Playing with Fire

And it was all because of Grace ‘Texas’ Shaw.

“Still don’t understand why you didn’t just tell him the fight wasn’t happening.” East huffed. “How could Appleton force you to fight?”

“Easily, by playing dirty. As soon as I got it on with Texas, I went to Max and told him I was bailing. Max said he’d try, and from the moment I got the text that Appleton wanted to go ahead and make it happen, I’d been threatened, ambushed at the food truck, and slammed at an intersection on my way home. Kade has eyes on me everywhere. He wants to see me in that ring—and not in one piece.”

“Fuck.” Easton scratched at his stubble.

“Yeah.”

“Well, even if you’re not going to be with Grace—which, by the way, I think is a fine decision, seeing as there’s no chance she is going to take your sorry ass back after the public humiliation you put her through—I still think you should explain yourself. You made your point. Everyone on planet Earth knows you guys are not a couple. Now’s the time to apologize.”

“I will,” I said with conviction. “I’m going to kiss her fucking feet and bow to her after this is all done. But I can’t contact her right now. I haven’t even visited her the entire week. I need to keep this shit on lock. Slipping now would just confirm everything she said is true. That we are a couple.”

“You aren’t a couple.”

He didn’t have to remind me.

The hole in my heart did the job.

The week leading to Friday was the worst of my life.

Well, maybe the second-worst week.

The week after I’d lost Aubrey, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would never see my baby sister again in the flesh. She could only taunt me in my dreams. But Grace—she was everywhere. She was on campus. In the cafeteria. In the provisional auditorium. She walked past me—always accompanied by Karlie and her new unlikely ally, Tess.

It was both comforting and taunting.

We both acted like the other person didn’t exist.

I couldn’t make it plainly obvious I was pining after her, even if it killed me.

Seeing her at work was no longer an option, as my ass got fired after the cafeteria scene. Not even an hour after I broke up with Texas publicly, I received a text message from Mrs. Contreras, advising me that my employment was terminated. She left a check and a formal letter in my mailbox the following day. She didn’t even give me the good luck in the future bullshit. Straight up cut me loose and didn’t look back.

To make my pathetic-o-meter ding even louder, I found myself driving around her neighborhood often. Each morning and every evening, skipping gym time. It wasn’t like I was capable of thinking about anything beyond her. I even managed to forget sending my parents their weekly stipend.

I spotted Grace a couple times during my stalking.

One time, she was coming home from a shift at the food truck. Sensing being watched, she turned around and impaled me with a death glare.

I pretended not to notice her, and drove off.

Another time, she threw a goodbye party for Marla. I saw Mrs. Contreras, Karlie, and a few other people through the window. Grace made Marla cupcakes and delivered a pretty neat speech (yeah, I creeped around long enough to listen to most of it).

Eventually, Marla got out of the house and trudged over to me, spotting me from way across the street. The old lady clutched my arm in her bloated, oily hand and shook it as hard as she could.

“I heard what you did to Grace, and I’m here to tell ya just because I’m movin’ to Florida don’t mean I won’t be watchin’ her, makin’ sure she’s okay. You better turn around and go back to the hellhole you came from, because if I hear you’re following her, I swear to God I’ll tell Sheriff Jones, and make sure he kicks your butt outta town. And if that don’t work, just remember: shotgun. I ain’t afraid to use it.”

As dearly as I wanted to see Grace, it was pretty obvious the feeling wasn’t mutual.

The clock ticked more slowly as Friday approached. I couldn’t wait to get it over with so I could finally talk to Tex, explain myself, and beg for forgiveness. I wasn’t so stupid as to think I’d actually get another chance. All I wanted was for her not to think she was nothing but a fucking Band-Aid.

East and Reign told me I would be stupid to get in the ring. My mind wasn’t in the game; it was with Grace.

Even Max said if I knew what was best for me, I’d skip town.

But I stayed, if only to lay eyes on Tex a few more times before school ended.

Wearing that little negligee, playing Blanche.

Thriving as I fell apart.

Grace

 

I got back to working at the food truck two days after the cafeteria incident.

I couldn’t afford the luxury of taking time off, even if that was exactly what I wanted to do. Luckily, Karlie had taken care of the West situation and had him fired faster than twice-struck lightning.

On Wednesday, I threw a farewell party for Marla. It was the least she deserved. It was the same day I finally asked her to tell West to get off my case and stay the heck away. I didn’t know what kind of cruel game he was playing. Not only had he put a sword into my heart, breaking it in half for everyone to see, but he’d been driving around my block every day, making sure I was reminded of what I’d lost.

He did take a step back after Marla gave him the shotgun spiel, but that didn’t stop him from shooting me looks whenever we crossed paths at Sheridan University.

I didn’t know what he wanted from me. If he didn’t like being my enemy—why did he make me one?

“The way he looks at you …” Karlie let loose a vindictive grin when we sat at the cafeteria on Thursday, a day before the fight. She tore a packet of hot sauce open and poured it over her basket of Doritos. “How does it feel to have the most unattainable man at Sheridan University at your feet?”

“Pretty crappy,” I admitted.

What I didn’t admit was that I had the nagging feeling West wasn’t the only person to watch me.

That there was more. That I was being followed. I couldn’t pinpoint what made me feel that way exactly, but the lingering feeling of danger hung in the air, bloated and hot. Like someone wished me harm.

Of course, telling this to Karlie without backing it up with facts was just overdramatic.