Fury danced in Michael’s eyes. He crossed his arms and glared at me. I was pretty sure he hadn’t expected me to take the bait. Beside him, Gabriel’s disapproving frown grew deeper. He mirrored his brother’s position, his muscular arms flexed over his chest. It would’ve killed me to admit it aloud, but it was an intimidating sight. Two of the school’s best hockey players staring me down, as if they wanted to crush me to dust. I swallowed down my nerves, desperate not to let them know they’d gotten to me.
“See you later, boys.” I pushed between them with a careless wave of my hand. “Make sure to take your Midol before you get all emotional. Wouldn’t want you bursting into tears on us.”
It wasn’t until I got to the parking lot was I able to breathe normally again. I leaned against my old Chevy Cavalier while my heart raced. That had been intense. I had not been prepared for how much courage it would take to stand up to the Corrigan brothers once and for all.
My phone buzzed in my pocket with a message. With a shaky hand, I took it out and looked at the screen. My online friend, Battlescar13, had contacted me. It was one of over a dozen unanswered messages he’d sent me since last weekend.
Battlescar13: Dude — they chose Battlegrounds for the next tourney!
I closed my eyes to block out his words. A week ago, I would’ve been excited to see that message. Battlescar13 had been one of my only gaming friends these past few months. But for all he knew, I was the boy I claimed to be on my profile. Not the sixteen-year-old girl wishing that she didn’t have to hide behind a fake profile picture to be taken seriously. He’d never understand.
Especially since Battlescar13 was none other than Gabriel Corrigan’s online alter-ego.
I’d been chatting with the enemy for months and didn’t know it until a week ago.
Slipping the phone back into my pocket, I thought about that poster in my back pocket. It was hard to feel bad about losing my mind a few minutes ago when this was all I’d ever dreamed about. Never mind the cash prize, this was a chance to prove that I belonged in the gaming world. And all the girls who came after me. How could I turn down a dare like that?
Jutting out my chin, I summoned all the courage I had and made up my mind on the spot. I was going to enter this year’s gamer tournament. And I was going to win. No one—not even Michael or Gabriel Corrigan—was going to stop me.
That was a promise.
Chapter Two
“Why is he looking at you like that?”
I turned toward my best friend, Charlotte, and sighed hopelessly. She stared across our classroom and I had a feeling who held her attention. Anatomy class was nearly over and I could still feel him breathing down my neck. One of the Corrigan brothers. They hadn’t forgotten about me since my dramatic exit at the club yesterday.
Sure enough, I looked over to see Michael watching me with a predatory smirk on his face and whispering something to Gabriel sitting next to him. It wasn’t hard to know it was about me. I could only imagine the nasty things spilling out of his lips. Gabriel didn’t laugh at his brother’s whispered remarks. He didn’t even smirk. He just lazily turned his brunette head in my direction and our gazes collided.
Frustration and nerves tumbled inside my abdomen, but I refused to blink first. I’d read once on how to display dominance with a bear in the wild. Stare it down. Make yourself look bigger. I wondered if it worked with the Corrigan brothers. It certainly couldn’t hurt to try. I maintained my eye contact. With a slight pursing of his lips, Gabriel finally tore his eyes away and stared hard at the front of the classroom.
Victory!
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I whispered coolly to Charlotte, opening my textbook on the double wide desk I shared with her. Our teacher, Mr. Hart, was still lecturing on about the skeletal structure in the back of the classroom as slides showed up on the smart board at the front. “Michael just thinks he can intimidate me. I told him I was going to trounce him in this year’s annual gamer tournament at the club.”
Charlotte’s eyes grew wide and her freckles seemed to pop on her cheeks. She leaned forward, her long brown hair falling over her shoulders. She and Lexi Black were my best friends. Before my older sister, Trina, had practically forced them on me, I was kind of a loner. Things had changed this year—for the better. I supposed I had my sis to thank for that.
“No way!” She grasped the sleeve of my black tee. “You’re doing it? I thought you never entered those things.”
“I don’t.” I shot her a nervous smile. “But Michael got under my skin. You should’ve heard him talking at the club yesterday.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can only imagine. When I started riding barrels, he was pretty obnoxious about it. My boyfriend set him straight, though.”
I grinned at the dreamy expression on her face. Hunter, Charlotte’s best friend turned boyfriend, was pretty protective of her. Not a lot of guys could go toe-to-toe with the Corrigan brothers. Yet, somehow, he’d made Michael lay off.
“Well, I don’t have a boyfriend to set him straight,” I said dryly. Charlotte’s eye lit up with excitement and I scrambled to cut her off before she came up with any bad ideas. “No, Char, that doesn’t mean I want one. It just means I’m going to have to do it myself.”
She slouched a little, disappointment washing over her face. It was kind of funny the lengths at which my friends went to try and set me up. As if they thought because they were in happy relationships, I needed one, too. But I’d always been something of a loner.
Plus, guys just weren’t interested in a girl who dressed in gamer tees and didn’t own a mascara wand. That was just the way it was, and I wasn’t interested in changing for them. This was the way I was. Take it or leave it.
“When’s the competition start?” she asked in a defeated tone.
“Next week.” Nerves danced along the lining of my stomach. It was hard to tell if it was dread or excitement. “There are three rounds total. The final round is the Saturday before Christmas.”
She sat up straight in her chair, her eyes widening. “That’s perfect! That’s the day of the Winter Ball. You can dominate the competition, then go to the dance with us. We’ll celebrate all night long.”
I made a face. The last thing I wanted to think about right now was the Winter Ball. Fluffy dresses and fancy makeup? Neither of those things fell in my comfort zones. There were far more important things to focus on.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Char.” I glanced pointedly at her. “The first two rounds of the competition are buddy battles. If I’m even going to have a chance to compete, I have to find a partner. Getting a date to the Winter Ball would be easier than finding a partner for the tournament.”
Not that I had a date—or wanted one—but this whole partner thing had thrown a loop into my plans. I hadn’t considered it yesterday when I’d so boldly torn that poster down in front of every gamer in town. There were three rounds to the Rock Valley Gamer Club Tournament. The first two required partners and the final round was a free-for-all. The victor took all the spoils. Michael had successfully scared away most of the guys around here who would play with me. And Joe was crap when it came to Battlegrounds.
If I didn’t find a partner, I’d be sunk before I even started.
I could thank my big mouth for that humiliation.
“You know I’d be your partner, if I could actually play.” Charlotte elbowed me playfully in the side. “But I’ll definitely be your date to the dance, if that makes you feel better.”
I shot her a grateful smile. “Thanks. Too bad you’re better at riding a horse than slaying a virtual enemy.”
Her lips flickered with grin. “Too bad.”
Still, I was grateful to my friend. Knowing she was supportive of me and my fight was enough. I glanced across the room of juniors and seniors as Mr. Hart closed down his slideshow for the end of class and moved back to the front. Not many options. Maybe I’d have better luck in the lower classes. Michael was a senior, which meant he couldn’t have int
imidated all of the younger guys. There was still hope.
“Attention folks,” Mr. Hart said, tapping a pencil on his desk. The room quieted down and he smiled warmly at us.
I’d always appreciated Mr. Hart’s classes. He was a down-to-Earth kind of guy and younger than most of the other teachers. With slightly receding golden blond hair and a flannel collection that rivaled most hipsters, he fit in well with the students. And even though he coached the hockey team, he didn’t show them any more favoritism than the rest of us.
“Today, I’ll be assigning partners for the end of the semester project.” He held his hand up when a collective groan went through the room. “You were warned about this at the beginning of the school year and now it’s time. You’ve got two weeks to choose a topic and explore it using the musculatory and skeletal systems we’ve been learning about. This report counts for twenty percent of your grade. I’m giving you the last ten minutes of class to meet with your partners and pick your topic.”
Michael leaned forward in his chair. “Uhhhh...why can’t we pick our own partners, Coach?”
Any other teacher would’ve chastised him for speaking out of turn, but Mr. Hart chuckled and leaned back. “Because, I know you’ll just have Gabriel do all of your work for you, Michael. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how well your assignments match up.”
The classroom broke into laughter.
“Don’t blame me.” Michael grinned cockily, fueled by the class’s reaction. He always did like being the center of attention. “That’s twin power. Can’t help it if we think the same.”
“Right.” Mr. Hart rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s time to split up the dream team. I’ve got partners already assigned. After I’ve listed them off, I’d like you all to find a desk to share with your new partner.”
Charlotte and I pouted at each other. We’d specifically signed up to take anatomy together. It wasn’t fair to split us up.
“Charlotte Hale and Angie VanBeel,” Mr. Hart called out.
Charlotte’s face brightened. At least Angie was nice. And she did her part of the homework. The two of them would work well together. I could only hope I got as good of a partner.
And pray that at the very least...I wouldn’t be partnered with Michael Corrigan.
Heaven help me.
Mr. Hart continued down the list, partnering up more of our classmates. When he finally got to me, I held my breath and mentally crossed myself, drawing on all the good powers in the universe to work for me.
“Beth Frye and...” His brow wrinkled as he lost his place on the sheet, dragging out the suspense to a ridiculous degree. “...Gabriel Corrigan.”
No! I sealed my eyes shut in a pained expression. So much for all the good in the universe.
I supposed I should thank my lucky stars that it wasn’t Michael, but Gabriel didn’t exactly feel like much of a step up. In fact, getting my wisdom teeth removed for a second time sounded like a better time than working on a school project with one of the Corrigans. I was pretty sure he felt the same about working with me.
When I opened my eyes again to glance over at my new partner, his gaze was still glued to the front of the room. The only clue that anything might have bothered him were the two bright red dots on his cheeks.
“All right, people, move it,” Mr. Hart called when he finished reading the list.
I stared wistfully at Charlotte as she got up to move. It just wasn’t fair. This was one of the only classes I had with her and we were being separated. Yet another reason to loathe high school.
As if teenagers needed any more.
Seconds later, a bulky form moved to take her abandoned seat. He brought with him the tangy scent of a shower gel that smelled deceptively good. I kept my nose pointed at my textbook, refusing to give Gabriel the satisfaction of knowing how upset I was. Michael would’ve seen it as a sign of weakness, rubbed it in my face, and probably dropped the entire project in my lap. Gabriel, however, was completely silent.
Somehow, that seemed worse.
I sneaked a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. Jaw tight and fists clenched on top of the desk, he repeated his performance from the other side of the room and stared hard at Mr. Hart still standing at the front of the room. Maybe he thought he had mind control powers and was trying to use them on our teacher to rethink this assignment. Erase it from his memory. Whatever he was doing, it wasn’t working.
I cleared my throat, unwilling to spend the next ten minutes in complete silence. “So...um. I guess we’re doing this?”
He nodded his head slightly. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would’ve missed it.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I glanced down at my phone sitting on the corner of the desk. Mr. Hart was cool about them being out in the open, as long as we didn’t text during class. Otherwise, it was an automatic detention.
As I stared at my phone, I thought about Battlescar13 and how much we’d messaged over the past few months. Surely, I was wrong in thinking the tight-lipped severe guy sitting next to me could be him. The guy I played with online was fun. We shot the breeze, joking about our day as we slayed the enemy. This couldn’t really be him, could it?
All I knew for sure was that Battlescar13 played hockey for Rock Valley High. And Gabriel played hockey—with the number thirteen jersey. Logic dictated that I’d been unknowingly playing with fire for the past few months.
A shudder went through me. What if I’d revealed my real identity to one of the Corrigan brothers through my online persona before I found out it was Gabriel? They never would’ve let me live it down. All the hard work and time I’d invested in my character stats would’ve been destroyed because the Corrigans destroyed everything they touched.
The only safe way to proceed was to make sure Gabriel never found out it was me.
And that meant keeping Battlescar13 in the dark.
“Any ideas on what we should do?” I asked, turning toward him. The best way to get through this torturous anatomy project was just to get it over with. If that meant playing nice with Gabriel for a couple weeks, I could do it.
Maybe.
“Nope.” Gabriel leaned his hulking torso over the desk, zeroing in on the anatomy book in front of him. He seemed determined not to look me in the eyes. “No idea.”
A sigh left my lips. Guess it was up to me. I shouldn’t have expected anything more. “Well, that was a lot of help, Gabe. Thanks for the brainstorming session.”
I glanced around at the people partnered up around the room. Charlotte and Angie were deep in conversation and it looked like they were already making progress on their project. Michael sat with his feet up on his desk and his eyes closed, his poor partner flipping through pages in the book for ideas. Typical. I sighed again and turned my attention back to Gabriel. My stomach flipped when I realized he was now watching me, his steel-gray eyes pinning me with an expression that made me shrink into myself a little.
“If it’s not too much to ask, I’ll need some time to think on it,” he burst out. “Sorry if that’s not as fast as you’d like. Unlike you, some of us don’t have brains that can shoot out brilliant ideas at a snap of your fingers.”
Talk about intense. I swallowed hard, unsure what had just happened. That was the longest speech I’d ever heard come out of Gabriel’s mouth. And what was more, I was pretty sure he’d just called me brilliant, in a back-handed kind of way. It was disturbing. I found myself wilting a bit more, the attitude I’d put on as a shield slowly melting away.
“Um...that’s okay if you don’t have any ideas right now.” I closed my book gently in front of me. “We’ll both think on it, okay? Meet back up at the end of your hockey practice tomorrow. Sound good?”
He nodded decisively. Some of the storm clouds had rolled out of his eyes, but a severe frown still marred his face. Slipping his textbook into his bag, he stood up and marched toward the door. Class wasn’t even done for another five minutes, but it didn’t matter. Mr. Hart wouldn’t have done any
thing, even if he had looked up from the computer behind his desk. Gabriel was gone.
“Whoa, he did not look happy.” Charlotte came over to lean on my shoulder, her eyes trained on the empty doorway. “Did you give him the Beth Frye treatment?”
I looked up at her and smirked. This was the first time I’d heard of that. “And what exactly is the Beth Frye treatment?”
With a sheepish smile, she ducked and ran a hand through her long hair. “Just a lot of take-no-crap attitude. It’s what I love about you. You’re the strongest girl I know. If anyone can take on the Corrigan brothers, it’s you.”
I tapped my pencil on the desk and let her words run through my mind as she went back to her desk with Angie. Maybe I was good on the outside at pretending that I didn’t take any crap, but run-ins with the Corrigan brothers still left me kind of woozy. That interaction had been no exception. It seemed like Gabriel had somehow wormed his way into my life—both virtually and realistically. I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep it all together and save my pride at the same time.
There was a scraping noise as Michael finally abandoned his nap and got up from his desk. He saluted me with a sneer as he followed the same exit path his brother had cut only minutes ago. “See you around the battle ground, Frye. But only if you’re man enough...”
There he went with the same old crap. My fingers curled so tightly around my pencil that it snapped. The bell rang and then there was a shuffle of everyone grabbing their stuff. I remained sitting, fire rolling through my veins.
He’d definitely see me on the battle ground. There was no doubt about it.
Now, I just needed to find a partner.
Chapter Three
Dare You to Catfish the Hockey Player (Rock Valley High Book 6) Page 2