Page 61 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

Chapter Thirty-One

“No, I really don’t think my leg bends that—eek!” I suck in a sharp breath as Lisette pushes my leg down another inch from above, glaring at her and not exhaling until she finally lets up.

“Stop holding your breath.” She smacks my leg before dropping it to the ground and tossing her red ponytail to the other side. “You actually didn’t suck as bad as I thought you would, so take pride in that.”

“Thanks,” I snort, groaning as she grabs my other leg and hefts it over her shoulder. “I think running this summer helped me survive your attempted murder.”

“So why did Hayes look all pissy during debate earlier?”

I blow out through the burn this time, blinking up at the sun shining brightly above the athletics field. The two-story monolith of a structure off to our side and nestled next to the lake is unfortunately worthy of all the praise my brother levels its way.

Today is actually the first time I’ve ever stepped into it.

Finding locker rooms along with an aquatics center and weight room on the first floor with the second being taken up by dance and yoga classrooms and such.

There was even a freaking hot tub and sauna in the aquatics center which made me scowl because the others had definitely been holding out on that little detail.

Although the scowl hadn’t needed much help with the way Hayes had sauntered off all broodily to the locker room after debate class. Not that I can blame—

“Hellllloooo?” Lisette’s voice cuts in. “You with me, Fitzroy?”

“Sorry.” I clear my throat, blinking away from the sun and looking around to make sure the other girls aren’t close enough to hear before telling her, “He was pissy because Kyler’s in there with us.”

“The new kid?”

She lifts a brow, and I nod. “Yeah, Ollie and I went to high school with him.”

“Why am I thinking that’s not the whole story?”

“Cause it’s not,” I admit as she drops my leg, immediately sitting up and stretching my hands over my head.

A soreness starting to burn along my arms too because apparently I’d not only kill myself but everyone else if I attempted to be anything other than a base.

“Kyler came to our school after his dad got a job in DC, and he and Ollie became friends pretty quick.”

She snaps her fingers at me before jerking her thumb in the air, motioning for me to stand. “And?”

“And.” I toss her another glare while forcing my body up against its will.

Tugging at the black Pinecrest spandex set to make sure it’s still covering all my necessary parts and reminding myself to be thankful the top is indeed a tank top.

“I don’t know if he always had a crush on me or if that came later, but I had one on him for a brief period freshman year. ”

“Ah.” She lets out a small laugh, turning to call out to the others. “We’re done here, but don’t forget to cool down!” Turning back to head toward the track that circles the field, she orders me none too gently, “Laps for you.”

“I just told you I ran practi—”

“And you’ll run some more with me now,” she snaps back, pausing at the edge of the track until I start to drag my feet toward her. “This is starting to make so much sense by the way, and I’ve never been happier with my choice to take that class again.”

“Anyway.” I roll my eyes at her, starting up a jog when I make it to the edge of the track and grumbling, “One thing led to another, and Kyler became my first kiss.”

She cackles. “Oh god, please tell me Hayes doesn’t—”

“He knows,” I huff. “Hence the pissy look.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t just pee on you.”

I nod a little absently because after this week…

I am too. Kyler in all his golden glory has been quite literally everywhere—library, mess hall, classes, dorm, it doesn’t matter.

He just happens to bump into us, or more specifically me, at least a couple of times a day, and I’ve watched Hayes grow tenser all week because of it.

And this is only the first seven days of what’s starting to feel like it’s going to be an increasingly long year.

“Oh look,” she sighs happily, drawing my gaze to where a Cheshire cat grin sits on her face. “Now you get to see why I have us knock out the hard stuff first and leave the perusing for last.”

I follow her line of sight to a tunnel that exits the athletics building onto the field.

My eyes land on where the guys are starting to trickle out in their football gear and I immediately search for the two I care about most. Finding them pushing each other back and forth playfully, Ollie says something before Hayes gives him a shake of his head in response.

It has me almost tripping over my own feet, but I keep my eyes on them for another moment with a grin tugging at my lips from seeing them in their own element.

Finally stealing a chance to run my eyes over Hayes in particular and developing a whole new respect for whoever the hell designed football uniforms.

Because…damn.

I really should have let him win that debate about coming to a game last year because I’ve never liked black and green so much.

“Oh, yeah.” Lisette laughs under her breath next to me. “She gets it.”

I watch as he stops to lift a water bottle up to his mouth, silvery-blue hair falling back from his face and throat working with each sip.

The act has something warm and low pulsing through me right before his head tips back down, and those hazel eyes lock with mine.

A spark seems to run clear across the football field between us, and his dimples cut deep—

“O.” Kyler pops up at my side, effectively cutting off my view with the bulk of his football gear and almost making a curse slip past my lips as he starts to jog with me. “I didn’t know you were a cheerleader.”

His eyes drop to where Pinecrest Cheer is clearly emblazoned across my chest, much to my personal horror on so many levels, and I clear my throat uncomfortably. “Eyes up, Mills.”

“Come on, O,” he cajoles, bringing his gaze back up to mine with an arrogance that grated on me so badly by the end of the crush that I faked having the flu to avoid him.

“You know I’ve always been weak for you.

” I turn my eyes back to the track, trying to figure out if he’ll be able to keep up if I just start running faster.

“We could have so much potential together.” His hand makes a grab for my arm, and I manage to pull it away just as his fingers brush the back of it.

“If you would just talk to Ollie and lose the—”

His words cut off on a grunt as someone grabs him around the middle, coming out of nowhere and tackling him straight to the ground.

Both bodies fly onto the track behind me, making me do some kind of spinning run to keep them in sight that has me actually tripping this time.

Somehow managing to save myself from completely faceplanting and pushing back up as the two of them pop up in front of me.

Immediately starting to move back toward one another with Kyler bristling, “What the fuck was that?”

“Graham called a play.” Hayes comes to a stop with a shrug. “Thought you heard.”

“Really?” Kyler laughs with disbelief. “He called a play without helmets or anything?”

But Hayes just stares at him for a beat as his chest seems to expand. “Whoops.” The word leaves him on a harsh breath, making it very clear he really couldn’t give a shit. “Must’ve forgot.”

I see the anger flood Kyler’s face as he takes another step toward Hayes, while the latter just looks like he’s won something.

“Shit.” I move with the curse when Hayes clenches his fists and am about to intervene when Ollie shouts across the field.

“Kyler! Come on, man!” He finally throws me a bone. “Defensive line!”

Kyler’s gaze moves to where Ollie is standing with his hands on his hips before going back to Hayes and then finally to me.

Clearly torn on which choice to make but eventually giving me a single nod before trudging off across the field because there’s no way he’d pass up any opportunity to get back in Ollie’s good graces.

Leaving me and Hayes staring at each other with a much different energy pulsing through the air.

“Why the fuck is he there every time I turn around?”

His hands clench with the words, and even though I know they’re not directed at me so much as the situation…it still makes me want to defend myself. “I told you there’s nothing going on with him.”

“Right,” he scoffs darkly, turning his head to look across the field and giving me his profile. “I know. It was a crush, and you don’t like him like that now.”

The phrase seems like it’s a repetition already, though, making me frown but…

“You can’t hit him, Hayes. Ever.” His gaze snaps back to mine and I swallow at the way it narrows but still repeat so that he really gets it. “Tackle him in football all you want, but do not lay a finger on him outside of it.”

“What the fuck?” he bites out, that darkness pulsing around him again. “Why not?”

“His dad is the director of the FBI,” I whisper, some of the frustration filling me up because of Kyler’s unfortunate presence here making its way into my voice.

“He plays golf with my dad on the weekends.” His face goes hard, and I suck in a quick breath, trying to get him to understand.

“It’s a pain, but Ollie and I know that it would make things awkward if we ever had a huge falling out, so it’s just easier to ignore him for the most part. ”

“So…what?” His eyes dart to the field, nostrils flaring, before they finally come back to mine. “You just let him harass you and don’t say shit so that your dad can keep his playdate?”

“No.” I narrow my eyes right back at him as that frustration flares. “I ignore him and understand that he’ll go away once he gets bored enough.”

“I didn’t.” His brows shoot down with the statement like it’s just another unwelcome realization, and he immediately argues. “Ophelia, you can’t expect me—”

“Let’s not be stupid here, okay?” I hiss out, slightly panicked that he really doesn’t seem to be getting this.

“His father is the director of the FBI , Hayes—you know, the people who still handle my kidnapping case?” An incredulous sound leaves me at the reality of it all.

“That is not a person you want to make an enemy of, and punching his son in the face would definitely do that. Even Ollie understands that.”

He stares at me for a long moment, hazel swirling with so many things that I can’t keep track of them before he breathes out tensely. “And what do you expect me to do, O?”

“I—”

“Just stand there like a good soldier and watch him fawn all over you?”

“I didn’t—”

“I don’t give a fuck who his father is.” He ducks his head close, and I tip mine back to keep him in sight. “If I see him touch you again, I’m going to lay him out flat, and you need to figure out what the fuck you’re doing here before that happens.”

I open my mouth, but he spins around before I can get a word out, heading straight across the field to where Ollie is staring at us curiously.

Ollie’s mouth opens like he’s about to say something before Hayes gives him a hard shake of his head and grabs a ball from the ground.

Ollie’s eyes find mine next with a reproachful look, like I’m the one in the wrong here or something.

I didn’t plan any of this.

In fact, this is every bit as inconvenient for me as them. More so even.

“He’s not wrong, though.” I startle at the sound of Lisette’s voice, head whipping around in time to catch the lift of her brows. “You do need to get that figured out this year. Add it to your to-do list or something.”

“I know, I know,” I grumble, not really sure whether she catches it and not caring enough to repeat it before taking off at a jog again. “Now remind me of the other sycophant’s names.”

Knowing there’s nothing I can do to make it better for him right now and having to make my peace with starting on a plan for later.

“Aw,” she snarks back. “Look at you, already embracing the sisterhood.”

I snort. “Nice try.”

“Just you wait, Fitzroy.” Her laugh comes out just this side of a cackle again. “I’ve got big plans for you once we iron out those people skills.”