by Parker, Ali
“Funny,” he said before taking another drink. He shook his head as he swallowed. “No, she said she could break you up. I told her to give it her best shot. When you didn’t show, she came to my room.” His tone was so matter of fact like he didn’t care whose lives he fucked with. He was clueless.
“You played games with Avery and me to score Britany? Dude, you have no idea what kind of trouble you’ve caused us.”
“Man, I didn’t do shit,” he said, still with a big shit-eating grin on his face. “She was the one talking all kinds of shit about you and her. But don’t worry. By the time I was done with her, she had other things to do with her mouth.” He laughed and took a sip of his beer.
The anger built inside me until I saw red, and knowing that asshole had something to do with me and Avery splitting up made it so much worse. I turned and pushed him off of his barstool, spilling his drink until the bottle crashed to the floor.
“What the fuck is your problem?” he asked, scrambling to his feet. “You don’t know who you’re messing with. I’ll beat your ass.”
“I could say the same to you. You and your stupid whore fucked things up with us last night. Playing your fucking games. Am I a fucking joke to you?” I swung, but he ducked, and when he swung, he missed me too.
The bartender was yelling for us to stop, but there wasn’t much of a crowd, so he eventually stepped back to see what happened next. “Dammit, don’t break anything. I don’t want to call the fucking cops, but I will.”
Will balled up his fists. “If you and Avery have problems, that’s on you. She’s too good for you anyway. Everyone knew you’d fuck it up eventually.”
“Oh, is that so? I suppose your broken, junkie ass is better for her? I know you have something for her. You’ve been sniffing around a little too hard. You decided to have my leftovers instead. I bet you played your little game to break us up and thought you’d come in here to gloat.”
“Fuck you, that’s my past. And if I wanted Avery, I would have had a better chance than you did.”
“Right, tell yourself that. But if drugs are your past, cheating is mine. You’re pathetic. You encouraged Britany to hit on me just so I’d refuse her and you could get her in the sack.”
Will shrugged it off. “Jealous?”
I took another swing, that time connecting. My fist throbbed with pain that seared up my arm to my elbow, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to do it again.
Will’s nose started to bleed, and he wiped it away, his eyes focusing hard as he blinked several times. “I’m going to waste your ass.”
As he came forward, I decided to show the guy what an ass whooping looked like. It wasn’t a sparring contest in a ring with helmets, mouthguards, and gloves.
I had learned to fight the hard way by getting my ass beaten daily by my old man. Bryan and I learned to fight to protect our mother, and as I swung at Will, my father’s face was all I saw.
By the time I was done swinging, Will lay on the floor in a puddle of his own blood and spit. He moaned when I got up, but he lay there, breathing hard from his beating.
I rose up and looked at the bartender who held up both hands. “It’s on the house,” said the old man. “Just don’t break anything else on your way out.”
When I got outside, I jumped in my Jeep and hoped the bartender wouldn’t call the cops. I wasn’t going to be around if they showed up. I started the Jeep and drove out of town, not slowing down and not looking back.
Chapter 25
Avery
At the start of the next week, I was well enough to go to class. I hadn’t seen Seth. Other than one text asking him to please leave me alone, I hadn’t talked to him either.
I hadn’t told Clara about what had happened yet, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before she learned the truth about us. Everyone would. It just didn’t feel real, and I guessed part of me was still hoping for a miracle, even though I kept telling myself to give him up for good this time.
Thinking that gave me pains, but it was a wound that would take time to heal.
The morning after he left, I had called Abi, and seeing me in that state, she had threatened to call Clara. I had begged her not to.
“You have to eat something,” she said. “Is that your food?” She pointed to the stuff Seth had left for me.
“I’m not eating that.” I walked over to throw it in the garbage. “I’ll make a sandwich. I am long past taking my medicine. I figure it serves me right for giving Clara such a fit.”
“Are you absolutely sure this is all true? I was at the party, and Seth wasn’t around as far as I could tell.”
“When did you leave?” I’d asked her.
“Two, two thirty.”
“This happened after that. She probably waited for you to leave, and when the coast was clear, she called him up.”
It seemed like a good theory, and as I played the rest of the day in my head, it didn’t get any better.
I had cried myself to sleep that night and made up my mind that I was not going to let him get me further behind.
Luckily, I had only one class to make up for, and that was the one class I’d shared with Abi, so she was going to let me study her notes. I was on the way to her dorm when she met me outside. “Hey, you. You’ll never guess what I just heard.”
“If it’s about Seth, spare me.”
“Well, sort of, but you’re going to want to hear this.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” The rumors were already starting.
“He beat the shit out of Will Tanner. And from what I hear, it was the morning of your fight.”
“How’d you’d find out?”
“Will told his brothers. They were pretty pissed off at Seth. Micah says he’s going to get to the bottom of it before he lets anyone retaliate. But if Seth beat the hell out of a boxer, I’m not sure if anyone should mess with him. Will said he went crazy.”
“He probably took his anger for me out on someone.” I hadn’t told her how he had raised his fist or how I’d slapped his face. I wasn’t proud of myself at that moment, and my heart ached just thinking about it. How had things gone so wrong? The wreck ruined everything.
“Have you talked to him?” she asked, opening the door to the building.
“No. And I’m not going to. I think we’ve said enough. At least, I have. I felt like such a fool for standing up for him. I don’t want to relive that anytime soon.”
“So, I guess you still haven’t told Clara?”
“No, I told her I was staying in bed yesterday and that she didn’t have to come to check on me. I was doing fine. She’s too busy with Dillon to be burdened by my problems anymore.”
“You’re going to have to face her about it. She’s going to hear something, and from what I hear, Will’s face is going to be a dead giveaway. Isn’t he friends with Dillon?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. She was right. I was going to have to face Clara sooner or later. “I’ll call her later and tell her what’s going on. It just bothers me. She was all set to give me an ‘I told you so’ and just when she changed her mind about him, he goes and does this. Fooling me is one thing. Fooling Clara is another. She’s going to have Dillon and the Omegas pound him, I’m sure.”
We stepped inside the elevator. “What do you care?” asked Abi, raising a brow. “I’d think you’d want him to get his ass beat.”
I leaned against the railing. “Not really.”
“Well, good for you, no one knows where he is.”
It took me a moment to process what she was saying. “What do you mean?”
“That’s the part I knew you’d want to hear. Seth’s missing. Supposedly, Micah went to his place to talk to him, but he wasn’t there. I heard my brother talking to him about it over breakfast this morning. He called Thomas to see if he knew where he was. They even called his mother. He’s not at home.”
Of course, he wasn’t at home. He’d never go there. But I knew one place he would go, and if that was wh
ere he went, he was fine. “Well, he’s supposed to be at his last practice tonight. They are preparing for the championship game at the end of the week. And lucky me, Coach Simms wants my team to be there for support.”
“Maybe he won’t show?”
“If he doesn’t, we might have something to worry about.” Seth loved the game, but then, he had punched his coach at the last game.
“You care about him.” Abi turned to give me a sad look as the elevator stopped on her floor. “I can tell.”
“Yeah, and maybe I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing or not, but what’s done is done. I just can’t let him hurt me like he did Layla. It’s a pattern, and I thought he broke it.”
She went to her door and found where she had a notice on the door. “Perfect,” she said as she read the note. “Looks like you’ve just got yourself a roommate.”
“What is it?”
“They want me gone. Turns out, you can’t bribe everyone.” She shrugged and unlocked the door. “The offer still stands, doesn’t it? If not, I can always get my parents to rent me a place. They’d be thrilled about that. My mother thinks if I have a place, I’ll let her come sleep over. In truth, I think she just wants to perv on my brother’s friends. She’s having a mid-life crisis.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Sure, the offer stands. And with Seth and me no longer together, there won’t be any awkward booty-call moments.”
“Speak for yourself.” She grinned, but I knew that she didn’t have anyone she was seeing. Her brother would have already beaten the crap out of them.
“So, how long until you have to be out?”
“They gave me a two-week notice. I’ll get my brother and his friends to help me move my stuff. With all of their muscle, it will take a couple of hours.” She walked over and turned her music up.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Abi shrugged. “The damage is already done.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about her eardrums or the fact she’d been evicted. Either way, we were going to have to have a long talk about the volume if she was going to live with me.
* * *
I spent the rest of the afternoon with her until I had to go by the apartment and get ready for practice.
Coach Simms wanted us to show some support for the guys by being at their practice. When I walked into the locker room to put on my gear, I could hear the whispers at the back of the room. I ignored them and tied my cleats.
Once I was outside away from the chatter, Coach Simms walked over to greet me. “It’s good to see you up and about,” she said. “I went to the hospital, but you were still in your coma. I know you’ve only been back for a few days, so I appreciate you coming, but you don’t have to stay if it’s too much. Technically, you’re not even cleared to play.”
“But we’re not playing, right? We’re just here for support?”
“Right,” she said. “I heard a rumor you and Seth had some problems. I just want you to know that if you feel threatened in any way, you can talk to me.”
By the look in her eyes, she was genuinely concerned for me. “Oh, you heard about Will Tanner, didn’t you?”
“What I heard was that Seth was so upset over your breakup, he beat the shit out of that guy for no reason.”
“That doesn’t sound like Seth honestly. And our fight wasn’t over Will. He must have done something else to upset Seth.” I knew if I told anyone that he had raised his hand to me, they would villainize him forever. As much as I hated how things turned out, I didn’t want that.
“Well, still. He hit the coach, and that boy had deep anger issues. He’s dangerous.”
“Does this mean he’ll be here? I mean, is Coach Carr going to let him play?”
“He said that Seth and him worked it out. He’s going to play the final, but he’s removing his status as team captain.”
I nodded. “That’s fair, I guess. I’m just glad he’s getting to play. The game means a lot to him.”
“Apparently more than people,” she said. She turned her attention to the other girls and blew her whistle. “Five minutes until field time, girls.”
I went ahead and walked out of the locker room, and when I got to the field, I saw Seth talking to the coach, the two shaking hands.
I stopped cold.
Seth looked up at me. He put his head down and walked away to get in his position.
My stomach tightened as Paul, who was one of Seth’s friends, assumed the role of team captain. Seth glanced my way but tried not to stare too long.
He began drills following Paul’s lead, and I found myself unable to take my eyes off of him. I went to stand on the sidelines, and when a stray ball came my way, I caught it.
Coach Carr blew his whistle, and I threw it back in. Seth shook his head and looked like he had something on his mind. I couldn’t tell if he wanted me there or not, but it didn’t matter either way. I was still a part of my team, and my coach still expected me to act like it.
When the rest of the ladies’ team came out, they lined the field, helping with stray balls and some even filling in to help with passes.
The coaches were not cutting anyone any slack, not even my teammates. As Coach Carr blew his whistle and went to talk to two of his players, Seth eased his way over closer to where I was standing.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said. “You’re still healing. You’re only days out of the hospital, for fuck’s sake.”
I didn’t like his tone. “Don’t pretend you care,” I said, noticing my coach was watching him like a hawk. “The only thing that hurts is the broken heart, and that’s your fault.”
He gave me a hard look, and even though it seemed he wanted to say something, he didn’t. What could he say? He knew I was right.
He ran out onto the field to run the next drill, and Paul came over to the sidelines. “You know, maybe you should go. He’s already having a hard enough time without you rubbing salt in his wounds.”
“His wounds are fine,” I said, glancing his way. “And he’s the one who caused this. Besides, I belong here too.”
He ran back on the field when Coach Carr blew his whistle. I watched them continue with their drills, and finally, they had us all run laps.
The other girls complained because I had a pass to walk. I took my time so I didn’t get hurt, but I would have gladly run with them just to be normal again.
As Seth ran by, he called out to me. “We need to talk, Avery.”
I turned my head and refused to acknowledge his presence as the other players ran by. He had to keep up, so he followed, but on his second pass, he started when he was within earshot. “I’m not giving up on us,” he said, coming up behind me. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Give up, dick, she doesn’t want you,” said Motor as he passed us both. He was just a big, dopey oaf, and Seth turned and gave him the bird.
“If you’d talk to me, you’d see.”
I sighed, feeling the ache in my heart. I wanted it all to be a lie, but I knew better. “I saw the proof. Leave me alone, Seth.” Just saying his name made my throat ache from the lump that had formed there. I’d be glad when the season was officially over and I never had to look at him again.
“Keep running, Mr. Mills,” called Coach Simms. She was hovering like a mother bird, waiting to swoop in if needed.
Seth ran, and again making another pass, he spoke to me again, this time his words stinging much worse than before. “I still love you, Avery. I do. It’s not changing. This is all just a big misunderstanding. We’ve been sabotaged.”
“You are the one who sabotaged it, Seth! Not me!”
I couldn’t take it anymore, and instead of walking, I turned and jogged off the field and headed back to the locker room. I took off my cleats and buried my head in my hands to cry. All I’d wanted was to hear that he loved me, but now, it was just another lie. Another way to get me to love him back so he could deceive me.
He proba
bly got off to it. Some guys liked to break hearts, and maybe it was all just part of his game. He had never loved me. He had never cared. All he cared about was making a scene and being the slut of the party. He could do all of that without me.
I’d gladly step aside for his next victim.
I went ahead and left while he was still on the field, knowing if I stuck around, Seth would only be waiting for me after practice.
As much as I had my doubts, I just couldn’t bring myself to listen to him. Whatever he had to say, it wasn’t worth it if it was all lies.
He had fed me too many already, and he could save them for someone who was willing to chew them up and swallow them down.
Chapter 26
Seth
Even though I’d tried my hardest to convince everyone that things were fine, I was hurting inside. And with the big game starting in the next fifteen minutes, I was waiting by the entrance, ready to take the field with the rest of the team.
There were so many people there, and a lot of our Pro-U family and fans were in attendance. I noticed a couple of girls I recognized in the crowd. Britany had been avoiding me, but when she saw me, she gave me a big smile and stopped, being left behind in the crowd.
“Oh my God! Seth! Good luck with the game.” She was as bubbly as ever, and I looked around hoping no one would see us and put us together.
“Thanks. And maybe you would do me a favor.”
“If you go to the big party tonight, I’ll do a lot of favors.”
“What about Will?” I said, rolling my eyes. She had already forgotten all about him.
“Maybe you could fight him for me. I’m sure you’ll win. I heard you already kicked his ass once.”
“Yeah, because of you and your little games. I didn’t think it was funny.”
About that time, I felt a shove, and when I looked up, Dillon gave me a hard look, and Avery shouted, “Pig!”
