Page 22 of Foul Line

The fucker in question sneers at me. Jacquin just nods his head. He knows what I’ve just told him is all bullshit, but I’m not going to prove him right either.

“Come on,” Chase says. He grabs my forearm and tries to lead me out of the room, but Hayes takes over.

He puts his hand around my shoulders and steers me back around, taking me out the back door and straight outside. He’s stiff beside me, his fingers digging into my upper arm as he takes me back toward my cabin. I don’t even try to get away from him. He’s so much taller than I am that it feels as if he’s trying to shelter me. Right now, that’s what I need. Someplace safe. He opens my cabin door and takes me right to my bed, pushing me down to sit on it. “Don’t leave this room until I get back.”

“What?” I snap, but Hayes has already turned and left, his face a mask of fury.

I flop back on the bed. A part of me wishes I’d punched Lake. That would have brought up a whole other round of problems, including probably getting suspended from camp. I don’t think the fact that my dad runs the place would’ve stopped that punishment from happening either, no matter if Lake deserved it or not.

A couple minutes later, there’s a knock on my door. I look up cautiously, but I see Chase standing there beyond the screen. “Come in,” I tell him, my stomach dropping. How embarrassing. Noweveryoneknows I’ve done something with Alec and Sloan.

The door groans as he opens it. Once inside, he holds up my tray of food. “I brought this for you.”

I give him a small smile. Perpetually being nice to me. I don’t get it. “Thank you.” I take the tray and set it on my lap before I dig around in the cold eggs. I decide not to bother with those before I tackle the bacon and the toast. At least I can get something into my empty stomach. “I’m sorry about that in there,” I tell him.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he says. “Why don’t you say anything about it? The bullying? Wasn’t that one of your coaches? You should’ve told him.”

“This has been a thing between us for a long time. It’s not going to get better if I tattle on him; it’ll only get worse,” I confess. “I prefer to fight it out with basketball, but Lake’s a douche.”

“He’s probably scared you might actually be better than him.”

I raise my eyebrows and smile. I think that’s exactly what he’s afraid of, but since I have a mouth full of toast, I don’t say anything.

Chase runs a hand down his face. “I hate seeing them treat you like that. It’s not right.” He sits in the only other lone chair in the room and looks back over at me. “I’m going to ask you something, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but did you even do anything with Alec or Sloan? Or both of them?”

I swallow, my face turning red.

“You don’t have to give me details.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“True. That’s fair.” He leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “You’re so much better than them, Tessa. I see the way you look at them. I know you somehow have this crazy need for them to accept you, but you’re so far out of their league…” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I just don’t get it.”

I blow out a breath. “I don’t know anything right now, Chase. I really don’t.” I set the tray down on the floor.

Chase uses that as an opportunity to come forward. He sits with me on the bed, turning toward me. Lifting his hand, he filters it through my hair. “I don’t want to see you hurt. I want to see you with someone who will actually be nice to you. I—” He swallows. He’s stopped trying to talk now. He just keeps staring at my lips. He moves closer and closer. My stomach tumbles over itself. I feel like I’m stuck in place, wanting to see what happens. What if I let him kiss me? Will I actually like him then?

“Tessa,” a voice says.

I start and scramble away from Chase. Hayes is silhouetted in the door, and he looks even more furious now than when he left.

He steps inside, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze zeroes in on mine, and my heart beats like crazy.

The “Ice Man” is showing us why that’s his nickname. A shiver crawls over my spine, and I hug my hands to myself. What have I gotten myself into now?

12

Ithink Hayes glared Chase from the room. I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s just the two of us in here now. I vaguely remember Chase saying he’d text me later, but all I can do is stare at Hayes’s deep blue eyes that haven’t left mine.

“Were you just going to kiss him?”

“I—I don’t know,” I answer honestly. I think I was going to let him kiss me.

“I punched Lake for you.”

“You did?” Then, I’m suddenly pulled out of my trance. “You what?!”

His gaze turns to slits. “I punched Lake. Maybe it wasn’t even for you. It was probably for me. He pissed me off.”

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