Page 1 of The Rivals' Touch

It’s a tie. I snap my eyes away from the scoreboard as my boyfriend, Bennett, intercepts the basketball and begins dribbling before passing it to Alex further up the court. He runs ahead and shouts at Alex, who looks up and throws the ball to him.

The clock is ticking down. We are seconds away from the end of the fourth quarter.

Bennett catches the ball and shoots it at the hoop. It rolls around the rim before falling through, making a chorus of cheers drown out the final whistle.

Squealing with excitement, I hug my best friend, Cali. “We did it! We fucking did it!”

We jump like wind-up chattering teeth.

“That’ll show them!” she says, squeezing me, her flowery perfume entering my nostrils.

After separating, we look over at the visiting team, Aycliffe High, our main rivals. The tension between the teams has always been there, but it’s on tenterhooks this season.

Their captain, Zayd, runs a hand through his dark, sweaty hair before lowering his head in defeat.

I’m still staring at him when Legacy, the head cheerleader at Aycliffe High and Zayd’s main squeeze, walks up to us. Her brown hair is up in a high pony, and her makeup is flawless. She cocks her hip and says, “The season isn’t over yet. We’ll get you next time! You better enjoy yourselves now because we’ll drag you through the fucking mud soon. You got lucky today!”

Next to me, Cali snorts. I roll my eyes. “Luck had nothing to do with it, and you know it!”

Legacy and I have a history of run-ins. I would gladly pull out her stupid hair extensions and feed them to her, if only to shut her up. “You better back off!”

Folding her arms over her chest, she smiles. “You’ve got a nasty surprise coming for you, blondie. I can’t wait to wipe that smug smile off your face!”

“Am I supposed to be scared? Go on, go back to Aycliffe! We don’t want your kind here.”

She sucks on her perfect white teeth and steps closer, eyes blazing with attitude. We’re matched in height. Legacy is the queen bee for a reason. She has curves to make any woman jealous, and her rich daddy wrapped around her little finger. “I’ll see you sooner than you think, bitch.” Her long ponytail smacks my face when she whirls on the spot and storms off.

Cali watches her go. “What was that about?”

I follow her with my eyes too. She’s up to something. “I don’t know.”

Bennett, my boyfriend of two years, scoops me up in his arms and spins us around, making me laugh. His white-and-black jersey sticks to his sweaty chest as he lowers me to the ground and dives down for a toe-curling kiss.

“I knew you’d win,” I whisper against his lips, fisting the damp fabric of his jersey.

He deepens the kiss, his hands on my hips, before breaking away to catch his breath. “You’re my lucky charm!”

“I’m not up for third-wheeling right now,” Cali comments, grabbing her pom-poms from the bench. “I’m finding someone else to talk to.” Then she’s off.

“What did you think?”

I drag my eyes away from my best friend. Bennett’s blonde hair is in his eyes, so I reach up and brush it aside. “You were amazing!” I kiss him again, tasting the sweet victory on his lips.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Perfect and her pathetic boyfriend.”

We break apart, and I glare at Zayd. “I didn’t take you for a sore loser.”

He smirks, and something about it makes my hackles rise. Whenever Zayd looks at me, I feel it down to my toes. I always have, and it makes me want to lash out like a cornered animal. “That was only the first game, Remi. Don’t get too comfortable. The season has only just started! In fact, I wouldn’t get comfortable at all if I were you.”

Bennett puts his arm around my shoulder. “Did you want something, asshole?”

Zayd wets his lips and smirks as he drags his dark gaze down my white-and-black cheer uniform.

Bennett stiffens next to me.

“I can’t wait to see you in blue.”

The main color of the Aycliffe uniform.

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