That number… it belongs to Theilan.
I swipe to Rebel’s face in the picture.
There’s a mischievous glint in her eyes and an edge to her smile. The evidence is written all over her face.
She’s trying to rattle me.
And it’s working.
A dark, heavy emotion claws through my chest. Like black sludge, it winds its way into my veins, taking hold of me in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Theilan is my little brother on the team, but suddenly, I have a burning desire to burn his jacket to a crisp.
At that moment, another text comes in.
This time, Rebel is making a kissy face at a mirror. She’s holding up a dress and another jacket. It’s the exact same type of jacket as before, but it has the name ‘RENTHROW’ in giant letters all the way across the back.
I hate the thought of her wearing any of those jackets. Hate it with my every breath.
My eyebrows coil until they meet in the middle of my forehead and I grip the cell phone tight. Restless, I pace up and down my room.
Another text pops in.
I don’t bother opening the image. I don’t want to see any more.
Annoyance rolls through my mind, stinging me with countless tiny arrows. I have no reason to be this upset about her clothing choices. Rebel and I aren’ttrulydating, and she can wear what she wants to the game.
Stay cool.
Breathe.
Just. Be. Normal.
But the problem is, I can’t control myself.
At all.
Running my teeth along my bottom lip, I ignore the objective side of me and lean into the irrational.
ME:None of those outfits do you justice.
REBEL:Not one of them? Are you sure?
ME:Dead sure.
REBEL:It’s probably because I didn’t try them on. Give me a sec.
Try them on? As in, she’llwearthe jacket with RENTHROW’s name splayed across the back like a calling card? She’ll let Theilan’s jacket touch her beautiful skin?
The mere thought makes me want to toss my phone into the lake.
ME:Don’t wear a jacket tonight.
REBEL:But I’ll be cold.
ME:Then wear mine.
REBEL:No thanks. Your jacket doesn’t suit my complexion.