Chapter 7 - NOT WITH HIM

LUKE'S P.O.V

I wipe the sweat matted on my forehead with a towel.

Practice is over. I'm exhausted. Coach Adams made sure to drain every source of energy we had left.

The final season is fast approaching, and Adams made everyone train twice as hard.

Vincent Reece, the team captain, is making some announcement at the centre, but I pay him no attention.

All my attention is on my last text with the sender from last night.

I sent a text, and the person has yet to respond.

𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝐷𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘?

What does that mean? Does the sender want me to monitor Dre? And if so, monitoring her how exactly?

Am I to stop her from doing something? I'm clueless.

But I know I have to.

I have to do anything to stop Dre's sex tape from leaking.

I have to protect her image.

If it comes out, it will ruin her, it will destroy her chances of ever getting a scholarship to her dream University, Luiton.

I have to look out for her.

A firm hand taps my shoulder, drawing my attention.

It's Ian Davies, a close friend and also my teammate.

He gestures towards Vincent, and it's then I realise Vincent has been talking to me— or at least trying to.

Vincent has a stern look on his face. There's nothing he takes more seriously than basketball.

Since the first year of high school, he has been dedicated to the team. Coach Adams saw his potential, and along with everyone else, he was voted team captain at the beginning of senior year.

But outside of basketball, Vincent is a menace. A rich guy who got away with anything.

Up until now, there has never been a need for him to speak to me, even though we're in the same grade and team.

I put my phone away, waiting for him to say something, but instead, he dismisses the rest of the team and then comes to meet me.

"Coach complained about you being slow today. Is something going on?" Vincent asks, giving me a weird look.

I get up, swinging my bag over my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I say.

"You're a high scorer," he reminds me. "You need to be fine."

I say nothing, and he leaves.

Ian comes to join me.

"Your eye," he points out.

Fuck, that's why Vincent was looking at me weirdly.

I forgot all about it.

"It's nothing," I say.

"How did it happen?" Ian asks.

Other than Dre, I've never told anyone about my abusive father.

"I tripped," I lie.

"Shit, must have hurt," Ian says.

"Do you think I played okay today?" I ask, changing the subject, not enjoying the pity.

"You played fine, what did Vincent say?" Ian as𝑘𝑠.

I shrug. "He told me the coach said I was 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤."

We leave the locker room, heading to the cafeteria.

A few of our friends see us and call us over.

Ian and I join them.

They laugh and joke about random things, things that should interest me.

There is so much going on in my mind. Like the text from the sender, who still hasn't responded to my recent text.

At the far end of the cafeteria are Vincent and a few of his friends, most of the guys from the team. By his left sits his girlfriend, Ruth.

I watch her from across the cafeteria, and I know she sees me. I can't help the smirk that forms on my lips seeing her sitting cosily next to Vincent.

Just yesterday, she denied being his girlfriend, which is an obvious lie— or maybe not.

Whether she and Vincent are in a relationship or not is none of my business anyway.

We were friends with benefits, nothing more than that.

I'm about to look away when someone joins their table. It's Nathaniel, and he isn't with Dre.

They're always together, since they started dating, Nathaniel barely sat with Vincent and the rest of his friends.

My eyes search the cafeteria. Dre isn't here.

My mind races, and I get anxious.

Why isn't she here?

My mind immediately remembers the sender.

What if the person had revealed themselves to Dre, got her in a corner and threatened to release her sex tape?

Is this why she's not here?

I take out my phone, sending Dre a message.

𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢?

I wait for as long as I can, but Dre doesn't respond.

I watch Nathaniel from where I am; he seems pretty chill that his girlfriend isn't with him.

I immediately look to Ruth, who's trying her best to ignore me.

𝐴𝑠𝑘 𝑁𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐷𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑎𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.

I read my text again before sending it to Ruth.

My text is harsh, and I feel awful for having to put Ruth in this position.

I watch Ruth send a response.

𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐿𝑢𝑘𝑒, 𝑖𝑡'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑟𝑑.

I grit my teeth and type back.

𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛?

Ruth sits uneasily.

𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑠𝑘 ℎ𝑖𝑚.

She puts her phone away.

I watch her interrupt Vincent while he's talking.

She speaks to Nathaniel, and Nathaniel's response is brief.

After a while, she picks up her phone again.

𝐻𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤.

I get up, taking my bag with me.

"I'm leaving," I tell Ian.

He nods.

I make eye contact with Ruth briefly; her eyes are pleading, begging me not to come over.

She did what I wanted, so I don't go there.

Instead, I leave the cafeteria, calling Dre on my phone.

My tension eases as she answers.

"Where are you?" I ask immediately.

"At the library," she replies.

She doesn't sound like herself.

"Are you okay?" I ask hopefully.

Dre exhales. "Not really."

My heart aches just hearing the hint of pain in her voice.

"I'm coming...is that okay?" I ask.

"It's fine."