Academic Hostage: Do you ever just want to end it? Be done. Set it all on fire and revel in the burn until all that's left is silence.
My eyes practically bulge out of my head as my heart starts racing.
Captive Audience: What the hell are you talking about? Where are you? I'm coming now.
"Is everything okay? You look pale," Layoni says as I stop dead in my tracks and look around for Coach. I have to get back to school.
"No, I'm?—"
Another text steals my words.
Academic Hostage: Does that mean you know who I am?
I take a deep breath and attempt to calm my racing heart as I try to keep her talking. If she's talking to me, I can keep her mind busy until I can get to her.
Captive Audience: Are you saying you don't know who I am?
"I need to find Coach," I say to Layoni as I start walking faster toward the stalls beside the field, hoping to find him.
"He goes to the announcer's box before every game," she says as her fingers wind through mine, and she pulls me toward the stands and tents.
I look down at my phone, waiting for a response. Dots appear, but then they're gone in a blink.
"Shit," I curse.
Captive Audience: Answer me or I'll break the rules. Consequences be damned. I'm way past caring if you hate me.
I almost broke them last night. It's killing me not to cross campus and apologize for being the reason she lost any time with her mother. I'm trying so hard to stay in my lane, to let her lead. I stopped trying to insert myself in her life after the dance. I let her date her douchebag boyfriend and keep her shitty best friend because Asha is a smart girl. If I see the bullshit, so does she. I might know things first, but she doesn’t leave a stone unturned. If she’s allowing it, she’s choosing it.
You don’t win Asha Fairfield by bending her to your will. She’ll fight you tooth and nail, because the thing is, she doesn’t need a man. She’s a force on her own. You win Asha Fairfield by making her want you.
Academic Hostage: I'm just mad and over pretending.
Captive Audience: Pretending?
"Hey, there's Asha and Hollis. Maybe they saw Coach walk by."
"Asha's here?" The words burst out before I can stop them, too loud and too eager. Shock and relief flood through me in equal measure, and for a split second, I forget to guard my expression, forget that Layoni is right beside me, watching.
Her head turns toward me, and I catch the curious sidelong glance she gives me.
I clear my throat. "Let's see if they saw Coach," I say, aiming for nonchalance. I start walking in their direction, forcing mypace to stay measured when everything in me wants to sprint. "I need to catch him before he leaves."
It only takes about five more paces before Asha does a double take, her eyes locking onto me headed straight for her with Layoni in step beside me. Even from this distance, I catch the way her expression hardens. She rolls her eyes, a gesture so pointed it feels like a slap to the face, as she turns back to Hollis. It's seconds like this that make me doubt the one percent chance my pen pal is indeed Asha Fairfield, because how do you go from texting me in a time of need, even if it's just to vent, to glaring at me with enough hate that it feels like a physical blow?
I don't even realize my hand is in Layoni's until she squeezes it. Shit. I was too focused on the phone, too focused on finding the girl who's now right in front of me. I extract myself and rake my fingers through my hair when Hollis glances over his shoulder. His gaze is dismissive, already back on Asha, before I can even process what I see in it.
He's talking with his hands, which means he's pissed. It doesn't take much to rile him up, so the fact that he is has my stomach dropping.What the hell is going on?
"Oh, that's why she's here," Layoni says beside me, unaware of the knot tightening in my chest. "She's filling in for Milli on the yearbook committee. She's laid up in bed with mono."
I follow Layoni's line of sight and suddenly notice the camera hanging around Asha's neck. There's a strap cutting across her collarbone, and the lens cap is dangling. The distance between us closes, and I step up to them. There's silence, the tension so thick it's almost suffocating. Now that I'm in front of them, I can see Hollis's cheeks are reddened, evidence of his anger.
"Is everything alright?" I ask, my gaze flicking between them.
Asha crosses her arms, and Hollis clenches his fists at his sides, his eyes locked on her as she looks toward the field. "Everything is fine," he grinds out.
"Asha, do you want me to walk around and show you the best spots to shoot from since I've been here a few times?" Layoni throws out, attempting to diffuse whatever this is.
