Page 30 of Obsession

“What?!” I gasped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the asshole that had made me the target of this maniac. Harris was watching me with the same amused face as my friends.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, Xena, before you start throwing punches.”

Kristen pulled me into the bathroom, where I washed off as much of the tomato sauce as I could, but the T-shirt was ruined. Luckily, we got equipment for practice, and I was able to put on the white tank top and red shorts with the school logo.I didn’t get a chance to eat anything, and I barely had time to drink any water before practice.

My friends were also sitting in the stands because the weather was still nice, and apparently the football team was practicing too. I was never a fan of the sport; a bit too brutal for my taste, and now I had to cheer them on.

The other girls were gathered in a corner at the edge of the field, and Amber stood in front of them. As soon as she noticed me, she gave me a deadly look. I really was not in the mood for this as I was still feeling sick, and the lack of food wasn’t helping either. My condition was progressively getting worse.

I walked towards the cheerleaders while my friends watched from the second row. Recess was still in full swing, and students were crowding the courtyard.

In the front row sat the stars of the school, with Harris in the middle, who finally stopped looking at me and turned his attention entirely to his phone. He seemed to be getting more and more tired too, and I really couldn’t understand what he was still doing here. Maybe he was something like the class valedictorian, and his looks were deceiving.

A cold shiver ran down my spine when I saw Joshua sitting in the third row, his face even more bruised than before. The look in his eyes sent murderous shivers down my spine.

Harris noticed me focusing on someone behind him and immediately followed my gaze, another angry expression forming on his face when he saw Joshua. Maybe that’s why Harris was still there, because of Joshua. What was all this protection about? I really couldn’t understand it. Was my dad paying him to look after me or what? At that moment, any ridiculous thought seemed possible.

While Harris’ protection was shocking, the rage of the psychopath who wanted to ‘take me’ was truly disturbing.

Joshua instantly averted his eyes from me and pretended to speak to the girl next to him, and Harris eyed me next, exhaustion hiding beneath his stern expression. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Amber lined us up as she talked about the new dance she was going to teach us. I wasn’t really listening, but rather trying to stay on my feet as my vision slowly blurred and I was close to passing out. The heat of the sun was another drop in an already full cup.

“Katherine, you’re going to be on top,” Amber’s mean voice grazed my eardrums.

Her face showed a wicked grin that revealed she already had an elaborate plan to torment me.

“What?” I barked out.

I didn’t even know what she was alluding to because I wasn’t paying attention to anything, but it certainly wasn’t anything good.

“You’re going to be the top of the pyramid,” she explained, “you know, to see how good your angle looks.”

Her satisfaction was far too obvious.

I couldn’t say I wasn’t expecting it. I took a long, deep breath to calm myself. Amber stood in my way, almost as if she was trying to provoke another confrontation, but I had no energy left. She had blue eyes, her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was wearing the same clothes as me. She looked good, and her skin was annoyingly perfectly tanned, and there were colorful bracelets hanging from her wrists that jingled with her every move.

For the first time, I noticed the tattoo on her neck – a black S that looked simple, but also… brutal. The letter was surrounded by large, sharp thorns. If you didn’t look closely, they looked almost real, as if they were coming out of her skin.

Memories of a few conversations popped into my head, and although I couldn’t make a clear connection, I could have sworn Kristen had mentioned something about a tattoo.

Amber noticed the attention I was paying to the mark on her neck and seemed pleased about it.

“Come on, everyone in place,” she ordered authoritatively, clapping her hands.

She didn’t think I was going to climb on top of a bunch of people when I could barely stand, did she?

The football players turned their attention to us, and I saw Zac waving at me. I hadn’t even noticed he wasn’t with my other friends, and only then realized he was part of the team. His gear almost doubled the size of his chest and shoulders they all looked like gladiators pumped full of steroids.

I gave my friend a bitter smile, as if begging him to get me out of there. Whoever, just get me out. Without meaning to, I let my gaze drift to Harris, whose worried eyes followed me as if he’d noticed I wasn’t feeling well. Was he part of a sports team too? He looked to be in better shape than any of the boys on the field, and I still didn’t think he was the type to do homework, even if he did show his smart-alecky side in French class.

But honestly, I couldn’t imagine him running after a ball on the field alongside the other boys who weren’t part of his group. Even though American Football was a contact sport, Harris seemed to like a different kind of contact, one that didn’t involve balls and cups.

“Climb, Katherine,” Amber screeched, “or maybe you’re incompetent?”

I gritted my teeth angrily and, unaware of my actions, walked towards the so-called pyramid and began to climb it, using my hands and knees to get to the top, stepping on the backs – sometimes heads – of the girls below. It wasn’t the first time I’d done this, but I’d never been this dizzy climbing before.

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