The College Bully (Love Came In #2)

Chapter 12

A/N: If anyone is actually reading this, please do vote or comment so I know you like it or don't xD I'd love to hear from y'all!

.......

"Man that was a great match. Can't belive you guys have this free entertainment and don't go for every one of them."

Cullen's words make me offer a smile, one that hides the strain I feel. I felt weird being back in the arena, surrounded by all these people. The three of us observe the chaos below, watching the opposing teams do fist bumps and exchange man hugs between each other. We watch as John looks up and scores the stands, eyes landing on Roxy with mischief. I can almost see her stiffen sitting beside Cullen, as he makes an obnoxious heart with his hands and blows her a loud kiss.

Roxanne curses as people turn around and stare at her. "God what a stupid oaf." She busies herself with picking up her things, ignoring John. Cullen and I laugh at her. She's absolutely adorable when she pretends to be mad at John when secretly drooling over him.

We slowly make our way through the stands and the crowd, with the Duke team celebrating their 12th season win, placing them in the top half of their 16-team district and on the way to the final four, the finales that result in the top 4 teams battling it out. I half-heartedly listen to Cullen and Roxy's conversation, looking around the massive home arena. My eyes fall on Reece, who fistbumps Christian and grins in a soft manner I didn't know he had, and turns to the bench, presumably to get water. His hair is damp with sweat as he raises his shirt to wipe his face, looking up and catching my eye.

I blink and look away, trying to erase the image of licking a sweaty, musky Reece, which I never thought I'd find appealing. I look back at him surreptitiously after a few seconds as we descend the stairs, trying not to flinch when I see his eyes trained in our direction. He stares at Cullen, shooting daggers at the oblivious man. Lost in watching him, I trip slightly, falling forwards. Cullen, who is in front of me, grabs my waist and rights me, asking me if I'm alright. I nod and smile, looking back at Reece. His jaw is clenched hard, eyes trained on Cullen's hand on my waist and proximity to him. Our eyes clash as he looks up with an intense look. I look away again and gulp nervously, not knowing what ticked him off this time. I don't see as Reece continuous to stare at me, leaning down to mutter something in John's ear.

We reach the bottom part of the stadium and almost reach the exit before Roxanne, standing in front of us two, gets pulled into the hallway leading to the locker rooms. She shrieks in surprise and slaps John on his shoulder as the man in question laughs at her.

"Hello Iris, Cullen." John nods at both of us with a wide grin. "Great match, wasn't it?"

"That was crazy. I haven't seen such an energetic team in ages, and the chemistry between you guys - It was amazing to watch. I think I'll call my friends for the next one." Cullen says enthusiastically.

"Friends?" I give him a confused look. "Since when?"

He narrows his eyes at me and shoves me playfully, making me grin.

The three of them carry out a conversation on college ball, with me contributing very little though knowing most of it because of Alex and dad. While they talk I feel the back of neck prickle, making me look up and around when I see Reece standing near the end of the short hallway, leaning against the wall and staring at me.

He crooks his finger in a come here sign after staring at me for a few seconds. Somehow, he looks extremely tempting doing that, his large body commanding the space around him like always. I grit my teeth and ignore him and my thoughts. My phone pings and I remove it from my front pocket, seeing a message from an unsaved number showing his name.