Page 10 of Destroying Everleigh

“We’re going to start with some warm-ups, do a couple drills, and then we’ll have a scrimmage. Boys against girls to see where you all are at. If this is your first time on the team, hang backafter practice so I can get some more information about your clothing size and jersey number.”

I blew out a sigh, glancing up at the blue sky. A few birds whipped through the air, circling around the others. For a moment, I imagined what it would feel like to be that free. No school, no ex-girlfriends, no shitty ass brothers. There would be no reason to work because everything would be offered right at your fingertips. This world was filled with shitty ass people who wanted to see you fall, who would go out of their way to make sure you did. Everleigh ruined my perception on love—ruined me for anyone else. My mind was warped now, and I knew that I’d never be able to trust anyone ever again. Not after what she did. But why did she get to go off and live happily ever after what she put me through? So even though I knew I couldn’t trust anyone, I owed it to myself to at least try.

Coach had us line up on the white sprayed line that outlined the field. My chest was coiled tight with tension as I bent down to touch my toes as he instructed. Soccer used to be the only thing that helped take my mind off things, but now she infiltrated that, too.

Straightening my back, my arms moved toward the sky before I bent at the waist again and gripped my toes like before. We did this a few more times before we were ordered to spread our legs and direct our attention to one foot, then the other, and finally the middle between our legs. Afterwards, we did squats, lunges, butterflies, and then suicides—where we ran back and forth to various points of the field. By now, adrenaline was punching through me, my chest heaving with the force of my heart pounding against it.

Coach held up his hand, ordering us to stop what we were doing. “Lucas, Everleigh, come.”

The two of them made their way toward him, standing on opposite sides as they peered in our direction. “To make this fair,the captains will choose people to join them for the scrimmage. Once they’ve chosen you, move to stand behind them.” He turned to Everleigh with an encouraging nod.

She stepped forward, glancing over the line of people that were at her disposal. Her eyes locked with mine for a moment before she dismissed me. “Briley,” she decided.

Her sister scurried over to her, looking much thinner than I remembered, unlike her older sister. They exchanged smiles before she took the first spot behind Eve.

Lucas glanced around for a moment, but he didn’t even seem to think about it. “Ashton.”

Hesitantly, I strode forward. I suppose it was better than the alternative, but it still felt weird as hell to be on her boyfriend’s team. Well, technically we were all on the same team. He held out his knuckles, like he actually expected me to give him a fist bump. I snorted with an eye roll before slipping behind him. Just because he let me sit with them at lunch earlier didn’t make us friends.

Briley caught my eye, confusion twisting her features as she slowly put the pieces together.

“Alex,” Everleigh called out.

Their voices faded into the background as they continued to choose people for their teams. At my old college,Iwas the popular one. Girls were at my fucking disposal. Guys jumped at the chance of being friends with me. Maybe what I really needed to do was knock the crown off Everleigh’s pretty little head. That way she had nothing. I’d take her popularity, ruin her relationship, turn her family against her as she had done mine, and make it to where she had nowhere to go—no one to trust.

Baby steps.

I’d start with Amber, and the party this weekend sounded like a golden opportunity to do just that.

Lucas turned to us, his stance wide with his hands on his hips. “I play center midfield for those of you who don’t know. As of right now, any other position is up for grabs.” His gaze fell on me. “We’ll start with you.”

“Left offender.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “You’ll be going up against Everleigh, then. She’s right defender.”

Of course she is. That didn’t deter me, though. Chick or not, if she got in my way on the field, I’d treat her how I’d treat anyone else. He took note of everyone else’s positions before sending us on the field. I took my spot on the left, a cool breeze brushing against me. My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, reveling in the way the sun warmed my skin. It’s been a while since I played. A few months to be exact. It would be easier to enjoy this if my cunt of an ex wasn’t here, too.

Rage licked through my veins, reminding me just how much I wanted to hurt her—to make her pay. My eyes snapped open, landing on her across the field where she stood. Her hands were planted on her wide hips, her weight shifted to one side like she owned the place. Maybe she had before, but not anymore.

As soon as the kick-off happened, the ball was flying through the air. Lucas caught it with his chest, allowing it to fall to his knee where it bounced a few times. He drug his foot over the top of the ball, sliding it to the right to dodge Alex. I took off backwards, trying to keep my eye on who had possession. Briley and some other chick on the opposing team, gained on him with wide stances in an attempt to make themselves bigger to prevent him from getting past them. Lucas glanced around the field for a moment, his eyes landing on me. Without a warning, he kicked the ball in my direction after realizing I was his best bet at the moment.

I stopped the object with my foot once it was in reach and dribbled down the field. The opposing midfielders rounded onme, trying to keep me from scoring. But I’d been playing this game a long time. I knew what to look for, what to expect when they tried to sike me out. The wind whipped through my dark hair as I moved up field, passing their midfielders and making a beeline toward their defense.

My gaze landed on Everleigh. Her legs were parted, even with her shoulders and her hands were out. My stomach twisted into knots for a single moment, a wave of nostalgia hitting me. We’d never been on the same team, but we would often scrimmage in high school. Back then, she’d been a midfielder. As if sensing where my train of thought had gone, a look of uncertainty passed her features. So, I took advantage of it. I ran up field, but she snapped out of it quickly, gaining on me. Her strong scent captured my senses. It didn’t matter that I towered over her. She knew how to work that to her advantage. She was fast, small, easy to miss. I didn’t want to play this game with her. Didn’t want to act like everything was fine when it wasn’t. Maybe it was in my head, because the two of us both knew we were far from okay. It just felt too much like how things used to be. When we used to play, I’d allow my fingertips to graze her chest. I’d put intentional pressure on her back under the guise of trying to make her lose the ball, when really, I’d just wanted to touch her.

Anger flared deep inside of me when she took the ball, jerking it beneath her foot, and turning her back to separate me from the orange and black object. If it had been any other opponent, I would have pressed up against them to add pressure, to make them nervous so they’d fumble it. But I didn’t want to give her any ideas about what this was.

Just when she turned, ready to pass it along the field, I stuck my foot out, blocking it with ease. She reeled it back in, glancing around at her teammates for an opening. But no one was available. Her other defender had one of my teammates in front of her, blocking her as a pass. The only way out was through me.

Everleigh narrowed her eyes, a flash of determination slithering through her features. She’d always been competitive. She didn’t want me to score with her as my only obstacle, because in her eyes, that would prove I was better than her. Which I was, but she was too proud to accept it. She twisted quickly, darting to the right with the ball in tow. It only took me a second to catch up to what was happening, but then I was on her. I leaned my weight against her, the heat of her body radiating through my clothes.

Fuck this.

I added more pressure, making her stumble before pulling the ball back with my foot. I didn’t even have to think about it. When revenge entered my mind upon seeing her this morning, physical pain hadn’t so much as come up. But she deserved to hurt. So, I kicked the ball as hard as I could. It spiraled through the air hitting its target. My chest pounded violently as I watched her hands move to her face as she crumpled to the ground. I meant to hit her with it. Just not directly in the face. Blood poured through her fingers, snaking down her wrist.

“What the fuck, dude?” Lucas demanded, jogging over. He grabbed her by the arms and helped her to her feet. Her watery brown eyes darted in my direction, a look of confusion and disbelief passing her expression as she clutched her nose, trying to keep it from gushing.

“It was an accident.” I shrugged, even though my chest was constricting with regret. I shouldn’t have done that.

---