The Wide Receiver Outcast

by Emma Wolfe

  By now, Liam had loosened his grip and was standing inches behind me. Even though he was no longer touching me, I could still feel him there. It both irritated and soothed me.

  I hated that.

  But concentrating on his proximity wasn’t something I wanted to do right now. Not when Mrs. White was staring at me like she was expecting an answer.

  So I blew out my breath and nodded. “Yes,” I said.

  A flash of disappointment rushed over Mrs. White’s face as she folded her arms across her chest and glanced between Katie and me. Then she sighed and studied me. “Getting physical isn’t the answer to your problems, Cora. The only choice I have is to give you detention.”

  I parted my lips to complain but then realized there was really nothing I could say to get out of it. And then I realized that if I was in detention, I wouldn’t have to go to cheer practice, and I quickly clamped my lips shut and give her a slow nod.

  She looked satisfied with that response and made her way down the hall and disappeared around the corner. The crowd that had gathered around us dispersed, leaving Liam, Katie, and me alone.

  Coming to my senses, I moved away from Liam. I hated the he was so close to me. And I hated even more that I cared so much. None of the pain that was coursing through me would exist had it not been for him inserting himself into my life.

  I would be a happier and better functioning person had he never bothered me.

  And yet, the idea of never knowing Liam made me sad. The idea of never experiencing the moments we had together made me sad. Liam haunted my dreams in both a good way and bad.

  He made me feel whole and wanted. He made me feel like I could bring someone happiness. That I was worthy of love. And the way he looked at me? It made my toes curl and my heart take off.

  As much as I wanted to tell myself that I didn’t care about Liam, I knew it wasn’t true. It was never going to be true.

  Liam had changed me. And I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be able to move on.

  Frustration flooded my body as I moved to make my way down the hall. Before I could escape, a hand wrapped around my elbow, keeping me from moving. I didn’t have to look behind me to know who had stopped me.

  Liam.

  Taking a deep breath, I peeked over my shoulder to see Liam staring at me. His gaze was so intense, and to my surprise, he didn’t look away.

  “Liam,” I whispered, my heart pounding inside of my chest as if it wanted to break loose and run away.

  “Cora, what are you doing?” he asked.

  I waited for him to loosen his grip or to pull away, but he didn’t. Instead, he stood there, dangerously close to me, his fingers pressing into my skin and causing my senses to go haywire.

  If this was getting over a boy, I sucked at it royally.

  But the way he was looking at me drew me in, and before I knew what I was doing, I sighed and lowered the wall that I had built up around my heart. The one I’d put there to protect myself during this exact situation.

  I studied him for a moment and then stepped back, breaking our contact. Even though my defenses were lowered, I knew I couldn’t open up again just to have him pull away.

  “I should go,” I said as I ducked my head down and hurried down the hall.

  I think Liam called after me, but I wasn’t sure, and there was no way I was going to turn around to see. By the time I made my way into the lunchroom, my nerves were frayed and I was ready to collapse on a chair and bury my head in the crook of my arm. And never come out.

  I found Rose sitting at a table at the far end of the lunchroom, and I made a beeline for her. She was studying something on her computer as I pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

  She glanced over at me and nodded, then she returned her gaze back to the screen in front of her. Whatever she was looking at had her complete attention.

  I sighed as I rested my arms on the table in front of me and blew out my breath. After a few minutes of channeling my yoga breathing, I straightened and glanced over at her.

  “I’m not going to be at practice today,” I said as I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my lunch.

  Rose glanced over at me. “Oh yeah? Why?”

  Movement at the other end of the lunchroom drew my attention. Liam had walked in and was scanning the room. I couldn’t help but stare at him.

  I was so angry and so frustrated but still so incredibly in love with him that it hurt. Deep in my soul, break my spirit kind of hurt.

  When his gaze landed on me, my heart picked up speed. There was a look in his eyes and for a split second, I allowed myself to wonder if he felt the pain as acutely as I did.

  From the depth in his gaze, it felt as if that were true.

  But then he dropped his gaze and weaved his way through the tables to join the other football players, who were milling around a table. Some were sitting while others were throwing a ball back and forth.

  I shook my head as I forced myself to drop my gaze and get a handle on my emotions.

  “I think I know why,” Rose said.

  I glanced over to see that she was back to studying her laptop screen. Curious what she was doing, I slid the laptop in my direction so I could see what she was so intently looking at.

  A map of Smoky Hills and the surrounding forest was up on the screen, and it seemed as if she were highlighting areas.

  I flicked my gaze over at her. “What are you planning?” I asked.

  Rose hesitated for a moment before she raised her gaze to meet mine. Her forehead was furrowed, and I could see hurt burning inside of her eyes. “I have to look for him,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

  I studied her. Even though I didn’t know exactly what she was going through, I could relate. I was hurt by a wolf shifter just like she was.

  “You want to go into the woods?” I asked.

  She pinched her lips together and nodded. “I have to. I have to look for him. It’s what he would do for me.”

  I tapped my fingertips on the tabletop as I let her words settle around me. I knew what she was saying was true, but I wasn’t sure if I could just send my best friend out into the woods after a guy who might not want to be found.

  “Rose, it’s dangerous. You know it. I know it.” I reached out and rested my hand on her arm. I hoped it would give her some sort of solace. But, from the way she scrunched up her nose and snatched her arm away, it didn’t.

  She was hurting, and me trying to rationalize wasn’t helping her. Which made me sad.

  “What if Grayson doesn’t want to be found?” I finally mumbled. I knew it was a gamble, but I had to help my friend see sense. She was going off into the woods. From what I knew of Grayson, if he wanted to come back, he would have. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would stay anywhere he didn’t want to be.

  Tears brimmed on the edge of Rose’s eyes, and I could tell she was trying to process what I’d said to her. She was trying to come up with a reason to keep searching. To not give up.

  “He wouldn’t…” Her voice trailed off as she worried her lip. Her focus was concentrated to the side. Her gaze glossed over, and then she closed her eyes as she brought her lips inward, pinching them with her teeth.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  Rose shook her head as she took in a deep breath and then opened her eyes to meet my gaze. “I can’t give up. I just can’t. You can help me if you want to, but I’m going out there tonight. I have to fight for Grayson.”

  I reached out and pulled my best friend into a hug. After a few seconds, I pulled back and offered her a sympathetic smile. “I understand, and I’ll go with you. It’ll just have to be after detention.”

  Her eyes widened. “Detention?”

  I sighed and nodded. “I got into a tiff with Katie. Mrs. White saw and banished me to detention.”

  Rose laughed as she wiped at her cheeks. “Really? Man, I wish I’d been there to see that.” Then she furrowed her brow. “Was it
about Liam?”

  At the mention of his name, I scanned the crowd only to see Liam sitting at the table with the other players with his head dipped down. His shoulders were sagged. His normal king-of-the-school persona was faltering.

  He was hurting and I could feel it. Like we were connected in this strange cosmic way.

  All I wanted to do was go over and comfort him. It was my job to make him happy, even if he didn’t want me to do it.

  I was born to bring him happiness.

  “He’s an idiot,” Rose whispered, drawing my attention back to her.

  For a moment, I allowed my defenses to falter as tears filled my eyes. I swallowed hard as I nodded. “You’re right. He is.”

  Rose matched my nod until she burst out in a nervous laugh. “Look at the two of us. Stupid boys. Bringing us into their world. We would have been completely happy without them. And now?”

  I fiddled with my backpack. I knew what she meant without her saying it.

  We were in love with boys that we could never have. And no matter how hard we tried to move on, I doubted we would ever be able to fully get over how we felt.

  “Let’s make a pact. If we don’t find Grayson tonight, we stop looking. We move on.” I allowed my gaze to slip over to Liam only to find him staring at me. Heat flushed my body as I quickly dropped my gaze before I brought it back to study Rose. She was chewing her lip as she stared out the far window, and I could tell she was mulling over what I said.

  “We can’t live our life like this,” I continued.

  Rose was silent for a moment before she sighed and nodded. “You’re right. We can’t.” Then she glanced over at me as she raised her pinky finger. “Promise?”

  I nodded as I met her gesture. Maybe, if I had Rose to help me, I just might be able to kick this obsession that I called Liam. After all, it wasn’t like I didn’t have Christopher interested in me. I might as well attempt to see where that relationship could go.

  “Promise,” I repeated, giving her a smile.

  After we dropped our hands, I scanned the lunchroom—avoiding Liam’s table—searching for Christopher. He must have felt my gaze because, a moment later, he glanced up. He smiled and winked at me.

  I allowed myself to smile back, even though a feeling of regret rose up inside of me. It only lingered for a moment before I forced it back down again.

  There was no reason I should feel like I was cheating on Liam, because I wasn’t. If anything, I was moving on. It was normal and, if I were honest with myself, the healthy thing to do.

  Someone distracted Christopher, drawing his attention away, but not before he raised his fingers to signify that I should text him. I nodded and deepened my smile. After he was completely distracted by the person talking to him, I lowered my gaze—but not before I snuck a peek in Liam’s direction.

  My heart pounded as I took in his furrowed brow and pained expression. He was staring daggers at Christopher, and I allowed myself to think that it was because of me. That, perhaps, it meant he still cared. Which, deep down, I still wanted.

  Clearing my throat, I forced my brain to change gears. Focusing on Liam’s desire for me or his wish to obliterate Christopher wasn’t fulfilling my side of the pact with Rose.

  We had until tonight to get answers. If we were still in this place when we went to sleep tonight, then our relationships with the wolf shifters of Smoky Hills were over.

  I was going to keep my promise. No matter how much my heart ached, I was going to move on.

  I had to.

  5

  Brielle

  The final bell rang, and I grabbed my backpack and headed out of class. Once I was out in the hallway, I glanced both directions before I joined the throng of students making their way to their lockers.

  There was something calming about allowing the horde of students to guide me down the hallway. I didn’t have to think. I didn’t have to decide anything. Instead, I could just follow.

  That was something I’d gotten used to. At least where Grayson was concerned.

  It was hard to have my own voice when my older brother was so overprotective. He was always there to tell me I was doing something wrong or that he disproved of a decision I’d made. It was something I’d grown used to, and now that it was gone, it was strange.

  And, in general, the fact that he’d left was even stranger.

  Grayson wasn’t the kind of guy that just up and left.

  I stood outside my locker, peering into it as thoughts of where my brother could have gone floated around in my mind. Was he back with Mom and Dad? Was he lost? Did the Cordens take him?

  I blinked a few times, trying to calm my mind and heart. There was no reason for me to jump to conclusions. After all, it wasn’t like this was the first time he’d left. There was that one incident, back when we first got to Smoky Hills, where he left for two days. Maybe this was the same situation.

  He could have needed a break, and who was I to keep that from him?

  He’d be back. He had to be. He promised me when we were kids and making our way through the woods to Mr. Bronson’s door that he would always be there for me. And I trusted him.

  He was loyal, and whatever was distracting him had nothing to do with me. He needed a break, and I would be the loving sister and allow him to take one.

  “I’ve never seen someone stare so intently into their locker before,” a smooth, deep voice said from behind me.

  My heart picked up speed as I turned to see Matthew standing a few inches away from me. My breath hitched in my throat as I took in his stance. He was leaning forward as if he were trying to get a look inside my locker—or perhaps be closer to me—I wasn’t sure.

  I startled, jumping back and away from him. I didn’t like how I felt when I was around him. A strange warmth spread through my body, causing my breath to turn shallow. I didn’t like the way my body responded to him on an emotional and physical level.

  Add that to the way he smelled, and I felt as if I were slowly losing my mind.

  Being a shifter gave me heightened senses, but I doubted I needed that to pick out his smell. His cologne was intoxicating. He smelled like the woods after a hard summer rain.

  It took all my control not to close my eyes and breathe in deeply.

  I brought my gaze up to meet his, allowing myself for a moment to revel in his proximity. It wasn’t like a lot of guys were breaking down the door to ask me out. And even if they had been, Grayson wouldn’t let them.

  I was off-limits. Untouchable. One look from Grayson and any guy who valued his life was gone.

  Sayonara.

  So the fact that this stranger was taking an interest in me, well, it had my entire body reacting. Which I knew was stupid. He could sense my reaction. Heck, I was pretty sure that humans would be able to sense it. You didn’t need to be a mythical creature to realize what was going on between us.

  And all of this because my older brother decided to disappear.

  Blast you, Grayson.

  Without him around, I didn’t have that outer layer of protection around me. Without him here, I was going to have to talk to Matthew. And how did a girl do that? Besides my brother’s dorky friends who were already wrapped up in their own relationship drama, I’d never had interactions with boys. At least not with boys who wanted to stand as close to me as Matthew was right now.

  How did a girl act coy? How did she reel in a boy without giving away the fact that she was interested?

  I racked my brain for all the teen girl dramas I’d seen. I knew they laughed and flung their hair. Was that what I should do?

  Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to act. He was peering down at me as if he were waiting for me to say something. Do something.

  So I did.

  I giggled.

  And it sounded awful.

  Heat rushed to my skin as I dropped my gaze and focused on my locker. What was I doing? This wasn’t me. And the sound that I’d produced was proof to the world that this most definite
ly wasn’t me.

  Trying out my flirty skills on this stranger was the worst move I’d made in a long time. I wished a hole would just open up and swallow me. Maybe if I ignored him, he wouldn’t try to talk to me and I could escape without him noticing.

  Was that too much to ask?

  Probably.

  I blindly grabbed some book from inside my locker and slammed the door and spun around. I was ready to hightail it out of here.

  “You okay?” Matthew asked as he leaned in again. His presence washed over me, causing my heart to pound harder. “Are you worried?” His voice had deepened as if he was concerned that he’d scared me.

  Realizing that I couldn’t stand here and ignore him, I shook my head and turned to face him. “Of course not. Why would I be worried?” I smiled over at him—just to prove how relaxed I was.

  He raised his eyebrows as he pulled back slightly. Then he nodded and shrugged, shoving his hands into his front pockets. His hair fell across his forehead as he tipped his face toward the ground. Then he took in a deep breath. “I guess I just thought maybe we could hang out. After all, I’m new here and you’re…” He pulled one hand out and swept it up and down. As if that were the universal signal for wolf shifter.

  I studied him for a moment. I had to admit, I did feel bad for him. After all, when I’d come to Smoky Hills, I’d had Grayson and Liam. Matthew didn’t have anyone.

  Call me crazy, but it didn’t quite feel right to abandon him to learn the ropes alone. Maybe I could be his friend. It wasn’t like it was going to be easy for him, trying to fit into Liam’s pack, but maybe I could help convince Liam to lower his guard. I knew he had his defenses up. I could feel it. It coursed through the fabric that held us together.

  Liam was worried about more than Grayson and Cora, and I couldn’t help but think that, perhaps, it was because of Matthew.

  I sighed as I nodded. Matthew may be from the Mother pack, but he was here now. If he hated humans or half breeds, I was pretty sure he would have acted already. Members of the Mother pack weren’t known for their patience. They were more the type to act now and ask questions later.