Oh, right.
One of the orange players got the ball then, and I was completely mesmerized as he moved with a skill I’d never seen before. From any player. He took that ball from near his goal, all the way through the center, and passed it off to a striker at the last second, scoring them a goal.
A long sigh escaped my lips as I pressed my hands together.
“Oh yeah,” Mattie said. I could feel her gaze boring into the side of my face. “Rafe is truly spectacular to watch. They say he’s the best player in a hundred years. Shame he’ll never be able to take it professional.”
Rafe.That savant who had sidestepped and controlled the ball like he’d been born with one at his feet was Rafe? Of course it freakin’ was.
I could see it now. The way he was just a little taller and broader than the rest of his teammates, fucking giant of a dude that he was. The way the others hovered around him like he was just a touch more important than anyone else out there.
I recognized Jordan after that when he slapped his friend on the back and the pair exchanged smiles and laughter. Seemed I was still the only one Rafe hated, and I still had no idea why.
“Stop looking, trash,” a nasally voice said from behind me. “You’re a passing interest that will soon be gone.”
I spun in my seat to find Claudette right behind us standing with a couple of other chicks who had the same haughty look.
“I’m just watching the game,” I told them, not lowering myself to their level. “Nothing more than that.”
Not caring to hear anything else they had to say, I just spun back around on the bench, ignoring them the best I could.
It looked like the practice was slowing down as their coach was out on the field chatting to them, then he clapped his hands together and they were dismissed. I finally found Alex; he was on the white-shirts side, his head down as he headed toward his bag. Another guy I hadn’t met before was at his side, and I nudged Mattie.
“Who is that walking with Alex?” I asked.
Mattie took a second to find Alex in the crowd, and then she cleared her throat. “That’s Drake, crown heir of Denmark & surrounds. He’s the one who throws the parties around here, and while he’s a bit of a dick, he’s basically harmless.”
Drake and Alex looked very comfortable together, both of them talking now, their bags slung over their backs. Mattie stood then, ready to head down and meet her brother, and I followed suit. I noticed that most of the chicks were up on their feet now, and I wondered if it was going to be a stampede to get there first and claim your prince.
Stupid games that I’d promised myself I would not get involved with. Honestly, it was all bullshit, and I knew I’d never marry into a royal family. I had no idea why I was indulging this Alex thing.
It was just so hard to say no to his gorgeous face and blue eyes.
Apparently, I was a shallow bitch too.
Just as I was about to take the last set of steps down to the ground level, I felt a hard shove from behind, and it was only through my quick reflexes that I managed to catch myself before I tumbled down the stairs. My shoulder felt a little wrenched from where I’d reached out and grabbed the railing, but that was small compared to what might have happened.
I expected that Claudette had pushed me, but when I got my feet back under me and turned, there was a familiar but unexpected face there.
Brandon.
“Wow, really sorry, Vivian. I didn’t see you there,” he said, his eyes cold as he ran his leering gaze down my body. I was wearing a school uniform, same as everyone else here, but the way he looked at me made me feel naked.
“You should probably get your eyes checked then, Bertie,” I replied in a snap. “I’m hardly so small that you would have missed an entire person in front of you.”
His teeth clenched as he bared them at me in a very strange expression. “My name is Brandon Morgan, future dean of this school. You will show me some respect.”
I snorted, and then did the one thing I knew would piss him off more than anything. I turned my back and dismissed him.
Arrogant and insane as he might be, Brandon didn’t scare me.
He followed me down, rough hands grabbing at my arms, and stopped me before I could reach Mattie. My friend hadn’t noticed anything yet; she was too busy reaming her brother a new one just on the edge of the pristine grass. It seemed their fight at lunch was finally coming to a head.
“Get your fucking hands off me,” I said, keeping my voice low. If I had to free myself from his grasp, I would, but I really didn’t want to draw too much attention.
His grip was tight enough to hurt, but I had a high pain threshold.
“I won’t ask you again,” I said, resisting his strength as he tried to yank me closer.
