Playing Dirty

Lena Carter The sound of volleyball hitting the polished court echoed through the empty gym as Lena Carter adjusted the sleeves of her practice jersey for what felt like the tenth time in five minutes. “Again,” she ordered sharply. Her teammates groaned but quickly moved back into position. Lena ignored the complaints. Nationals were three weeks away. Three weeks. That meant no distractions. No mistakes. And absolutely no patience for laziness. “Ciara, your timing is late. Ava, stop dropping your shoulder before the hit. Again.” The ball flew across the court once more. Perfect. Almost. But almost didn’t win championships. The gym doors suddenly burst open, loud laughter spilling inside. Lena didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. The boys’ swim team walked in carrying equipment and towels, water dripping behind them like they owned the building. And at the center of the chaos— Ethan Hayes. Of course. His dark hair was still damp from practice, sleeves pushed carelessly to his elbows as he laughed at something his teammate said. Then he noticed Lena watching him. His mouth curved instantly. There it was. That infuriating smile. “Careful,” Ethan called casually as he walked past the volleyball court. “You keep glaring at me like that, people are gonna think you’re obsessed.” Several of his teammates laughed. Lena crossed her arms. “Trust me, Hayes. You’re the last thing on my mind.” “Ouch.” He pressed a hand dramatically over his chest. “That hurt.” “You’ll survive.” “Debatable.” Her teammates exchanged nervous looks. Everyone at West bridge Academy knew about Lena and Ethan. The rivalry had started almost two years ago during freshman orientation when Ethan jokingly called volleyball “the easier version of real sports.” Lena had responded by publicly humiliating him during an assembly debate. Since then? Every interaction turned into a competition. Who had better rankings. Who got more media attention. Whose team mattered more. And neither of them ever backed down. Coach Ramirez suddenly entered the gym carrying a clipboard. “Lena,” he said. “Conference room. Now.” She frowned slightly. “Why?” “You’ll see.” That answer alone irritated her. Lena handed the whistle to her vice captain before following Coach Ramirez out of the gym. The second she entered the conference room, she stopped walking. Ethan was already there. Leaning back lazily in one of the chairs with his feet resting against the table. “Absolutely not,” Lena said immediately. Ethan looked amused. “Nice to see you too, Carter.” Coach Ramirez sighed like a tired father dealing with children. “The principal selected both of you for the National Sports Leadership Program.” Silence. Then— “No.” They spoke simultaneously. Coach Ramirez ignored them. “You’ll represent West bridge together during the interschool leadership events this semester.” Lena stared at him in disbelief. “You cannot seriously think that’s a good idea.” “Actually,” Ethan interrupted casually, “I think it’s hilarious.” She shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass. He grinned wider. “I’m not partnering with him,” Lena snapped. “And I’m not babysitting Miss Perfect,” Ethan replied. Coach Ramirez placed both hands on the table. “You don’t have a choice.” The room went quiet. Lena could physically feel her headache forming. This was exactly what she didn’t need right now. Especially not with nationals approaching. Especially not Ethan Hayes. Because Ethan was chaos. And Lena had spent her entire life trying to stay in control. “Your first responsibility together,” Coach Ramirez continued, “is organizing Friday’s opening ceremony.” Ethan groaned dramatically. “That sounds awful.” “You’ll survive,” Lena said coldly. He tilted his head slightly. “You know,” he said softly, “one day someone’s gonna tell you to relax.” “And one day someone’s gonna tell you to grow up.” “Maybe you should volunteer.” For some reason, that made her heartbeat stumble slightly. Which annoyed her even more. Coach Ramirez handed them a file. “Figure it out yourselves.” Then he walked out. Leaving them alone. A terrible idea. The silence between them stretched. Ethan finally stood, grabbing the folder from the table. “You always this tense?” he asked casually. Lena scoffed. “You always this annoying?” “Only around you.” He said it so naturally that for half a second she forgot how to breathe. Then she quickly recovered. “I’d rather fail the program than work with you.” Ethan stepped closer slowly. Too close. Close enough for her to notice the faint smell of chlorine on his skin. Close enough to see the scar near his shoulder. “You won’t fail,” he said quietly. “People like you don’t know how.” Something about the way he said it didn’t sound like a compliment. Before Lena could respond, he walked past her toward the door. But right before leaving, he glanced back once. And smirked. “See you tomorrow, Captain.” The door shut behind him. Lena stared after him in complete frustration. Because somehow— after only ten minutes— Ethan Hayes had already gotten under her skin again. And the worst part? She had a feeling this was only the beginning.