A Hater's Gamble (BxB)

TWENTY-NINE

       "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right."
               
                                   G R A C E
                                   
All day I was attacked by my thoughts. 

If it wasn't Miles through the phone the other day, then who could it have been? That voice...it was chilling. The man sounded like he knew me, such patience in his tone. Never would I tell Miles, or Diego, Hector either.

I would take this suspicion to my grave.

                                   M I L E S

It was Wednesday, and I was still without a phone. How crippling it was to be without that dingy little thing. Yesterday, the dealer at the Golden Arrow swore he never saw it, and I didn't have the skill to determine if he was speaking the truth.

It wouldn't matter anyways—considering that even if someone at the club did have it, they'd never give it back. I knew this because it's what I would do.

"You're going," Maddie snapped with finality.

I threw my straw wrapper at her face. It bounced off her nose. "Nope," I said, crossing my arms.

Maddie slowly looked around at the people dining in at Mina's Cafe. I'm sure she contemplated taking the nearby butterknife to my throat.

Too many witnesses.

"It's fucking school spirit, Miles," she growled through her teeth. Her dark eyes danced with danger. "I'm student council Vice President and I'm forcing you to come."

"Come to what, exactly?," I scoffed. "To watch Liam play a sport he's played a thousand times? To watch another Ridgeview versus Eagles fight? Not inter—."

Before I could finish, there were wobbling tears in my sister's eyes. She wiped at them as her chin quivered.

"Maddie?," I whispered, sitting up straighter.

"It's my senior year, Miles," she sniffled. "I'm not going to be here with you next year. If you don't come to one of the biggest games of the year...my year won't be perfect. And I need it to be perfect!"

An elderly couple seated near us casted weary glances at Maddie's screech. My sister smiled at them, and waved. They returned to their conversation, grumbling something about 'young folks'.

I began carefully, "Are you sure that is all this is about?"

She looked down at her bowl of soup and frowned slightly. A look of longing flashed in her eyes but she quickly replaced it with an expression of determination.

"I'm sure. So," she said, before scooping some soup in her mouth, "will you come?"

I wished I wasn't so easily persuaded.

                              ••••••••••••••••••••••

                                    D I E G O

"On that field, what's the one thing I don't want?," Liam boomed in the locker room. I could already hear the buzz of supporters in the stands.

My teammates looked at each other with question in their eyes, and fear. Fear they were going to say the wrong thing to Liam Coleman, their captain. 

"A loss, captain," I said.

"Thank you, Diego: for stating the fucking obvious," he shot back, leaning against the lockers.