Page 55 of The Rivals' Touch

“I heard we’re playing Hedgewood again soon,” Brenda says as she plops down in the chair next to me.

I look away from the clock on the wall. Brenda is among the last to arrive for class. Everyone else is here, except for the teacher and the witch. “So I’ve been told. I don’t get why they pushed it forward. We only played them a few weeks ago.”

She eyes my profile before moving her dark hair from her shoulder and asking, “How do you feel about the game? Cheering for Aycliffe?”

I meet her curious gaze. Her red-and-black flannel shirt has a button missing at the top. I wonder if she knows. “I don’t feel good about it. Let’s put it that way.”

“Oh, look who it is! The Hedgewood bitch!” Legacy sneers as she stops at my table. “You’re not going to cry at the game against your old school, are you?”

“The bitch act is back, is it?” I laugh disbelievingly, raising a brow.

She plants her hands on my desk and leans down. Her sidekicks foam at the mouth behind her. “I’ll put you front and center. You can cheer your little heart out for Aycliffe in front of all of Hedgewood High.” Her smile is cruel, and so is the glint in her eye.

“And take the spotlight from you? I wouldn’t dare!”

“Are you missing that boyfriend of yours yet? I heard he’s getting cozy with the girl you hang out with. What’s her name again?” She looks to her friends for support.

“Cali.”

“That’s it!” Legacy’s smile grows impossibly wide, and when she leans in to whisper in my ear, her long hair tickles my hand on the desk. “How does it feel knowing your best friend keeps him warm at night?”

My blood turns to ice. It’s the first I’ve heard of this rumor. “You’re lying!”

She laughs, and the sound reminds me of a bubbling stream or a wind chime. It’s light and airy. “Am I?” Then she winks and pushes off the desk.

I watch her walk over to her regular seat with my heart in my throat. Tears sting my eyes. It doesn’t matter that I attacked Zayd with my lips in the car before class—it hurts to think of Bennett with someone else. It’s not like Cali holds blackmail material over his head to twist his hand. No, if he cheats on me, it’s because he wants to.

And Cali… I can’t even let myself go there. It would be the ultimate betrayal.

“Your best friend wouldn’t do that to you, would she?” Brenda asks when the teacher finally enters the classroom.

I blink rapidly before shaking my head. “No!” But the truth is, I don’t know. Everything is a mess.

“Good morning, class. I trust that we’ve all had a good night’s sleep?” The teacher turns a page in his notebook on the desk. “I’m dividing you into pairs. I want you to look at chapter six together, work through the questions, write your thoughts on each point, and then compare notes.”

I tap my pencil on my lip, my thoughts elsewhere. I haven’t talked to Cali in days. In fact, I didn’t answer when she rang me yesterday.

“Remi, you’re with Legacy. Brenda, you’re with Daniel.”

I freeze, and the pen slips from my fingers. “Legacy?”

Brenda leans in. “Pair work. You’re with the queen bee. Good luck!”

I watch her scoot her chair back and go to sit with a boy with black-rimmed glasses and a star shaved into his hair on the side of his head.

“I guess I have to come to you then,” Legacy says, sitting down beside me. Her flowery perfume fills the space between us as she flicks her long, brown hair and taps her finger on the page. “Aren’t you going to open to chapter six?”

Her makeup is flawless, her lips painted a deep red, and her long lashes are the envy of every girl here.

Something inside me stirs as I recall those plump lips on my nipples.

“Oh.” I open the book and scan my eyes over the text but struggle to focus when she leans in and tucks her hair behind her ear. The pulse in her creamy neck flutters against her skin. “Who told you the rumor?”

Her eyes flick up to mine. “It’s not a rumor.”

A sick feeling settles low in my stomach. “Of course it is. Cali is my best friend.”

She shrugs her shoulders, turning the page. “Maybe I’m wrong.”

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