by Kai Juniper
"Or what?" She laughs. "You'll punch me?"
"It's possible," I say, unlocking my phone to read Jackson's text. Why is he texting me during the game? I hope he didn't get hurt.
Miss you, the text reads. Need to see you tonight.
"Who's the guy?" Peyton asks.
"No one."
"If he misses you, he's not no one."
"Stop reading my texts!" I shove my phone in my back pocket. "It was a guy from back home. A friend."
"I thought you were from New York."
"I am."
"How is he going to see you tonight from New York?"
I glare at her. "I'm seriously considering punching you."
"Here." She puts her face in front of me. "Make sure it's in the nose. I've been begging my parents for a nose job but they refuse. Break my nose and they'll have to get me a new one."
"I'm not punching you. I was kidding. But I AM pissed at you for taking my phone."
"I need to get over there," she says, motioning to the student section. "I told the girls I'd be there ten minutes ago."
"What girls? Who are you sitting with?"
"The cheerleaders. Alyssa and I aren't cheering tonight so I'm sitting with her."
"You're a cheerleader?"
"Obviously," she says dramatically. "Can't you tell by my spunk and bubbly personality?" She laughs. "That's what our coach said about me when she picked me. I don't even know what spunk means."
Sitting with the cheerleaders will definitely help my social status, which I need after today's incident with Kristen. And there's a chance I could get more dirt from Peyton tonight. The more she talks, the more I learn.
"I guess I could sit with you guys." I get up just as Brock is coming back.
"Going somewhere?" he asks.
"I'm gonna go sit with Peyton, if that's okay."
He smiles. "Of course. Go ahead. We'll meet up at the car later."
"I can give her a ride home," Peyton says, batting her eyes at him.
"Thank you, but Rumor will be coming home with me. She's grounded until I decide otherwise."
"Grounded?" I say, putting my hands on my hips. "You never told me I was grounded!"
"I'm telling you now. You didn't think I'd just let you get away with punching someone, did you?"
"How many times have you grounded your sons after a fight?" I spit out, furious with him.
"Rumor, we are not discussing this now."
"None! That's the answer, right? None? Because boys are different. They can do whatever they want and just get away with it."
"Let's go," Peyton says, pulling me away from Brock. He's ignoring me anyway, texting someone on his phone.
"Bastard," I mutter as we walk to the student section. "He makes separate rules for me because I'm a girl."
"You gotta just play along," Peyton says. "The more you go along with it, the more you get away with. Trust me. I've been doing this forever."
"Doing what?"
"Pretending to be the perfect daughter while I go behind their backs and do whatever I want. Parents will believe anything if you smile and say what they want to hear."
She goes up a row of bleachers to where Alyssa is sitting. I met Alyssa at lunch but haven't talked to her much. I don't think she likes me. I think she sees me as competition for the football players. They all flirt with me, including Kade, her ex. I ignore his flirting, especially when she's around, but she still gives me dirty looks.
"Miss me?" Peyton says, sitting beside Alyssa.
"What took you so long?" Alyssa eyes me as I sit down.
"Had to put on a show for the parents. Then I saw Brock and got distracted." She grins. "God, he's hot."
"Seriously, Peyton, you gotta get over your obsession with old men. It's disgusting." Alyssa glances at me. "No offense. Your uncle's hot for an old guy."
"Yeah, I get it. No offense taken."
"I told her Braden's the next best thing," Peyton says, her eyes finding him on the field.
"He won't go out with you," Alyssa says. "You know his rule."
"I've made grown men break the rules." She smiles. "A teenage boy? Piece of cake."
"What's his rule?" I ask. "No dating during football season?"
"No dating a Twisted Pine girl," Peyton says. "Why don't you know this? You're his cousin."
"We don't talk much. Why won't he date a Twisted Pine girl?"
"After Andrea, he decided he wouldn't do it anymore. He didn't really say why. Maybe he thinks she'll end up dead like Andrea. Like he's cursed or something."
"What do you think happened to her?" I ask. "To Andrea?"
"That psycho, Jackson, killed her," Peyton says, twirling her hair around her finger.
"Jackson?" I ask, like I have no clue who she's talking about.
"It's this guy who used to go here," Alyssa says. "Now he's a psycho loner who goes to Legion and lives in a huge house all by himself. Even his parents don't want him. They made him an adult when he was 15 so they could get away from him."
I tense up hearing her talk that way about Jackson. It's not his fault his parents took off like that, and he's not psycho just because he lives alone.
"I'm surprised you haven't seen him," Peyton says. "He lives in your neighborhood. He's right down the street from you."
"Oh. Yeah. I know him. I've seen him out running. And one day when I was out with Braden I accidentally pulled into Jackson's driveway and Braden went nuts."
Peyton gasps. "You know they hate each other, right?"
"Yeah, Braden told me but it was too late. I was in the driveway when Jackson pulled up behind us. And then Kristen showed up."
Peyton and Alyssa look at each other, then back at me.
"She's still seeing him?" Alyssa asks me.
"What do you mean? Are they dating?"
"They were. But I thought it was over."
"Maybe it is, but they still hang out. I can't believe she gets away with it. Everyone here hates Legion. Why aren't people getting on her case about it?"
"Because of her dad," Alyssa says. "Nobody's going to challenge Kristen as long as her dad is the principal. And Principal Edwards doesn't seem to have a problem with her being with a Legion guy. "
"He knows? I thought she was doing it behind his back."
"He knows," Alyssa says. "Some people think Kristen and her dad are working together to try to get Jackson to come back here."
"It wouldn't surprise me if Principal Edwards pimped out his daughter to get the star football player back," Peyton says.
I didn't think about that, but what if that's really what's going on? I always suspected Kristen was using Jackson but I didn't know what for. Attempting to get him back here makes total sense. But no matter what she did or said, Jackson wouldn't come back to Twisted Pine.
"What was he like when he was here?" I ask Alyssa, who seems more than willing to offer up dirt on Jackson.
"Popular jock like Braden, but people liked him more."
"People don't like Braden?"
She pauses as she looks out at the field. "Sure. They like him."
"Another touchdown," Peyton says, lacking the enthusiasm she showed with the first one. "Three touchdowns and it's only the first quarter. This is so boring. We should leave."
"We can't," Alyssa says. "And don't make up another one of your fake illnesses. No one will believe it after you were gone a week."
"You faked being sick?" I ask Peyton. "That's why you were gone last week?"
"I didn't fake it," she insists. "I thought I was pregnant."
"She always thinks that," Alyssa mutters.
"You really thought you were pregnant?" I say to Peyton.
"I felt fat and like I was going to throw up. But it turned out it was just really bad PMS. That's why I can't cheer today. I'm recovering."
"And I hurt my wrist," Alyssa says, holding it up. "It looks okay but it hurts."
"Better watch out, girls," a guy says as he walks past us. "Halliway might
punch your pretty little faces."
"Shut up, Sawyer," Peyton says, flipping her hair.
He continues down the bleachers, looking back and smiling at me.
"Who's that?" I ask.
"An asshole who used to go here," Alyssa says. "He's in college now but his sister goes here so he shows up at the games. Peyton used to date him."
"I slept with him," she says, correcting her. "I wouldn't date that asshole."
"Another touchdown." Alyssa sighs. "I wish they'd hurry up and win so we could skip ahead to the party."
"Rumor can't go. She's grounded," Peyton says with a laugh. "She hasn't learned how to sweet talk the parents."
"Brock is NOT my parent," I clarify. "He's my controlling asshole uncle."
"Just sneak out," Peyton says. "He's not going to notice."
"He has cameras recording my every move."
"Then I guess you'll have to stay in your room and sext your mystery man."
"You're dating someone?" Alyssa asks, sounding surprised.
"No. Peyton just assumes I am because she read a text on my phone from a friend back home."
"He said how much he missed her."
I glare at Peyton. "You really want that nose job, don't you?"
"I don't know why it's such a big secret. Is he married and doesn't want people finding out about you?"
"No! I wouldn't date a married guy!"
"She's dated one," Alyssa says, motioning to Peyton. "His wife showed up at school. She hired some guy to find out who he was cheating with. She even had pictures."
"Seriously?" I say to Peyton.
She shrugs and flips her hair. "It wasn't a big deal. I told her it wasn't me and that her husband was doing it with the nanny. We almost look like twins so in the blurry pictures she had from her investigator, it could've been the nanny.”
"And his wife believed you?"
"Of course." Her lips curl up to a smile. "I can make anyone believe anything."
The crowd suddenly gets quiet and the announcer comes on. "Time out for injury on the field."
Alyssa gasps. "It's Braden!"
Chapter Five
I stand up so I can see over the guys in front of me. Braden's lying on the field, holding his leg.
"What happened?" I ask.
"Fuck," the guy in front of me says. "There goes the season."
"Do you know what happened?" I ask the guy.
He turns back and smiles. "I didn't know you were sitting behind me. How's the hand?"
"It's fine. What do you know about Braden? Did he get hit?"
"A guy on the other team ran into him."
"Which guy? Who did it?"
"Number 34." He points to him. "That guy right there. He was running to catch the ball and slammed into Braden. Looked like an accident but who knows? He could've done it on purpose."
"What happened when he hit him?"
"Braden fell and twisted his knee."
"Is he gonna be okay?"
"Depends on what he did. A knee injury could put you out for the season."
We watch as two men help Braden off the field.
"Looks like he's out for the game," the guy in front of me says.
The guy next to him shrugs. "We already won. There's no way the other team could win with us this far ahead."
Brock appears on the sidelines, meeting up with Braden and a man who must be the team doctor. He's kneeling beside Braden and pressing down on his leg while Brock talks to Braden.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go."
I turn and see Trystan there. "Go where?"
"Braden's hurt. We gotta get down there."
Peyton and Alyssa give each other a look but I'm not sure what it means. Is it concern for Braden or surprise that Trystan is treating me like family?
I get up and follow him down to the field. There's a low whisper coming from the crowd.
Trystan kneels down next to his brother. "What the fuck happened?"
"The fucker tripped me." Braden's jaw is clenched, either from anger or pain or both.
"You think he did it on purpose?" Trystan asks.
"Hell, yeah. Weren't you watching? The fucker came right at me!"
"How's it feel now?" Brock asks.
"Fuckin' hurts." Braden winces as the doctor presses down on the side of his knee.
"We need to get him inside and get some ice on it," the doctor says.
The coach appears. "What's the diagnosis? Can he play?"
"No," the doctor says. "We need to get the swelling down and then assess his mobility."
"I'm fine," Braden says, pushing himself up from the ground. "I'm going back in."
"Braden, no!" I say, feeling concern for him despite how horrible he is to me.
Everyone looks at me, including the coach.
"I um...I don't think he should," I say, my eyes darting to the coach, then Brock, then Braden. Braden's looking at me like I'm crazy for speaking up, and maybe I am. I don't know anything about his injury but I can tell he's in pain.
"It's not up to you," Braden says, holding onto Trystan as he attempts to stand up. He balances on one leg, then slowly lowers the other one until his foot touches the ground. "See? It's nothing. I can play."
"Walk there and back," the coach says, pointing a few feet away.
Braden takes a step and cringes. "Fuck!"
The doctor races up to him. "Okay, that's enough. We're getting you inside and getting some ice on that knee."
"That fucker did it on purpose!" Braden yells at the coach. "Throw his ass out of the game and call a damn penalty!"
"Braden, we can't prove it was intentional," the coach says. "And a penalty wouldn't help us. We've already won the game. They can't make up the points in the time remaining, even without you."
"I said to throw his fucking ass out of the game!" Braden says through gritted teeth.
"Let's go," the doctor says, putting his arm around Braden's waist. "Mr. Halliway, could you assist on the other side?"
Brock looks unsure, glancing down at his phone like whatever's on there is more important than helping his son.
"I'll do it," Trystan says, sounding annoyed as he hurries over to Braden.
The coach leaves, and as they're taking Braden away I hear the announcer say, "The Twisted Pine quarterback is out with an injury. Theodore Dukin will be his replacement."
Theo Dukin is a junior. He sits at a different table at lunch—the one for football players who aren't seniors—so I haven't really talked to him. He's smaller than Braden but people say he's really good at throwing the ball. Braden disagrees. He says Theo lacks strength and throws too short, but Braden finds fault with all his teammates. In his mind, none of them are as good as him.
As Braden leaves, Brock and I remain behind, standing on the sidelines as the game resumes.
"You think he'll be okay?" I ask Brock.
"He'll be fine," he says as he texts someone.
"You don't even know what's wrong with him."
"He's young. In good shape. He'll bounce back."
"What if he can't play?"
Brock looks up from his phone. "Then he can't play. It's just a stupid game. It's not the end of the world." He puts his phone in his pocket. "Let's go home."
"We're leaving?"
"There's no point in staying. Braden's done."
"Yeah, but the game isn’t.”
His brows rise. "Since when did you become a fan of football?"
"It's not about football. It's about being here with my friends."
"You have friends?" he says with surprise. "I thought you hated these people."
"I don't hate them. I just need time to get used to them. Peyton seems okay. I could go back and sit with her and she could take me home after the game."
Brock folds his arms over his chest. "Peyton Sanders is a lying, manipulative whore who finds amusement in destroying people's lives to add interest to her own."
I pause, not sure if he's lying or tel
ling the truth. His description does sound a little like Peyton, making me think she's not someone I should be around. She sounds like trouble, which is something I definitely don't need right now.
"How do you know Peyton so well?" I ask.
"Let's just say her little tricks didn't work on me. I'd advise you to stay away from her."
"When I told you I was going to sit with her you acted like you wanted me to."
"Acted is the key word there. I wanted her to think I was okay with it, even though I wasn't. It's how you have to be with her. She lives in a her own delusional world and if you disrupt that world, she comes after you."
"Like with Principal Ballantine?"
He cocks his head. "She told you about that?"
"Not in detail. She said she wasn't allowed to talk about it, but she told me enough that I could figure out what happened. She didn't seem to care she got the guy fired."
"He wasn't fired. He stepped down. And it wasn't solely based on his relations with Peyton."
"What were the other reasons?"
He glances at the field. "Let's go. I have things I need to get done tonight."
As we turn to leave, a guy runs past us. He's from the other team. His helmet is off and his face and hair are all sweaty.
"Tell Braden to get well soon," he says to Brock with a hint of a smile, before continuing down the sidelines.
"Who was that?" Brock asks as we're leaving the stadium.
"That's the guy who ran into Braden. Number 34." I grab Brock's arm, stopping him. "Did you see how he smiled like that? Like he was happy with himself? He did it on purpose. He hurt Braden because he wanted him out of the game."
"Why? The kid's team was already losing. They couldn't possibly catch up and win the game."
"Yeah, but maybe he wanted him out for the season. Maybe he doesn't want Twisted Pine to win. Or go to State."
Brock sighs as we head down the long sidewalk that leads to the parking lot. "I'm so tired of these discussions about football and going to State. I'll be glad when it's all over and we can stop obsessing over this ridiculous game."
"You've never liked football? Not even when you were a kid?"
"No. My father did, but Devon and I weren't interested. We'd rather stay home and watch a movie. Our father would force us to go to a football game now and then but all we'd do is complain and ask to go home."
