“And second, he wouldn’t beat the shit out of me. I could take him.”
Her grin is slow and savage. “You’re right. I bet you would.”
My entire face, chest, ears, and brain feel like they might burst into flame.
Caty pats my knee. “You should probably apologize and pay him back for the tires. We all know he isn’t as well off as the rest of the students here, those probably set him back more than however much time he lost since he was clearly on his way out.”
“Not going to happen.” After this conversation, I’m giving serious consideration to dropping out and moving myself out to the Midwest. If there’s even a small part of Brody that recognizes what my best friend just enlightened me with, I’ll never look him in the eye again.
“Right. Because you don’t want to be in his good graces.” She smirks. “You want to be under his?—”
I throw a pillow at her head. She cackles.
I avoid Brody for the rest of the week. Or at least, I try to. But he’s everywhere. Always at a table nearby in the dining hall or library. Lifting in the gym every morning. And at practice every afternoon.
It's infuriating.
What’s worse is that he won’t fight me like a normal teammate. Not really.
He thinks I don’t know what he’s doing, but he lets me dominate every drill. Lets me take the lead. Lets me pin him when I know—deep down, humiliatingly—that he could break out of my hold anytime he wanted to. He knows it. I know it. And it’s maddening.Heis maddening. And by the time Thursday rolls around, almost a full week after our stairwell incident, my nerves are frayed.
“What the hell is your deal?” I snap after practice.
Brody blinks at me like I’m asking him to solve a difficult math equation. “Mydeal?” Maybe he isn’t as clever as I’ve been giving him credit for.
“You’re not even trying.”
His head tilts. A slow realization dawns in his eyes.
“Ah,” he says, like he’s solved it. “You’re mad I’ve been letting you win.”
Blood drains from my face. “You haven’t beenletting?—”
“Lin—Beckett,” he amends, stepping closer and closing the distance between us. He lowers his voice. “Look, I feel bad about what happened. In the, uh, stairwell. I shouldn’t have gone there like that. I’ve been trying to ease off and give you space.”
“You’re not giving me space, you’re trying to turn me into a joke.”
“What? No. I just… You care a whole lot about how you look to other people. And I didn’t want you to feel challenged or intimidated.”
I scoff. “As if you could intimidate me.”
Brody’s jaw ticks. “I’m trying to benice.Trying to make sure you know I’m not going to go spreading your little secret around. And I wanted you to feel comfortable, so I’ve been holding back so you can feel like you’re in control.”
My jaw clenches. “Iamin control,” I grit out.
“Right. Because you’re the captain. The top dog.” His tone makes it obvious how much he believes those words.
My arms cross, and a wave of humiliation runs the length of me. Because I’m fucking broken, my body interprets it in a way I absolutely do not agree with.I don’t like it.
“I’ve been trying to be a nice guy, but if you’re dead set on pushing my buttons,” he continues, voice low enough no one else hears, “I’ll show you just how easy I’ve been on you.”
My breath stutters, but I can’t give him the upper hand. I just can’t. Because not only do I not want him to win this little standoff that’s starting to get the attention of the rest of the team, but there’s a fucked up part of me thatdoeswant to push his buttons.
I step closer, squaring off. A wordless challenge to answer his.
“Fine. You want to act like a little bitch,” he murmurs, “then no more nice Brody. No more letting you flip and pin me. Tomorrow I’ll show you who’s in charge.”
Wait.Tomorrow?
