by Sonya Jesus
“Guess I’m going to go break the news to them. They are going to be devastated knowing that you were willing to quit them so easily.”
“I bet,” I say with slight sarcasm. Aiden stares at the two of us as if he’s ready to stalk over here and give me a piece of his mind. “Do me a favor and convey a message to your leader for me.”
“What’s the message?” he asks with a smile on his face.
“Whatever it is you guys are up to, cut it out.” I am so sick of whatever stupid game they are playing. Why all of a sudden talk to me after not even pretending I exist? Why go to the hospital and wait for me? Why friend me on Facebook after ignoring me for a couple weeks? Why these stupid comments and those stupid little jibes? Why did they watch me eat at the Breaker? Or know that I didn’t have a car? Or seem to know more about me then I did about them? I’m sick of feeling uncomfortable around them, and I want nothing to do with their little games. These boys are a whole other level of complicated.
“What are you talking about?” he asks innocently, but the expression on his face confirms my suspicion. “What exactly do you think we are up to, Princess?”
“That!” I say waving my hands in the air. “Why do you call me Princess?”
Sebastian cackles and looks over at the guys.
I avoid following his gaze and wait for an answer, but when he doesn’t give me one immediately, I turn to walk away.
“You really want to know why we call you Princess?”
The intrigue lures me in, so I stop and face him.
He smiles smugly. “You have to ask Aiden.”
I scoff. “Yea, right. I’ll get right on that!” I laugh at the thought. That’s never going to happen. “Good luck on the game.”
“Alright,” he says as if something is wrong with me and walks back to his stupid friends. I’m beginning to see a common theme anytime I’m around these guys – mortification. They must enjoy this. At what point did they suddenly think it would be fun to torment me? Unless Aiden decides he hasn’t humiliated me enough with his not interested, or his little stunt last night. I have half a mind to unfriend them all.
“Call an ambulance!” someone shouts from the field. Blaze takes command on the field, urging the crowd around the collapsed person, back.
“Austin?” Connor shouts, running over in Blaze’s direction. It takes a few moments for me to connect the fear in his voice with Austin’s body on the ground.
Shit. I run towards Connor just as campus security and administrators reach the scene. I stand on the sideline as Deacon asks Blaze what happened.
“Nothing. He was fine this morning. When we came out here, he seemed normal. He was having difficulty breathing when the game started.”
“Has he been hydrating?” Deacon asks.
“Yes,” Connor answers, hanging up the phone with the ambulance. “I gave him my water. But I don’t think its heat stroke. Austin has epilepsy. He was supposed to go home this weekend to get some more meds.”
“Do you know what he is on?” Connor shakes his head no. “How long has he been out?”
“A few minutes,” Blaze responds. “He started convulsing then stopped. He said he felt cold then just dropped.”
Connor runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the end of the strands. Jaime and some of their friends emerge from the crowd. Connor kneels down by Austin’s side as Austin convulses again. Blaze times the seizure.
Time goes by so terrifyingly slow as Austin’s muscles contract and his body arches off the ground then flops back down in consecutive repetitions for two agonizingly long minutes.
When he stops, they roll him on to his side, but Austin doesn’t wake up. He’s breathing, but there is no response from him. Connor starts to panic, and I kneel down beside him, placing my hand on his shoulder. He shrugs it off immediately, rejecting my touch, but he gets up and calls out for Jaime, who joins him immediately. Stepping aside, I struggle to keep my emotions in check.
I understand, but it doesn’t mean it hurts any less. I’m not part of their little family, and in times like these, they needed to lean on each other. Connor delegates responsibilities amongst the friends as the ambulance is escorted down the Walk of Pride. Deacon approaches and helps disperse the crowd so the paramedics can assist Austin.
After what seems like forever, there is barely anyone left on the field. Connor finally reacts and jogs towards the parking lot, forgetting I exist. I feel selfish for thinking this, but he forgot me.
“Try not to take it personally,” Blaze says softly.
I force a smile. “I know. I just hope he’s okay.”
“Connor will be. I’m sure Austin will be too.” After pulling a mesh bag from his inside pocket, Blaze leans down and grabs one of the vests on the soccer field and places it in the bag. I bend down and help Blaze pick them up.
“Well, that was eventful,” I say, sounding distant.
Blaze must notice because he shoulder bumps me. “Hey, I say it was eventful even before Austin’s seizure.” He coaxes a smile out of me. “I didn’t know you were such a good player.”
I giggle. “Yeah, my plan is to knock one out at a time.”
“Eh, I say Aiden deserved it after the pep rally stunt.”
“Yeah. I bet he regrets underestimating my awesome aiming ability.”
Blaze looks over at the soccer team, standing in unison like some kind of cult. “I bet he does.”
“You know it was strictly accidental, right? If I was aiming for him, I wouldn’t aim for his head.”
“Got it. But I still think I should warn the guys to wear cups when you are on the field.”
The thought of them running around on the field with plastic package wrappers makes me giggle. “Now, where would the fun in that be?”
“Well, who am I to take your fun away?” He hands me another mesh bag so I can stick the vests in.
“I should go get the vests over by the soccer guys.” I stare at the orange pile near them. Deacon notices me staring and gives me a hesitant smile. .
“Sometimes I forget he’s not actually a student here.” Blaze heads for the pile, and I follow. “Reid’s absence forces Deacon into full-on coach mode.”
I shrug. “At least he’s nicer to them than Reid is.”
“Reid has his reasons, Amelia.”
“You mentioned something about that the other day at the Breaker.”
“I told you to stay away from them, and you should listen. Not all of them are good guys, Lia. That’s why Reid keeps such a close eye on them, and why they are under scrutiny by the Dean.”
“Why though? What did they do?”
“Look, Lia. I’m just looking out for you. Telling you isn’t going to make anything easier for you.” He adjusts his glasses and makes sure no one is listening before he says, “Just stay away from them.”
“Okay.” I grab the few Frisbees that were under a bench and stuff them in the bag before handing it over to him. “You make them sound so secretive.”
Blaze’s jaw clenches at my comment. He takes the bag and throws it over his shoulder, turning to face me. “I know you. You’re curious about them, aren’t you? Girls like you are too innocent to be around guys like them. This isn’t high school anymore, Lia. They aren’t teenagers afraid of what mommy and daddy will do to them.”
We both face the ominous threats and notice Dylan approaching us.
Blaze grinds his teeth and his eyes flash with a warning. “Maybe you need to start realizing that.”
Chapter 16: Counter vs. Collector
Hawk
Aiden thinks I didn’t hear the conversation between him and his little buddies, but I was the one who gave Lacey the icepack to put on his eye. He was so pissed that he didn’t even notice my presence. Amelia has a powerful arm, and it didn’t help that he was only a few feet from her very bad throw, taking the full brunt of it and landing him a cut above his eye. Aiden wasn’t upset with Amelia, until Marcus said, “That’s what you get for being
such a dick.”
Immediately he attacked Marcus, saying for him to, I quote, “Butt the fuck out, you know the rules.” I wonder what that meant and silently added it to the list of things I needed to find out. I don’t like not knowing things. The unknown always comes around to bite me in the ass later. I step away from the group, who suddenly close ranks, and follow Lacey back to the sidelines where she turns to me and shakes her head. “I am seriously beginning to hate that girl.”
“Why is that?” I ask, trying to not seem interested as I make my way back to the Rook. When she follows, I pause and give her my attention.
“I told you on the phone…Plus, anytime she comes around they stop talking, and Aiden gets all constipated in the face. Lately, anytime she pops up the boys end up in an argument. They start acting awkward, and usually, Aiden ends up saying they have to follow the rules.”
“Do you know the rules?” I act as if I know them and she shouldn’t be privy to such knowledge. She bites the inside of her lip. “Lacey?”
“I overheard them one time. I was supposed to leave, but I hung out near the door. They were arguing over something, and Aiden said some of the rules. You know it’s nothing weird. It’s just like a how to survive the suite thing. Respect one another’s property, clean up after yourself, announce visitors, keep the computer room locked, what happens in the suite stays in the suite and mandatory room confessions. Stuff like that.”
“Whether or not the rules are scandalous, doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that you were eavesdropping on them.” I need to get her in a position to do something for me. “I doubt they will appreciate that.”
She looks up at me with horror on her face. “You can’t tell them I know!” She looks back at them and lowers her voice, “They will exile me. They won’t trust me anymore. After all I have done for them… everything I was willing to do will mean nothing.”
“I won’t tell them. As long as you tell me why they are so interested in Amelia.” She looks at me skeptically. “It’s for their own good. Sounds like Amelia is coming between them.”
She groans but gives in. “Fine! But only because I love those guys in some twisted fucked up way. I can’t really tell you who is interested in her, for sure. I’ve been trying to figure it out, but they are so secretive it drives me insane. At first, I thought it was Christian, but then I found out he likes Natalie. Then I thought it was Marcus, but he never brings her up. Now, I want to say it’s definitely Dylan. The rift between them is due to Dylan making his move. Aiden doesn’t like it. But, here is the thing: Aiden never talked about her before. So I don’t understand. Maybe she slept with both of them.”
“No, that isn’t it,” I say instinctively. The way her eyebrows rise at my little outburst suggests suspicion. I quickly cover it up. “I would know. The whole campus would know. Those boys aren’t exactly known for keeping their mouths shut on their sexual escapades.”
“You’d be surprised how little this campus knows.” Her voice dips low, mirroring the sadness on her face.
“Maybe it’s just genuine interest on their part. It could happen.” I don’t have time for her melodrama.
“Yeah, right,” she snaps out of her gloomy trance. “Those guys are counters, not collectors. They don’t exactly waste any time on appreciating their next conquest or putting much effort into remembering them.”
Lacey would know since she kept making the same mistake over and over again. I wonder if they count her every time, or if it only counts when it’s someone new.
Counters versus Collectors. The idea is intriguing. I suppose I would be a collector. At least I appreciate Amelia; her value increases with age. And, I prefer her in mint condition.
Lacey interrupts my thoughts, “Look at her. You think there would be so much interest in her if she wasn’t putting out?”
Guess it depended on if you were a Counter or Collector.
I turn and stare at my Queen, then turn back to Lacey. “Yes, when girls look like her, guys usually notice.”
Lacey rolls her eyes at me and makes her way up the hill, expecting me to follow behind her. So I do, mostly because I am interested in this conversation. Actually, anything that involves my love involves me.
“So what? She’s cute. I don’t see what guys see in her. She’s all… I don’t even know what she is, but she doesn’t even try to get their attention. It pisses me off.”
“Are you jealous, Lacey?” I could use this to my advantage, or I could take her out if it meant hurting my Queen.
“Of her?” she smiles seductively. “Please, she can get their attention all she wants. I’m the one they come back to at night.”
I want to clarify this. She’s the one they use at night. She’s the girl they are okay with sharing. Most of the girls that hang out with her have that “wash and reuse” vibe. They were just that, there to fulfill needs and they knew it. They just let themselves think it gives them some sort of higher status.
“She will never trump me.”
“Confident, are you?” It’s true though. Amelia will not be placing herself anywhere near the soccer team, not if I could help it.
“You sound like you have the hots for her?” Lacey fishes for information, poking me in the shoulder as the tension in my face indicates how close to the truth she really is. Lacey places her arm on my shoulder. “You do like her, don’t you?” She waits for an answer. “I was kidding before, but you really do like that little slut.”
I fight the urge to grab her by the throat and stop the talking, the breathing, the living.
“Ugh, I can’t believe you like her too. What the fuck, she has got to have – “
“Careful what you say, Lacey,” I warn her because I’m already on edge.
She humphs at me. Though I tolerate her, I will not hesitate to eliminate her from this world before she could even blink, and just like that she would be forgotten and replaced.
“Whatever! Just so you know, you don’t stand a chance, especially now that you hooked up with her suitemate. You’ve looked over at her, what, 7 times in the last 10 minutes? She’s been here for hours and how many times has she looked in your direction? She barely even knows you.”
Now here I can’t help but smile. “Of course she knows me. We talk sometimes,” I say proudly.
“Well, that really doesn’t mean she knows you. I talk to guys all the time! Ask me their names and I wouldn’t be able to tell you unless they somehow register on my hot list. Want some advice? From what I hear, the guys she dates are a specific type.”
That’s how little she knows about my Amelia. There was not a type. She tried to date anyone who asked her out. She gave everyone a chance, but she didn’t choose any one of them.
“And trust me, nowhere on her list is someone like you or the Soccer Gods. I doubt you make her hot list.”
“Why not me? I’m on a lot of girls’ lists. I don’t see how I couldn’t make her list.” I smirk. “I mean, have you not looked at me? I’m quite handsome.”
Lacey shakes her head. “Okay, take it down a notch. So what? You are hot, but not everyone is into guys like you.”
“Guys like me?”
“Come on Hawk, being with you is an adrenaline rush. For risk takers only. You aren’t exactly like them.” She points over to the team. “They are dicks, so there is a risk in it, but not the same kind of gamble. You’re addictive and dangerous and yet somehow you manage to be a genuinely nice guy. At least when you aren’t pretending to be mean. You help us out when we need help, you come if we call. I know about a dozen girls who would be willing to lay down everything to be with you. I can tell you Lia isn’t one of them.”
“Are you one of these girls?” Lacey blushes. Her certainty angers me. It doesn’t matter if Amelia chooses me, she’s mine! I’ve already chosen her. I don’t need her to be a risk taker; there is no uncertainty in our future. I have, and will, continue to make sure of it. Which means I need to deal with Lacey. She knows too much. I have become
lax. “Sounds like you would choose me instead of one of your Soccer Gods.”
“There is no competition there, Hawk. Let me know when you’re done playing with little girls and are ready for someone like me, again. ” She pauses and looks towards Amelia. “Or maybe I will tell Amelia’s suitemate exactly who you are interested in?”
“That would be a stupid move, Lacey.”
She shrugs.
I continue. “It won’t be beneficial to you.”
“Whatever,” she says as she disappears into the Rook.
I bypass the Rook and go home, right to the punching bag. Getting all worked up won’t help me plan out what I need to do. Lacey better be careful, because she has just put herself on my list, and my lists are far more dangerous than hers. If she comes forth, she’ll ruin my plans with Harper.
At least, Lacey would be easy to get rid of. She told me once before that she grew up in foster care. She’s a serial run away, the only place she has ever stayed put was Westbrook. Police won´t look for her if I get rid of her properly. I just have to make sure it doesn’t get tied back to me.
Now, my next move. That’s all our relationship has been so far: a series of strategic moves. Protecting my Queen is like playing chess. I have to plan everything, and constantly stay a few steps ahead. I need countermoves for their moves and backup strategies for each.
Chapter 17: How Long Until…
Lia
Mel, Harper and Haley are hanging out in the living room. All three of them turn towards the door the moment I step through it. Mel greets me, “There you are!” The relief in her voice surprises me. “We were so worried about you!”
“About me?” I say, dropping my gym bag on the floor. “Why?”
“We tried calling, but you left your phone,” Harper adds as she moves to the right of Mel. “Haley says you were playing Frisbee.”
May, who stands behind the Tiki Bar, cocks her head to the side, raising her brows and demanding an explanation. I answer her silent ‘well?’ with a scowl. I’ve had just about enough of her nosiness.