Prologue #2
I scoff at the same time as Presley laughs Coach Murray’s statement off.
“Do we have a problem here?” Coach asks, getting up in our faces.
“Nah, I’ve got it handled,” Presley mutters, shaking Coach Murray’s hand off his shoulder as he turns to leave while holding me with a scowl.
Any other time, his remark wouldn’t faze me. Today, there’s something more to it that makes me uneasy. I can’t put my finger on it, but the ominous energy he leaves behind constricts around my chest. Suffocating me with its twisted bitterness.
Neither Coach bothers to dig into what happened. Guys fight all the time when the adrenaline is running high. It’s part of the sport—the highs are high, the lows are low, and the in between tends to get messy.
Grabbing my phone, I clean it up with my napkin before I head up to my room. I don’t bother taking the elevator when I spot Presley and his cronies waiting for it. My gut is screaming at me to stay away.
After climbing seven flights of stairs, I trudge into mine and Ryker’s twin room to find him sitting on his bed, taking his anger out on his Switch. He doesn’t acknowledge me as he throws it down on the bed and pushes past me to the door.
“Ry…” I call after him, rubbing my arm where his shoulder shoved me. “Ryker, where are you going?”
“What do you care?” He snaps back, twisting his feet into his sneakers with more vigor than required. “It’s not like you’re my friend, because friends help each other. Friends don’t want to ruin—”
“Why is this party so important?”
A grimace twists his face. “Because I’m so fucking tired of being the outcast. I hate it. I hate being stuck here all the time. We never have fun. We never do anything. We’re so fucking boring. No wonder they think we’re banging. I mean, why else would we always stay in our room?”
The vigor in his words startles me.
I didn’t know he felt this way.
Most of the time, I go along with what Ryker wants and follow his lead because he’s used to this world, while I’m still finding my feet.
I don’t bother addressing the latter part of his rant. But after the altercation with Presley, it lingers. Its venom seeps deeper until I physically step away, putting space between Ryker and me.
“Well, what else do you want to do?” I ask.
With a huff, he twists to face me fully, giving up on his shoes. “I want to party like all the other guys on the team. I want to be normal and have fun as part of the team.”
“Ryker… you are normal.” His chin juts out in a silent argument that, with his downcast eyes, dupes me into capitulating to him. “Fine, if it means that much to you. I won’t stay long, though. Finley’s gonna call, and I promised I’d be waiting.”
“Can’t believe you’re actually chasing Presley’s sister’s skirt,” Ryker scoffs with a grimace. “How can you be into that family? He’s gross and the apples never fall far from the tree, so…”
“Sometimes they roll far away from the roots.” He doesn’t know the Tomes family, and while he’s not completely wrong about them, he is one-hundred percent wrong about Finley. “Besides, you’re the one who wants to go to his stupid party.”
“It’s not his party. Hughes organized it,” he retorts with a terse smile.
I don’t bother arguing with him. It’s a waste of time and energy. Instead, I change out of my post-game smart clothes and into my cleanest pair of jeans and a t-shirt I’ve only worn once in the last five days.
When I’m coming out of the bathroom, Ryker stops me. “What’s with the hair? You should put product in it.”
Dragging me back into the bathroom, he sits on the vanity with the mirror behind him while he instructs me on how to style my hair. It’s not that I don’t know how to, but rather that I can’t be bothered when I’m going to bed soon. Ryker gives up instructing me with a huff and takes over.
It doesn’t feel weird at first. He’s just Ryker being impatient and wanting everything his way. Then, his fingers trail down the side of my face…
Although I don’t want to hurt him, I pull away.
He’s obviously not thinking straight.
“Can I ask you a question?” He looks up at me with trepidation. Without waiting for my reply, he says, “I know you’re into girls, but have you ever thought about kissing a guy?”
Caught off guard, I don’t know what to say or reply. I simply shake my head, inching back some more.
“Like, never? You’ve never wondered what kissing a guy is like? If it feels different? Maybe better?”
With his eyes latched onto mine, it’s hard to shield my vehemence. “No.”
“Really?” Ryker licks his lips, slipping off the vanity and stepping uncomfortably close.
Ryker tilts his head to the side, shifting nearer. I can feel his breath on my face.
“Ryker… What are you doing?” I ask, taking another step back, that he chases until I’m backed into the bathroom wall.
My heart is pounding into my ribs as I debate what to do. How to get myself out of this without coming across as a bigot. There are enough of those around us.
Licking his lips again, he reiterates, “You’ve never been just a little bit curious?”
“No,” I reply quickly, hoping that it stops whatever this is.
The grin on Ryker’s face sets me on edge as he pulls back with a laugh. “Relax, man,” he says, sauntering out of the bathroom. “Oh my God, you should see your face, dude… I’m fucking with you, Elijah.”
Maybe. But it doesn’t feel like it.
These aren’t the kind of games Ryker plays.
Something is off, and I don’t know what it is. Only that the sneaking suspicion is sitting heavier and heavier in my gut, coiling tighter around my chest.
“Come on, we can’t be late,” he calls, holding up a big, clear bottle of liquor by its long neck.
Where did he even get that? This isn’t smart.
“Ryker, we’re not supposed to have liquor. We could get kicked off the team.”
This is my only chance to get out of Havenview. If it works out, I can get Finley out, too.
We won’t have to dream about freedom or pretend that we’re birds anymore. We can be ourselves.
“Stop being a wimp and relax, okay? We’ll have a couple drinks and then leave. The guys will see that we’re like them. That we’re cool.” On the way out, Ryker picks up the two glasses from the beverage tray. “Two drinks and we’re out.”
Two drinks and we’re out.
Don’t overthink it. Be cool.