Playing To Win || paused might be continued soon ||

chapter six

The weather had finally started to cool down, bringing a crispness to the air as fall settled over campus. I'd always liked this time of year—the way the leaves changed, the mornings felt fresher, and everything seemed to slow down just a little.

Not that I had much time to appreciate it between practices, classes, and everything else on my plate.

I zipped up my jacket as I walked down the path toward the quad, hoping to get a few minutes of peace before I had to meet up with everyone again. It wasn't that I didn't like hanging out with them—I did, more than I'd ever admit—but sometimes I needed a breather.

The chaos that followed us around was like a never-ending hurricane, and even I couldn't keep up all the time.

As I reached the quad, I found a quiet spot near one of the benches and sat down, letting my mind wander.

A few students were scattered around, chatting or studying, but for the most part, it was quiet. The kind of quiet I didn't get nearly enough of.

Of course, that quiet didn't last.

"Valenti! I knew I'd find you out here, hiding from the world."

I sighed, not even needing to look up to know who it was. Landon Kingston, master of interrupting my peace.

I glanced up as he strolled over, his usual grin in place. "I'm not hiding. I'm just trying to avoid certain people."

He chuckled, sitting down on the bench next to me without asking. "And yet, you still ended up here with me."

"Lucky me," I muttered, pulling my jacket tighter against the breeze.

Landon leaned back, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky. "You know, for someone who's always surrounded by people, you seem to like being alone a lot."

"Maybe that's because the people I'm surrounded by are exhausting," I shot back.

He smirked, not even fazed. "Touché. So, what's your excuse today? Avoiding practice? Avoiding your friends?"

I shrugged. "Just needed some air. Not that it's any of your business."

"Everything's my business, Valenti. You should know that by now."

I didn't respond, choosing to let the silence settle between us instead. I wasn't in the mood to spar with him today, not when I was already feeling the weight of everything hanging over me. Practice had been rough, and with a competition coming up, I could feel the pressure building, inching its way into every part of my life.

"Seriously, though," Landon said after a few moments, his voice a little quieter than usual. "You good?"

I looked at him, surprised. It wasn't like him to ask that kind of question, at least not without some snark behind it. But his expression was neutral, maybe even a little concerned, and for a second, I wondered if he was actually being genuine.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, dodging the question.

He shrugged, glancing over at me. "You just seem... I don't know. Off."

I scoffed. "I'm fine. Just tired."

He didn't push it, but I could tell he wasn't entirely convinced. Not that I cared. The last thing I needed was for Landon Kingston of all people to start acting like he cared about how I was feeling.

Before the conversation could go any further, I heard footsteps behind us, and soon enough, the rest of the group appeared, chatting and laughing as they made their way across the quad.

"There you are!" Ava called out, spotting us. "We've been looking for you."

"I wasn't hiding," I said, standing up and stretching. "Just taking a breather."

Sienna caught up to us, shaking her head with a grin. "You can't escape us, Emery. We're like a bad penny."

"More like an annoying penny," I muttered, but there was no real bite behind it.

Jaxon, Logan, and Ethan joined us a second later, clearly in good spirits after whatever they'd been up to. Jaxon immediately plopped down on the bench Landon had vacated, kicking his legs up in front of him like he owned the place.

"So," Jaxon began, waggling his eyebrows, "what's the plan for the rest of the day? We can't just sit around here, right?"

"We could," Sienna said, folding her arms. "Or we could go do something that doesn't involve sitting."

Logan perked up. "We could check out the new arcade that just opened downtown. They've got air hockey, old-school games... should be fun."

"I'm down," Ethan said immediately, always the first to agree to anything that involved a little competition.

Ava glanced at me. "What do you think, Em? You in?"

I hesitated, not really in the mood to spend the rest of the day at some arcade. But it wasn't like I had anything else to do, and if I said no, they'd just keep asking until I gave in. Plus, it beat sitting here brooding about my latest practice disaster.

"Sure," I said with a shrug. "Why not?"

"Arcade it is!" Jaxon declared, jumping up from the bench. "Prepare to lose, everyone."

Logan snorted. "We'll see about that."

The group started moving, everyone chatting and laughing as we made our way off campus. I hung back a little, letting the others walk ahead as Landon fell into step beside me. He didn't say anything at first, just walked with that annoyingly easy stride of his, like he had all the time in the world.

"You gonna beat everyone at air hockey?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Obviously," I said without missing a beat. "Someone's got to keep you guys humble."

He grinned. "Good luck with that. You're going up against some serious competition."

I glanced at him, smirking. "Oh, please. You're all talk, Kingston. I'll wipe the floor with you."

He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "We'll see."

As we walked, the wind picked up a little, sending leaves skittering across the path in front of us. For a brief moment, I let myself enjoy the cool air and the casual conversation, pushing away the stress that had been gnawing at me all day.

Maybe a distraction wasn't the worst thing right now. And if it involved beating Landon at air hockey, all the better.