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  It had become a routine, and I was passing through the lunch line, grabbing a simple bag of starches because my appetite had been replaced with butterflies in my stomach, when I realized that Alex was suddenly next to me. I raised a questioning brow as I reached into my bag for my debit card. “Do you need something?”

  Or rather, someone, I should have said, waiting for Alex to speak as I handed the cashier my card. “I haven’t seen Brynn all morning,” he murmured as if that was sufficient enough to warrant a response.

  “She’s here!” I smirked knowingly, remembering how Beckett had been complaining about Brynn spending more time in the lounge. “She has her study hall this period.”

  “I know,” Alex said, leaning in closer. “But I can’t sneak into the library.”

  “Luckily for you, that’s not where she goes.”

  Alex was quick to dart in front of me before I could move another inch. “What do you mean?”

  I sighed dramatically. “Alex, this is Brynn we’re talking about.”

  “Where does she go?” he asked, straight to the point, slightly desperate with the look he was giving me.

  “You should know,” I said tauntingly, dangling the piece of information that I held over him like a carrot. “You boys spend enough time there.”

  I laughed at the exact moment when Alex finally understood, catching onto my meaning as he cautiously maneuvered his way to the dining hall entrance. Hopefully, Alex wouldn’t gossip about who told him that Brynn often went to the Student Council lounge to study. Brynn said that it was quieter, and she hated being around the other students whom she insisted were not fond of her presence. Of course, sending Alex to the lounge would undoubtedly stoke Brynn’s temper, but she was clearly unaware of Alex’s true feelings, which meant that I needed to push her in the right direction.

  I released a sigh as I sat down next to Beckett at our usual table near the back of the dining hall. V and Aria sat across from us, and Aria was looking down at her food with disinterest. “I haven’t felt hungry all day,” she said, and I immediately sympathized with her, opening my meager offering to act as sufficient energy.

  “Eat,” V insisted, glancing down at Aria with a worried expression.

  “It’s hard to eat when you’re nervous,” I said with a shrug.

  Beckett chuckled from next to me, moving in closer so that our thighs brushed under the table. “I can’t imagine you being nervous.”

  “This whole tournament is bound to give me some gray hairs,” I lamented, pleased when he laughed in response.

  “Where’s Alex?” Chrystian asked from where he sat on my other side, searching between the four of us with narrowed eyes.

  “I haven’t seen him.”

  “Maybe he signed out for lunch?” Beckett suggested around a yawn. He had been complaining to me all week that he couldn’t sleep at night. “I know he mentioned something about it earlier.”

  Chrystian pursed his lips, and I saw a thoughtful curiosity reflected in his brown eyes. I quickly changed topics, hoping to steer Chrystian away from considering Alex’s absence any further. “I can’t wait for the tournament to be over.”

  Aria nodded her agreement. “It’s been really stressful.”

  I looked over at Beckett, concerned by the dark circles under his eyes. “Maybe you can try and sleep during the trip.”

  Beckett grunted, and I knew that he shared the same idea. After all, the men’s team was under even more pressure to succeed, having won the previous year’s title. Beckett had told me that there was no better feeling in the world than winning something so monumental. “You never forget it,” he boasted with pride evident in his expression.

  I wanted him to remember those words later on, especially as the dining hall’s clock slowly ticked away in the background. Meanwhile, I was alarmed by my sudden desire to remain at Arlington Academy rather than take the bus ride of fate to the state capital. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad dealing with my above average grade in Algebra after all?

  ***

  “You little asshole!”

  “You’re more comfortable.”

  I let out a groan, easing my legs further apart to accomodate for the sudden weight of Beckett’s upper torso. “It’s only because I feel sorry for you.”

  I could feel the rumble of Beckett’s laugh. “You’re the one who insisted that I should sleep.”

  “This isn’t what I had in mind,” I said, glaring across the aisle at the amused pairing of Aria and Brynn as they watched our struggle.

  Aria reached over to brush her fingers through Beckett’s hair. “He’s been in a bad mood all week because he can’t sleep.”

  “He doesn’t have to take it out on me,” I said, squirming uncomfortably.

  “Stay still,” Beckett said, squeezing my thighs in warning. “Be a good girlfriend, please?” I stiffened at the mention of the word ‘girlfriend’ after it emerged so unexpectedly. Beckett had never addressed me as his girlfriend before, and I was a little annoyed that he decided to use the status in such a nonchalant manner.

  Especially when his heavy ass body was crushing my legs.

  However, I remained perfectly silent, sensing that Beckett also wasn’t really in his right mind lately. Of course, that didn’t stop him from dragging me into the bathroom the other day while we played a game of “how late can I make Nicole to class?”

  “This is why I hate dating,” Brynn said, eyeing Beckett with something akin to distaste.

  “You’re practically dating Alex,” I pointed out, smirking at her outraged look.

  “We’re not dating,” she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest in a petulant manner.

  “You should tell Alex,” Beckett said, voice muffled against my jeans. “He already refers to you as his girlfriend.”

  Aria placed a comforting hand on my sister’s shoulder as if sensing a time bomb about to explode. “Alex isn’t used to these kinds of situations.”

  Beckett propped his chin against my thigh, ignoring my yelp of pain. “Most girls just fall to their knees in front of Alex. I think they worship him.”

  “Let’s not talk about the other girls right now,” Brynn said, scoffing at the conversation.

  “I’ve heard no complaints,” Beckett said with a cheesy wink, and I elbowed him in the shoulder, snickering at his accompanying wince.

  “You’re not helping,” I informed him bluntly before encouraging him to lay back down.

  “Alex Vonderheide?” An unfortunate inquiry emerged from the pairing seated in front of Aria and Brynn.

  Really? I frowned because this was not the most opportune time for Rina Soler, one of Sydney’s most faithful followers, to play the role of antagonist. She was nothing short of pleased with herself as she turned around in the seat to address my sister. “You should count yourself lucky, Brynn. That man is a god when it comes to sex.”

  The accompanying silence was horrendously suffocating.

  I practically saw the change in Brynn from her features alone: the way her nose wrinkled, brown eyes narrowed, and her fingers balled into clenched fists. All around us, conversations came to an abrupt halt as if the other players knew something bad was about to happen. Aria visibly tensed, shoulders rising, as she cleared her throat and wrapped one hand around Brynn’s upper arm. “She’s just trying to tease you, Brynn.”

  “I’m just trying to give a cherished teammate some helpful advice,” Rina said, eyes alight with mischief. From next to her, Sydney let out an exaggerated groan. “After all, shouldn’t you expect this sort of thing, Brynn? Everyone knows that Alex is one of the biggest sluts in school.”

  “That’s enough, Rina.”

  “Was it the formal last year?” Rina continued, completely ignoring Aria’s warning. “Alex asked me to go with him, and it didn’t take him more than five minutes to drag me into one of the bathrooms-”

  “Shut up!” Brynn hissed, voice shaking with barely constrained rage.

  “They’re all sluts, Rin
a,” Sydney said, turning around to join her friend as they both glowered down at Brynn and Aria. “Every single one of them and that includes Nicole’s recent obsession.”

  I swallowed hard past the jealousy, ignoring the urge to defend Beckett. However, it didn’t take long for him to react, pulling himself up from my lap to send a hostile look in Sydney and Rina’s direction. “I guess you didn’t learn anything from before.”

  “I guess I didn’t,” Sydney returned, and I was equal parts impressed and appalled that she finally found the guts to stand up for herself. “Does everyone need a quick lesson to remind them about the Student Council? I mean, why shouldn’t Brynn know that the guy who’s interested in her has already been with the entire Junior class? Oh, and Beckett is no better. Before the start of the fall semester, he was screwing around with some college girls from the community school, and before Aria managed to tame Venir, he wasn’t exactly known for his abstinence. Remember the rumors that he was meeting Ms. Richards? Not to mention Chrystian’s weird relationship with that new girl, Isabella. I found her crying in one of the girl’s bathrooms because of him.”

  The entire bus remained silent as everyone listened to Sydney’s sudden epiphany. I could feel the anger radiating from Beckett, and there was something entirely uncomfortable about his expression, something that I had never seen from him. It made me wonder if this was the first time that the four of them had ever been challenged, ready for the entire school to judge them.

  I wasn’t ignorant of Beckett's past exploits before I came to Arlington. During the past few weeks, he had opened up to me about the girls he dated in the past. They often equated to one-night stands at college parties, and he usually woke up the next day feeling disgusted with himself. He never realized why he had done those things until after Candice broke his heart, and he knew that he was hiding his hurt behind weekend parties with Alex and older girls who didn’t care if he used them. He even had an arrogant attitude to match. Ultimately, Beckett was still learning, and he wanted to be better, but I knew one thing about Beckett that would never change and that was his pride. The Student Council would not stand for someone to run down their image, no matter how much they deserved it.

  “You just made a very big mistake,” Beckett informed Rina, and his threatening tone even sent a shiver down my spine as if the comment had been directed at me.

  Rina visibly blanched, face turning bright red as she suddenly lost her previous gusto with one silencing look from Beckett. But all it usually took was one reminder that the four friends were not to be questioned under any circumstances. It was an image that they had come to perfect and it wouldn't be so easily broken. In fact, I was sure that they would do everything to prevent that from happening.

  Rina slowly turned back around in her seat, smartly deciding that she had overstayed her welcome. Meanwhile, Sydney seemed both angry and disappointed by Rina’s surrender. Wordlessly, she joined her friend, leaving a heavy tension to surround the players on the bus. I glanced over at Aria and Brynn, and I frowned at my sister’s look of despondency. Surely, she wouldn’t let Rina Soler and Sydney Black change her opinion of Alex at this point? Because Brynn wasn’t ignorant when it came to Alex’s previous exploits, and it was common knowledge around Arlington. It was also common knowledge that Alex was suddenly less forthcoming, turning down offers from our other classmates. I even saw him snap at a poor freshman who complimented his artwork. It was almost like Alex was taking things to the extreme to prove himself, and he certainly wouldn’t be pleased when he heard about the things that Rina had shared with Brynn.

  ***

  The rest of the bus ride continued peacefully without any further collisions, and we eventually arrived at the tournament destination. It was shortly thereafter that our driver parked the bus next to the side of a rather large gymnasium, usually reserved for the local league. For today, it would provide a court for two high school state championships.

  In the meantime, I followed my teammates as an event manager helped us navigate the inside of the dome-like structure, leading us to a private locker room next to the gymnasium. Our coach clapped her hands together and encouraged us to get dressed so that we could shoot around before we reconvened for a mandatory “pep talk.” However, I usually found Miranda’s talks to be rather paradoxical at times, and I prayed that she would simply wish us good luck without any unnecessary anecdotes.

  Nevertheless, I changed into my uniform next to Brynn, trying to discern if there was any visible shift in my sister’s demeanor. She had already been affected enough by Alex in earlier tournament play. Plus, if we wanted any remote chance of winning this game, then it would be with a Brynn who was at her best. Therefore, I did my best to offer comfort to Brynn without being too obvious because I knew that my sister would likely react harshly if I said anything.

  Rose cleared her throat as she tied the drawstring of her shorts. “Any advice on how to forget that this is a championship game?”

  “You’re asking your younger sisters for that sort of advice?”

  “You guys manage it better than me,” Rose argued, appearing a little crestfallen. “Besides, this is basically my last opportunity to do anything like this.”

  I considered the logic of her words. “I guess we definitely need to win.”

  Brynn frowned, catching the implications of my comment. “Nicole, I’m fine.”

  I nodded, always trying to appease my older sister. “I’m just making sure.”

  “Didn’t Ryder give you any advice?” Brynn asked, effectively turning the conversation away from the subject of her mental aptitude.

  “He did, but I can’t help it,” Rose said, rubbing her hands over her arms as if chilled.

  “Try not to think about it,” Brynn said, and I wondered if she even realized the double meaning behind her well-intentioned advice.

  “If everything came down to wins and losses, then basketball wouldn’t be as fun,” Aria said, joining our little circle. “How’s college searching been going, Rose?”

  “I’ve had some offers,” my older sister offered vaguely, but I knew that she would only tell us when she herself was certain.

  “They won’t go away if we lose,” Aria pointed out. “I know it’s stupid, but let’s try not to let it get in our heads too much.”

  “I’m doing my best,” Brynn said, somewhat dismissively, before she returned to the hallway outside.

  I watched her carefully, and I waited for the perfect time to address the elephant in the room. “Does everyone else know about what happened on the bus ride over?”

  Aria sighed as she adjusted the waistband of her shorts. “Beckett wasn't exactly secretive about it.”

  “So Alex knows?”

  Aria nodded. “Alex can be very irrational, and I hope he doesn’t do anything to hurt them.” I followed her wandering gaze over to where Rina, Heidi and Sydney were all laughing together.

  “It’s a double-edged sword,” Rose offered in profound consideration. “He has to know that if he does anything, then it won’t improve his relationship with Brynn. But if he keeps quiet, then he lets those girls win.”

  Aria offered a half-hearted smile. “Unfortunately, you still haven’t realized that Alex is a lot more cunning than you give him credit for.”

  “Aren’t they all?”

  My inquiry was a sobering thought as we slowly made our way onto the court where Brynn and our teammates were already engaged in our pre-game exercises. I quickly settled into a routine, chasing after rebounds while trying to pretend like this was just another game. In the end, it’s amazing how normalized we made everything when we deluded ourselves enough.

  ***

  Everything was too loud.

  What had once been white noise was elevated to a crescendo where everything came together like a distant ringing. An unfamiliar frequency that only worsened the persistent throbbing in my skull. I tried to make sense of the shifting shapes clouding my vision, but my eyesight was remarkably unrel
iable.

  I was also aware of a feather-like touch gently shaking my shoulder. Then, a muted voice vibrated from somewhere to my right...or was it my left? It was difficult to place myself at the moment. I tried to speak, because I wasn’t exactly feeling like myself, but expressing words was suddenly difficult. Strangely, I didn’t feel scared, but there was a vague sense of disorientation, like I was suddenly disconnected from the world around me.

  A single movement only made it worse because everything started to swim rapidly, and I managed to shut my eyes against the distorted images. I was also aware of a swinging motion as if my body was lying on top of the ocean, savoring the gentle tide of the waves as they made their way to the shore. I found comfort in that thought, and a better grasp on myself as I was laid down onto something cold but solid. At the next moment, I noticed the blurry outline of a familiar figure waving their hands in front of me. Pursing my lips in concentration, I tried to put the swirls and dots together, hoping to form them into the person who I was expected to see. Gradually, everything started to come back into focus, including the abrupt loudness of the room around me.

  “Nicole Starr!” I startled at the voice, my hand flying to my chest. “Are you there?”

  I managed to nod my head, leaning back in the chair because the experience was a lot to handle. Suddenly, something warm pressed against my forehead and a cup of water was pushed into my hand. I managed to wrap my fingers around the plastic, bringing it up to my mouth to gingerly sip at the liquid. The rush of cold down my throat was relieving. “Maybe a concussion?” a new voice suggested, and I recoiled when a bright light abruptly infiltrated my line of vision.