Page 13 of Captured Love

“Oh, I have no doubt Selene will move on,” Tessa says, a sly smile creeping onto her lips. “So, who’s on the list so far?”

I hesitate, but Isla jumps in with fake enthusiasm. “Ryan from the soccer team, Derek from her lab class?—”

“He has a girlfriend,” I interject.

“—and Lucas the math tutor.”

Tessa snorts. “That’s the best you can come up with? No offense, but it sounds like you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Isla challenges.

Tessa looks directly at me, her eyes piercing through me. “No, but make sure it’s not Knox. I assume you’re connected to him since she’s already dating Asher.”

My eyes nearly pop out of my skull, but I do my best to control my expression. I spare a glance at Isla, and she looks as taken aback as I do. For a moment, the room is completely silent.

“Knox?” I say, my voice coming out higher and more strangled than I intended. “You're joking, right?”

Tessa shrugs, the sly smile never leaving her face. “He’s off limits.”

This almost feels like an outer body experience, but I need to ask. “Why is he off limits?”

Tessa shrugs. “He’s my ex-boyfriend. We dated in high school.”

This revelation hits me like a ton of bricks. I don’t even know how to process this new information.

“Wow,” Isla says, her voice more subdued now.

“I know. Normally, I wouldn’t care if he was on your stupid list, but I have plans for him. That’s why he’s a no go,” Tessa says, turning back to her desk and pulling out her chair. She throws her body into her seat before she looks at Isla and then me over her shoulder. “We’re going to get back together.”

Have I been transported to a parallel universe? That’s the only explanation that makes sense. But it’s all a bit too much. “Ah…okay,” I say before turning to my best friend. “Isla, I’m going to head out, but I’ll text you when I get back to my room.”

“I’ll come with you. We could do our homework…or drink. Either one.”

I nod quickly. “Deal.”

For a second, I just stand there, looking as if I’m watching Isla get ready, but in reality, my mind has actually been blown.I’m still reeling from Tessa’s smug declaration about her and Knox. And what it could potentially mean when she finds out he and I slept together.

Going to my room and drinking sounds more and more like the likely outcome of all of this.

6

KNOX

Clank. The weights rattle as I rack them, my muscles screaming in protest. One more set. Push harder. Be better. Can't stop now.

I take a moment to catch my breath. By looking at me, you would think I just sprinted a mile or two. I wipe my face with my shirt, which is soaked through, then glance at the clock. I've been at this for two hours now, which is longer than my usual routine. But today isn't a usual day. Today, I need the distraction. I need the pain to drown out everything else.

I grab the bar again, knuckles white. Inhale. Brace. Lift. The burn rips through me, but I don't flinch. Pain is nothing new.

Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

With a grunt, I drop the weights, the crash echoing in the nearly empty gym. Bent over, I suck in air, lungs heaving, heart hammering against my ribs. When I finally straighten up, I catch my reflection in the mirror.

Sweat pours down my face, dripping off my chin and onto the mat under me. My short brown hair is plastered to my forehead. I look like hell, but there’s nothing quite like working out latein the evening just before the gym closes. There’s hardly anyone here, which means no one can bother me.

I stare at myself for a long moment. A bruise colors my jaw from practice yesterday. The scar under my jaw stands out, pale against my skin—a permanent reminder of the hit that nearly ended my career freshman year.

I touch it lightly, the skin still numb. That was the first time I realized how fragile all of this is. One moment you're on top, the next you're in an ambulance wondering if you'll ever play again.

---