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JACE
“Where were you last night?” I asked Jamal during our last three-minute break at practice. I grabbed a towel from the track and wiped the sweat off my face. For it being thirty degrees in October, I was fucking sweating today, like at every practice.
My gaze locked on to Carter on the other side of the field as he talked to Nicole, who was sitting on the bleachers. I rolled my eyes and glanced around. Allie was usually here during the week, but since it was Sunday, all I got to see was Nicole and some of her slutty friends.
Jamal shrugged. “At the Overlook,” he said as if it were nothing.
“The Overlook?” I asked, looking back at him.
He never went to the Overlook. He must’ve had a date, as he would never spend the gas, driving from his house all the way across town, for nothing.
“You bring a girl?”
Jamal stared back out onto the field, refusing to make eye contact with me. “You know how it is. Saturday night shit.”
Coach blew the whistle, and Jamal jogged back onto the field before I could get a chance to grill him about whoever she was because if she was any one of the cheerleaders or even any of the rich and snobby girls, he’d be bragging about it.
I tossed the towel and jogged back to the line, taking my spot toward the end and keeping my eye on Carter, who was calling out a play. He stood behind his center, his hands between the center’s legs and his gaze fastened on to mine.
Was I still pissed that he was fucking Nicole behind my back? Not really. What was ticking me off today were those snide comments he’d kept throwing at me about my stepsister. It was like he was never satisfied, always wanting to be the center of attention. As if being the fucking quarterback wasn’t good enough for him.
Guessed he wasn’t that talented to be the talk of the town, even as the QB.
“Hut, hut.”
I watched his movements and sprinted down the field toward the receiver he was passing the ball to, jumping out in front of him and intercepting the ball before it got into the receiver’s hands.
“Keep it up, Harbor,” Coach called from the sidelines. “That’s the kind of play I want to see every game for the rest of this season.”
Carter shook his head in his helmet, and I tossed him the ball, purposely making sure it didn’t reach him but fell a few yards in front of him. Our defensive coach called a second play, and I lined up again, keeping my eyes on the quarterback and readying for a blitz.
When the ball was hiked, I sprinted ahead and hit Carter right in the side, knocking him to the ground and making him lose the ball before he got a chance to toss it or hand it off. He hopped back up and dusted himself off, grabbing the football and throwing it back to the center.
“No wonder Allie hates you,” he said to me, looking down the field. “Did you treat Allie the same way you treat your teammates? Is that why you two broke up sophomore year? You hit her, talk her down, huh?”
He’s trying to get under your skin, Jace. Don’t fucking listen.
“I guess that’s why she’d rather hang out with Jamal all night than spend any time with her stepbrother,” he said.
I froze, and he chuckled.
“Didn’t know?” Carter continued before looking over at Jamal. “Well, if I had known you and Allie were a secret, I wouldn’t have said anything.”
I cut my eyes to Jamal. He’d brought Allie—Allie—to the fucking Overlook last night? Out of all the fucking people he could’ve brought and all the places they could’ve gone, he had taken my stepsister to what used to be our spot.
“We just went out,” Jamal said, brushing it off. “Nothing happened.”
Coach blew the whistle, probably sensing things tensing up between us. “Bring it in, boys!” he called.
My nostrils flared, and I tore off my helmet. “Nothing had better have fucking happened between you and her,” I said through clenched teeth, knocking my shoulder into his as I walked by.
Allie was mine to fuck with.
Hands on my hips, sweat dripping down my neck, I waited for the rest of the team to bring it in, so Coach could talk, and then I could get the hell out of here as soon as possible to clear my head.
“We have a big game this Friday,” Coach said, stuffing a pen behind his ear. “Leeside High isn’t going to go easy on you. They’re six and one for the season and looking to defeat us to keep their record almost perfect. They want blood. They want us to break. I expect you to give it your all this week during practice.” He paused and looked at me. “And I expect absolutely no fighting during practice this week either.”
I clenched my jaw. I wouldn’t make any promises over that one.
