Page 22 of Scrimmage

“Okay, you two,” Alexi intervenes. “No need to measure dicks.”

I pretend to yawn. “You'd have to have something to measure.”

“Alexi,” Koda says in warning.

Alexi grabs the phone from the table, typing away on it. “Here.” He hands it back. “Now I have your number. I’ll hit you up to study.”

Inwardly I smirk. Cole is going to be so confused when he gets a text from another Chance.

“I’d love that,” I lie.

“Alexi,” Koda barks.

“Alright, geez. This one.” He throws his thumb back. “So angry when he’s hungry.”

“Well, you two have a nice night touching tips or whatever it is that you do,” I dismiss him. Alexi bites his lip and raps his knuckles on the table. With one last look, he walks away. Koda glances back on the way out, and I give him the middle finger. His jaw hardens as he angrily shakes his head.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to fight someone.” Cole has two pizza boxes in his arms.

I smile sweetly. “Nope. I was just saying hi.”

“I’m just gonna pretend that’s the truth. Did you hear from Penny?”

“She’s gonna meet us at home. Vale left right after we did because he needs his beauty sleep.”

“Figures.”

I open a pizza box and pull out a slice, eating while we walk.

I love the way campus is at night. Teeming with drunk life. People stumble around and laugh. Something about the atmosphere makes me feel like I’m alive. Before we turn onto my street, I swear I see a pair of familiar eyes connect with mine. A shiver runs down my spine with fear. I glance at Cole, who is avoiding a guy puking in the street, and look back. There’s nothing there. I try to quiet the panic as the voices start to creep into my head.

I squeeze myself against Cole. He gives me a confused look, but he puts his arm around me, not questioning it. Cole doesn’t make me feel safe, but I know he would defend me. He wouldn’t even have to think about it. It’s not that I wouldn’t try to do the same, but I’d rather not find out. I’m ashamed of it, but there’s a real possibility that I would panic. Penny is the only person I think I could jump in front of a bullet for, and she earned that shit.

I would be sad about Cole, of course. I’m not a fucking sociopath, but when it comes to fight or flight, I don’t trust myself not to just lay down instead. Those eyes haunt me as we pass the houses on the street. I see them in every window and feel them on my back. I’m paranoid. I start to shiver, and Cole pulls me closer. He doesn’t know that it won’t help. He doesn’t know the things that haunt me or run through my mind. Evil lurks just behind my eyelids.

Who do you belong to, Ashland?

Chapter Three

Koda

I gaze at the ceiling lost in thought. I’m perturbed, but when am I not? The first game of the season is around the corner, and it always makes me fucking tense. It doesn’t help that Alexi has been playing games with that stupid bitch who is apparently in his class. He loves a challenge, and she is one.

A choking sound comes from below. I remember what she said about Stephanie pretending to choke on my dick, and I’m immediately aggravated. I reach down and shove Stephanie off. She falls back onto her ass. There’s no way I’m going to come. Her head is sub-par, and when she’s drunk it gets even worse.

I tuck my dick back into my jeans. “Forget it.”

“But you didn’t finish.” Her wide mud-brown eyes are glazed over with alcohol.

“I’m not in the mood.”

“But you—”

“I said I’m not in the mood,” I growl, glaring at her.

“Okay,” she says slowly. “Then what do you want to do?”

“Nothing. I want you to leave.”

---