Page 50 of Through the Flames

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Hunter: But I didn’t want to

Colt: HOLD ON!

Colt: All the shit that’s been happening to her … was that you?!

Hunter: …

Colt: I can NOT believe you didn’t tell me!

Colt: Also … you’re psycho.

Hunter: You’re one to talk.

Colt: Touché. But seriously, dude … this is next-level. Like, disturbingly meticulous next-level, even for you.

Hunter: I’ll take that as a compliment.

Colt: You’re like some deranged chess master of obsession. This is wild.

Hunter: Efficient obsession is my specialty.

Colt: Efficient obsession … got it. Okay. Fine. I’ll do it. But I swear if this blows up, I’m holding you personally responsible. And I’m not gonna lie to Hailey if she asks me outright.

Hunter: Fair enough. Already accounted for that.

Colt: You’re terrifying.

Hunter: Noted.

Colt: Alright … casual, subtle, nothing suspicious. Got it. Totally normal. Definitely not creepy.

Hunter: Correct. Definitely not creepy.

Colt: … you really are unhinged.

Hunter: Yeah, we’ll talk about unhinged next time you need me to secure one of your little folders full of pictures of Hailey.

Colt: Damn, bro.

Colt: Don’t worry. I got you.

***

The stadium lights poured down like a second sun, bathing the field in a blinding white light reflecting off every helmet.

The smell was always the same: a mixture of sweat, rubber pellets ground into damp grass, and the faint metallic tang of blood, even before the first hit.

Noise pressed in from all sides. The band blared, and the student section chanted as the mass of bodies shifted and shouted in the bleachers.

A thousand voices demanding, begging, threatening.

I sat in my locker with my elbows braced on my knees and my eyes on the tape wrapped around my wrists.

The pattern was the same every time: tight enough to make my veins bulge, the tape white against my skin.

It was a ritual as much as a reminder. The tape was control. If I could hold onto it, nothing else would slip.

Across from me, Dom was pacing like he’d been plugged into a power line. His helmet swung from one hand, and his mouth never stopped moving.

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