At the Buzzer: A High School Bully Romance (The Ballers of Rockport High Book 3)

by E. M. Moore

  River and Lux finally get us to the parking lot, and we pull up near the spot where me, Matt, and Shawn stopped last time. When we get there, they’re both dead from exhaustion. I know River’s in good shape, but I’m also sure the Ballers put them through their paces yesterday during the first Trial day.

  Sloan squeezes my shoulder, then moves toward the side to jump off. He reaches back for me. “My queen?”

  I giggle. I swear I don’t mean to, but the sentiment kind of works. I’ve always thought of the Ballers as the kings of Rockport High and now that I’m with them, I could be their queen. I certainly felt like it on top of the float having everyone smile and clap for us.

  River and Lux fall to the grass, rubbing their muscles. The ballers made them decorate the float this year because Rhonda and her cronies straight up refused to even though they’ve done it all the other years. I hope Rhonda saw Hayes pull me up onto the float. I’m sure she hated every second of it.

  Like last year, the Ballers walk off toward the stands to take their places in the bleachers, leaving River and Lux to take the decorations off. Lake hangs back with them though, urging them to get up and walk because it’ll be better for them if they do. In front of me, Hayes walks with his shoulders back and his chin in the air. I could kiss him for bringing me up onto the float. He seems determined to show everyone what he thinks about me, and that he won’t put up with shit if anyone else feels differently.

  Dawn catches up to us and nudges me with her hip. “You said I could sit with you, remember?”

  “Of course,” I tell her.

  We get into the stands, sitting in the roped off area that’s for basketball players only. When Lake sees that I’m there and Dawn, he looks like he wants to say something, but he knows it’ll be a losing battle because the rest of the Ballers are already sitting beside me, and they haven’t kicked Dawn nor I out yet. When River and Lux finally climb up the stands toward us, Hayes stops them. He pulls a five-dollar bill out of his wallet. “Dale’s hungry. She wants nachos and a soda.”

  Dawn turns toward me, her brows pulled together. “Are you hungry?”

  I shrug and smile. “I guess I am now.”

  River’s gaze flicks from Hayes to his brother, which pisses Hayes off. “Did you hear me, Baby O’Brien? I said get Tessa some nachos and a Pepsi. I’ll be watching you like a hawk, so if you do anything to the food, consider yourself off the team already. Lux, you can sit.”

  I bite down on my lip to keep from smiling even wider. River takes the five-dollar bill from Hayes and immediately turns, starting down the stands, but Hayes stops him again.

  “Baby O’Brien.” His feet stop moving. The side of his face is all red like he’s had to scrub it recently, and I know all about that. It was so hard to get the permanent marker off my face when they did the same thing to me. “The correct response is, ‘Yes, Ice Man’.”

  River’s jaw clenches.

  Hayes waits expectantly. I can see River’s jaw tense, and I wonder if he felt like he would skate through this because Lake’s his brother. “I’m waiting,” Hayes says.

  “Yes, Ice Man,” River says, his voice hard.

  This is the most I’ve ever heard Hayes talk in public. He was up there yelling at the guys in the parade right in front of everyone. He’s talking shit to River. Usually, I think he’d let Ryan or one of the other Ballers take point on this, but he has a vendetta, a purpose with these Trials. He really wants to make River pay, and by default, Lake too.

  A smile spreads across Hayes’s face as River stomps down the stands. He watches him the entire way to the snack stand. I know if he even thinks River touches my food, he’ll run down there and kick his ass and make sure he doesn’t make the team this year or possibly every year. He does have some pull, considering he’s living with Coach right now.

  After a few minutes, River comes back up the stands with nachos and a can of soda. He goes to hand the nachos and drink to Hayes, but Hayes points to me. River’s throat works as he moves up a step, his gaze focusing on me. I go to take them from him, but Hayes says, “Tell her, ‘Thanks, Miss Dale’.”

  River’s eyes flash. Even I think Hayes might be taking it a little too far, but I also remember the skirt of fear that enveloped me when River and his brother held me down. I didn’t know what they were going to do to me. They had complete control over me, and now that’s what Hayes has over River, and he’s not going to let it go easily.

  River clears his throat. “Thanks, Miss Dale.”

  It’s not the truest thank you I’ve ever heard, but I nod at him and accept the nachos and soda anyway. River moves away after looking at his brother, almost looking like he might sit with him, but Lake gives a quick shake of his head. Instead, he goes to sit next to Lux who’s on the bleacher behind me, but Ryan turns. “O’Brien, outside of the tape.”

  I bite down on my lip to keep from laughing.

  “Are you serious?” Lake finally asks. His face is caught somewhere between being angry and surprised. He probably thought his brother would get off easy, too.

  Oh well.

  “You’re lucky we don’t make you sit on the outside after what you did to one of our own,” Hayes says blankly. “It’s all about team, right, Lake? River’s not on the team yet, and you should have to prove yourself worthy again.”

  Just like last year, other people in the crowd start to look our way. River sits on the bench I sat on last year, apart from everyone. That I don’t feel sorry for one bit. Maybe Lake will see what they’re doing to his brother and realize what they did to me last year.

  Ryan watches Lake for a long time. I wonder if he’s marinating over the idea of sending Lake to sit with his brother. It would serve him right, but it’s also counterproductive to what we’re trying to accomplish at the moment. Sure, it’s fun getting back at them, but we need to be able to work with one another during the season. We need wins. We need scholarships.

  Dawn and I share the nachos and soda all while I explain football to her. By the end, she gets most of it or at least she pretends to. She mostly just cheers like crazy whenever David’s hands even touch the ball, whether he catches the pass or not. Even better, though, is when Rockport wins with a catch from David who runs the ball in for a touchdown. Dawn stands and screams, and when the time runs out, she runs down the bleacher stands and hits the gate, jumping up and down. David whips his helmet off, his hair plastered to his head with sweat. After celebrating with his team, he runs over to her and kisses her full on the mouth. They’re all over each other in public, making me think I have an idea how they’re going to spend the rest of their day.

  As predicted, Alec stands first. “River, Lux, you have to help me with the flatbed.”

  Last year, this was the first time Alec and I connected. I saw another side of him while we dropped the flatbed off at his house, and since then, he shows me more and more. I look over at Lake for comparison. When I see him, I don’t know if there is another side of him other than the asshole part he plays so well. It’s apparent he loves his brother. I know his dad brought him to camp, and for some reason, I don’t think his mother is around anymore. I don’t know if they just got divorced and she doesn’t see them, or if she passed away. I’m not sure what Lake’s full story is. Not that it matters. It doesn’t explain away his assholishness.

  “Any other Trials stuff on today?” I ask as families and students alike file down the bleachers along with Alec, River, and Lux. Lake stands and leaves now too. He doesn’t bother saying anything when he does, just jogs to catch up with River as they walk toward the parking lot.

  Ryan shakes his head, only giving Lake a cursory glance before turning his attention back to us. “No, we figure the recruits do enough the night before and with the homecoming game.”

  “How nice of you,” I deadpan.

  He shrugs smugly. “We’re not that heartless.”

  “Well, my mom’s off somewhere with her new boyfriend today. You guys can come over to swim if you want
.”

  “Can’t,” Sloan says. “Mom and Dad are making me go to a dinner at the club house.” He looks over at me. “I’d invite you if I could.”

  That probably means he asked his mom and she said no. At least Sloan’s independent and doesn’t care what his parents think. “It’s okay,” I tell him.

  Ryan rubs the back of his neck. “I promised my mom we’d hang out today. We haven’t done anything just her and I in a long time.”

  He looks like he wants to call his mom up and tell her he can’t, so I say, “It’s no big deal. You should hang out with your mom.”

  “Your dad won’t be there,” he says quickly. “He had to drive into the city for some meeting today. I’m not sure what for.”

  He’d already told me that. My dad’s actually been doing a good job of keeping me apprised of things that are going on. I can imagine him at the breakfast or dinner table with Ryan and Leslie and as soon as he tells them what he’s doing, he pulls his phone out to make sure he tells me the same thing too. I appreciate his effort.

  “I’ll swim,” Hayes says. “Or just hang out. Whatever you want.”

  A butterfly breaks free in my stomach and starts flapping. Whatever I want? This could get interesting. And exciting.

  Ryan stands, car keys in his hand. “Let’s go then. I’ll drive you two to Tessa’s.”

  We thank him and follow him and Sloan to the parking lot. It really freaking sucks not being able to drive. I have to get an x-ray again on Monday, so hopefully when the doctor reads them, he tells me I can get this damn thing off. It’s starting to itch underneath and just be uncomfortable. I’m ready to have my hand back.

  I hug and kiss Sloan goodbye, telling him to text me later to let me know how dinner went. Ryan I say goodbye to in my driveway while Hayes waits by the front door. Then, the Ice Man and I walk in together. He doesn’t even have his swim trunks on him, and I can’t go swimming either, so that activity is out of the question. When we get inside, I take him to the kitchen and grab every snack we have in there like I’ve seen the guys do when they’re at Ryan’s before leading him into the living room. “We can watch whatever you want,” I tell him.

  He eyes me. “Seriously?” His lips pull apart. “That’s not how this works, Tessa.”

  My gaze meets his cautiously. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you’re supposed to force me to watch some girlie movie or something.”

  “A girlie movie?” I question. Has he met me before? “What? Like The Notebook? Or Titanic? Or some other romance movie you’ll probably sleep through?”

  He shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. I happen to like Titanic though.”

  I do too, but I keep my love of romance movies to myself. I happen to like everything. I’m just as comfortable watching curling as I am the new Terminator movie or a teenage drama. Mainly I think I just like stories. Sports is a story. Teams have their own tales as well as the individual players. I love it when the announcers talk about a player’s history, so I can see how they got to where they are. It’s the same as a movie except maybe robot people aren’t trying to kill them.

  I pull the coffee table with all of our snacks piled on it toward the couch. Or, I at least try to. Hayes sees what I’m about to do and playfully peels my fingers from the wood and does it for me. Then, he sits on the couch and drags me right next to him before looking through the snacks and grabbing a bag of chips. Shortly after that, I realize I didn’t grab any drinks, so I ask Hayes what he wants and then go in search of it in the kitchen.

  When I get back, his head is lowered, and his brows are pulled together. I approach him cautiously. “What’s the matter?”

  He looks up then, shaking his head. “Nothing.” He tries to play it off, but I know there’s something bothering him.

  I eye him for a second. “Thanks for doing all that for me today. Embarrassing River, pulling me onto the float.” I burst out into a laugh. “Especially the dick on River’s face. It was cool.”

  He shrugs. “You deserve all of it, and since they’re making me take part in this bullshit, I decided I was going to have a little fun.”

  I inch closer. “I’m sure Lake’s not very happy.”

  A genuine, winning smile pulls Hayes’s lips apart. “He looked downright pissed when I held his brother down to draw the dick on his face yesterday.”

  I laugh again at that. I can just imagine Hayes spread over him. He’s so much bigger than River that I’m sure there’s no way River would’ve been able to get Hayes off him. Not that he could have anyway. It’s Trials. River’s probably too scared to do anything to piss them off because he doesn’t know what it will mean for his spot on the team. It was the same for me. If he was paying attention last year, he knows he should be scared. The Ballers have pull.

  I settle back next to Hayes on the couch, comfortable in the crook of his arm while I put on the horror movie that Netflix has been trying to get me to watch for the past month.

  Hayes and I end up watching three movies back-to-back, wound up in one another’s arms and hearts, laughing at inappropriate times and pretending not to notice when the other gets scared. Well, it’s mostly him pretending not to notice when I get scared, but you get the idea.

  It’s a perfect day.

  23

  I get out of school on Monday morning because Mom and Dad take me to get an x-ray on my wrist to see how it’s progressing. When we get back to the school afterward, I’m almost happy to be out of the car and away from them. It’s not that they weren’t cordial to one another, but that’s as far as it went. It was like wading through a cloud of fake where the tension rains down on you. The weight of their insincerity toward one another kept dragging me down. I know they both want to be there for me in times like this, but I hope there comes a day when they can both be in the same vicinity as one another and care enough to act normal.

  They drop me off during my lunch period, so I walk right past my locker and head toward the cafeteria. The temperature has dropped lately, so we’ve been eating inside for the most part, taking back the old Baller lunch table, forcing Lake and his crew away. It was a silent takeover, which surprises me. Maybe Lake actually doesn’t want to start shit either now that they’re working together again.

  A strong hand grips my good wrist. If it weren’t for the bite of the fingernails into my skin, I would’ve thought it was one of my Ballers. They know I’m coming because I texted them when we pulled into the parking lot. The hand forces me to stop and then whips me around. River O’Brien stands in front of me. His eyes are like ice, rivaling Hayes for his nickname. “You bitch,” he seethes.

  My cast hand grips his on instinct, trying to peel his fingers from me. “Get off me, River.”

  “You think I’m going to let that shit slide from Saturday? You think I’m going to wait on you, call you ‘Miss Dale’, and not do something about it?”

  “Yeah, I do,” I tell him. “Because I had to do the same shit last year. You want to be on the team? Grow the fuck up.”

  His eyes blaze, and his hold on me tightens. “Why does my brother hate you so much? Tell me.”

  I finally pry his grip from me, but he’s left red indentations on my skin. “You’ll have to ask him. I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

  His gaze turns suspicious. “I have asked him. He won’t tell me. Did you guys date or something? At camp. Maybe you cheated on him?”

  “Are you insane?” I ask, taking a step back and letting a bout of laughter roll through me. “I wouldn’t touch your brother.”

  “Then what is it? It has to be something.” He takes a step closer to me.

  “Fucking ask him. I didn’t have a problem with your brother until he started to fuck with me, and I don’t have a problem with you either, unless you follow in his little bitch footsteps.”

  He studies me up and down. “I think there’s something both of you aren’t saying. It’s got to be more than you playing for the boys’ team.”

  “O’Brien,�
�� a voice calls out. It isn’t one of my guys, but I do recognize it. Coach Bradley comes out of his office, his hands crossed over his chest. “What’s this?”

  River turns toward him, crossing his hands over his chest to match Coach’s stance. His shoulders lift casually. “Nothing.”

  Coach swings his gaze toward me. “Dale?”

  “Baby O’Brien was just asking me why his brother hates me so much. I told him he’d have to ask his brother that.”

  Coach shrugs. “Sounds like a reasonable answer.” He looks over at River whose jaw is ticking. “Do you find that answer acceptable?”

  “I—”

  I interrupt him. There’s no way I’m going to let River spin this story. Fuck him. “Actually, he didn’t find it acceptable, Coach, but you don’t need to do anything about it. Little River doesn’t scare me.”

  Coach nods. “Hear you loud and clear, Dale. You just let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m sure River will be happy to know that we take bullying and threatening very seriously here at RHS.”

  “I’m sure he is happy to know that, Sir.”

  I brush past River and head toward the cafeteria. Fucking little shit. If my wrist was better, I’d think about smacking him over the head. He’s just trying to play big and bad like his brother, but there’s no way he has it in him to do what Lake did to me.

  On my way into the cafeteria, Ryan starts walking out. When he sees me, he stops, but his gaze goes beyond me, too. He must see River standing there because his gaze narrows. “Any trouble?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “I don’t want you handling anything,” he tells me, his voice gravelly. I walk right past him. He reaches out, grabbing onto my arm. He just happens to hit one of the indentations River pressed into my wrist, so I cringe. Ryan takes my hand and looks down. “He did this to you?”