LOGINLUKE’S P.O.VI took Dre’s advice. After practice, I hang back on the benches while the rest of the team heads to the locker room. Vincent is still in Coach’s office. I wait for him, eyes fixed on the whiteboard where he’d drawn up the new formation days ago. No one has erased it or made any alterations. My name and number stand out in black marker written in Vincent’s handwriting. FORD 34, and right beside it, HAWKINS 29, written directly over where REECE 01 used to be.It looks wrong; it has always been “FORD AND REECE.” Seeing another name aside his will take me a while to get used to.Vincent and I haven’t been the closest. He damn well hates me, especially after he found out I’d been messing around with his then-girlfriend Ruth. He has every right to hate me, and he does, but he never let his hate bleed into the game. He put it all behind him and put the game first for the sake of the team. I respect him a lot for that.But still, just because he’s trying his best to tolerat
DRE’S P.O.VUnlike me, Luke actually likes it when I show up for his games. Win or lose, he doesn’t care. Besides, the basketball playoffs were more exciting than any of my math competitions. The entire school had packed the gym for the last game, and another massive one was coming up this weekend.Lately, though, Luke has been oddly nervous about it. Earlier in the season, he’d been loose and more confident. But things were different now than before. Then SATs were still months away; now they’re breathing down our necks. He also has constant back-and-forth meetings at his lawyer’s office trying to free himself from his father’s mess. Basketball isn’t the clean escape it used to be for Luke. He tries to hide it, but I can see the weight pressing on him. Once I’m awake, I roll over to the edge of the bed, only to find him wide awake, thinking.The moment his eyes meet mine, they soften.“Hey,” I whisper. “Can’t sleep?”“Not really,” he says roughly, his voice weak with exhaustion.I
LUKE’S P.O.VAnother buzz erupts, not letting me finish.Desperate to ignore it, I crush my lips against Dre's. But she pulls back and her grip eases off my dick.“Luke,” she says softly, putting space between us by planting her hands on my chest. I sigh, frustrated, my jaw clenching hard. Why now? Why does he always have to ruin everything?“Is it your, Dad?”The moment is already gone, and my chest heaves heavily on top of her.“It’s him. He’s been calling since the day I left the motel. I’ve been ignoring him ever since.”I pull away, climbing off the bed to get my phone that I had angrily kicked away, staring at the same burner number he’s been using to call me since.I look to Dre, then shake my head. “I can’t do this.”“Then you don’t have to,” she tells me. “But you need to figure something out. You can’t keep living like this, watching your back each time afraid he'll come for you again, just because you won’t do what he says.”Dre’s right. And even though I've been
DRE’S P.O.VLuke flips us gently, laying me back so my head rests against the pillows. He hovers over me, lips trailing down my throat, over my collarbone, pushing my shirt higher as he goes. Every touch, every kiss pulls a sound from me, a soft breathy gasp, as he continues showering me with his kisses.My hands fist in his hair as he kisses lower, tasting the skin of my stomach.A throaty moan slips out from him, the vibration rumbling into my oversensitive skin as I pull his hair tighter.His fingers finally hook into my shorts and thong, sliding them down my legs. I’m soaked, glistening, and the sight makes him moan again, long and low.“Fuck, Dre… you’re perfect,” he rasps, voice thick with desire, the heat of his breath warms the slick between my thighs. My legs twitch, and he pins them down gently but firmly, teasing me with another warm exhale that has me squirming.“I wish… we can stay this way forever,” he breathes.“Luke,” I beg, hating and loving the way he messes
LUKE’S P.O.VDre’s eyes meet mine, knowing what I mean. “I was scared to answer,” I admit, remembering the slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks when I couldn’t give her an answer. Of course, I want to have sex with Dre. “Can you please forget I asked?” Her voice is barely a whisper.“You know I can’t do that,” I say. “And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about it. I didn’t know how to answer at that time. I was terrified that admitting it out loud would scare you off.”*Like the last time.*My eyes trace the soft curve of her jaw as she turns fully toward me now, her body shifting under the covers until we’re facing each other properly.“I don’t want to rush you, Dre. And if I did say yes… you’d probably wake up the following morning, regretting everything.”“Luke,” she starts. “I didn’t ask you to fuck me. I just... we’ve been together for a while, and we haven’t had sex... don’t you miss it?” My eyes drop to see her twisting one of the black rings nervously aroun
DRE’S P.O.VMy door creaks open, and my heart does that stupid little flip it always does when Luke walks in. He’s still in his basketball jersey and his hair is still damp from a shower. “Hey, you,” he greets. He drops his duffel bag at the foot of my bed with a thud, then crosses the room in a few strides. I look up from my desk, away from my textbooks and notes scattered everywhere. He walks up to me, grazing my chin gently then leans in to kiss me. Despite the guilt knotting my chest all day, his warm lips against mine made me smile into the kiss. He tastes faintly of cherry Gatorade. Too soon, Luke pulls away with a small grin and steps back. He peels off his jersey, revealing the toned lines of his back and shoulders. My eyes betray me instantly, abandoning my books to trace every muscle, watching the way they flex under his skin as he moves. He’s perfect.“I waited for you after practice,” he says, rummaging in the drawer. He pulls on a deep wine-coloured hoodie, tug
DRE’S P.O.V “In here.” Luke pulls me into the empty locker room. His eyes scan around. There’s no one in sight. “What if someone walks in?” I ask as he pulls me closer to him. “No one’s going to walk in,” he answers desperately. He backs me gently against a cool metal locker. The cont
DRE’S P.O.V “So Nathaniel’s in juvenile, did you hear about that?” Mrs Hampshire’s chair feels more uncomfortable under me than usual. It’s probably not the chair, just the way she brought up Nate. “I didn’t really follow up with his trial; I didn’t know,” I admit, fingers twisting in my lap.
DRE’S P.O.VMy hands still cup Luke’s face. I feel him sink deeper into them, the warmth from it soothing him. His chest rises and falls with every breath. My thumb brushes gently over a bruise, and his lips tremble.“It’s been awful, Dre,” he whispers. His eyes turn glassy in an instant, and I
LUKE’S P.O.V Dre moves closer to me, running her thumb gently under the skin of my eyes. “Talk to me,” she begs, and even as much as I love hearing her beg, I don’t want to hear any of it right now. My jaw clenches. I take her hand away from my face, then hold it gently . I remember every word s







