Page 76 of Distorted Obsession

“Let’s go, ladies,” our coach exclaims, clapping from the sideline. She’s up from her seat, elated that we’re four points away from winning the match. “Time to bring it home.”

We rotate, and Cammy takes her place at the serving line. She bounces the volleyball three times, her signature pre-serve ritual, before tossing it into the air and jump-serving. The volleyball careens over the net, heading for our favorite sweet spot.

“Out,” a few girls from the opposing team shout as the ball splits between two players. One person shuffles back, but the play happens too quickly for any of them to adjust. The volleyball smacks the line, and we wait for the referee to make the call.

The middle-aged giant of a man, who, if he’s never played volleyball, would be a travesty to the sports world, signals for someone to bring a tablet to watch the replay.

“Bring it in, ladies,” Coach orders, and we hustle over to the bench. “We’re playing hard out there tonight. Let’s end this now.” She pulls out her whiteboard and immediately points toareas to tighten up when the ref declares the ball in, making it three away from match point.

I drop my towel and turn to take my spot on the court when I feel someone tap my shoulder. Pivoting, I meet the eyes of Coach Landrey. She beckons me closer. “Yeah, Coach?” I ask as I lower my head.

“If they return the serve, I want you to spike it hard on the next few plays from the middle, and if they end up with the point once we rotate, I want you to play the outside and tip it at the last minute.”

Smirking at the plan of attack, I nod and hustle back to my position on the court. I readjust my ponytail and wait for Cammy’s signature bounces. Just as the third successive smack of the ball against the gymnasium floor, I catch someone out of the corner of my eye, and my body freezes.

No… no… no!

“Mine,” Jade shouts, bumping my hip and moving me out of the way. The jolt snaps my attention back to the game, and I hurry to get into position. I’m barely in the air when the ball is set to me like a filet mignon with garlic butter and perfectly grilled seasoned asparagus. My open palm slams the volleyball between the block. One of the players dives to keep it alive, but it pops up wildly, flying toward the bleachers.

“Kill, kill, kill,” my team hisses, but I know just how close I was to fucking up.

Jade nudges me, garnering my attention. “What was that?”

I scan the gym, trying to catch a glimpse, but come up with nothing. Shaking my head, I finally reply, “Nothing. I was just a bit distracted.”

“By wh—” her question is cut off by Coach Landrey’s shouting instructions to get focused. “We’ll finish this later. Something is going on that you’re not telling me about, but now is obviouslynot the time to have this discussion,” she commands before returning to her spot in the back right corner.

The following two plays run smoothly. “Match point, ladies,” Paisley announces as she readies herself for the play.

Cammy serves, and the opposing team quickly moves into action. The ball is bumped to the setter, and she sets it to the outside. We jump up for the block when I catch familiar crystal-blue eyes watching from the last row of the bleachers, closest to the exit.

I freeze mid-jump, ignoring everything happening on the court. Jet-black layered hair flows down past her shoulders. “Fah,” I whisper inaudibly.

It can’t be her—how is it her?

My feet move before I even make a conscious effort to do so. I only make two steps when I’m yanked to a stop before being spun around. The motion shakes me from my trance.

“What the fuck was that, Eva?” Jade growls, her angry eyes glaring into mine.

No… no… no. I can’t lose her again!

I pull from Jade’s grasp on my shoulder and whirl around, looking to the spot where I last saw my best friend, but it’s empty. My chest tightens as my mind tries to process whether she was ever truly there.

“Eva,” Jade snaps, and I force myself to turn around and face her. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but if your head isn’t in this game, you should ask Coach to pull you out.”

Glancing around, I see a mixture of confusion and concern from my team. The game has stopped, and I’m unsure how long Jade was trying to gain my attention. “I-I-I don’t—” I take a deep breath, allowing myself a moment to collect my thoughts before I continue, “No, I’m good, I swear. I was distracted, but I’m good now.”

Jade’s expression says she’s not buying my bullshit, but the ref blows his whistle. “You ladies have about ten seconds before your team earns a penalty for delaying the game.”

His prompt is all it takes for my very skeptical friend to give in reluctantly. “Don’t think this is over, Eva. After this game, we’re going to sit down and talk. You’ve been out of it for days now,” Jade commands before returning to her spot on the court.

I shake my limbs, clear my head, refocus, and prepare to receive the ball. It’s served over the net. “Mine,” I exclaim when it’s clear that I’m in the best position to make a play. I seamlessly pass it to our setter, who sets it to the middle. Jade spikes it, but the opposing team is up in time to block it. The ball pops back over for Paisley to run up and bump it. Our setter repositions herself, popping it up for me. I take two steps forward, leap into the air, rotate my arm back, and prepare to swing when I see their blockers get into position. As my hand is about to connect with the volleyball, I rotate my hips and tap at the open space, and it hits the gymnasium floor.

My feet are barely on the ground when the crowd’s screams echo, and my teammates come off the bench cheering. I’m about to join in on the celebration when I see her again. She smirks, turns, and dashes to the door. I take off without hesitation, ignoring everyone shouting my name.

“Fah,” I cry as I slam through the door, but there are so many people in the hall that I can’t tell which direction she went. My gaze darts around, desperately seeking even a hint of which way she could’ve gone. The tears pool in my eyes, and I wipe them before they can fall. “You’re fucking losing it, Eva Rose, and you need to pull it together before you get pulled from school,” I scold myself. At this point, it might be the best idea. I keep seeing Farrah everywhere. She’s in my dreams and my waking thoughts. There’s barely ever a break—I’m suffocating. I try to swallow, but the lump in my throat is too hard to choke down.

Grabbing my throat, I begin gasping for air. My nails dig into the flesh of my neck, but it’s not enough—it never is, except for the one time I found true bliss.Colt and Coop. The knot strangling me slightly loosens at the thought of them, allowing my shoulders to relax. Goosebumps prickle my skin at this revelation, and I now know what needs to be done.

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