reveals. So it will definitely be a busy month on Patreon. Thanks so much for being here!

xoxo Krista & Becca

 “Harriet Meets Xander and Ben," Copyright © 2026 by K.B. Ritchie