Games of Fire

by Airicka Phoenix

  “I’m sorry.” She gave a start at the soft whisper in her ear. An arm snaked around her middle and a hand rested lightly on her abdomen.

  Without thinking about it, she leaned into the chest pressed into her back. “You started it,” she reminded him.

  Spencer pressed his lips to her ear. “I promise to make it up to you tonight.”

  The thought of a repeat performance sent a warm river of anticipation rushing through her. She shivered and dampened her lips. “Can’t wait.”

  His soft growl tickled the side of her face. “Witch!”

  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Everyone piled into the mirror-encased box. Spencer took Sophie’s hand and led her inside after the others.

  “Spencer! You made it!” His mother smiled brightly. Her blue eyes dropped to their clasped hands and blinked with interest. Sophie waited for her to comment, but she turned her head towards the numbers above the door and said nothing.

  Breakfast passed with very little conversation. Several times, Jackie glanced over at Sophie and Spencer, but continued her silence while they ate. Beneath the table, Spencer never relinquished her hand and Sophie never complained.

  Afterwards, her father drove them to school, filling their ears with warnings of getting into strange vans and accepting candy from strangers. Sophie wondered if her father really saw her as a little kid or if he was just trying to protect her.

  He pulled into the parking lot, cursing as students and cars alike veered into his path at unexpected intervals. It took them fifteen minutes to reach the back doors and her father looked just about ready to lunge out and strangle the next person who got in his way.

  “Meet me in the front,” he told them, glaring fiercely through the windshield. “I’m not coming back this way again.”

  They agreed as they climbed out. Spencer took Sophie’s hand and guided her into the school. No one gave them a second glance.

  “I’ll see you at lunch?” she said as they wove their way to her locker.

  “I’ll be there,” he promised, stopping in front of the metal doors and turning to her. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

  Sophie frowned. “Where would I go?”

  “I mean by yourself. Wait for me, okay?”

  “Spencer, I’m not going anywhere.” She wanted to laugh, but there was such fear in his eyes that the amusement shriveled up and died in her chest. “What’s wrong?”

  He pulled her away from the crowd and backed into her locker, drawing her between his feet and cradling her close. “I don’t like leaving you alone.”

  “I’m in school with a little under a thousand other students and staff. I’m hardly alone.”

  He raised his head and shook it slowly. “That isn’t what I mean.” He flicked a glance up and down the hallway before settling his gaze on her once more. “We don’t know who’s after us. The last thing I want is to leave you alone and then have something happen to you.”

  Hurting inside by the uncertainty in his eyes, Sophie reached for him, placing her palm against his chest. She almost smiled at how natural the gesture felt. How right. She raised her gaze to his.

  “I’ll text you before and after every class, okay? And I won’t go anywhere in between.”

  He nodded slowly. “Okay.”

  “But you do the same.” She searched his eyes. “They’re not just looking for me.”

  His fingers lightly ghosted across her cheek. “Deal.”

  With a slow, lingering kiss, he left her. She switched her books and hurried to her first class. She found her seat, opened her books before texting Spencer.

  “Mission accomplished! No casualties to report.”

  He took a moment to respond with, “Ha-ha, funny.”

  Grinning to herself, she tucked the phone away and tried to focus on the lesson and not on the possibility of being kidnapped from school, or killed. She tried not to jump every time someone passed the classroom door, or flinch every time the office summoned someone over the PA. It was hard to concentrate on anything aside from how scared she was and how much she wanted to go home.

  She tried focusing on doodling. It was a mindless sort of activity, plus it gave the illusion of her taking notes, which kept the teacher off her back. It wasn’t until the bell sounded for next class that she realized what she’d been doodling and winced.

  Columns upon columns of floating hearts wove intricately through climbing vines and dainty flowers and spiraled up the margins of her paper. Her name was spun through Spencer’s in a delicate ballet of loopy font that made up the strings anchoring the hearts. She was only thankful she hadn’t mindlessly titling herself Mrs. Sophia Rowth or worse, S.R + S.V = 4ever. She was sure she’d just die of humiliation for that act of absolute cheesiness.

  Gathering her things, she quickly texted Spencer before starting for the door.

  “Don’t forget I want that paper on Winston Churchill by tomorrow for those who haven’t handed it in yet!” Ms. Dauze called before Sophie could escape.

  Right. Right. She thought grudgingly. She’d nearly forgotten about that assignment.

  In her hand, her phone chirped, indicating an incoming text. It was from Spencer, telling her he was headed to his next class as well.

  Her next class was equally tedious, only this time the anticipation of seeing Spencer had her all but bouncing in her seat. It was only forty-five minutes before lunch and the clock was deliberately being slow. In the meantime, while she fought to keep the grin off her face, she added to her doodle, stretching it across the top and down the second margin. She was becoming quite pleased with her new found art ability by the time the end of class bell rang.

  “Meet you in the cafe!” she texted Spencer after class as she hurried down the corridor.

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  A thrill scuttled through her, spurring her to quicken her pace. She stopped briefly at her locker to switch her backpack for her lunch money and hurried to the cafeteria.

  She spotted him straight away. He sat facing the doors, cell phone in one hand while he chewed absentmindedly on the thumbnail of the other. Every so often, he’d glance at the screen, his brows would furrow, then he’d glance at the door as if waiting anxiously for someone. Sophie knew who immediately the moment his eyes landed on her. His shoulders relaxed as the tension melted away. He stuffed away his phone and smiled at her, his relief a physical wave washing over her. She smiled back, motioning to the food lineup. He nodded that he understood.

  From her pocket, her phone vibrated. She yanked the thing out and checked the text message.

  “Where R U?” it said.

  “Food court. Lineup,” she said back.

  A moment later, Lauren and Jessie hurried into the cafeteria. Sophie waved her arm to get their attention. They sprinted over.

  “Hey!” Jessie said, flinging her arms around Sophie. “How are you?” She drew back to peer nervously into Sophie’s face. “You okay? Did you sleep all right?”

  Unconsciously, Sophie’s gaze darted to Spencer, then quickly away, her face filling with heat. “I’m fine. I slept great.”

  Lauren arched a brow. “You’re being hunted by a nutcase, but you’re fine?”

  “Lauren!” Jessie chided. “I think Sophie’s trying not to think about that.”

  “Well, I’m not fine about that … ” She bit her lip as a smile threatened to take over. There were just some things that she would not tell her friends, her night with Spencer being one of them. “But I slept great.”

  Jessie smiled understandingly. “I’m so glad your parents decided to stay in a hotel. I know I slept better knowing you were somewhere safe.”

  Sophie nodded. “I just hope they catch the creeps doing this.”

  Jessie rubbed her arm gently. “They will! Plus Joe’s adamant that they won’t do that again.”

  Sophie peered past them at the table, searching for her third friend. “Where is Joe?”

  Jessie shook her head. “Haven’t seen him t
oday.”

  “Probably in the computer lab,” Lauren deduced.

  They reached the assortment of food, all kept warm under harsh lights. Sophie peered over the selection and fought not to grimace. The lights glistened off the heavy coat of grease pooling around most of the items on display. The other half looked dry and brittle, or darkened around the edges. Part of her wondered if she should just forgo lunch, but her stomach whimpered, begging her not to walk away with nothing.

  In the end, she settled for a bowl of fruit, a bottle of water and a cookie. Lauren and Jessie followed her back to the table.

  “Hey,” she said reaching Spencer.

  There were several empty spots all down the table, including across from him and beside him, but he threw his leg over the bench before she could decide on one of them and motioned her between the V. Sophie didn’t hesitate. She set her tray down and straddled the bench, leaning back into Spencer the moment she was close enough.

  His arms instantly went around her, crushing her to him as he nuzzled her hair. “Hey.”

  “Miss me?” she teased, turning her head slightly to rest her forehead against his chin.

  He pulled back to peer into her eyes. The answer burned there as hot as a forest fire. It flickered and danced so bright, there was no mistaking it. He smiled when she shivered and kissed her nose. The gesture was so unexpected, so sweet, if she hadn’t been falling for him hard already, she would have at that moment.

  “I want to tell you something,” he said quietly into her ear.

  “What?”

  His lips parted, but it was Brian that spoke up from across the table. “Rowth, you thinking about joining the team next year?”

  Sophie waited for Spencer to ignore the question, but he grinned and turned to the group watching him. “I might. Someone has to teach you losers how to play properly.”

  There were some jeers. Wads of napkin were thrown. Sophie ducked her head to avoid getting pelted. Everyone took his comment so lightly, but it was Sophie who was studying him when the others turned the conversation to the Valentine’s Day party in a matter of days.

  “Are you really?” she asked.

  He dropped his gaze to hers and shrugged. “Maybe. I do miss playing.”

  Somehow, Sophie couldn’t picture him in a jersey, chasing after a football. But she knew it was possible. He used to be quarterback at his old school.

  “Will you come to my games if I do and cheer me on?” He poked her in the side, making her jump and chuckle.

  “You know I will,” she said, resting her hand over top of the one he had on her stomach. “I just didn’t think you wanted to play anymore.”

  His shoulder jerked in a shrug. “I didn’t. My dad used to be really into it. He signed me and Jamie on every sports team you could imagine. It was fun until I realized why he was doing it.”

  Sophie waited patiently while he struggled between telling her and biting it back. She could see the war raging in the furrow of his brows and the anger in his eyes. The spiked band around his wrist glinted when he raised his thumbnail to his teeth.

  “He’s not a bad guy,” he said finally in a tone that begged her to understand. “He just doesn’t have his priorities straightened out. He and Mom had Jamie before they even finished school. Dad had everything going for him. He was the captain of like, every sport. He was the golden boy of his high school. Mom loved him. When they found out she was pregnant, Mom’s parents insisted he marry her. I think Dad resents us a little for having to give up his dreams of becoming a big superstar. I think he misses his youth and what he had.” He paused, rubbing the palm of his free hand down his thigh. “Mom says Janice wasn’t the only woman he cheated with. She says there were others, but when Janice got pregnant, Dad chose her.” He didn’t say it, but the hurt was there in his eyes. His father hadn’t just chosen Janice. He’d chosen another life with another family. “And I quit. When my parents got a divorce, he sat the three of us down and asked who we wanted to live with. I chose Mom.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say I’m sorry, but it was so stupid, so meaningless.

  “I don’t know if it means anything,” she began slowly. “But I choose you.” It sounded so cheesy and stupid. She wanted to suck it back down her throat and erase it from ever having been said, but she couldn’t.

  Spencer’s features softened. A small smile turned up his lips and reflected lightly in his eyes. His fingers were feather soft brushing her face. “Why couldn’t I have met you years ago?”

  Sophie shrugged, captivated by his eyes. “Maybe because you didn’t need me years ago.”

  His gaze dropped to watch the slow glide of his thumb over the curve of her bottom lip. “Maybe, but you’re making it impossible not to need you now.”

  “That is so romantic!”

  They started at the dreamy sigh from across the table. They turned their heads and stared at Jessie, who flushed.

  “I wasn’t … I only heard the last little bit,” she stammered, growing redder by the second.

  Sophie laughed. Against her back, Spencer’s chest rumbled with his silent chuckle.

  “Do you have a brother?” she practically sighed.

  “Yes, and we already established that he’s an ass,” Lauren reminded her.

  Jessie’s shoulders slumped. “I want one.”

  “An ass?”

  Jessie blinked. “What? No! A guy that’s crazy about me.”

  Lauren looked appalled. “And give up this awesome life of bachelorhood?”

  Jessie scowled. “Says the girl who was making out with Roy Praxton for like six hours!”

  Sophie’s jaw dropped. “Six … what? Lauren!”

  It was hard to tell with her dark complexion, but Sophie could have sworn she saw a light flush appear on Lauren’s cheeks. “It was like one time and it meant nothing.”

  “When?” Sophie pressed. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

  Lauren dropped her gaze, poking absently at her pudding cup with a spoon. “When we went to the cabin and I didn’t tell you because you had your own … ” She gestured to Spencer. “Problems.”

  “Hey!” he protested.

  “Not cool!” Sophie said, feeling a stab of hurt at being left out.

  Lauren tossed down her spoon. “It’s not a big deal, okay? It was the one time and I didn’t want to freaking broadcast it to the world. The only reason Jess knows is because she walked in on us and I told her not to tell!”

  Sophie glanced at Jessie, wondering if she was just imagining the hostility in Lauren’s tone. Jessie met her gaze with a sad purse of her lips. She hung her head as if guilty of betraying a sacred trust. Sophie turned her attention down the table to where Roy Praxton sat surrounded by his friends and a very busty brunette and it all made sense.

  Anger flared up inside her as she glared at the asshole who’d hurt her friend. A large part of her wanted to heft up her fruit cup and chuck it on him. She wanted to crush her cookie into his curly hair and kick him where it would hurt the most.

  “Hey.” Spencer rubbed her arm lightly and she realized she was shaking with fury.

  The end of lunch bell tolled and people began getting up all around them, preparing for next period. Sophie watched the brunette plant a sloppy kiss on Roy’s cheek, gather her books and flounce away. Roy bumped knuckles with a couple of the guys, including Brian, grabbed his bag from beneath the table and followed the herd towards the double doors.

  “I’ll see you guys later,” she told Lauren and Jessie. She hastily pressed a kiss to Spencer’s lips. “I’ll text you.”

  Before anyone could stop her, she tore off after Roy, determined to give him a piece of her mind. How dare he break her friend’s heart. How dare he use her and then discard her for a second rate bimbo! How dare he act so superior when her friend was hurting.

  “Praxton!” she called, not caring when several heads turned in her direction.

  Roy turned, dark eyes widening with surprise. He said somethi
ng to the group circling him and stopped to wait for her as everyone else ambled along.

  “Hey!” he said, smiling brightly. “Sarah—”

  “Sophie!” she snarled, more determined than ever to kick him.

  He had the decency to wince. “Sorry. What’s—”

  “What’s the big idea you hurting my friend?” She speared her hands onto her hips. “Did you think it was funny? Did you think she didn’t have friends that would kick your ass? Because, pal, I’m ready to make sure your bloodline ends with you!”

  “Whoa!” He put his hands up and took a quick step back when she took one forward. “Hold up! Do you mean Lauren?”

  “Yes I mean Lauren!” She snapped. “Do you have any idea what an amazing person she is? She’s funny and smart and has a heart a mile wide. You’d be so lucky to have her—!”

  “I know.”

  “And for another thing … what?”

  A sad sort of smile crept across his handsome face. “I. Know.”

  Sophie blinked, not sure she was hearing him properly. “You lost me.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know what she told you, but I’m not the one who walked away. She did.” Then he walked away without his usual swagger.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Roy’s comment replayed in Sophie’s mind much later that evening as she sat on the hotel bed with her homework sitting closed in front of her. She stared out the window at the solid wall of clouds fading into the distance, chased by the blanket of night coming in from the east. Her pen made a rhythmic cluttering sound as she rapped it against her History textbook. She had every intention of breaking it open at some point in the near future and doing her homework.

  “Hey.”

  Her head came up fast at the unexpected intrusion into her private thoughts. Up until that moment, she’d been alone in the room, or so she thought. Spencer stood in the adjoining doorway, hands tucked into his pockets.

  “Hey!” she said, straightening.

  She hadn’t seen Spencer since they arrived back at the hotel. Her dad had dropped them off, told them to go to the room and stay there while the adults ran some errands. Spencer had gone into his room and she into hers, lost in her own mind.