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“If I wasn’t so worried about my head being bitten off afterwards, maybe I would.” Fuck. I would if I knew it wouldn’t be the death of me. But Morgan is the human version of a praying mantis, and I’m here only because shewantsme to be. It’s undoubtedly a trap, and I’d be a fool to let her pretty package ensnare me.
“I won’t bite that hard. Promise.”
Leaning closer to her, I stop when my lips barely touch hers. “I might believe that if everything out of your mouth wasn’t a lie.” My eyes watch for her reaction as I continue. “Just like when you said you loved me, then turned out to be a lying bitch like the rest.”
There it is. A glimpse of the girl I used to know. And she slips away as fast as she appears, replaced by the familiar hateful one. “You left me. You disappeared for weeks. I didn’t even know if you were dead or alive. You just dropped off the face of the earth and left me alone. Yes, you were having a hard time. But I needed you too, and you turned out to be a lying asshole. Just like the rest of them.” Her playfulness is gone, her hatred oozing out of her as I keep her trapped in place.
“If you really knew me, you would’ve known exactly where to find me.” And stupidly, I’d expected her to show. Day after day. Night after night. She never did. And the longer I waited, the harder it was to leave the only place I’ve ever felt safe. Because the pitiful boy gave her everything at that place, and she gave him everything in return. Her body. Her virginity. Took his. And his soul. And gave him hers. Or so I thought.
Her anger heightens as she moves her hands to my chest, shoving against me. “I couldn’t get my head that far up my ass to find you. Or maybe I’m just a liar and didn’t give a fuck about you.”
“Clearly,” I state flatly, and it seems to enrage her even more.
“Boo-fucking-hoo. Mommy left you and ran off. Get the fuck over it.”
She breaks out of my grip, her back to me as I say, “Just like you’ve gotten over Daddy caring about a game more than his precious daughter, right?”
Her body halts, furious eyes looking back to me over her shoulder.
The classroom door clicks open, Dustin steps into the hallway. “I need both of you to get back in my classroom now.” He remains watching us as neither of us move. “Seriously, whatever this is, hash it out later. The both of you obviously have plenty more to discuss. Cool off, then try and talk about it later.”
But everything has been said. The silent glare she keeps on me speaks louder than any words ever will.
* * *
The day is finally over. After the fun conversation in the hallway, I’d hid out during lunch in my brother’s classroom. I know things are in the shitter when I’d prefer a lecture instead of enduring the dining hall. And that lecture is the only thing that kept me on course to be here. Football practice. But it’s not just that. There’s part of me that wants to work out, push myself physically so maybe the mental garbage can be eradicated from my mind.
“Hey, dude. Where you been?” Neil calls across the field. And once I see the practice jersey he’s wearing, I know the shit is getting deeper. All of it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I motion to the fabric covering his chest.
He proudly bows up, pointing to the jersey then to the bench area. “That’s why I’ve been looking for you. I’m the new assistant equipment manager. Topher said the team really needed some extra hands, and Coach said I could do the job, so here I am.” He wiggles his fingers in front of him, and the level of excitement beaming from him twists my insides. There’s no way this will end well. Not when Topher, or possibly Morgan, is involved.
“What about science club? Don’t y’all meet up after school?”
“Yeah. But since it’s just me and one other student this year, we arranged to meet in the lab before school because it works better for her schedule also.”
Great. He has it all figured out. Except that it might implode at any moment. Am I just being paranoid? Glancing down the field, I spot exactly who I’m seeking out. Morgan. She’s standing in front of a group of her minions, all matching their leader—black athletic shorts, hunter-green sports bra. Football practice would be much more stress-relieving if I didn’t have to watch her cheer squad practice too.
She takes a quick glance in my direction, offering me only a scowl. That hallway convo really got to her, and it got to me too, but nothing usually gets to her stone-cold heart. When she smiles and waves at Neil, I know it’s still perfectly situated in place.
“You need to be careful,” I tell him as he happily waves to Morgan then gives me a weary look as I continue. “Don’t trust them. They’ll stab you in the back the second they have an opening.”
His shoulders slump forwards a bit, his face falling to the ground. “Because they can’t actually like me, right?”
Damn it. She’s already working her spell on him because I can sense him getting frustrated withme. “They don’t even like themselves. They use people. And the second you’re of no use, they turn on you.”
Morgan might be full of shit, but I know she’s correct in her assessment of her father. He’s only on my side because he needs me to win him a title. I need to keep a promise to my brother, show him I appreciate him. Even if we’re each out for our own purposes, the difference is I don’t want to make anyone suffer in the process. Not like her. Because even as she goes about her day, ignoring me and practicing with her little squad, I know she’s still on top of her vile game. And it will take everything I have to not get knocked out of the match.
10
MORGAN
“Are we gonna practice or just keep standing here while you eye fuck Cade?” Ava bitches as she stands beside me and does that exact thing, homing her beady eyes in on Cade.
Even if I’m still pissed the fuck off at him for throwing Dad in my face, I don’t want Ava to get the impression that he’s fair game for her. Because he’s not. He’s mine. To torment. To make miserable. And use and fuck until I’m finished with him. And it shouldn’t be too difficult. Because he’s obviously a pathetic chump who’s still holding onto some part of the past. If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to push his buttons so easily. Luckily, I’m not holding onto that same bullshit. The past is over. My plan is for the future. Whether he likes it or not,I’m Cade Crawford’s future. And this time, I will be the one who ends whatever the fuck he thinks we had.
But right now, I need to get through this miserable-ass practice. Why the fuck am I even cheering? Oh yeah, because it pisses off Ava since I hold the title she so badly covets—captain. I don’t give a flying fuck about being captain for myself, but possessing what she wanted was plenty of motivation. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to reiterate that I’m in charge of this god-awful place.
