All Chapters of THE QUARTERBACK NEXT DOOR: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

(Lena's POV)I have a theory about the universe…it hates me, there is absolutely nothing anyone wants to tell me that would make me think otherwise because there’s no other explanation for what happened tonight.It started like any other Friday. Myself, a backpack full of takeout, a vague hope that my brain wouldn’t combust from teenage math homework, and a simple goal: just deliver food, collect the money given, and survive the weekend.So simple and Doable.Totally boring.Then, of course, the universe intervened…I mean, as usual...urf!The address? “Lakeside Court, Number 14.” I pictured a normal house. Maybe a fancy kitchen. Maybe someone who knew how to tip. What I did not expect was a miniature palace…you know, a small palace where you feel at home. Not kidding. The place looked like it had been copied and pasted straight out of an Integra influencer’s feed and then sprinkled with extra money. White stone walls, huge glass doors, the kind of pool that screams, yes, we swim here b

Derek's POVThe place Tyler picked for the night looked like a palace that someone decided to turn into a hangout spot for rich people. It had open ceilings, stone floors that probably cost more than a semester of school, and a pool glowing blue under the lights. Right in the middle of it all was a snooker table, which at the moment Jackson was playing badly.“You’re aiming like you are blind,” Tyler said while Jackson leaned over the table dramatically. “Making art takes time,” Jackson replied before taking the shot. The cue ball bounced off three edges and rolled directly into the pocket, and the room erupted in laughter.I honestly just had to be here. Nothing about the place really interested me. “Man,” I said, leaning against the edge of the table, “that might be the craziest shot I’ve ever seen.” Jackson shrugged proudly. “Respect the process.”Someone had ordered food earlier because we were all starving after practice. The music was low, and the air smelled like chlorine from

Chapter 5Derek's POVThe cafeteria here at Ridgewood High always made a fuss whenever I walked in. The first thing that happened was it got noisy. The second thing was it got quiet. It started with people whispering, then chairs moving, then everyone pretending they weren’t staring at me before. I’d gotten used to it over the years. Being the quarterback did that to you. You became like a news headline.Tyler grabbed a tray and stood beside me. “Practice is going to be tough today,” he said.“It always is.”“Yeah, that’s true.”Jackson joined us with three plates of food, like he was getting ready for winter. “You guys don’t understand how important it is to eat a lot.”Tyler made a sound. “You eat like a retired football player.”We walked toward the tables where the rest of the team usually sat. Then Tyler suddenly stopped. “Oh hey,” he said, lifting his hand to wave at someone across the room. I followed his gaze and saw a girl with dark hair waving back enthusiastically. She wa

Derek’s POVI see it happen, in that familiar, almost predictable way things unfold in this place, where certain people move like they already know no one is going to stop them, and Vanessa walking toward Lena’s table doesn’t immediately feel like something important, just another situation that will probably pass like most things do.Maya reacts first, which isn’t surprising because she looks like the type who gets involved without thinking twice about whether she should, her body already tense before anything fully happens, while Lena stays where she is, not frozen, not confused, just sitting there in a way that feels too still for what’s about to happen.Vanessa doesn’t hesitate when she reaches for the bag, and that’s the part that makes it clear this isn’t random, because people hesitate when they’re unsure, when they’re testing boundaries, but she doesn’t, her hand moving like she’s done this before, like she already knows how it ends.I don’t move.Not because I don’t see it, b

Lena’s POVThe gate slides open slowly, almost too smoothly, and I find myself stepping in without realizing I’ve been holding my breath this whole time.Amelia stops walking beside me.“Go on,” she says, like this is the easiest thing in the world.I turn to her quickly.“You’re not coming in?”She shakes her head.“No. You’ll be fine. Just be calm and be on your best behavior.”I let out a small breath, trying not to look as nervous as I suddenly feel.“Okay.”She gives me one last look, then added, “And don’t talk too much.”That almost makes me smile.“That part is easy.”She smiles a little, then steps back, leaving me standing there alone like I just signed up for something I don’t fully understand yet.The compound is quiet.Not the graveyard kind of quiet, the kind of quiet that makes you eager to want to hear something…even if it's a water drop.Just want to hear something to confirm if this is real or not.For a house this big, I expect to see at least one or two people movi