Page 94 of The Trade

I can’t believehow ridiculous this whole situation feels. I’ve spent most of the past week stressed-out about this event, but it’s just the same old banquet we have every year.

First comes the mindless mingling, then an over-the-top meal, followed by an endless string of awards. This year, I’ve managed to snag a “Solid Rock” award—my first ever. On any other day, I’d be drowning in a heady rush of pride, soaking up the validation. But right now, it doesn’t even feel like a blip on my radar.

I’m too consumed by this silly ritual that’s hovered over my head for weeks now. The fucking Trade. A tradition that once felt like a playful rite of passage, now morphing into a crushing burden. I wish I had been honest with Jade from the get-go. Maybe she’d have been pissed for a while, but we could’ve moved past it, together.

And now, the secret feels like a ton of steel, pressing down on me, threatening to break me under its weight.

“Your date’s pretty hot, man.” Conor McNair’s smarmy voice interrupts my turmoil, forcing me to whip around.

“Damn right, she is,” I snap, the words grinding out between clenched teeth. “And she’s also off-limits.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d already be locked into a trade with Cam.” His smirk stretches wide across his face, his eyes glinting with an infuriating cockiness. I want to smack it right off him. “I can respect that.”

“No, there’s no trade,” I say, my voice rigid with irritation. “Jade’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh?” He cocks a brow. “I mean, dude, everyone knows you’ve been after Shannon since freshman year. I just figured you’d be trading for her.”

“Keep your goddamn voice down,” I snarl.

And then, just as I’m about to lose my cool completely, Jade’s voice floats in, filled with an undercurrent of worry. “Theo, there you are.”

Spinning around, I lock eyes with her, hoping to hell she didn’t overhear our conversation. “Jade,” I say, trying to infuse some semblance of normalcy into my voice.

“Uh, I’m just gonna slip out of here,” McNair mumbles, picking up on the tension. “Gotta get back to my date.”

Once he’s sauntered off, I turn back to Jade. “Did you hear any of that?” I ask, apprehension tingeing my words.

“No, why?”

I shake my head, dismissing the question. “No reason.”

“Theo, I can tell something’s off. You’ve been acting weird for days now.”

“I know,” I confess, exhaustion seeping into my bones. “I’m sorry.”

She gives me a derisive snort. “That’s all I get? An ‘I’m sorry’?”

“I don’t know,” I mumble as I run a hand through my hair.

A frustrated sigh escapes her, and she gazes upward, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You know, when you ditched me just now ... your friend Miller made a pass at me.”

“What?” My anger surges back with a vengeance. Fucking Miller. He’s a dead man.

“Yeah, he didn’t even bother being subtle about it,” she grumbles. “He was caressing my thigh and everything.”

A flood of rage washes over me. “He what? He fucking touched you? Jesus Christ, didn’t that dipshit get the fucking memo?”

“What memo?”

“That you’re off-limits tonight.”

Her eyes narrow. “Off-limits? I’m not property.”

“I know that,” I say defensively, my nostrils flaring in agitation. “But you’re my girlfriend. My teammates should respect that.”

“And what about the rest?” she demands, one brow cocked. “Should they feel free to just hit on every other girl here? Date or not?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

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