The unexpected twist
RYAN
I sank a three-pointer, and the crowd of girls cheering me on erupted into squeals. I flashed a brief smile catching the eyes of few fans who waved enthusiastically at me from the bleacher
âNice shot Jenkins!â Jack called out as he slapped
me on the back.
Sweat trickled down my face and I wiped It momentarily with the back of my hand. The surge of adrenaline flowing through me felt good, a welcome escape from everything else weighing on me.
Painting isnât the only way I manage stress. When Iâm on the basketball court, I can let go of the pent up anger thatâs been building in me.
When things get over intense, I need something physical and thatâs when I resort into fighting-punching and Jack has always proved to be a perfect pair.
Just as I was about line up for another shot, a familiar voice cut through. âHey Jenkinsâ I glanced over to see Max Caldwell striding onto the court, towards me rather. Max and I had a long history of rivalry. He had been my rival since freshman, always trying to one-up me.
He flashed me a cocky grin, one I was familiar with.
âYouâve been away for a while now but you still got the touchâ He said,sarcasm dripping from his voice.
âCadwellâ I replied,not bothering to hide my disinterest. âWhatâs up?â
His grin widened as he leaned against the bleachers.
âJust came to see youâre just as overrated. Youâve still got these attentionsâ He gestured to the crowds and I let out a scoff,wiping sweat from my brow
âIf by âattentionâ, you mean just doing my thing,well I donât knowâ
He stepped away from the bleacher and walked towards me till weâre few inches apart. âYou know Jenkins,some of us actually prefer real competitionâ
I chuckled, shaking my head.
âI always find it cute how you think youâre a threat. Weâve done this a lot of times and Iâve always defeated you. When are you going to realize..â My voice came out low this time âThat Iâm better than youâ
Maxâs jaw tightened, his fists clenching into a ball and for a moment, it looked like he might throw a punch. A dry sound escaped my throat. Well, Iâm always ready for this.
He let out a sharp exhale and as if reconsidering, he dropped his fists and burst out laughing.
âWell, weâll see about that. Maybe we can settle this again, one on one. His eyes flashed with challenge
âI see youâre itching for a rematch. Consider it a date,Iâll be waitingâ
âDeal, it is Jenkins.â
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and with that,he sauntered off.
I shook my head,his presence was as predictable as it was annoying. But that was part of the routine-I was used to him and more capable of handling.
Jack and Kyle, my closest friend joined me as I headed to the bench grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat from my face.
âYou are going to have to start outing a âNo Trespassingâ sign on the court with the way youâre dominatingâ
Kyle hit me on the back and I laughed, slinging my towel over my shoulder.
âSo, class todayâ? Jack asked and I glanced at my wristwatch.
âI don't know about you both but Iâm not exactly thrilled about wasting my time in a class for two hoursâ
I replied with a lazy yawn. I didnât have to attend classes to ace my exam. Iâve always been a straight Aâs student. It comes naturally to me
âWe have to goâ Kyle exclaimed.
Heâs always so intense and honestly, itâs pretty boring. Itâs one of the reasons I prefer hanging out with Jack. Jack lives life on the edges,always chasing the next thrill. Heâs more around the edges and into girls and all sorts of other stuff while Kyle is much simpler and reserved.
âWeâre getting paired for the project todayâ Kyle added.And that was when it hits me,
Today is the day we get paired for that dreaded project. Each student is matched with a partner and we come up with a project that lasts for two months.
I let out a frustrated growl, I despise the whole project ordeal. Being stuck with someone for that long is a nightmare. Most of the time,I get paired with a girl and I end up paying her off with sex. Sheâs usually more than happy to oblige. And if itâs a guy, I just pay him off.
Easy Peasy. No doubt itâs going to be like that this time around too.
âRight, we have to go,â Jack mumbled,clearly displeased.
âThis project thing is a total dragâ
We left the gym and headed towards the class.
We walked into the classroom and as always, the girls' heads turned,their eyes widening and smiles stretching as I passed by. I'd grown used to the attention,the way people seemed to orbit around me like I'm sort of gravitational pull.
I slid to my seat with ease, stretching my hands as I got comfortable while Jack and Kyle sat behind me,their voices blending into the background as they flirted with some girls. Safe to say Jack did because Kyle was already distracted by his phone. My eyes quickly drifted to a certain girl with long curly brown hair. She sat in a corner,her face buried in a book seeming unaware of the commotion around her.
A nerd, definitely not my type.
I snorted. I wasn't really surprised. My stepsister had struck me as the type who'd prefer solitude to the social chaos that most people thrived on.
I noticed her glance up. Our eyes met for a brief moment before she quickly looked away, a flush creeping up her cheeks. I couldnât help but chuckle softly. It was amusing how she tried to act disinterested, though I could tell she was keenly aware of my presence.
âHi..â
I cocked my head up to see a slender girl extending her hand for a handshake. She held my gaze with a flirtatious smile.
âHiâ I shook her hand but quickly withdrew my hand from hers.
âCan I sit here?â she asked, gesturing to the empty seat beside me.I grinned wanting to accept, but decided to save her the trouble with Evelyn
âIt's takenâ I said smoothly
âYou sure you don't want me to sit here?â
She cooed,her eyes lingering on mine. This was a familiar scenario - girls throwing themselves at me even in class.
She trailed her fingers down my arm,her brown eyes bright with invitation as she swiped her tongue over her bottom lip. I glanced over her shoulders and saw Evelyn coming in,her eyes blazing with fury. I smirked.
Guess she didn't want to be saved after all.
âYou don't have toâŠâ
âYou Slut!!â Evelyn yelled as she dragged her hair causing the girl to wince. The class' attention was already drawn to us.
I leaned back in my seat, intrigued by the drama unfolding before me. The girl's eyes widened in shock as Evelyn's grip on her hair tightened. "Let go of me you psycho!" she shouted, trying to wriggle free from her grip.
"Stay away from him whore" Evelyn hissed,her eyes flashing with anger. "He's not interested in you,don't you get that?â
Just then,Ms James entered the class and Evelyn finally released her hair.
"Next time you try forcing yourself on him, I'll show you what they do to whores like you" She threatened, holding the girl's gaze.
"He doesn't like you either" The girl retorted, rubbing her sore scalp. âBitchâ She spat.
Evelyn was about to continue her tirade but stopped when Ms. James called the class to order. The girl quickly retreated to her seat, clearly shaken.
Evelyn really is a bitch.
Evelyn turned to me,her expression softening as she finally sat. "Sorry about that love" She said as if she'd simply swatted a fly. "I don't want you getting distracted" She made to kiss my lips but I turned my cheeks to her.
One more thing about me? I don't kiss girls, not even Evelyn.
The class dragged on, each minute ticking by with excruciating slowness. I was barely paying attention, my mind wandering elsewhere. Finally, Ms. James talked about the upcoming project. She explained that instead of grouping us physically, sheâd be sending our partners to us via email.
I let out a growl of frustration. What a total waste of time. If I had known it would be this pointless, I wouldnât have bothered coming. I heard Jack groan behind me, clearly as annoyed as I was. This was all Kyle's fault.
âHopefully, itâll be us both,â Evelyn squealed, her excitement palpable. It was funny how she always hoped weâd be paired together, despite never having been grouped with me before.
The minutes ticked by, and finally, the class ended. I packed up my things and bid farewell to Jack and Kyle before heading out with Evelyn.
âWe could hang out now, or what do you think?â Evelyn asked as she walked me to my car.
I wasnât in the mood. Plus, I have a stepsister to pick. The only people who knew about her were Jack and Kyle. I intended to keep it that way, I wanted to keep our relationship as hidden as possible.
âNo, some other timeâ I said, dismissing the offer.
âWhy though?â she inquired,her brow etched in an arch.
This is when it gets annoying. I hate her intruding into my privacy.
âI've got things to doâ I mumbled
She nodded, accepting my response, and gave me a brief hug before turning to join her friendsâfriends she always abandoned when she was with me.
I slid into my car and was about to start the engine when my phone pinged with a new email notification.
Partner for the projectâŠ
I tapped the notification and scrolled through the project details until I reached the section listing my project partnerâs name. A smile spread across my lips as I read the name.
Well, this is going to be interesting.