Page 4 of Rivals

I stand with my arms crossed over my chest, waiting to see what he planned for me. I’m not a sore loser, and I always pay up. Reign’s car finally pulls to the top and he gets out. A girl I don’t recognize gets out as well and goes to stand with some of the All Saints girls who are watching. My heart squeezes painfully, but I choose to ignore it.

“What’s the payment?” I ask him as he draws near. Reign has been vague in the details and the anticipation is getting to me.

“Loser has to run down the hill.” He smirks. I breathe out, feeling somewhat relieved. It isn’t a super steep hill, just long.

“Easy enough,” I grit out.

“Without a top on, Con-man,” he adds, loudly enough for everyone to hear, and the whole crowd cheers.

My cheeks sting red, the blush rushing all the way down to my toes. I think I hate him right now. It’s one thing for it to be just between us but the hill is packed with people. People who weren’t even at the party last night. I had been waiting all day to hear what he had planned and now my heart is plummeting to my stomach.

“How about a favor?”

His brow perks up. “Favor?”

“Hear me out and I’ll lose the pants too.”

Reign’s jaw clenches so tight that his dimple pops out in his cheek. His eyes move around the crowd, and for a second, I think he looks nervous. But that wouldn’t make sense.

“Say it.”

“I never got to say I’m sorry that you got hurt in the game, Reign. I didn’t mean for it to happen. And I miss my best friend.” I let the words escape me, finally getting them off my chest. It feels good to say everything, letting him know how much him missing from my life is affecting me. I’m not ready to explain why I was lost in the play or about my dad though, and I hold that tidbit with me. When I’m finally brave enough to look up at him again, I shrink back into myself. Reign’s face has morphed into darkness. He looks mean, ruthless.

“It took me a long time to understand how you work, Con-man. And when I did, I realized we were never friends. You were just the poor kid on the team who was leeching off of everyone else and their talent. You saw an opening and you took it. I’ll never forgive you for what you did. My leg could have been destroyed. You’re lucky I could still play and that I healed perfectly or else I would be making your life even more of a living hell than it already is.”

My breath gets caught in my throat. Pain pierces my chest and I feel my heart shattering into pieces. Losing the challenge yesterday wasn’t bad, I could take it. Losing Reign is something I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from. Anger twists with sadness inside me.

“Strip,” he commands and steps back into the crowd with his friends. “Unless you’re too scared.”

Somehow, I keep my head raised. Somehow, I manage to shrug off my t-shirt and shorts until I’m standing in only my bra and underwear. I can’t even bring myself to care. My insides feel cold, empty, completely void of any spark of life. I won’t back down though. I won’t be weak around Reign or his friends. With my head held high, I race down the hill, feeling every slosh of dewy grass and dirt as it flies up around my calves. Tears run down my cheeks and I blame it on the wind as it whips by. I tune out the hooting and hollering, the jeers and laughing. It really is over this time. Reign is no longer my best friend. He’s my worst enemy. And it’s time I let him go.

Reign, age 18

Hockey is my number one love, and it will never change. The two things that follow are close seconds: making Riley Conrad miserable and strawberry shakes. All of which I have accomplished in the past few hours. I can’t wait for Riley to figure out what I’ve done after she lost our most recent challenge. It’s always fun to leave her hanging; she never expects the payback when it happens. I had snapped a picture of her drinking last weekend and somehow, it slipped to her coach. Anytime this week she should be finding out and most likely there will be some type of consequence. It is good for me, and bad for Riley and her school’s hockey team.

“What time are we leaving for camp next week?” Leif, my best friend and team goalie, turns to me and asks.

Next week starts our summer camp before school. While the normal season starts in October, our coach likes to keep us on the ice as much as he can. Dryland camp is meant to work on our speed, agility, and conditioning before the summer is over. It helps that there’s a lake on the property as well and a beach a few miles down where we often sneak out to party. Usually the girls’ team tries to get paired with us when we go, but this year they managed to slide into a different camp. Not that I mind because the team that slipped in, in their stead is the Pirates girls’ team. I’m keeping that information to myself, and I can’t wait to see what Riley will do with that information.

“Try to get there at nine. We start the same day.” I shrug at him. He turns to some of our teammates and they talk about the new information.

My gaze wanders around the area, taking in the various kids I go to school with and a few from other neighboring areas. Pirates, Eagles and Saints alike. Raising my glass up, I take a drink of the best strawberry shake of my life. Seriously, the reason this diner is my favorite is because of these things. I’m about to order a second one when my other best friend, Carter, and our star defenseman, elbows me in the side.

“Con-man is here. She looks pissed.”

“She’s hot when she’s mad.” A different player on my team almost fucking moans out loud and I shoot him daggers with my eyes.

I used to be best friends with the girl; she was funny and nice with a temper that rivaled my own. I’ve seen her grow and change over the years. I’m not blind or stupid. I noticed the very feminine changes in her three years ago when she found me at the end of summer break after spending the whole time out of state with a distant grandparent. I had been pissed she wasn’t around to torment while also shocked when she got back. Her body changed, suddenly curvy and soft in all the right places. As a fifteen-year-old I noticed her tits had filled in. And so had all my friends. The ban against her started then. I carefully drove off every male to ever pay her attention. If Riley dated at all during high school, it was over my dead body. I couldn’t explain why I cared. I just wanted her to be miserable and without a boyfriend.

Even now as she storms over to me, her dark brown eyes spitting fire and her cheeks tinged pink, she looks like an avenging angel. It is a constant war within myself. I hate her. I want to end her. She is pretty. I want to touch her. No one else can have her. Riley is my personal punching bag.

“I can’t believe you stooped that low,” she practically growls at me.

I know my face is radiating smugness. So she found out early then. “Should be more careful next time.”

Her eyes glint with malice. “Everyone was drinking at that party, asshole, including you. I have to sit out for our first home game.”

I laugh, the sound taking us both by surprise. I had not expected her coach to go that far. It was off season and she wouldn’t be the only one this summer who had snuck some drinks. My shoulders shrug. “Who knew the Pirates’ coach was so strict.”

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