Page 95 of Forever Golden

West: Noted. Love you.

Blue: Love you, too. Always.

* * *

@QweenPandora:It was the argument heard round the world. Today, lunch came with a bit of entertainment.

A hush fell over the crowd as people witnessed with their own eyes, direct fallout from last night’s drama—a love triangle I believe we all saw coming from a mile away.

A KingMidas, NewGirl, SeXyBeAsT sandwich.

Word on the street is that NewGirl’s been giving KingMidas the cold shoulder since morning. Like he’s the one who got caught sneaking an ex into his place last night. But it doesn’t end there. The tension came to a head today and the pair got caught in a public explosion you had to have been deaf and blind to miss.

After that disaster, I think we’re all wondering the same thing…

What on Earth will happen next?

Stay tuned.

Later, Peeps.

—P

Chapter 34

BLUE

It’s been a week of public silence, punctuated with moments of West and I being as nasty to each other as we could possibly stand, and now we’re back at game day.

Peering out into the stands, the only faces I see are Scar’s, Mike’s, Jules’s, and Ricky’s. West and crew, on the other hand, are nowhere in sight. Staging the breakdown of our relationship has been hell for both of us, but we frequently remind each other that it’s for a good cause. Doing this buys us time, it means my sister is safer for now, and means Detective Roby and Boone’s investigator have a little more time to work.

I’m on edge like I was last week, but I’m also being mindful to not accidently injure anyone this time. We’re ahead by two points with less than a minute on the clock. It’s still anyone’s game, which means it’ll come down to who wants it more.

Sweat pours down my face and I blink it away, focusing on the brunette dribbling the ball in front of me. She’s got determination in her eyes and I know she’s about to try her best to pull out the win for her team. I focus on her waist and not the ball—something Hunter and Ricky taught me years ago. She can move left or right, quickly changing the direction of the ball, but the movement in her waist will give away her next move.

Works every time.

She fakes left, then dribbles right and I’m on her, not leaving any room for her to pass the ball or get past me. I’m reminded of the day I was forced to play defense on West during gym, and I’m also reminded of punching him in the face right after. Not my best moment, but we made it past that, built something real. Something solid.

Before sadness can bring me down, I focus on the game again, going up into the air with the girl when she makes a shift. A fraction of a second later, my fingertips catch the bottom of the ball, changing its direction, sending it soaring opposite of where she intended.

The crowd goes crazy, and I peer up at the clock, not getting too excited too quickly.

Seventeen seconds left. A lot can happen in seventeen seconds.

Their shooting guard passes the ball in and the point guard swipes it quickly. She runs it down the court and gets ready to make a pass, but I stop her momentum, steal the ball right out of her hands, and toss it toward our basket.

It’s a clean shot.

My teammates don’t waste a second before celebrating, and while I should feel like a million bucks right now, I don’t. I’m all out of positive energy these days, so I slap a few high-fives, then head back to the bench to grab my towel.

I spot Mike and Scar on their feet, applauding the play. He’s really been laying it on thick lately, trying to pretend he’s father of the year, but I’m not buying it. After waving at Jules when she jumps around like a wild woman to get my attention, I turn my back on the crowd and head straight for the locker room.

The team is still buzzing with energy, riding the high from tonight’s win, but I’m simply not feeling it.

I strip down, grab my things for the shower, and try to let all the bad shit go.

Hot water rolls off my skin and I’m in no hurry to leave. This is the first time all day I’ve felt relaxed, felt any kind of relief. The voices go quiet in the background and I have no idea how much time has passed. All I know is I’ve been in here forever and I’m alone now.

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