Page 16 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

"Awesome, I'll see you in a bit then." He hugs me and hangs on just a little too long for it to be a brotherly hug, so I pinch his side. Well, I try to pinch his side, but he's pure muscle so there's not much to pinch.

The rest of the day is uneventful. Most teachers don't force the icebreakers or do much aside from walking us through the syllabi and expectations. Oliver is in my study hall class so at least there is one friendly face. He and I just keep chatting and getting to know each other because there is obviously nothing to do on the first day of study hall. He walks me to the gym and shows me where to wait for Levi.

I shoot off a text to Isaac while I wait for Levi.

Me: Just finished the first day at FP.

Isaac: How’d it go? What’s your new brother like?

Me: School was school, the math classes are great.

Isaac:

Me: Funny story, I actually know Levi from Foster’s. He was there for football the same summers I was, and we were actually pretty close.

Isaac: No way, that’s good though. You need friendly faces when you have deal with the devil everyday

Me: Truth

Isaac: I have a deposition I need to get to

Isaac: Text me more later

Isaac: Love you squirt

Me: Love you too

“Boo.” Two giant hands wrap around my ribs and squeeze me. “Your brother?” Levi doesn’t bother to hide the fact that he’s reading over my shoulder.

“The other one,” I duck away from him.

“The only one.” I look up at his serious tone and expression. “You will never be my sister, Ives. You are so much more, and nothing will change that.”

I swallow and look away. Playful, flirty Levi is easy to handle. I have nice comfortable box for him. Serious, intense Levi wouldn’t fit in a warehouse, let alone a little box. There is no way to contain the feelings that stir when he looks at me the way he just was.

Luckily, the tension dissipates when a herd of smelly boys in mesh jerseys walk out of the locker room behind him. A few of them look at me curiously, and others slap his back, calling him Cap.

“Captain of the football team?” I ask while following him out toward the practice field.

“Yeah, first year as captain but third as starting QB.”

I’m not surprised that he’s been a starter since his freshman year. I sneak a look at him out of the corner of my eye. He’s wearing a pair of gym shorts with the school crest on the thigh and a gray shirt with the sides cut out allowing me to appreciate his sculpted lats and obliques. I always thought those shirts were stupid when Isaac would wear them around the house, but I have a whole new appreciation now.

“I can take it off it you want,” Levi smirks and starts to pull the front of his shirt up.

“Fuck off,” I roll my eyes, “I was just thinking about how stupid those shirts are.”

“Mmmhmm, sure you were, Ives.” He pulls his helmet on and winks at me before running off to join his team on the center of the field.

I walk over to the metal bleachers, pull my jacket off, and take off the pumps I decided on today. I don’t have any homework, so I drape myself over the bench and catch up on my old friends’ lives through Instagram and Snapchat. Looking between pictures from my old life on my phone and glancing up to watch Levi practice makes me grateful for this new opportunity. At least the sights are infinitely better.

Levi looks like a god on the field. His golden skin stretched over toned muscles is covered in a light sheen of sweat. Every so often our eyes will meet, and I’ll feel our connection on visceral level.

Maybe someday he and I will be in a position to give us a shot at a relationship. I know we both want it, at least to try. It just can’t be right now, living together as stepsiblings. I need to find a way to keep the distance. It’s hard when our past runs so deep, though. Watching him practice pulls me back into memories from our summers together.

The sky is lit up in dark orange, red, and purple when I walk down to the edge of the dock. It’s on the opposite side of the camp from the lawn behind the admin building so it’s quiet. I pull my Chucks and socks off, so I can dip my toes in the lake.

“Wondered if I would find you here.” Levi says walking down the dock toward me.

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