Chapter Four - Lines in the Sand
789 Words
By Friday, Alex Carter was no longer “the new guy.”
He was “the new guy who kept sitting next to the Ice Queen,” which at Crestwood was basically like painting a target on your back.
Not that Alex seemed to care.
If anything, he seemed to enjoy the attention.
---
Morning Practice Grounds
Alisha wasn’t on the track team — but she liked watching from the bleachers when she got to school early. The morning air was cool, the faint thud of running shoes on the field steady in the background. She was scrolling through her phone when a familiar voice broke the calm.
“Comfortable up there?”
She glanced up. Lucas stood a few steps down, leaning against the railing, a water bottle dangling loosely in one hand. The early light caught in his dark hair, sharpening the already sharp angles of his jaw.
“Comfortable enough,” she said.
His gaze drifted past her shoulder. “Your new friend’s making quite the impression.”
“Alex isn’t my—” she stopped. “He’s new. People are curious.”
Lucas’s mouth tilted into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Curiosity gets people hurt around here.”
She held his gaze, unflinching. “Or it gets them answers.”
Lucas chuckled low, pushing off the railing. “You should be careful, Ice Queen. Some answers aren’t worth knowing.”
---
Cafeteria – Lunchtime
The day was halfway over when Alex’s path crossed with Lucas’s again — this time in front of half the school.
Alex had just dropped his tray next to Alisha’s when a shadow cut across the table.
“Carter,” Lucas said, tone deceptively casual. “You know this seat’s usually taken.”
Alex didn’t even look up from opening his bottle of water. “Guess I got here first.”
A hush rippled outward. Conversations stalled. Alisha set down her fork, glancing between them.
Lucas’s smile was slow, almost friendly — except for the edge in it. “You’re new, so I’ll say this once. This isn’t Brookhaven. You don’t just walk in and—”
“Sit where I want?” Alex interrupted, finally meeting his eyes.
It was a subtle thing — the faint tightening of Lucas’s jaw, the way the two guys behind him shifted like they were waiting for a signal.
Alisha’s voice cut through the tension. “If you two are done acting like this table’s a throne, I’d like to eat in peace.”
She pushed her tray away and stood. For a moment, neither of them moved — then Lucas stepped back just enough to let her pass.
Alex stayed seated, but his gaze followed her until she was gone.
---
Evening – Back Alley Near Crestwood Café
Alisha wasn’t supposed to be out that late. She knew it, but Bettina had convinced her to swing by a friend’s open mic night. It was past ten when she finally left, cutting through the narrow alley to where her bike was chained.
She heard them before she saw them — two guys, voices low but heated. The scrape of a shoe on concrete.
One stepped out from the shadows. “Hey, pretty girl. Lost?”
Alisha’s tone was flat. “No.”
The second guy moved to block the other end of the alley. “Then maybe you’re exactly where you need to be.”
Her fingers tightened on her bag strap, but before she could move, a third figure emerged from the dark — tall, broad-shouldered, the glow of a lighter sparking briefly against his face.
Lucas.
The two men froze when they saw him.
“Evening, gentlemen,” Lucas said, voice almost pleasant. “You’re in my alley.”
“Didn’t know it was yours,” one muttered.
“Now you do.” He took a slow drag from his cigarette. “So here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re going to walk away, and you’re not going to look back.”
The way he said it left no room for argument. The men exchanged a glance — and disappeared into the night.
Alisha exhaled, more sharply than she meant to. “You’ve been following me?”
“Keeping an eye out,” he said simply. “You’re not as untouchable as you think.”
“I can handle myself.”
He stepped closer, close enough that the smoke curled between them. “Maybe. But until you prove it, I will.”
---
From across the street, Alex had just rounded the corner in time to see Lucas’s shadow close over hers.
The game wasn’t just starting — it was already in motion.
And neither of them was going to back down.
- Writer
