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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

“Nice shot Jenkins!” 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 isn’t the only way I manage stress. When I’m on the basketball court, I can let go of the pent up anger that’s been building in me.

When things get over intense, I need something physical and that’s 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. “Hey Jenkins” 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.

“You’ve been away for a while now but you still got the touch” He said,sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Cadwell” I replied,not bothering to hide my disinterest. “What’s up?”

His grin widened as he leaned against the bleachers.

“Just came to see you’re just as overrated. You’ve still got these attentions” He gestured to the crowds and I let out a scoff,wiping sweat from my brow

“If by ‘attention’, you mean just doing my thing,well I don’t know”

He stepped away from the bleacher and walked towards me till we’re few inches apart. “You know Jenkins,some of us actually prefer real competition”

I chuckled, shaking my head.

“I always find it cute how you think you’re a threat. We’ve done this a lot of times and I’ve always defeated you. When are you going to realize..” My voice came out low this time “That I’m better than you”

Max’s 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, I’m always ready for this.

He let out a sharp exhale and as if reconsidering, he dropped his fists and burst out laughing.

“Well, we’ll see about that. Maybe we can settle this again, one on one. His eyes flashed with challenge

“I see you’re itching for a rematch. Consider it a date,I’ll be waiting”

“Deal, it is Jenkins.”

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.

“You are going to have to start outing a ‘No Trespassing’ sign on the court with the way you’re dominating”

Kyle hit me on the back and I laughed, slinging my towel over my shoulder.

“So, class today”? Jack asked and I glanced at my wristwatch.

“I don't know about you both but I’m not exactly thrilled about wasting my time in a class for two hours”

I replied with a lazy yawn. I didn’t have to attend classes to ace my exam. I’ve always been a straight A’s student. It comes naturally to me

“We have to go” Kyle exclaimed.

He’s always so intense and honestly, it’s pretty boring. It’s one of the reasons I prefer hanging out with Jack. Jack lives life on the edges,always chasing the next thrill. He’s more around the edges and into girls and all sorts of other stuff while Kyle is much simpler and reserved.

“We’re getting paired for the project today” 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. She’s usually more than happy to oblige. And if it’s a guy, I just pay him off.

Easy Peasy. No doubt it’s going to be like that this time around too.

“Right, we have to go,” Jack mumbled,clearly displeased.

“This project thing is a total drag”

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 couldn’t help but chuckle softly. It was amusing how she tried to act disinterested, though I could tell she was keenly aware of my presence.

“Hi..”

I cocked my head up to see a slender girl extending her hand for a handshake. She held my gaze with a flirtatious smile.

“Hi” I shook her hand but quickly withdrew my hand from hers.

“Can I sit here?” she asked, gesturing to the empty seat beside me.I grinned wanting to accept, but decided to save her the trouble with Evelyn

“It's taken” I said smoothly

“You sure you don't want me to sit here?”

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.

“You don't have to
”

“You Slut!!” 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?”

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. “Bitch” 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, she’d 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 wouldn’t have bothered coming. I heard Jack groan behind me, clearly as annoyed as I was. This was all Kyle's fault.

“Hopefully, it’ll be us both,” Evelyn squealed, her excitement palpable. It was funny how she always hoped we’d 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.

“We could hang out now, or what do you think?” Evelyn asked as she walked me to my car.

I wasn’t 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.

“No, some other time” I said, dismissing the offer.

“Why though?” she inquired,her brow etched in an arch.

This is when it gets annoying. I hate her intruding into my privacy.

“I've got things to do” I mumbled

She nodded, accepting my response, and gave me a brief hug before turning to join her friends—friends 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 project


I tapped the notification and scrolled through the project details until I reached the section listing my project partner’s name. A smile spread across my lips as I read the name.

Well, this is going to be interesting.

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