/-Tamine-/If only hell had a hallway, it would look exactly like this blackridge’s Corridor. Phones being raised. Whispers buzzing. Atlas and Evans facing off like gladiators, with me in the middle as the prize no one asked to be.And me? All I just wanted was for the ground to open and swallow me whole, nothing else.“Tamine,” Atlas said again, soft this time. It was his voice from before, before Emilia, before the lies began. The voice he used when it was just us, when he would sneak me into his car and hold me until the world outside didn’t exist.Oh God, I hated that my chest still tightened at the thought of that.Evans’s arm tightened around my shoulders, pulling me closer, like he could sense the crack in my armor. His body radiated heat, steady, unyielding. “She is with me,” he repeated, louder this time, his eyes locked on Atlas.The air between them was electric, so sharp it scraped against my skin.I needed to breathe.“Enough guys,” I muttered, shoving lightly at Evans
/-Evans-/Her lips were swollen from the kiss, pupils blown wide, chest rising fast.I knew I should have stopped there.It was my intention to stop there.But when her hands clutched my hair and her breath trembled against my mouth, something in me moved.I kissed her again, this time rougher, deeper, like I have been starving and just realized what I was starving for.She gasped, and I took it, pressing her back into the mattress, my knee sliding between her legs. The sound she made was half gasp, half broken moan which almost undid me.Her body arched up against mine like it was instinct, like no matter what her head screamed, her body had already chosen.“Evans…” she whispered, breathless. My name on her tongue made heat surge through my veins.“Say it again,” I crooned against her throat, my lips trailing down the sensitive skin just beneath her jaw. She shivered, nails biting into my shoulders through my hoodie.“You’re insane,” she muttered, but it came out shaky, betraying her
/-Evans-/I don’t lose focus. Not on the ice, not in the gym, not in life. But I noticed that ever since that cafeteria showdown, Tamine Jordan had been a distraction getting under my skin and I have been unable to push her out.I tried to no avail to shake off the image of her standing up to Atlas, her voice trembling yet firm, eyes blazing with fire , refusing to be pulled like a rope in a tug-of-war. The way she glared at me after, cheeks flushed, chest heaving , I would be lying if I said I wasn’t replaying that in my head..But what stuck the most? She hadn’t denied him. She hadn’t said she didn’t want either of us.And that? That drove me crazy.Practice ended late, the rink empty except for me dropping slap shots into the net long after the rest of the team had hit the showers. Each shot I delivered was harder than the last, motivated too by the thought of Atlas showing up in her life again, trying to stake a claim he obviously did not deserve.By the time I finally was done,
/-Tamine-/ By the time the last bell rang, Blackridge felt like a jungle, and I was the wounded deer everyone wanted to take a look at. Whispers followed me through the hallways, through the corners and off the lockers, slipping into every corner. Atlas’s ex… Evans’s tutor… did you see the cafeteria? She’s playing both brothers. She must be good at it, the way they’re acting… I packed my books into my bag faster than necessary, ignoring the not so subtle stares. My chest ached with every step, not from fear, but from annoyance.. They didn’t see what happened. They didn’t feel what it was like to have your ex throw you out like trash and then still act like he owned you. They didn’t know what it was like to be dragged into Evans’s games when all I wanted was to be invisible. I hated them both. I hated myself more for letting either of them get to me. “Rough day, sunshine?” The voice came from behind, smooth and lazy. I gripped my back tightly before I turned. Eva
Atlas called my name at the top of his voice, more like he thundered my name, loud enough to bring down the walls of the cafeteria. He walked towards me his eyes never leaving mine and for a split second, the memory of every kiss, fight, every betrayal came washing down over me like rainfall.“Tamine,” Atlas said again, his voice even colder this time, like he was daring me to ignore him.“She’s busy,” Evans responded , his voice steady, his arm tightening around my waist against my will. The warmth of his touch seared through my shirt, a silent declaration like he owned me and that made the air in the cafeteria stiff.“Atlas’s glare slid to his brother’s hand on me. The muscle in his cheek twitched. “Take your arm off her.” when Evans did not respond, Atlas’s jaw ticked and he sneered. “I wasn’t asking you.”By now, the cafeteria had gone completely silent, every pair of eyes glued to us. Different cutleries clinked against plates, hushed whispers everywhere like static. This wasn’t
And just like that, the hallway scene dissolved. People drifted off, disappointed the drama had ended. Charlotte’s glare could’ve melted glass, but she didn’t say another word.“Hello there, tutor, we meet again,” He grinned at me. “I assume you're not too busy now.”I seethed inwardly. “I never asked for your help.”Evans didn’t seem to care about my tone. In fact, his grin widened, like my irritation was a personal challenge.“Sure you didn’t,” he said, steering me toward the cafeteria as if my feet had suddenly forgotten how to walk in any other direction. “But the Lit teacher says you’re the best, and lucky me, I need the best.”“Cut the crap, you don't even take Literature,” I pushed his hand away from me. “What are you playing at?”His expression immediately shifted to an innocent one. “Is there anything wrong with wanting to keep my teacher safe? Besides, I like Literature now.” Then he draped his hands over me again. “You should stick with me for now. You never know what they