Jealousy
RYAN
"Ryan!" The crowd roared my name as I sank a perfect three pointer, rounding the game off. The ball squished through the net without touching the rim and the crowd went wild. I wiped off the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.
In your face Caldwell
"That's game" the referee announced, blowing the whistle. I glanced over at Caldwell,who stood with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. His face hinted at a mixture of exhaustion and an overwhelming sting of another loss.
"Seems like you still can't beat me Caldwell" I smirked as I walked over to him.
He shot a dark look at me, the usual fire in his eyes dimming a bit. He straightened up, managing to catch his breath. "You got lucky Jenkins" he muttered and I could tell he wasn't convinced himself.
"Lucky?I laughed. "I don't need luck Max. This court is mine,as and will always be" I lifted my arms in victory as I turned towards the crowds. They erupted into another round of applause and cheers
Jack rushed over, slapping my back and ruffling my hair in celebration.
"Nice one,man!" He exclaimed.
"Yeah" I replied with a nod,my gaze drifting to Max who was now walking off the court,his shoulders slumped.
"He really put up a good fight" Jack said, following my gaze. "Think he'll challenge you again?"
"Probably." I shrugged, taking the water bottle Jack handed me and taking a long swig.
"He doesn’t know when to quit." Jack laughed. "Yeah, that guy's got more persistence than brains."
My eyes scanned the crowd, taking in familiar faces. Most of them were here to see if the unbeaten Ryan Jenkins would finally fall. I'm never giving them the satisfaction. I thrive on their anticipation”
But out of all the faces, there was one in particular I was searching for. Violet.
I had invited her to come watch me play after our movie last night, and to my surprise, she agreed. She'd said something about "doing things for the truce. I didn't know why I suggested the truce in the first place but lately, I’d found myself wanting her around. If there was one thing I’d learned recently, it was that I was better off with her close by.
My eyes finally landed on her. She was sitting on the bleachers with her friends, Ashley and that guy–Luke. I had done my research on him after that incident at the restroom and I got to know he's just a normal, regular student. Nothing special
But screw normal,I've seen the way he looked at Violet,the way he acted around her,the asshole likes her and it would be better for him if he kept those feelings to himself.
Our eyes met and she waved enthusiastically at me with a smile and I waved back. We held each other's gaze for a few seconds longer than necessary before she blinked and the spell broke. She quickly turned to say something to her friends, who all seemed to be giggling and whispering among themselves.
"Yo, Ryan!" Jack’s voice snapped me back to reality. He nudged me with his elbow, grinning.
"Dude, you've been staring at her for like an eternity now. She's your stepsister, man," he teased, a laugh in his voice.
I shot him a look. "I wasn’t staring at her. I was looking at the crowd in general." The words came out more defensive than I intended, and I immediately regretted it.
"Oh, sure, the 'crowd in general,'" Jack repeated with a smirk, clearly not buying it. "By the way, where’s Evelyn? She’d have been all over you by now."
I hadn’t spoken to Evelyn since that day. I’d been ignoring her texts and calls, dodging every attempt she made to get in touch. Honestly, I didn’t feel like talking or doing anything with her.
"I don't know," I muttered.Jack glanced at me, suspicion in his eyes.
"Uh-oh. Everything good between you two?"
"Yeah, sure," I replied curtly.
"Alright," he mumbled, though I could tell he didn’t believe me.
He shot a glance back at Violet, still sitting with her friends.
"Your stepsister's fire though. I’m thinking of hanging out with her for a little while, you know…”
A sharp pang of annoyance surge through me and I turned to face him,my eyes narrowing.
"Don't you dare" I cut him off sharply
Jack raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback"Whoa, calm down, man. I was just talking about hanging out, not proposing to her. What’s the big deal?"
"You don’t know her like I do," I snapped, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. "So just… don't."
He chuckled, clearly enjoying how worked up I was getting.
"Why so protective all of a sudden? She's not your property, you know. She's her own person. If she wants to hang out with me, you can't exactly stop her."
My jaw clenched, the muscles in my neck tightening as I tried to keep my temper in check. "No, but I can stop you” I shot back. "I mean it, Jack. Don't even think about it."
Jack laughed, the sound grating on my nerves.
"Alright, alright, geez! Why are you so worked up? You don't get to decide for her. If she wants to say yes, I'll try my luck." He gave me a smug grin. "Who knows, she might just find me more interesting than you think."
I stepped closer, my eyes boring into his. "Don't you dare Jack” I warned, my voice low and deadly serious.
Jack threw up his hands in mock surrender, but the grin never left his face. "Relax, man! You're acting like I'm trying to steal something from you. She's just your stepsister, remember? What's got you so riled up?"
I glared at him, not saying another word. My fists were clenched at my sides, my whole body boiling with anger. He just laughed again, shaking his head as he turned to grab his own water bottle.
"Whatever you say, Jenkins," he muttered, still chuckling. "But don't be surprised if I ask her out next time I see her."
My eyes followed him as he walked away, every muscle in my body tense. I couldn't explain why the thought of Jack around Violet made my blood boil. It shouldn't have mattered. But for some reason, it did, and I wasn't about to let him near her to find out why.
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