MAKING DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
1285 Words
"That was a good round." Ryder said as I locked up the library.
"Now that you have tortured me enough, I think we are even." I said, feeling exasperated.
"Oh, we are far from even." He said, walking behind me.
"Why?" I stopped and folded my arms.
"Because you messed with my career. That is why. I had the most perfect streak in this whole college." He said, leaning against the wall.
"Do you know that coaches can read your blog?" He asked seriously.
"I do."
"Recruiters read them. Other teams read them."
I stared at him.
"And?" I said, trying to get the bigger picture.
"Your little article makes me look like a reckless i***t that can't stay out of trouble."
"You threw a fit after I accidentally spilt coffee on you!" I exclaimed.
"You spilt coffee on my jersey right before a game!"
"And then you got benched because you couldn't control your temper."
Ryder's jaw titened.
"Exactly." He said.
"Exactly what?" I was confused at this point.
"Your blog is making its way around campus." He said.
I shrugged. "That's what blogs do."
Ryder ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
"And there's another problem." He said.
I raised an eyebrow, wondering when we started sharing problems.
"What now?" I asked.
"Callahan." He said.
My expression changed.
"Jace Callahan?" I asked.
He nodded.
“Westbridge's Jace Callahan?”
“How many Jace Callahans do you think there are?”
I rolled her eyes.
“What does he have to do with my blog?”
“He's been looking for anything he can use against us.”
“And you think he's reading my blog?”
“I don't think.” Ryder's eyes locked onto mine. “I know he knows about it.”
I stared at him.
For the first time, Ryder didn't look angry.
He looked worried.
“If Callahan gets that post in front of his coach or anyone connected to the league, it won't just be embarrassing anymore.”
Lena slowly lowered the book in her hands.
“So you're telling me Jace Callahan might actually be reading my blog?”
Ryder nodded.
“And if he is?”
Ryder gave her a humourless smile.
“Then congratulations, Lena.” He said my name again.
I frowned.
“You just gave our biggest rival ammunition.” He said, now walking away.
I ran up to him.
"Hey, wait. What is so special about Callahan? You have played with other schools and have beat their players. Callahan couldn't be all that terrifying." I said, wondering why I was getting myself involved in sports politics.
"Because we go way back." He continued walking, acting as if we weren't talking.
"How way back?" I asked, holding unto his shirt. "Tell me."
"Why should I tell you? So you can blog about it again?" He shrugged me off.
"I didn't know it was that serious. I'm sorry. I will take down the post." I said genuinely.
"It doesn't matter. Everyone has seen it anyway." He shoved his hands deep into his pocket.
"What happened between you and Callahan?" I asked again.
"Like I said, we go way back." He said.
"Just tell me Ryder." I said, stopping him in his tracks.
"We were best friends in high school. Now we aren't anymore." He said.
"What happened?"
"You love prying, don't you?" He smirked.
"I'm serious." I said with a frown.
"He stole something from me." He said quietly.
"Like an heirloom?" I asked in almost a whisper.
"You won't understand Lena. It's hard to explain." He said.
I didn't know what to say or do. I didn't know Callahan stole something that important from him to stop them from being friends.
"I won't push it. I'm sorry." I said, walking down the stairs. "I'm sorry about the blog."
"Callahan stole someone from me." He said, stopping me in my tracks.
I frowned. "What?"
His jaw titened.
"Someone I loved." He sounded wounded.
"You never got over her, did you?" I asked timidly, and I turned around.
"I got over her." He said quietly.
He paused. "I never got over what he did."
I pushed his shoulder.
He stared at me for a long moment before finally looking away.
“He knew how I felt about her. He knew everything. And he still did it.” He said it as if it was the first time he was admitting it.
For once, there was no anger in his voice. Just something quieter.
Something hurt.
I didn't think.
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him.
Ryder froze.
“Lena…”
“Don't,” she whispered. “Just let me hug you.”
His arms slowly came around me.
I held him tighter.
And in that moment, I decided one thing.
Jace Callahan was a jerk.
"Jace is a jerk." I said.
He laughed.
"You haven't met him yet." That was when his laugh stopped.
"I don't have to. I am taking down the blog." I made up my mind.
"There is no use. He has probably seen it anyway." He said.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"You don't have to be. I'm not done messing with you." He said with one of his sly smirks.
"Please don't come and check out more books." I put check out in air quotes.
"I'm more creative than that, Lena." He smiled.
"Whatever." I said.
"Let me escort you to your dorm." He said.
"I am capable of walking to my dorm myself, thank you." I said, already walking ahead.
"It's the gentle manly thing to do." He said, walking behind me.
"Since when did you care about being a gentleman." I said.
"Since when I make you come for my big hockey game next week, against Callahan." He said.
I paused as soon as we got close to my hostel building.
"Why do you want me to come?" I asked.
"So that you can watch me beat him. And write a new post about me beating him." He said.
"How sure are you, you are going to beat Callahan? Not doubting you. Just saying." I said looking at him.
"I am very sure of my abilities, Lena." He said with a smirk.
I raised an eyebrow. “And how exactly are you sure I’m going to come?”
Ryder leaned back against the table, a smug smile spreading across his face.
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to make your life miserable.”
I narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Ryder.”
“I’ll keep bothering you until you show up.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“It’s a promise.”
I rolled her eyes. “Why would I even want to watch you play?”
“Because you owe me.”
“I owe you?”
“You ruined my shirt, got me benched, and wrote an entire blog post about it.”
“You deserved it.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But now you get to make it up to me.”
“And how exactly do I do that?”
“Come to the game.”
She crossed her arms. “And if I don't?”
Ryder's grin returned.
“Then I'll find you.”
Lena stared at him.
“You're annoying.”
“And you'll still be in the stands Saturday.”
“I absolutely will not.”
“We'll see.”
He walked off in the street, leaving Lena glaring after him.
I hated that he sounded so certain.
And I hated even more that a tiny part of me was already wondering what time the game started.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD