Page 36 of Saving the Halfback

I fought against him, still seeing red as I glared at Hadley. I refused to allow anyone to take anything else from me. “She has my hat,” I yelled. I could feel tears filling beneath my eyelids.

“Wow, spaz much?” Hadley rolled her eyes.

“Hadley, seriously, just give it back,” Chase said.

“What the hell, Chase? You’re taking the farm girl’s side over mine?” Hadley snapped. “She is so overreacting over a gross old hat. I can smell the farm off her from here.”

Chase sighed as he pulled me to his side, then he stood in front of me. He put his hands on the desk and leaned forward. “Give. The. Hat. Back.” His voice was so deep and menacing, a shiver ran up my spine.

Hadley pulled my hat from her bag and held it out. I jumped forward and snatched it out of her hand. She made some sort of comment, but I didn’t hear it, and I didn’t care. I turned my back to all of them and stalked off to my table, throwing myself down just as the teacher arrived and the second bell rang.

I pulled my hat on and down. Today had caused a whirlwind of emotions, and I was losing control. I could feel it. How often Ed appeared, how quickly the anxiety and jitters were setting in. The pull and tug from one direction to the other. The uncertainty fluttering in my chest.Focus, focus, focus.

Mrs. Cleaver didn’t get mad at me for the hat as she started her lesson. At one point, she walked by my desk and placed her hand on my shoulder, giving a slight squeeze before walking on. The tears had been building, but with that, they began spilling over.

“Bails,” Chase whispered. I ignored it and put all my focus on my work. He mumbled something else, but I didn’t catch it. I didn’t care what he wanted. I didn’t care what any of them wanted.

By the end of the class, I had composed myself. I was exhausted and angry. So damn angry at Hadley for touching my property. For taking something so special from me. I couldn’t afford to lose anything else. Mentally…I couldn’t take it.

14

Bailey

Imade it to art class with no incidents, which I was grateful for. After using first period to brood and lose myself a little, I was able to breathe by the time I was in class. Even when Nolan walked right in and sat next to me, immediately asking, “Are you okay?” I eyed him suspiciously. “Rumors are going around that some chick started a fight with you?”

“Seriously? I didn’t fight anyone.”

Nolan sagged in his chair and lay his head on the table. “The gossip in this school is exhausting. They made it sound like someone ended up in the hospital.” He closed his eyes, as if he needed a break.

I had come to the conclusion that Nolan was a hidden introvert. So many would deny this—an introvert? Nolan? Ha. It was a joke. But I was serious. Surrounded by the football team, or even a few players, brought out the extroverted side of him. Almost like he was a different person. He was loud, told jokes off the top of his head, and kept the conversations going, acting like the stereotypical jock type.

However, in the quiet, when it was just the two of us, or even Lachlan included, Nolan was introverted. His dominantdemeanor took a back seat, and a submissive side came out. He was happy to sit back and let us carry the conversation, only speaking up here and there. Even his body would relax and almost deflate, as if he had been holding strong for so long, and around us, he could let it go. Like now, as he deflated on the table and closed his eyes.

Once his introverted side came out, I knew the nerdy talk would follow close behind. He was not only a closet introvert but also a closet nerd, which Lachlan enjoyed, since they could geek out together. At times, I swore Nolan Reeves was two people crammed into one body.

I rubbed Nolan’s back as Lachlan sat down on my other side. “What happened to him?”

“Gossip mill got him down,” I said sympathetically.

“Yeah, I heard some things. What happened?” He casually draped his arm around the back of my chair. I didn’t miss how Nolan’s eyes tracked his movement.

I grumbled, not wanting to hash it out anymore. “Hadley happened. She really has some sort of chip on her shoulder.” I didn’t think I could make it any clearer that I wanted nothing to do with her. I held up my hand, which still displayed a shoe print on the back.

Lachlan’s gaze turned to ice. He moved to take my hand, then paused. I set my hand in his, so he could get a better look. “Can you move your fingers okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s just stiff. Probably will be a nice bruise.”

Nolan sat up and took my hand. Lachlan didn’t let go right away, but slowly, his fingers slipped from mine. “She’s seriously getting annoying.”

“She is used to being the center of attention. She lives in our town, and her dad is a member of Parliament.” Lachlan shrugged. “She was nice when we were kids, but as she got older, her bitch started showing more and more.”

Hadley never hung out with us when we were younger. She’d hated boys back then and had always stayed close to her group of girlfriends.

“I really don’t care,” I mumbled, pulling my hand back. I’d just wanted my hat back. Hadley was a class-A bully, and I would have to try harder to stay away from her.

“She could’ve seriously injured you,” Nolan said. “You can’t exactly catch a ball with a broken hand.”

I hadn’t thought of that. “Luckily, she didn’t. She just stole my hat.” I stared at my hat in front of me. It might be worn and old, but it was mine. She had no right.

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