Kylie balanced a couple of cheeseburgers and bottles of water in her hands, silently marveling at how she hadn't dropped anything yet.
She moved carefully through the halls, her arms full, mindful of every step. The last thing she needed was to become that person—scrambling to pick up a scattered lunch in the middle of the hallway while everyone watched.
But, of course, luck had a funny way of playing with her.
Just as she neared the gym, one of the water bottles slipped from her grasp.
Her breath hitched—
But before it could hit the floor, a large hand with prominent veins caught it effortlessly.
"Need help?"
The voice was deep, smooth—almost lazy in its confidence.
Kylie lifted her gaze, following the strong hand up to an equally strong arm, broad shoulders, and finally—warm brown eyes.
Before she could even respond, he smoothly relieved her of most of what she was carrying—mainly the water bottles—and started walking in the same direction she had been heading.
"Sooo, Kylie," he drawled, glancing down at her with an easy smile. "Where you headed?"
"Umm… to the gym," she replied, slightly wary but appreciative of the help.
"Great. I'll walk you there," he said casually, adjusting the weight in his hands like it was nothing.
Kylie hurried to match his pace, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Um… who are you?" she asked hesitantly.
He turned to her, looking slightly taken aback—like she was supposed to already know.
"I'm Jay. Jay Parkens," he said, watching for a reaction.
When she gave him a blank look, he added, "You know, co-captain of the football team last year?"
That sparked some recognition. She had heard of him—probably from one of Angie's many gossip sessions. Now that she looked at him properly, she realized he had changed a bit since last year.
Taller. More muscular. More confident.
A little too confident, if the way he was watching her was anything to go by.
"Oh, right," she nodded. "You look a little different now."
Jay grinned at that, clearly pleased. "Yeah? All good things, I hope."
Kylie only hummed in response, not wanting to fuel his ego further.
By the time they reached the gym doors, Jay had slowed his pace, letting her walk slightly ahead. She could feel his eyes lingering on her back, an almost expectant energy rolling off him.
She stepped inside, scanning the crowd of players warming up.
"Michael!" she called, waving her free hand.
Her brother turned at the sound of her voice—
And so did someone else.
A pair of sharp, piercing green eyes locked onto her.
Alec.
Kylie's breath caught for an entirely different reason this time.
He was standing near the court, his shirt slightly damp with sweat, his dark hair pushed back as if he had just run his hands through it. His gaze flicked from her to the person standing just behind her—
And his entire posture shifted.
Not obvious. Subtle. The way his shoulders squared just a little more. The way his jaw tensed, like he was taking in the situation.
Jay, beside her, noticed as he headed her way.
The air between them shifted.
"Alec," Jay greeted, his tone noticeably less friendly.
Alec didn't respond.
Instead, he reached past Kylie, his skin briefly brushing against hers as he took the rest of the items from Jay's hands.
"Let's go," Alec said to Kylie, his voice even, controlled—but completely ignoring Jay's presence.
Jay tensed slightly beside her.
Kylie blinked at how rude the guy was, feeling embarrassed for Jay she offered him a small wave as she stepped away. "Bye, Jay."
Jay held her gaze for a second longer before finally nodding. "See you around, Red."
Alec's grip on the water bottles tightened.
Kylie noticed.
She just didn't know what it meant yet.
Alec placed a firm hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward Michael and the rest of the group.
The touch was brief—casual, even—but it sent a flicker of warmth through her, making her cheeks heat up before she quickly shook off the feeling. Get a grip, Kylie.
Refocusing on the task at hand, she handed Michael his food, only for him to grin and plant an obnoxiously loud kiss on her cheek.
"Thanks, sis," he said, voice dripping with fake sweetness.
"Ew, Michael!" she shoved at him, but he just smirked.
The rest of the guys grabbed their food with appreciative nods, a few of them pulling her into playful hugs despite being drenched in sweat.
"Ugh, gross! Get off me!" she laughed, wriggling out of their grasp.
They all moved toward the bleachers, but just as Kylie was about to sit next to Michael, Matt casually slid into the spot before she could, effectively blocking her.
Which left her with exactly one option.
Alec.
Trying not to make a big deal out of it, she sat beside him, keeping a perfectly reasonable amount of space between them. Or, at least, she thought she did.
Matt, already halfway through his sandwich, spoke around a giant bite. "The year just started, and there's already gossip flying around."
Kylie wrinkled her nose. "Don't talk with your mouth full. You've got mayo everywhere."
Matt only smirked. "Don't worry about it, Red. Plenty of people would love to clean it up for me."
As he said it, he licked the corner of his lips, glancing past Kylie with a knowing look.
Curious, she turned to see what—or who—he was looking at.
A small group of junior girls stood a few feet away, whispering amongst themselves while sneaking glances at their group. The second they realized Kylie was looking, their expressions shifted—sweet smiles dropping into annoyed frowns before they turned away with exaggerated eye rolls.
Kylie blinked. Okay? What was that about?
Matt, completely oblivious to the silent exchange, continued. "Oh, and did you hear? Lori didn't come back this year 'cause Pete knocked her up."
"Seriously, Matt?" Kylie groaned. "That's what you wanna talk about?"
She was about to tune him out when she felt it—
A slow, casual shift in weight beside her.
The warmth of an arm draping along the back of the bench.
Fingers grazing the curve of her waist before settling.
Her breath hitched.
Her entire body locked up, hyper-aware of every inch of space she wasn't putting between herself and Alec.
Her heart pounded in her ears.
Look away, look away, look away.
She dropped her gaze to her fingers, suddenly fascinated by the way she was fidgeting with them.
God, you blush for everything.
Determined to act normal, she subtly tried to shift away—
Only for the warm hand at her waist to briefly tighten, pulling her right back against him.
A small gasp escaped her lips.
And then, just as quickly, his hand withdrew, returning to its original position like nothing had happened.
Kylie sat there, heat creeping up her neck, pretending she wasn't losing her mind.
She forced herself to focus on the conversation, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught something else.
Michael and Alec.
A silent stare-down.
It lasted barely a second before they both looked away, pretending it never happened.
Kylie huffed internally. Why are they like this?
---
Kylie had been distracted ever since lunch.
She couldn't be that touch-starved… right?
Shaking her head, she took a deep breath as she exited her last class, making her way toward her locker.
As she scanned the crowded hallway, she spotted her friends gathered near Marie's locker, laughing about something.
She quickly shoved her books inside her own locker, but when she turned around—
She nearly jumped out of her skin.
"*Jesus, Jay!*"
Jay stood right behind her, grinning. "Hey, Kylie. What are you up to?"
"I—I was just heading to my friends," she said, still catching her breath.
"Oh, okay, but before you go, I wanted to—"
Before he could finish, a group of guys suddenly tackled him from behind, nearly knocking him into her.
"Who's this?" one of them asked, dark brown eyes scanning Kylie in a way that made her skin crawl.
More of Jay's friends—mostly football players—started gathering around, the space closing in slightly.
Kylie tensed. "I, um… I'll get going."
Without waiting for a response, she quickly turned on her heel and walked straight toward her friends, ignoring the murmured, "Damn, is that Kylie?" behind her.
---
"You guys notice something off with Romy and Angie?" Kylie asked, lowering the car window as Marie drove.
Marie hummed dramatically. "Weeeellll…"
Kylie sat up straighter. "What?"
Marie hesitated, then sighed. "They kinda… slept together last month. Romy was drunk, and the rest isn't my place to say."
Kylie's brain short-circuited.
"What?! Y-you mean sex?"
Marie smirked. "Yes, Kylie. They fucked."
Kylie smacked her arm. "You're so raw."
Marie just laughed.
After a moment, she added, "By the way, you should start coming to my dad's gym on Saturdays. Learn some self-defense."
Kylie frowned. "Why?"
Marie gave her a look. "You're a target. Too gorgeous"
Kylie hesitated.
"Just come. It'll make me feel better," Marie pressed.
"…Fine."
"Good." Marie grinned, satisfied.
---
As soon as Kylie pulled into the driveway and saw it was empty, a slow smile stretched across her lips.
Perfect.
Karaoke time.