Lines We Crossed

Chapter 16 - Crossing Lines

The rain had already started by the time Lena left her last class on Friday. It was one of those sudden downpours that turned the parking lot into a sheet of silver, every car gleaming wet under the gray sky. She pulled her hood up and hurried toward the gym where Nate usually waited after practice.

Her sneakers squeaked against the soaked concrete as she jogged inside, breath clouding in the chilly air. The gym smelled like sweat and rubber as always, but it was empty now, the court echoing faintly with the sound of basketballs bouncing somewhere down the hall.

She checked her phone. No messages.

Nate had said he’d meet her. He wasn’t the kind of person to just forget.

She was halfway to the bleachers when a voice stopped her.

“Well, well. Look who we have here.”

Her stomach tightened.

Riley stepped out from the shadows near the equipment closet, spinning a ball casually on one fingertip. His hair was damp, like he’d just showered, and his practice jersey clung to him in the worst way like he knew it made him look good.

Lena swallowed hard, tugging her hood tighter. “I’m waiting for Nate.”

He grinned, letting the ball drop into his other hand. “Yeah, about that. He’s stuck in Coach’s office for a while. Something about grades. So… looks like it’s just you and me.”

Every instinct told her to leave, to walk right past him and out the door. But her legs felt heavy, her feet rooted to the polished wood.

Riley strolled closer, the ball bouncing lazily beside him. “You know, you really should loosen up. You’re always so tense. It’s like you’re waiting for someone to save you.”

Her pulse quickened. “I don’t need saving.”

“Sure you don’t,” he said smoothly. He stopped just a few feet away, spinning the ball in his hands before tucking it under his arm. “But let’s be honest, Lena… Nate’s not really doing you any favors. He’s got his whole world the team, the girls, the reputation. You? You’re just the complication he never asked for.”

The words stung, not because she believed them but because they hit at the insecurities she kept buried. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” His eyes flicked over her in a way that made her skin crawl. “I see the way you look at him. Like you’re hoping he’ll notice. But he won’t. Not the way you want.”

She forced herself to glare back, even though her chest felt tight. “You don’t know anything about me or him.”

Riley chuckled, low and mocking. “Maybe not. But I know how this place works. Guys like Nate don’t stick their necks out for girls like you unless they’re trying to prove something. And once he gets bored of playing hero…” He leaned in slightly, his breath brushing her ear. “You’ll wish you had someone else looking out for you.”

Lena jerked back, heart racing. “Stay away from me.”

But Riley only smirked, unbothered. “See, that’s the thing. You keep saying that, but you don’t walk away.”

Before she could answer, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.

“Lena?”

Her head whipped around. Nate stood in the doorway, gym bag slung over his shoulder, his expression instantly hardening when he saw Riley.

“What the hell are you doing?” Nate’s voice was sharp, dangerous in a way that made even Riley’s grin falter.

“Relax,” Riley said, holding up his hands like he was innocent. “We were just talking.”

“Talking?” Nate stepped forward, jaw tight. “Stay the hell away from her.”

Riley’s smile returned, but it was thinner this time, more forced. “You can’t keep her on a leash forever, Reynolds. She’s gonna realize sooner or later that you can’t protect her from everything.”

“Try me,” Nate said, voice like steel.

The air between them was electric, thick with unspoken threats. Lena could feel her own hands trembling, her body tense like a string pulled too tight.

“Whatever,” Riley finally muttered, scooping up the ball and walking past Nate with a brush of his shoulder. “She’ll come around.”

Nate’s fists clenched, but he didn’t move until Riley had disappeared down the hall. Only then did he turn to Lena, his eyes dark and searching.

“You okay?”

Lena nodded quickly, though her heart was still pounding. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

He didn’t look convinced. “What did he say to you?”

“Nothing,” she lied. The word came out too fast, too rehearsed.

Nate’s eyes narrowed. “Lena..”

“I said it’s fine.” Her voice cracked on the last word, betraying her.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable. Nate finally exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “You can’t keep letting him corner you like that.”

“I didn’t let him,” she snapped, frustration boiling over. “I was waiting for you. He showed up. It’s not like I asked for this.”

Nate’s jaw tightened, but his tone softened. “I know. I’m not blaming you. I just....” He broke off, fists clenching again. “I hate that he thinks he can talk to you. That he can even be near you.”

Her chest tightened at the intensity in his voice. For a moment, she almost believed it wasn’t just about protecting her from Riley that it was about something else. Something deeper.

But before she could say anything, the gym doors banged open, and Jessica’s voice rang out.

“There you are, Nate!”

Both of them turned as Jessica strolled in, ponytail swinging, smile bright and fake. Her eyes flicked to Lena, narrowing ever so slightly, before snapping back to Nate.

“Coach is looking for you,” she said sweetly. “Something about the game schedule.”

Nate’s expression hardened again. “Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

Jessica’s smile faltered, but only for a second. “Of course,” she said, her gaze lingering on Lena before she turned and sauntered back out.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Finally, Nate muttered, “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

Lena followed him without another word, her thoughts a tangled mess. Riley’s warning echoed in her ears, Jessica’s smirk burned in her mind, and Nate’s intensity left her reeling.

As the rain hammered against the truck windows on the drive home, Lena couldn’t shake the feeling that she was standing at the edge of something dangerous.

And no matter which way she turned toward Nate, away from Riley, or against Jessica there was no safe path out.