Rules Of The Game: Book 1

11; Tug-of-War

𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟷𝚝𝚑, 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚢
Parker's POV

The lunch tray slips from my hands and clatters on the table as I sit down. I exhale a long sigh and rub my eyes. My finger catches on a spot of dried sleep under my eyelash, and I scowl as I pick it off.

Griffin watches my actions as he slowly chews on potato chips. "Dude," he says around a full mouth, "did you just roll out of a grave?"

I scoff and peel the sticker off my pear, although he isn't that far off. I'll be honest. I've slept awfully the past two nights. My world has been turned upside-down within the past 48 hours.

Greysons' assistant coach keeps emailing me about winter football camps and conferences that I meet the criteria for. I know he will expect answers soon, but I don't have one to give him. Hannah messaged me on Instagram yesterday morning with a quick, I had fun talking with you last night :). Videos are circulating of Miles and Luke's street race, of which I'm tagged in a few because people saw me get in Miles car.

The worst thing that happened was Miles and I's little rendezvous.

I can't get the kid out of my head. I knew I should've kept space between us in the first place, but... I have no excuses.

If anything, I can't think of any reasons to hate him anymore. All I can think of is the water sliding down his dark skin, accenting every muscle in his body. His hair dripping over his face, and his deep brown eyes. The way he checked on me, even though I was the idiot who put myself in that situation. His scar inflicted by his own blood. His own father.

"Should we take that as a yes?" Rose pipes up from across the table.

Blinking, I look up from where I was absentmindedly rolling the pear around in my hands. "I'm sorry, no, I didn't. If I found myself in a grave, I'd stay there."

"Alright then. You need a therapist," Griffin says, shaking the crumbs out of the potato chip bag directly into his mouth.

"Isn't your mom a therapist?" Forrest adds as he walks over, giving Rose her daily kiss on the head before sitting down.

Griffin shoots Forrest a sharp look that could either be taken seriously or as a joke. "Your input doesn't have any weight at this table. Find someone who cares, Woods."

"Hey! I care!" Rose scowls and flicks a grape at her brother. He retaliates by flicking her off.

I shake my head at their banter and bite into my pear.

Atlas walks over with a smirk and sticks his hand out. I give him a high five as he walks past and sits down on the other side of Griffin. "You guys are arguing already? Can we please have one normal lunch?"

Griffin, Rose, and I speak in unison. "No."

"Wow. That was scary," Hannah says as she approaches the table and sits by Rose. I'm glad to see that she's actually wearing clothes today.

"It must be a weird family-tie thing," Rose replies and grins, waving her fingers at Ali as she takes her usual spot next to Hannah.

Atlas rolls his eyes and looks over his shoulder to search for Kendric, who's usually here by now. His face suddenly lights up. "Kendric! Miles! Get your asses over here!"