Page 15 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

"If it's a pool party, I'm there," Ivy smiles at him.

"Aren't your dad and brother coming in town this weekend?" I hope I heard her right last night.

"No, that's next weekend."

"We'll talk about it tonight." I'm treading on thin ice here.

"I don't need to talk about anything with you tonight. I make my own choices," her eyebrows draw together in annoyance.

"Not here," I'm about to really piss her off. "We decide who goes where and who does what," I point over my shoulder at Con and Griff. "Our word is gold around here. You want to be a social pariah, keep pushing me."

"I'm not afraid of you, mate." Oliver offers his arm to Ivy, and she slides her hand through it automatically. The cocky bastard has the balls to smirk and pat my shoulder as he walks away with my girl.

I watch them for a few seconds, wishing she'd give me even a backward glance, but she doesn't.

"You fucked that up nicely." Mason's giant paw slaps my shoulder and squeezes. "Let's go get lunch. It's not like he can do anything with her while we're at school."

"Unless he pushes her into an empty class and fucks her over a desk," Connor says and then laughs when I growl my displeasure at him.

"Let's go get the big guy fed so he can protect me in the pocket," the four of walk to lunch together. I force myself not to look over to where Ivy is sitting surrounded by the soccer team. I'll see her soon enough in our next class.

5

IVY

We decidewho goes where and who does what.Arrogant much, Levi? Who says that with a straight face and means it like that? I had trouble listening to Oliver and his friends while they were talking to me. Oliver is adorable, dark brown hair and brown eyes; he looks pretty trim, but it feels like there's some legit muscles hiding under that uniform, and one of his incisors is just a little crooked. He's as charming as his accent, and I am truly looking forward to spending time with him this weekend.

I think he introduced me to the guy who is throwing the party, Miller. I need to get my head in the game and pay attention to these people. I've noticed the girls circling me all morning. There is definitely a hierarchy in this school. Apparently, Levi and his friends are at the top, then a group of mean girls. From the way everyone is dispersed at lunch, I think each of the sports have a table. Football players all congregate together by the center windows, the soccer players are beside them, and lacrosse is across the room from every sport. Levi and his friends sit at a small table right in the middle of the room. I'm surprised they don't sit on a dais or something equally ridiculous.

"What's your next class?" Oliver asks, pulling me out of my thoughts about Levi.

"Feminist Theory," I smile and look at him through my lashes. "It's in the humanities building."

"I know exactly where it is, I took the course last year," he winks at me and a rabble of butterflies takes flight in my stomach.

I follow him out onto the quad and answer his questions about me. He asks where I went to school before, if I have other siblings, what it’s like living with Levi. I answer as vaguely as I can get away with. I'm annoyed with Levi, but he also has my unyielding loyalty, no matter how big of a douchebag he is.

I ask him why he's here in the states, and he explains that his dad's family owns a marketing firm that expanded to the US two years ago. He actually lives on campus in the dorms because his family is all in New York City. They wanted him to come to Founders Prep because of the prestigious reputation. According to him, it's not just the Ivy league schools over here that look favorably on a diploma from here, it's also Cambridge and Oxford, where he's planning to attend next year. It's even better to know that if anything happens between Oliver and I, it will have an expiration date. I don't want anything serious, so he's looking better and better.

Oliver and I exchange numbers as he leaves me to get his class. I walk into the classroom, and the teacher tells me it's open seating. I pick a desk near the back and sit down. I'm pulling a pen out of my bag when I feel him behind me. A little tingle travels down my back from my neck.

"Ives, funny seeing you here," Levi's warm breath on my neck causes a delicious tremble to roll through my body. I let myself enjoy for a few seconds before pushing it down inside.

"What are you doing in this class?" I ask without looking at him.

"I'm in it. Guys can be feminists, too."

This time I do look back at him. He grins at me the same way he did when we were kids, and I melt into a swirling puddle of resignation and affection. I cannot bring myself to stay annoyed at him. His boyish charm and enthusiasm are just too much. I turn around before he sees that he's got me wrapped around his finger.

Every once in a while, I'll feel him twirl his pencil in my hair or poke me in the back with his eraser. The one time I looked back to glare at him, I caught a glimpse of his midnight blue eyes twinkling at me and had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling back at him. I don't know how I'm going to keep him at a distance the next two years.

After class, he waits for me again to show me to my next class.

"I don't have any other classes with you in the afternoon, so I'll meet you by the locker rooms after school. You can walk out with me to the field and do whatever while I'm at practice. Or I could get Con or Griff to give you a lift home, they both live in the same neighborhood as us."

I'd sooner rip my toenails out than ride anywhere with Connor. Griff is nice, but I would be lying if I didn't want to watch Levi play again. I was never a football fan until I watched him play the first time. I'm still not a fan, unless Levi is out on the field.

"I'll stay and watch. It's a nice day, so I'll just soak up a little sun and avoid Mom as long as I can."

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