“You good?” Austin was a lot like Luna; they both sensed too much with the emotions other people wore. It was unsettling.
Nothing was private in their presence.
“I'm fine, Austin. Let's just focus on the game.”
Nyx was changing into his under armor we wore under our pads when he picked up his head. “Did you feel anything the night of the party? Did you touch her?”
Nyx was always a baseline: calm, collected, secretive. This version of him, who was asking me questions like she was a desperate way out of being stuck, wasn't anyone I knew.
I ignored him until he got himself under control enough to ask me with his balls firmly attached again.
Austin looked towards us, also waiting for an answer. “Well? Is she the one or not?”
I slammed my locker closed behind me, facing both of them again. I tried to loosen my lips and shake off the intensity in my face.
“No, the fucking new girl isn’t gonna save us. Drop it. We have a game.”
I pulled the spandex under armor on and proceeded to put my pads in place when Coach entered the room for his traditional speech meant to hype us all up. To be honest, I stopped listening after we first repeated the year. He recycled his words and fed them back to us.
Nyx was our defensive line. No seriously, he pretty much was the only player paying attention out there.
Jasper was captain, only because he cared and I don’t. He was willing to put in the effort if it benefitted him outside the field, and it did, tenfold.
Austin was our quarterback—out of the way and the least amount of contact if we all did our jobs right.
Beau and Leo, who were together, respectfully cheered us on, even though they preferred a good makeover show (of any kind: people or houses).
The girls came to the games, too, even though they had no real stake in who wins or loses.
On the field, I could see our rivals gearing up to make this the game of the season—all but one, Caellum, who used to go to Arcadia before he escaped and landed at Exeter Academy. He was still forced to repeat his senior year, just like us, except that he found a way around being around us.
Fucking Aquarius.
Cold.
Clever.
Stubborn.
Big on loyalty, which was ironic, because not one bone in his body was loyal.
Our hard stares locked onto each other, and I felt my fingers clench around my helmet tighter. He betrayed the circle, and the fucked up part was we didn't know how he did it.
Cheyanne was convinced he used some kind of black magic to lift the enchantment of the campus when it was weakest.
Now he was free to be himself without the chains, but he'd always fall asleep and wake up in the same senior year. Everyone forgetting the heavy feeling of deja vu that tingled inside them as they redid the year.
Caellum was the only one at Exeter Academy, having no balance in his influence. Without the collective everyone around him, everyone fed off his traits, making the entire academy mirror what he focused on most, his flaws.
Nyx pushed his helmet down and pushed the mouth guard in place, as Austin stood on the other side of me ready to go.
My gaze at Caellum wasn't wavering. I wasn't going to break first. He pressed his gloved hand to his lips and blew us a kiss before putting his helmet on. I felt the anger nearly explode in my chest as my team jogged to the field, waiting for my approval.
I didn’t have to be captain for everyone to need my approval.
All I told the team was to kill them, and anyone not giving everything they had to this game needed to get off my field.
We got into position, and for some idiotic reason, my eyes shifted towards the stands. I swept over people, finding familiar faces quickly, and then there was one I didn't expect to see:
New Girl.
I didn't have time to contemplate her ulterior motives for being here.
Caellum whistled, before calling out, “Come on, pretty boy. You've got some losing to do!”
I felt everything in my body tighten in preparation. My breath was steady, and I was focused in a way I never felt. We weren't losing to the one person who left us.
The game went on forever, a push and pull the whole game, with neither of us having an upper hand.
I was still confident, until I felt a hit taking me down with a hard thud. I clenched my teeth and my guard, absorbing the hit like fuel.
A few seconds later, fingers laced through my helmet. “Haven't you learned by now, Bolton? I never lose. You chose the wrong team.”
I heard the buzzer, and I knew we lost. I didn't bother to get up or fight. We lost, even after leaving every ounce of our motivation on the field.
My fist rose up just to hit the turf with an angry blow, blaming the field for our loss. I let the memory seep in. In my weakened state, it was hard to keep anything out.
I didn't choose the wrong team.
Caellum only told me he was leaving, Halloween night, three years ago.
I knew, and I kept it from the group.
I knew, and I didn't stop him.
In fact, I had to convince myself not to go with him. If I went with him, I'd always be in his shadow. We’d be a broken circle with no way out of this. So I stayed and let him think I betrayed him.
I became King of Arcadia with Caellum gone. No one questioned me; no one even thought about betraying me. Plus, I had the circle.
I was still lying there defeated with my helmet ripped off and pissed-off rage still coursing through my veins when New Girl stood above me.
Great, I forgot she was here. Now she had ammunition.
She offered her hand. “You played really hard. Trust me, I'm originally from Texas. Football is basically religion there.”
I got up without taking her hand. I didn't need her help or her pity. Just as the scowl crept onto my face from my poisoned blood, Caellum appeared.
His timing was impeccable at his worst. When he went to Arcadia, he was known for hearing and seeing everything.
There were no secrets with him. He'd tell you just how wicked he was if you just asked.
“Having New Girl nurse your broken, black heart? That's a new low for you.”
I watched him laugh, eyes roaming over both of us critically, looking for soft spots to prod. He smirked without another word, before slapping her shoulder. I watched the exchange, knowing he felt exactly what everyone else did—the spark radiating off of her.
I slid into place almost instinctively, blocking most of her from him.
I knew his demons better than my own. He wasn't dangerous, but cruel and reckless always made the short list.
I don't know what made me protect people from his wrath, maybe the bullshit title of Arcadia King?
Even other schools caught onto the nickname, and at every game, someone twisted it in insults and jabs meant to piss me off.
Knock off pretty boy’s crown.
Show them who’s really king.
Slay the king.
I blame Game of Thrones for people being so comfortable with old English and throwing the word “king” around like a dagger.
Caellum’s hand landed heavy on my shoulder as he leaned in keeping New Girl out of this.
“Your face still doesn't hide anything from me. Don't let me find out you're hiding how to get out of this.”
I shook out of his space, pushing myself up taller and being the asshole I always was. “Guess that fucking scar Nyx gave you doesn't warn people enough to stay away. You left, so get on your damn bus and get off my campus.”