Her smile faltered a little, and I stepped forward, “I just wanted to meet you. I have watched you for a long time.”
She fidgeted with her uniform, “I have too.”
My eyebrows flew up my head, “You have?”
She bit her lip again, nodding at him, “My brother doesn’t like you. He told me I have to stay away from you.”
“Do you want to stay away from me?”
She shook her head, “I don’t know you though. My brother says you would only use me.”
“I’m not that way. I know your brother isn’t my biggest fan, but I’m not who he says I am. I don’t like that he hates me. I only ever played against him. I have never even spoken two words to him.”
Kresslee nodded, “I know. I think he has it in his head that with every loss, he has that mark on him somewhere. Plus, our dad expects perfection from him. He pretty much has dictated Creed’s life to him, and if we lose, it’s not a good thing.”
I lifted a brow, “Really?”
Kresslee went pink, “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
I got closer to her, “It’s okay. I’m not going to tell anyone.”
She looked away from me, and I stepped even closer toward her, making her look up at me. “Why you?”
My brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
Kresslee’s eyes went wide, “I keep saying what I would never say. I want to know why you out of everyone I could be attracted to, why is it you?”
“You are attracted to me?”
Kresslee bit her lip, then slowly nodded. I grinned wider than I ever have before.
“I think you are the most b,” but before I could say more, Creed walked into the school, his eyes locking on where I stood close to Kresslee, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Kresslee! Get over here!”
I growled at him, “Don’t yell at her. She doesn’t need you to treat her like that.”
Creed glared at me even harder, “She is my sister. I can talk to her anyway I want.”
I shook my head, “Not around me you won’t.”
Creed sneered at me, anger pulsing off him in waves, “And what are you going to do about it?”
I knew Creed wanted to fight me. I knew he would try to get me kicked out of the game, and I would just defend my girl.
I took a step toward him, my fists clenched at my sides, when Kresslee stepped between us, “Come on, Creed. You don’t want to be kicked out of the game. We both know how that will end. He was just talking to me. That’s it.”
“He wants you.”
Kresslee shook her head, “It doesn’t matter. Come on.”
She pulled Creed by the arm, and I watched them turn away from me, my girl not looking back once.
My heart shattered in my chest, thinking she chose her brother over me. I understood it, but I hated it, nonetheless.
That was until she turned to look at me over her shoulder, her eyes shining, pleading with me as if asking me to understand she was keeping me safe.
I nodded, letting her know I got it.
