Page 7 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

Aaron

Cole was pissed at me.

He sat across from me on the opposite side of the firepit, beer in hand, glowering at me while the rest of the guys from the team goofed around.

“Come on, Kandon, one smile won’t kill you.”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s going on with you?” he said.

“What? Nothing.” I sipped my beer, staring at the flames dancing above the pit.

“You’ve been like a different person since the start of senior year.”

“I haven’t—”

His brow arched, and I swallowed the words on the tip of my tongue.

He wasn’t entirely wrong. Things had been different since school started back. But we were seniors now, and I had a lot riding on this season.

My entire life had been building to this moment. I was Asher Bennet’s son. He’d been a Rixon Raider back in the day. He and his best friends, Cameron Chase and Jason Ford, had won the championship in senior year, and each had gone on to play Division I football in college.

Now it was my turn. I couldn’t really explain it, but it felt like a rite of passage. A legacy I needed to uphold. It was a part of me, the same way blood flowed through my veins and oxygen circulated my lungs.

I’d never been the star of the team. I didn’t play quarterback or catch the eye of the top college recruiters. But I was committed and knew the game, and I worked my ass off for my team.

And I wanted it.

I was thirsty for it.

So fucking thirsty.

“Hey, Cole.” Madison Staines appeared, her big eyes drinking up the sight of my best friend.

“Hey,” he said, barely looking twice at her.

“I was hoping we could talk.”

“Yeah, bro.” I chuckled. “You should go talk.” Maybe she could help him remove the giant stick from up his ass.

“Not tonight, yeah. I’m busy.”

Dejection shone in her eyes as she stuttered out, “O-oh, okay. Maybe another time.”

“Seriously?” I gawked at him as she walked off. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”

“Lay off it,” he murmured. “I already told you, I’m not interested.”

“That’s the thing though, you’re never interested.”

He drained his beer and stood. “You should worry less about my love life and more about your own.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” His accusation plunked in my chest like a stone.

Something caught his eye behind me and his lips pursed. “You’ve got company.”

I glanced back to see Zara Willis strutting toward us. “Oh fuck,” I hissed under my breath. “You invited her?”

“Like hell I did,” Cole said. “She must have found out from one of the guys.”

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