CHAPTER 61Caleb's hands were curled into white-knuckle fists, and his entire body vibrated like a tuning fork in response to his father's words. Take everything for granted, like a spoiled brat. The mere suggestion made his blood boil with wrath.He was about to lash into Robert with another scorching missile when he heard a fresh voice in the corridor."Hey, did somebody order a large Meat Monster with extra fries?" Julia flew into the kitchen, juggling an absurdly large pizza box and a couple litre bottles of bright green energy drink. Her shaggy brown hair was tangled around a face that still glistened with the oil and intensity of adolescence.She blinked owlishly at the dense tension in the room, her gaze shifting between Caleb's heaving body and his parents' simultaneous expressions of concern. "Uh...did I miss the pre-game pep rally or something?"For a brief minute, it felt as if her words had fractured the very air itself. The oven-blast fury that engulfed the kitchen appea
CHAPTER 62Caleb had just gotten out of the shower, toweling off his sweat-soaked curls, when his phone vibrated with a new notification.Probably just the group chat with Trent and Maddie going crazy again, building themselves up for tomorrow's epic clash. Caleb gave himself a wicked grin as he swiped his home screen awake, feeling the approaching glory on his tongue like a slab of bleeding red steak.Except...the message did not come from his savage teammates. Caleb's brows furrowed in an immediate thundercloud of discontent as he saw Dylan's name blazoned across the screen.Caleb, bristling, typed on the text chain, all warmth curdling in his breast as he took in the words:"What's up, Caleb? I just wanted to wish you good luck for the big game tomorrow night. I'll be there in the front row, like I always am, supporting my dude..."Caleb's grasp on his phone tightened to the point where he could hear the aluminum casing complain. What the hell was this scrub up to? Not only did you
CHAPTER 63*** D-DAY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP ***The air inside Willow Creek's Basketball Court was electrifying, sparked by the barely restrained intensity of two competitors ready to clash. As Caleb entered the court for warm-ups, his gaze was drawn to the Oakwood players stretching on the opposite side.So this was it: the night that would finally determine who the district's kings were.Caleb knew everything he needed to know about his colleagues after just one glance: they were locked, loaded, and full of hungry bloodlust. Trent was yelling out some vocal calisthenics that sounded more like ag intimidation than pregame inspiration. Maddie sped past in a blur, her engine screaming at full speed. Even the backups portrayed a towering danger as they sent up jumper after jumper, shoulders already dripping from strain.These were the Wolves of Willow Creek at their most wild, hackles rising and teeth glistening with anticipation of the upcoming feast.Caleb bent down and entered his secre
CHAPTER 64Midway through the fourth quarter, the scoreboard showed Willow Creek with a seemingly overwhelming 22-point lead. But on the floor, Caleb's increasing velocity and negative energy were becoming a force of nature in their own right.He stalked the hardwood flooring like a chaotic Athlete in the grip of bloodlust. At one point, Oakwood's generally unflappable floor general dared to try slowing down the pace, squandering the clock in the hopes of engineering a minor comeback that would lessen the impending humiliation.A big mistake.Caleb grabbed the ball away from his opponent with a fierce poke check before blazing down the floor on a fast break that was strangely empty of teammates. Squaring up from the top of the key, the entire arena seemed to sink into a vacuum of silence and stillness as he assessed his target.Caleb released a whistling heat-seeker of a two-handed missile, channeling all of his pent-up hatred and venom into the wicked aim of the shot. Do you dare try
CHAPTER 65The sound of the ball hitting the hardwood seemed to vibrate through Caleb's very bones as the clock bled its final agonizing ticks. Five Oakwood jackals surrounded him in a tightening circle, seeing their last desperate chance to seize the throne.In those final minutes, the Willow Creek executioner felt a deep, soulful calm. Caleb was no longer in the same terrestrial plane as the snarling warriors pursuing them futilely. No, he had ascended to a higher heavenly level reserved for demigods and icons who had finished their mythological conquest rituals.The roar of the capacity throng had faded to a gentle buzz like the white noise of insignificance accepting an unavoidable reality. Caleb's laser focus zoomed in on the raised hoop, making it the entire cosmic scope through which his destiny would finally, legitimately, be realized.In one eternally held breath, a silent supernova on a great inner scale, he climbed from a threadbare coil to ballistic apogee. As his trainers
CHAPTER 66Dylan's heart echoed in his chest as he moved through the crowd of well-wishers, navigating between people drenched in sweat and adrenaline. Caleb stood in the centre of the celebration, a gigantic monument of victory, clutching the State Memorial Trophy like a sceptre of conquest.Caleb's harsh, contemptuous eyes flickered towards Dylan as he approached. Dylan felt a familiar sensation of rejection twist in his gut, but he persisted. They needed to chat, refocus on the group project, and meet the scholarship application deadline.Lila appeared at Dylan's side, her eyes bright with purpose. She began signing quickly, her tiny fingers moving with accustomed elegance. "We need to attract his attention. "The project is too important to let this go."Mia nodded, moving closer to interpret Lila's signs. "She's correct. If we don't come up with a plan soon, we may lose that scholarship."Miranda and her puppets appeared in front of them, as if called by some terrible force. Miran
CHAPTER 67*** FIRST STUDY SESSION ***The calm atmosphere of the library was disrupted by the violent scratch of chairs on the floor as the group gathered around one of the study tables. Dylan took a moment to study their mismatched crew; Caleb's massive presence dominated one end, and the State Memorial Trophy sat like a flashy centrepiece in front of him. Mia and Lila crowded across from the jock king, apprehension imprinted on their faces."Alright, people," Dylan said, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "Now that we've got Caleb's...permission to proceed, we need to start mapping out a game plan for this group project."Caleb snorted mockingly, his eyes flashing with disdain as they fell on the paper packet Dylan had created."A game plan?" he mocked. "What is this, war room strategy session?"Mia grumbled, giving Caleb a harsh stare. "It's called being prepared and taking the assignment seriously, you arrogant meathead."Before Caleb could respond with a sharp response, Li
CHAPTER 68The heavy wooden door bashed shut behind Caleb with a resounding finality that echoed along the empty hallway. His footsteps sounded like sledgehammers, propelled by a spinning whirlwind of embarrassment, rage, and disbelief.How dare they? How can those small little insects defy him so shamelessly, removing his legitimate claim to power with their pathetic insurrection? As the images repeated in his mind's eye, he let out a low growl from deep within.Those losers and the freak raised their betraying hands in arrogant, coordinated rejection. Dylan, the overhype little b*tch who had fooled himself into thinking he could steal Caleb's natural leadership. A strong shudder shot through the jock's titanium-hewn frame as he pictured wrapping his hands around that thin throat and squeezing until those mutinous lights went out for good.His fists squeezed till the knuckles turned white, tendons cording against the skin like high-tension cables. The abrupt jarring blast of his ring