Page 131 of Beyond the Lines
I just hope Lea feels the same way.
twenty-eight
LEA
“That one is definitely hiding something,”I say, pointing at the ceiling panel that sits slightly askew at the corner of the dorm common room.
Em squints up from where we’re huddled around the microwave, watching our cheese slowly melt to liquid gold. “Too obvious. If I was stashing primo pot, I’d go for the one behind the TV. Nobody ever touches it because everyone’s afraid of messing up the cable.”
I shake my head, reaching for the container of jalapeños. “No way. The TV panel gets moved every time maintenance comes to fix the reception, which is like every other week because Brad keeps adjusting the antenna when he’s drunk.”
“Fair point.” Em leans closer to the microwave, her eyes widening. “Ooh, cheese bubble! That’s the perfect melt point.”
She opens the door and the microwave beeps just as the door to the communal kitchen slams open hard enough to rattle the cabinets. I jump, nearly sending jalapeños flying across the counter.
It’s Mike.
My brother’s face is an alarming shade of crimson, his chest heaving like he sprinted across campus. His eyes lock onto me with laser focus, and the temperature in the room seems to drop ten degrees.
Three sophomores who were prepping ramen at the counter grab their cups and practically teleport out of the kitchen, clutching instant noodles to their chests as they head toward the exit.
“Mike?” I start to ask what’s wrong, but his expression stops the words in my throat.
He knows.
“You’re sleeping with Declan.” It’s a statement, not a question, his voice low and filled with barely contained rage.
My mouth opens, closes, then opens again. I’m a beached fish gasping for air, caught completely off-guard. “Uh…” I say, and that’s a struggle.
“Oh shit,” Em whispers beside me, and it might as well be a confession shouted through a megaphone.
“So it is true.” Mike’s eyes flick to her and back to me, and it’s not a question anymore. “Why didn’t you tell me, Lea? I had to find out you’re both fucking from my teammates?”
The word “fucking” hits me like a slap. As if what Declan and I have could be reduced to something so crude. Suddenly, I feel my anger rising to meet his. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react exactly like this—like some caveman who thinks he gets a say in who I date.”
Mike scratches the stubble on his chin, disheveling his hair further. “Ispecificallytold you not to?—”
“You told me not to date hockey players.” I cross my arms. “Which, by the way, is not a binding contract, signed in blood. I’m an adult, Mike.”
“Yeah, a real adult.” He scoffs, taking a step closer to me,all the while Em stays right by my side. “Sneaking around behind my back?—”
“We weren’t sneaking,” I snap, though that’s exactly what we were doing. “We were just… taking our time to figure things out.”
Behind me, the nachos sit forgotten, cheese congealing. Em has gone perfectly still beside me, but there’s a strength in her presence that givesmepower. Suddenly, I’m furious at Mike, rather than scared of upsetting him, and eager to defend what Declan and I have.
“Figure what out, Leandra?” Mike’s voice rises. “How to destroy the one thing in life I give a damn about besides you? How to best betray me?”
“Betray you?” I almost laugh. “This isn’t about you! Not everything is about you, Mike!”
“It is when it’s my teammate! My friend!” He takes a step toward me, and I stand my ground. “You’ve got no idea what this does to team dynamics.”
“I’d have thought you have enough on your plate without worrying about who I’m dating,” I say, lowering my voice.
Mike stiffens. “What does that mean?”
I hesitate, suddenly aware of the thin ice I’m walking on. But I’m tired of tiptoeing around him. “I know you’ve been struggling,” I say carefully. “And I saw that article, too. The one about your ‘fall from grace.’ It was open on your laptop when I stopped by last week.”
His face pales slightly beneath the angry flush. For a moment, vulnerability replaces the anger in his eyes. Then his walls slam back up, higher and thicker than before, and I know he’s now more furious than ever despite his features becoming icy cold.
