Page 46 of Whistle

I sucked in a quick breath. “You know about that?”

The room seemed to tilt a little. The floor threatened to open up and swallow me whole. These guys knew what I did. They knew why I was here.

Something a lot like shame burned the back of my neck. How was any of this supposed to be a fresh start? There was no fresh start if everyone was gossiping about my past.

This isn’t a fresh start, Bodhi. It’s punishment.

Something flickered in Win’s eyes. But then it was gone, and his stare was unreadable. “You think you can burn down someone’s house and us not know about it?”

Stepping closer, our toes bumped as I angled my face to look up into his. “Well, if you know what I’m capable of, maybe you should think twice about pissing me off.”

Win’s tongue slid over his teeth. “That a threat?”

“No more than the one you just came to deliver.”

“Okay, whoa.” The guy with the lip piercing intervened. His hand wrapped around my bicep and pulled me away from Win. “No one’s threatening anyone. We came in here because we don’t want any trouble.”

“What’s your name?” I asked, abrupt.

“Arsen.”

“Should be your name,” Win spat.

I rolled my eyes. “Your two brain cells worked real hard for that one.” I turned back to Arsen. “And you’re with the one with the AirPods?” I asked, pointing to my ears.

His posture changed, somehow swelling, and his dark eyes narrowed. “You got a problem with Prism?”

I smirked. “Thought you didn’t want any trouble.”

“I don’t. Doesn’t mean I won’t start and finish it if you mess with mine.”

“What the fuck is in the water around here?” I wondered. “All of you act like you’ve OD’d on steroids.”

The corner of Arsen’s lip curved up. “We’re territorial.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m not interested in your territory. I’m here to serve my time and then get the hell out.”

“Then we won’t have any problems.” Max spoke up. “Fair warning, though, we got eyes on you.”

“Yeah? Enjoy the view,” I retorted and walked away. I kept my pace lazy and uncaring until I was around the corner and out of sight. Only then did I slump and drag in a ragged breath. It wasn’t as bad as I expected… but somehow that didn’t make me feel better.

Not wanting to be alone with the Elite bodyguards anymore, I shoved open the locker room door and strolled out. Practice had been hella fun, but I was done.

The sound of Coach’s whistle echoed around the open space. “Lawson! I told you to suit up!”

And I told you I wasn’t swimming.

What the fuck was I even doing here anyway? I shouldn’t have come. A barely-there kiss in a moment of weakness and I was on a plane. I should have just taken my chances at Two Towers. One asshole cellmate was better than all of this.

Panic squeezed my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I was trapped here at the pool with these assholes. Trapped in my own damn body. An intense feeling of needing to flee, to get the hell out, came over me, and my heart started to pound.

Frantic, I looked at the door and the view of the outside through the glass. My body rotated, and I made it one single step.

Suddenly, my hands and legs were being grabbed. My entire body went horizontal as I dangled over the floor between two massive, wet, Speedo-wearing men.

“Welcome to Elite!” a voice boomed.

The two men started swinging me like I was some sort of human hammock. My brain was scrambled. Panic still had me in a chokehold, and I couldn’t keep up with what was going down.