02- Distraction Play

Zoey.

Kieran eyes were still on me. It was like he was in a staring contest. “You gonna stand there all day, or you going to  come teach us, princess?”

Rowan snickered, leaning back with his arms spread wide. “She looks like she might faint. You sure she’s not going to  cry, Kieran?”

I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. Kieran leaned forward even more, his smirk widening. “Careful, sweetheart. We do bite.”

The room felt like it was shrinking around me, the air was thick and it made me feel jittery. I really didn’t want to be here. These guys were bad. Everyone of them. It was like standing in the middle of a storm you knew would swallow you whole.

The fact that I used to be close to be Orion’s girl, their biggest rival made things worse. I have  also been in on some of Orion’s shenanigans which I was sure they didn’t like. I remembered one night so clearly it still made my stomach twist. 

Orion and his teammates had trashed Riverview’s lot after a heated game, leaving broken beer bottles and spray-painted insults everywhere. I’d stood there in the background, pretending not to notice the glares, telling myself it was just rivalry hype. But now, standing here in front of these guys, I knew they wouldn’t just ignore my past. They wouldn’t spare me the hate or the jabs.

I felt my fingers twitch at my sides. Every second felt like an hour, and I hated that I was standing there looking like a lost puppy in front of them.

I straightened my shoulders, trying to look like I wasn’t about to pass out. But inside? I was falling apart piece by piece.

I finally forced myself to take a shaky step forward, my voice stuck somewhere between my stomach and my lungs. “Okay… let’s just… start.”

I dropped my binder onto the table and opened it, flipping through my carefully highlighted notes. My hands were shaking so badly the pages rustled like dry leaves.

Rowan immediately snatched one of my notes, holding it up like it was some alien artifact. “Damn, princess. You highlight like a psychopath. Are these hearts in the margins?”

He passed it to Kieran, who started laughing. “Oh my god, she even doodled little motivational quotes. ‘You got this!’ ‘Keep slaying!’ You a cheerleader now, too?”

I snatched the page back.

“Stop! These are serious notes. You guys need this to pass.”my voice  came out low, almost nonexistent.

Casper, who had been quietly observing, finally took another sheet from my stack and held it up, squinting. “So… you write all this crap just to make yourself feel smart or what?”

Those words made something in me snap. That the fear I felt dissolved in an instant.

“It’s not crap!” My eyes widened. “It’s just basic stuff , and if you don’t study it, you’ll fail!”

Rowan leaned forward, a sly glint in his hazel eyes. “Oh, so you want to save us like you tried to save your golden boy? How’d that work out for you again?”

My cheeks burned, I felt my body shaking again and they all stared at me like they were waiting for me to cry. I wanted to cry honestly, his words had  done something to me but I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of believing that their words affected me. No way.

I pushed the tears threatening to fill up my eyelids backwards and stared straight ahead, avoiding their dangerous looking eyes. “What happened between Orion and I is none of your business.” My voice came out shaky, and I hated it.

How were these  guys meant to know that they are not suppose to mess with me, if I sound like this? I looked back at them and I saw

Emrys shoot Rowan a mild glare. “Man, lay off. Don’t be an ass.”

Rowan snorted and dragged Emrys closer by the collar of his Ridgeview jacket. “Oh? What, you want her to tutor you extra hard, Em? Want to get shagged by our little princess tutor here?”

Emrys shoved his hand off and looked away, his face turning pink. “Shut up, Rowan.”

I crossed my arms and my voice came out lower than I expected. “You’re all disgusting.”

Kieran chuckled, tapping his fingers on the table. “Aw, come on. We’re just messing with you. But seriously… why Orion? Out of all the idiots in the state, you picked the hockey prince from our rival school. Not one of us fine Ridgeview gentlemen?”

I scoffed. “I’m not here to discuss my love life. I’m here to tutor.”

Rowan smirked. “That’s how you started with Orion too, right? Tutoring him and we all know how that ended.”

My jaw dropped. “You—”

Emrys reached across the table toward me, his blue eyes soft. “Ignore them. We’re just… idiots.”

“Idiots?” Rowan barked out a laugh, then leaned back in his chair. “You’re defending her so hard. Do you want to date her? Shit, I wouldn’t mind hooking you two up. Might be entertaining to watch.”

I took a step back. “You all are NOT my type.”

I blurted those words before I could even think and when they finally left my mouth I felt like a complete idiot. I couldn’t look at them and at that moment I heard a stifle then followed by it was a loud laughter.

They were  laughing in unison now, and as my eyes darted in their direction I watched as they threw their heads backward, each one of them leaning against the other as they spilled out more laughter.

When their laughter  finally ended, Casper who had been quiet all along spoke up. “Of course we’re not. Your type is jerk-face Orion.”

His green eyes pinned me like a blade. The room went silent for a moment.

I felt my mouth open, but no words came out. It was like he’d reached into my head and poked my brain with knifes.

“Cat got your tongue?” Rowan teased, breaking the silence.

I shook my head, pushing my chair back roughly. “I’m done. I don’t have to take this. I’m leaving.”

I turned, my legs trembling under me, as I  grabbed my binder. Kieran was suddenly beside me, his hand closing around my wrist.

“Woah, woah. Princess.” His voice dropped but it still had this dangerous tone to it. “You’re not leaving yet.”

I tugged, but he didn’t budge. His fingers were strongly placed around my wrist. “Let go of me!” I hissed, trying not to show the rising panic.

Emrys stood too, reaching for Kieran’s arm. “Bro, let her go. You’re scaring her.”

Kieran didn’t move. His eyes were locked on mine. “We’re not done talking.”

“About what?” I snapped. “Humiliating me more? Dragging me through the mud again? You think I haven’t  already hear enough of it?”

Rowan sighed dramatically. “Oh, princess. We just like to have a little fun. But, since you’re so hurt by it..”

He stood up and slapped a paper on the table. I glanced at it and saw a scribbled plan.

I looked at him with a wide eye.

“We can help you fix that but you  need to help us create a distraction before the Oakwood game. Photos, public dates, enough drama to get Orion so fucked up he can’t think straight on the ice. In return, we pass, you get your credits, and you stop being the sad ex.”

I felt my head spin. “You’re insane. No. Absolutely not.”

Rowan’s smirk widened. “Aww, c’mon. You’ll be famous. The girl who ruined Orion’s precious season.”

Emrys looked away. “She said no, guys.”

Casper’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t say a word this time. I finally managed to yank my wrist free from Kieran, stumbling back. “I’m not playing your stupid game. Find someone else.”

I grabbed my stuff and bolted for the door. I could hear their voices echoing behind me, Rowan’s mocking laugh ringing in my ears. “Run, princess. Run!”

I stormed through campus, ignoring the looks, the whispers, everything. My face felt hot, my lungs ached, and my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. When I finally reached my dorm room, I slammed the door shut behind me, breathing hard.

I dropped my bag and collapsed on my bed, my hands shaking so badly I had to bury them under my pillow. I don’t know how long I lay there, staring at the ceiling, my mind kept replaying all their words over and over again. At some point I felt like my brain may explode.

A soft thud snapped me out of it. I sat up, blinking. Then I glanced at the door and noticed a piece of paper sliding in under the crack.

My blood went cold. What was that?

I  didn’t waste my time thinking of what it could be I crawled forward and picked it up.

My  hands started trembling as I realized it was a photo of me in that tutoring room, surrounded by the boys.

My eyes dropped to the bottom and I noticed big black words  scrawled across the photo.

“Play along, or I will.” I read the words out loud .