Page 67 of Blood Sport

Miles shoots me a wink before rushing through the now-quiet coffee shop. Checking my phone, I see it’s nearly 3 p.m. Damn, I didn’t realize we had been sitting around talking for three hours. It has been a while since I have really gotten the chance to sit down and have a deep conversation with my brother. It was nice. Thankfully, he didn’t bring up anything to do with the murders or our parent’s murder investigation, so I was able to switch off from thinking about that for a little while. A nice reprieve from the constant rollercoaster of thoughts racing through my mind.

Swooping my tote bag off the floor next to my chair, I swing it over my shoulder and head for the exit. When I step outside into the cool afternoon air, I slip my earbuds in and begin the walk back to the sorority house. The music blasting in my ears is a good distraction, but not enough to stop me from seeing Amara walking in my direction through the crowd of students.

With a heavy sigh, I slow to a stop and pull my earbuds out, slipping them into the pocket of my jean shorts. I can practically see the steam coming out of Amara’s ears as she approaches me, the tight black dress she’s wearing riding up her thighs.

“What is it now, Amara?” I say, my voice flat and unimpressed. “I thought we had said everything that we needed to.”

“I thought you were dating someone else,” she sneers, stopping in front of me with her arms folded over her chest.

I frown. “I never said that, and even if I was, it’s none of your business.”

“It is my fucking business when you told me Jaylen is free game but here you are not leaving him alone.”

I inhale slowly and ball my fists at my sides, my nails digging into the skin of my palm. I don’t know what it is about Amara, but whenever she is near me, I’m filled with anger that I have never felt before.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

With her brows furrowed, she drops her arms and pushes at my shoulders. I stumble backward, a fire building in my chest. “Don’t play fucking coy with me. My friends told me they saw you go down to the locker room at the game on Saturday when Jaylen got the red card. Now, why would you go down there when you were supposed to be going out with someone else?”

“That’s none of your business,” I say through gritted teeth. I’m very aware that there are people around, watching us with hawk eyes, but I’m seconds away from jumping over the edge and losing my fucking shit on this girl.

“You’re just a whore who likes to get around.” Amara shoves at my shoulders again, her voice growing louder. “Did you spread your legs for him, huh?” She smirks, popping out her hip. “In that case, I hope you enjoyed my sloppy seconds, bitch.”

All it took was for the last ounce of self-restraint that I was holding onto for dear life to snap. That’s all it took for me to rear back my arm, clench my fist, and slam it against Amara’s big nose. I saw the blood splurt from it and heard her cries of pain, but all I could focus on was the satisfaction that washed over me from having shut her the fuck up. The dull ache spreading across my hand doesn’t faze me in the slightest.

She fucking deserved that.

Hearing her talk about Jaylen like that rubbed me the wrong way. A need to protect what I have with Jaylen—whatever it is—came over me like a tidal wave. After what happened with Kale and the way Jaylen possessed my very being in the locker room, claiming me as his, the thought of another woman touching him makes me see red. That includes Amara and her persistent attempts at seducing him.

I don’t know what the fuck is going on between us, but I’m willing to find out. He makes my body burn like it never has before and that has to mean something. The attraction between us is tense and wild, that’s undeniable. It’s enough to make my head spin, and clearly, punch someone in the face.

Once my eyes refocus to see her lying on the ground clutching her bloody nose with horrified onlookers looming by, I kneel by her side with a smile and my head tilts to the side as I take in her pathetic frame.

“Remember this moment and the pain you’re feeling the next time you want to run your mouth,” I say calmly over Amara’s loud cries of pain, her eyes, filled with tears, unable to meet mine. “This is your sign to stay the fuck away from Jaylen, because next time, it’ll be more than just a punch to the nose.”

***

“You did what!”

I turn away from the window beside my bed to face Rylee. She is cross-legged on her bed, her eyes as wide as a saucer. When I returned from brunch with Miles, I was still on edge from the interaction with Amara that I had no choice but to tell her. Not before I paced the entirety of the small bedroom too many times to count, needing to blow off some steam.

“I just kind of… happened,” I say with a shrug. Her eyes follow me as I walk to the edge of my bed and plop down, the springs in the mattress squeaking under my weight. “I don’t regret it, though.”

Rylee shakes her head, but I can see the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. “Woah, I can’t believe it. You punched Amara in the face and likely broke her nose. That has to be the best thing to happen all year.”

I raise a brow at her, fighting my own smile. “You’re glad I punched her?”

“Of course!” Her voice goes up an octave. “I mean, she deserved it, right? Especially after the way she has been acting toward you in recent weeks. She can’t expect to poke a lion with a stick and it not fight back at some point.”

She is absolutely right. Amara backed me into a corner each time she confronted me about Jaylen. I could feel the restraint beginning to fray each time she gave me a dirty look or told me to stay away from him. Finally, the string snapped, which resulted in me busting her nose. I can still hear the sound of her bone-crunching beneath my fists, and I must admit, it’s a satisfying sound.

“I just hope she doesn’t press charges.” The thought hadn’t occurred to me until after the fact. There were a lot of witnesses who saw what happened, so if Amara wanted to get me done for assault, she would have a lot of people who could back up her story.

Rylee waves away my concern. “I don’t know if she would go that far. If anything, she knows what you’re capable of now, so this might have been what she needed to back off and leave you alone.”

I sigh. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she went to the police.”

“Just wait and see what happens, Ev,” she says, offering me a smile. “But I’m proud of you for sticking up for yourself and not taking her shit. It’s not cool that she would come at you like that all because of Jaylen.”

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