Trick Me Twice

“Oh.” Looking at Carter, I thought back to the night before last, when we’d made some progress. Maybe. I hadn’t updated Lena on the whole situation with him, mostly because I knew she’d have an opinion, and I wanted to w

ork things out on my own. It was something I felt like I needed to do. And I was going to confront him, once I gathered the courage.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the whistle, and they began to circle one another. “Why is he fighting Kian?”

“Who knows. They seem to do it a lot. Probably just blowing off steam.” Lena shrugged, unconcerned, and I returned my attention to Carter.

The previous fight had been…interesting, sure. But this? “I see what you mean about hot guys fighting.” My mouth was dry, and I squeezed my thighs together, trying to suppress the building ache.

“Yeah. Especially when you’re attracted to them, huh? This is exactly what I was talking about earlier.” She smirked at me, and I huffed.

“Shut up.”

“You and I both know it’s true. There’s no point denying it.”

“Fine, yes. I am attracted to him, and I wish I wasn’t.” I sighed. “Not with the way he acts.” Except for Friday night, I added silently.

“Yeah. He’s a dick with poor taste in girls. You’re worth five hundred Anastasias.” Lena’s words were fierce, and I smiled.

“I’m sure there’s something good about her.”

Lena snorted. “Not that I’ve seen. She’s a bitch. She lives to make other people’s lives hell.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Tugging the hood of my hoodie up, my eyes tracked Carter as he sent a wrapped fist flying towards Kian’s jaw. Kian responded with a swift jab to Carter’s ribs, and I saw him wince, then grin.

“Not everyone is as nice as you.” Lena threw me a wink.

“Oh, I know that.” I attempted a joke, and she beamed at me.

“Ha ha.” Our attention returned to the fight, and I was mesmerised as I watched Carter and Kian exchange a flurry of blows, which seemed never-ending. “They’re so evenly matched. It’s almost pointless for them to fight,” Lena murmured.

“Maybe that’s the point,” I suggested. “Equal bragging rights at school, if that’s why they’re doing it.”

“Yeah. That, and it reminds people who’s in charge.” The whistle blew again, and the whistle guy slid into the bowl as Carter and Kian both separated, panting. The three of them conferred for all of thirty seconds, and then whistle guy held up both of their hands, to a mix of cheers and boos. I assumed the boos were from people who’d wanted to see one winner.

A sigh came out before I could stifle it, as I watched Carter rip off his T-shirt, using it to wipe over his face. My eyes roamed over his body, glistening with sweat, all his muscles pumped and defined. And the veins on his arms…

Lena interrupted my very thorough perusal. “Need a tissue for the drool?” She started cracking up, and I buried my face in my hands.

“I’m so stupid, aren’t I? Lusting after him, when he acts like such an asshole, and I know nothing can or even should ever happen between us?”

“You’re not stupid. And I wouldn’t be so sure about nothing happening. Why don’t you go and talk to him?”

I recoiled. “What? No! No way.”

“Comfort zone.” Lena gave me a challenging look. “If he treats you like shit, I want you to stand up to him. Don’t let him bully you. He wants you, and he doesn’t like that fact, and he’s taking it out on you. Yeah, you tricked him, but he needs to get over it. And you—you need to learn to stand up to him, show him you won’t take it anymore.”

“You’re right.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“Go. I’ll be waiting. If you need me… No. You can handle this.”

I hoped she was right. Clambering to my feet, I glanced over to see him over the opposite side of the bowl, and I began to push my way through the crowds towards him.

By the time I made it over to the other side of the bowl, he’d managed to acquire a girl under each arm, and my stomach sank as I saw who the girl on the left was. Anastasia, his ex-girlfriend. I took a step back. I couldn’t go up to him now, not while she was there. The whole football team looked like they were there, too, surrounded by girls. Intimidated wasn’t even the word for it. I was way out of my depth.

Stumbling backwards, I almost fell into Preston, one of the team strikers, who was eyeing Kian with concern. “This wasn’t a good idea,” he muttered. “Either one of you could’ve been hurt.”

Kian’s reply was lost to me as Carter’s head lifted and his eyes met mine. They widened, pure shock falling across his face as he took in the sight of me standing there. I took another step back, then another, and I turned and fled, pushing through the crowds and escaping to the relative safety of the graffiti wall.