“Don’t drag my brother into this.” Teal stares between us. “He’s a dork, but he’s reckless. I don’t want him to make enemies with this King bloke.”

“Don’t worry,” I soften my tone when I speak to Teal. “I also don’t want Knox involved.”

“Sure.” She types furiously on her phone. “Eleven is a King and they’re Dad’s mortal enemies.”

As if I could forget the declaration of war between Dad and Jonathan at the Rhodes fundraiser.

“I’m out of here. I’ll wait for you in the car park.” I pause. “Do you want to join me, Teal?”

“I’m good here.”

That’s weird. I thought she wasn’t paying attention to watching the game with all the typing.

I head to the car park and lean against Kim’s car. I retrieve my history book and read through some highlights I made during today’s class.

My thoughts bounce back to how Aiden tackled Knox. If he keeps doing that shit, I’ll need to have a word with him.

Is he going to bully Knox in the team?

I trust Cole and Coach Larson not to let him, but you never know with Aiden. He’s in the habit of proving everyone wrong just because he can.

“Back off,” a female low voice reaches me from a few rows of cars on the left. “Don’t mistake my silence for weakness.”

Silver.

It’s her voice.

Curious, I tuck my book in my backpack and head in her direction.

“Do you know how long I dreamt about this?” A male voice.

Adam Herran.

That bastard.

“Back off or I swear —”

“Shh, shut up. Shut the fuck up.” He lands two blows on the car.

I’m close enough to see Silver’s frantic expression. I’m impressed she doesn’t flinch as he jams his fist in the car to the left side of her head.

“Adam. If you don’t stop, I’ll tell —”

“Shut the fuck up, Silver.” He hits the car again.

This is none of my business. I should walk away.

I turn to do just that, but then stop as a question barges into my mind.

Am I the type of person who traps people like Ma or the type who sets them free like Dad?

I’m not trapping people, but leaving a person cornered is no different. Even if that person is Silver.

Besides, Adam gives me the creeps.

I approach them and speak in a loud, confident tone. “What’s going on here?”

Adam’s eyes snap in my direction. They’re bloodshot and swollen as if he’s drunk. Or high. “Fuck off, bitch. This is none of your business.”

“Silver?” I ask. If she tells me it’s none of my business, too, I’m out of here.

She discreetly shakes her head and mouths, ‘Cole.’

That’s it. Cole.

She obviously needs help.

I bring out my phone, my muscles tightening with a rush of adrenaline. “Back off right now or I’ll call the principal, Adam. Maybe it’s his business.”

He takes a step forward.

“Come any closer and I’ll blind your fucking eyes with pepper spray.”

A lie, but I speak as though I do have the pepper spray.

Thankfully, he believes it.

“Stupid fucking bitch,” he snarls, pushing off Silver.

I keep my hand in my bag, watching him closely until he climbs into his car and speeds out of the car park.

A deep breath rips out of my lungs.

I jog to Silver who’s half-leaning against her car, hugging her midsection with both her arms.

“Are you… okay?” I stop a short distance away.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she murmurs. “I… I need to go. Forget what I said earlier. Don’t mention a word about this to Cole.”

“You should tell Aiden.” The words feel like acid as I say them, ripping and melting me into nothingness.

“What does he have to do with anything?” She frowns, seeming genuinely confused before she raises her head. “King didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Whatever. It’s not my place.” She opens her car door and flops inside. “I won’t say anything until you talk to him.”

“About what?” I ask.

“What do you think?” Her expression is unreadable while she shuts the door.

As she leaves the car park, I remain in place for a moment, mulling her words over and over.

I won’t say anything until you talk to him.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

15

Aiden

I stand at the threshold of the pitch, remaining behind the corner.

My grip tightens around a bottle of water. I was supposed to give it to Elsa, but she doesn’t need it anymore.

The new boy passes her his sports drink and she gulps half of it down as if she was poisoned and he’s giving her antidote. Then, she snorts laughing at something he said.

She’s still wearing her track clothes. The jacket outlines her tits and slender waist. She hasn’t gone inside, waiting for the other girls to leave before she’d head to the showers.

Conveniently, Van Doren has been keeping her company instead of coming in the football team’s locker room.

I found out from Jonathan that the Van Doren twins are Elsa’s foster siblings. Still, he’s not her biological brother.

It took everything in me not to break his fucking leg during practice three days ago. Or yesterday. Or today.

My blood boils to the point of ignition every time I think Elsa only came to watch practice because of him.

I watch her closely. The slight twitch in her nose as she laughs. The few stray strands that fly all over her face. The flushed skin due to running. The rosy lips.

She’s so fucking beautiful.

And she’s happy.

The fact that she erased me this fast deepens the dark hole inside my chest.

If she can get over me so quickly, why the fuck has she told me she loved me?

Empty words.

Empty promises.

She was always shit at keeping her promises. Fuck. She didn’t even remember me when we first met at RES. For her, I was another boy, while I dreamt about her every time I managed to sleep.

For ten years, she’s been a constant in my life, but I was only a stop in hers.

If I want to, I can bring her back.

I can dominate her until she gives in, but it proved useless when she went numb on me in the bathroom.

I can grovel like I’ve been doing for the past week, but she’s not even glancing in my direction.

I can use Reed and the Van Doren twins’ weaknesses against her. Blackmail her. Force her to be with me.

And then fucking what?

She’ll never be fully mine if her closed-off head doesn’t open up to me.

“You look like a creep.” A bored voice comes from my right.

“Screw off, Queens.”

She stands beside me, crossing her arms over her chest as if she didn’t hear a word I said.

I tune her out and continue to watch Elsa. She waves at Van Doren and heads into the locker room.

Fucking finally.

A moment later, he strides in our direction. He smiles at me so wide, I’m tempted to cut his face open. The only reason I don’t is because Elsa would hate me even more.