by Rina Kent
Stepping into the school, I took a deep breath. I was still angry, but at least I didn’t have to try so hard to hide it now. The hallway was loud with conversation and slamming lockers. They parted for me like the Red Sea, never wanting to be the one to get in my way. The weird thing was, they didn’t even know me. They barely saw me at all. I was Camden Knight, football quarterback. Prom king. The guy nobody wanted to fuck with.
And that was all.
Fuck, I was being such a little bitch today.
I snatched my notebook from my locker and headed to calculus.
About halfway through Mrs. Morris’s lecture, I gave up trying to pay attention. And that was saying something because math held my attention more than most things. My eyes glossed over and Eden appeared in my mind, biting her lip while writhing underneath me and trying to hide the fact that she loved me grinding on her clit. That moan that had come from her, the way she said my name… it was getting me hard just thinking about it.
I glanced down to make sure my dick wasn’t too noticeable in my jeans, then laughed when I realized how fucking hilarious it would be if I got caught getting a boner in calculus.
“Something funny, Mr. Knight?”
I looked up to see Mrs. Morris and the rest of the class staring at me. I guess my laughter was a little too distracting. You could thank Eden Thompson for that, everyone.
“Lots of things are funny, Mrs. Morris.” I drawled her name in a way I prayed would make her uncomfortable. She was a youngish teacher. Maybe early thirties. This was my first year being in her class, and if she wasn’t such a good person with a ring on her finger, I probably would’ve tried to bang her. Huh, guess I do have some morality.
What about Sherry?
Mrs. Morris eyed me warily for a split second longer before clearing her throat and letting my disruption go. She went back to the lesson on limits and so did the rest of class.
My jaw clenched as my mind moved from Eden to Sherry. What the hell had I been thinking there? That was reckless. For both of us. Hunter could’ve been the one to walk in on us instead of Eden.
I wonder if my mom would care if I found out she was fucking my best friend.
I flipped to a blank page in my notebook and clicked my pen. I needed a new quote. Something juicy. Something that made it clear Eden was mine, and that I’d lose my shit if she went to the dance with Hunter. I didn’t need the note to say that, but it was kind of fun. She had to have already known I wouldn’t want her going anywhere with my best friend. Or anyone else. Hell, if I thought the flute player stood a chance, I’d have gotten rid of him a long time ago.
I tapped my pen on my desk as I searched my mind for something. The last one I’d written, I hadn’t given to her. I’d been too pissed off knowing Hunter was slipping her a note of his own.
‘There’s beggary in love that can be reckoned.’
It was a good one, but kind of a moot point being as she didn’t think she needed my help anymore. She thought she had Hunter’s. There was no reason to beg me for shit… except maybe that picture. She really hated the thought of it getting out, and talk about the bra and panties one was dying down. It would be a really great time to spice things up.
But then, what if she didn’t forgive me? What if she went out with Hunter just to spite me? A fake nude of Eden wasn’t something that would put him off. It’d make him want her more.
So, scratch that. I needed a new line.
I stared up at the ceiling tiles and let my mind wander through Shakespeare’s plays. Othello was my favorite, and I could quote several lines without looking them up, but I was coming up blank on anything that would fit our current predicament. There was a line from Henry VI that was sticking out to me, but I couldn’t remember the exact words. Something about winning over a woman who’s beautiful. Wooing her maybe?
I dug my phone from my pocket and held it under my desk, out of Mrs. Morris’s line of view. After pulling up Google, I typed in some key words. A smile pulled my lips at the first thing that popped up.
‘She is beautiful, and therefore to be wooed; She is woman, and therefore to be won.’
Perfect.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and scribbled the words onto the paper.
“Mr. Knight.” Mrs. Morris’s annoyed voice broke through my concentration just as I finished up the last letter.
I flicked my gaze up to see her standing with her arms crossed, her eyes shooting daggers at me. “Yes?”
“Could you tell me what the limit of this function is, please?”
She waved to the board, but I let my gaze linger on her a moment longer before roaming my eyes over the problem. I’d glanced through the textbook last night, and today’s stuff was pretty basic. It helped that she’d even graphed the function. It was a cute attempt to embarrass me, though.
“It’s one.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, and she smoothed her hands over her skirt before nodding.
The bell rang, saving her from having to say anything. Shuffling notes and bags zipping filled the classroom.
“All right, guys. Have a good weekend.” Mrs. Morris stood out of the way as people packed their things and left. As I walked by her, I made sure she saw me look her up and down suggestively, my lips tilted in a smirk.
“Camden,” she called, after I’d already started walking away.
I paused. “Yes, Mrs. Morris?”
“Even if you know the material, it distracts others around you when you’re doing other things… And stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“You know what.” Her voice was serious, but there was an underlying nervousness to her tone.
My smirk deepened before I continued out of the classroom. She wouldn’t budge, but it was still fun to mess with her. Not nearly as fun as it was messing with Eden.
Is that all it is?
I put my hand in my pocket and ran my fingers over the folded note. No. There was more to it than that, but it was hard to tell what it was exactly. I’d never had a girlfriend or anything like that. I’d never wanted one. I liked to chase, but only for sport. As soon as I caught them, I tossed them back. I was almost afraid it would be that way with Eden.
My next two classes dragged on. Every time I glanced at the clock thinking it was almost time to go, it was two minutes since the last time I looked. I started thinking about lunch in second period and wondered if she’d show up in the cafeteria again. I’d almost forgotten about the arrangement I’d had with the lunch lady to give Eden a ‘special’ tray. It had been a real mood lifter after Hunter pissing me off.
Finally, the bell rang in third period. English was next and Hunter would be waiting for me at the lockers. My AP history class was on the opposite side of the school, so it always took me a few minutes to get there.
Hunter had a foot propped against a locker, hands in his pockets, when I arrived.
“Sup, nerd,” he joked, shoving off the locker.
I flipped him off but smiled. “How was preschool? You get your puzzle done?”
“Nope, I was too busy fuckin’ your mom.”
I laughed but controlled myself from getting too carried away. He had no idea just how funny that was to me. Damn, I was a bad friend.
Yeah, you really are.
I swallowed down the guilt and continued down the hall with Hunter at my side.
“You ready for tonight?” he asked.
He was talking about the game. We were playing against one of the toughest teams in our division, and the only quarterback that had a better passing record than me. I hadn’t even thought about it.
“Yeah, you?”
“Hell yeah, I am. Those pussies don’t have shit on us.”
I forced a smile. I couldn’t care less, but he acted like it was his whole world. It was his whole world. We hardly talked about anything but football. We watched the Dallas game every Sunday at his house, the OU game on Saturdays. It was cool and all, but sometimes I wonde
red if it was genuine, or if he ever thought about things. Things we couldn’t talk to each other about, like his dad being a piece of shit or the fact that his mom had a habit of getting around.
The fact that he has a shitty best friend.
“We’ve got the best running back in the league, so I’m sure we’ll do just fine.”
“Aww, you’re so sweet,” he winked and laughed. He was like that. You couldn’t compliment him without him deflecting. Or at least, I couldn’t.
The bell rang just as we walked through the door. My eyes locked onto Eden, but today, she didn’t look up. Her hand was on her forehead and she was propped up on her elbow, staring down at a mound of notes. A textbook was underneath it, and as I stopped by her desk, I glanced over it to see what it was. Math. She’d been studying it when I got to her house last night, too.
“You trying to memorize the book?”
She jumped in her seat, her hand crashing on the desk. When she saw it was me, her eyes narrowed.
I could feel Mr. Gordan at my back, waiting for me to sit down so he could start class. I smiled at Eden and pulled the note from my pocket before tossing it onto her desk.
“For you, my love.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved it into her bag.
She really was mad at me. Hmm.
Showing Mr. Gordan mercy, I strolled to the back of the class and took my seat. Hunter had his notebook open and was writing something that I highly doubted was Mr. Gordan’s lecture notes. I leaned over to take a peek.
You look beautiful today.
Give me a fucking break. He glanced over at me and lifted his brows, as if challenging me to say something. Instead, I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat. She wouldn’t fall for that shit anyway. No way in hell.
Still, the sound of the paper ripping as he tore it from his notebook had my jaw ticking. He folded it up and passed it to the person in front of me before pointing at Eden. He knew better than to hand it to me.
The note travelled up to her while Mr. Gordan pretended not to notice. He had to be so tired of our shit.
I could only see the back of Eden’s head, so I didn’t get to see her expression. Would she know it was Hunter who passed it to her? Could she tell it wasn’t my handwriting? I’d basically called her beautiful already, so if she didn’t get anything from that, she wouldn’t get anything from this.
She better not get anything from this.
My back stiffened when her arms moved in a way that let me know she was unfolding the note. Mine, she’d shoved in her bag. After a few seconds, she glanced back at Hunter, her cheeks red.
What the fuck?
She mouthed ‘thank you’ and turned back toward the front. I gripped my pen so tightly it nearly snapped, and I threw open my notebook to a blank page. Today, I’d take notes. If for no other reason than Hunter not feeling the need to talk to me.
“Hey.” He reached over and tapped my shoulder with the back of his hand.
I sighed and turned his way to give him a pointed stare.
“That’s how you do it,” he whispered, a grin on his face.
He really did think this was a game.
“Have fun with the chlamydia,” I whispered back.
His eyebrows pinched and he frowned. “Do you have chlamydia?”
I shrugged. “Not anymore.”
He gave a nod like that was actually something he needed to consider. Not the fact that him going after her clearly pissed me off. But, of course, that didn’t count. I’d told him Eden and I were done hooking up weeks ago. That she wanted him and was jealous of Jade which was why, in an angry fit, she’d accused him of rape. I’d told him she was a slut. I’d even told him that the notes I was giving her were taunts because I liked messing with her. This shit right here? It was my fault.
Fuck.
About halfway through class, Hunter leaned over. “Cam.”
He gestured for me to come toward him, and I did, angling my ear so he could whisper near it. I assumed whatever he had to say, he didn’t want anyone else to hear.
“I think we should ease up on Thompson. Yesterday, after practice, I went to the auditorium and she was crying.”
I pulled back and narrowed my eyes at him. Lying? Really, Hunter, you’re going to resort to that?
“I’m serious,” he whispered, glancing at the girl eavesdropping in front of him. She straightened back toward the front, but my guess was she was still listening. Oh well. Plenty of worse things have been said about Eden.
He turned back to me, and his hard expression made me question if maybe he wasn’t lying.
“Why was she crying?”
He shrugged. “I think she’s just tired of it. She asked me to talk to you, and honestly, I don’t know why you’re hating on her so much.”
“I’m not,” I whispered through gritted teeth.
Now who was lying?
“Just ease up, okay? I really do want a shot.” He flicked his gaze toward her, then back to me. “She’s cute.”
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
“What if I’m not done with her?”
“Done with her how?”
“Done sleeping with her.”
It was his turn to be pissed. He shook his head and scoffed. “Whatever.”
With that, he relaxed back into his chair and ignored me the rest of class. When the bell rang, he grabbed his stuff and jumped from his desk. With the way he moved, I knew better than to go after him. He was pissed, and I understood why. But he’d get over it… in time.
For once, Eden and her friend left the classroom before me. I was slow getting up from my desk. Slow enough that I had a chance to creep behind them. They headed outside—unsurprising after what happened yesterday—and I followed.
At first, I wasn’t sure I’d actually confront her, but the more I walked, the more my anger intensified. If she’d just tell Hunter to fuck off, then I wouldn’t have to tell him to stand down. She should be telling him to fuck off. She’d said it to me multiple times, and I’d been the one on the verge of bringing her to orgasm the day before.
When I made it outside, they were already seated on a bench. Both turned to face me. Both glared.
What was she even pissed about? After last night, I would’ve thought she’d develop a bit of a soft heart for me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
I stopped just short of the bench and glared right back. “I need to talk to you.”
“No thanks.”
“I’m not asking.”
Her friend stood, but instead of leaving like he should’ve, he put himself between me and Eden and jutted his chin.
Aw, cute.
“If she wants you to leave her alone, you need to respect that.”
I chuckled and relaxed by a hair. “That’s a little tame coming from a tough guy like you.” Sarcasm dripped in my tone.
“Go away, Camden.” Eden crossed her arms over her chest. Her tone didn’t suggest anger. No, it was too soft for that. It was more like resignation. My head tilted as I glanced her way. That same textbook was sitting beside her, and she almost looked… sad.
“No.”
“She said go away!” Flute Player stepped forward and gave me a shove. I hadn’t been expecting it. I’d been too busy studying Eden, so I stumbled back a step.
Bad move.
After I recovered from the shock, I lunged toward him and grabbed him by the collar. I lifted him a few inches, and couldn’t help but smile when he whimpered. “What the fuck did you say to me?”
“Camden, stop!” Eden was there, pulling on my arm holding her friend. I glanced toward her and frowned. There were a lot of things I thought Eden could forgive me for, but hurting her friend wasn’t one of them.
I released his collar and let him fall to the ground. He crawled back a foot before standing.
“Sebastian, just go.” Eden ran a hand over her face. I studied her closer and noted the bags under her eyes. She looked like shit.
<
br /> Sebastian—finally, I knew his name—gripped his bag, but didn’t take his eyes off me.
“We can go inside and get Principal—”
“No.” She took a deep breath and blew it out before peering at Sebastian. “I’ll see you at rehearsal.”
He glanced between her and me, clearly undecided. His face fell when he finally made up his mind.
I smirked. “Bye, Sebastian.”
With one last glare my way, he stepped toward Eden. “I’m going to wait just inside. I’ll watch through the window.”
She gave him a small smile and nodded before he walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, she whipped toward me. “You’re such an asshole.”
“I’m an asshole? Your boy’s the one who chose to get physical with me.” I pointed to my chest and shook my head.
“There’s about a million reasons you’re an asshole, and you know it.”
Whatever amusement I’d felt from Sebastian’s little beta-male episode evaporated. This was about Hunter. That’s why I’d come out here. I needed to convince her to stay away from him, so that I could tell him he had my approval to go for it. Otherwise, I’d have to put up with his pouting for the foreseeable future.
But I couldn’t help taking a shot at her. She set me up for it too perfectly.
“That’s not how you felt last night.”
Her face fell, and she looked away before biting her cheek and shaking her head. One side of my lips pulled in a crooked smirk at her reaction.
“Well, that’s how I feel now.” Her voice was soft, but I ignored the regret in it. She’d be all fire in a minute. I was sure of it.
“But it’s not how you feel about Hunter, is it?”
Her eyes snapped back to me.
Here we go.
“Hunter is your friend. Not mine. Just because he’s tired of your shit and is willing to be nice to me doesn’t mean I like him.”
I laughed and stepped toward her. She retreated with each inch I grew closer.
“Hunter is only being nice to you because he wants to fuck you. That’s it. If you’re thinking he’s your white knight, you’re wrong. No one’s coming to save you, princess.”
Once again, she averted her gaze. She stared out over the football field, probably reliving the day we took her out there. I relived it too. All the time. Although, not in the same way as her, I imagined.
