Rival Lovers

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Lucas

I kicked the ball hard enough that it ricocheted off the goalpost with a metallic clang, flying past the net and rolling into the field beyond. "Shit," I muttered, jogging after it.

The field was empty, save for a couple of freshmen struggling with their drills on the other side. Normally, soccer practice was my favorite part of the day. It was the one place I could turn my brain off and let instinct take over. No teachers, no deadlines, no... other distractions.

Except today, I couldn't get my head in the game. My passes were sloppy, my aim was worse, and Coach had already ripped me a new one for zoning out during a team huddle.

"Reed, you're playing like a goddamn scarecrow out there!" he'd barked.

And he wasn't wrong.

It wasn't like I wanted to think about her. But the memory of last night—Zaara's laughter echoing in that cramped storage closet, the warmth of her shoulder brushing against mine—kept creeping in, uninvited.

"Focus," I told myself, setting the ball down and lining up a shot. "Just focus."

I pulled my leg back to kick, but a shrill whistle cut through the air before my foot connected.

"Break's over, Reed!" Coach called from across the field. "Get your head out of your ass and hustle!"

I groaned but jogged back to the center of the field, where my teammates were gathering for a scrimmage.

"You good, man?" Jake asked as I lined up beside him.

"Yeah," I lied, stretching my arms behind my head. "Just tired."

Jake didn't look convinced. "You've been off all week. Trouble in paradise?"

I shot him a glare. "What paradise?"

"Y'know," Jake said, smirking. "Your little library girlfriend."

I almost tripped over my own feet. "She's not my—"

"Oh, chill. I'm kidding," Jake interrupted, but his grin told me he wasn't. "Still, I gotta say, you two make an entertaining pair. Like a rom-com, but with more yelling."

Before I could come up with a scathing reply, Coach blew the whistle again. The game was on.

For the next twenty minutes, I managed to lose myself in the chaos of the scrimmage. I darted between defenders, intercepted passes, and even scored a goal. It felt good to move, to run, to do something without overthinking it.

But as the game wrapped up and we huddled for feedback, I caught myself glancing at the bleachers.

Empty.

Of course, she wasn't there. Why would she be?

I shook my head, frustrated with myself. Jake's stupid joke was getting under my skin.

By the time practice ended, the sun was starting to set, casting long shadows across the field. I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and started the walk back to my dorm. But today, my mind kept circling back to one thing—or rather, one person.

Zaara.

Working with her was... annoying. No, scratch that—infuriating. She was bossy, loud, and had this habit of talking to me like I was an idiot, which, for the record, I wasn't.

And yet, there was something about her that stuck in my head like a splinter.

It wasn't her laugh, though that definitely wasn't forgettable. And it wasn't the way she could go from teasing to dead serious in a split second, like flipping a switch.

Maybe it was just the sheer audacity of her. Like how she'd shoved her shoulder into mine yesterday when I'd blocked the bookshelf she was trying to reach. She didn't even hesitate, just bulldozed past me like I wasn't twice her size.

I didn't know anyone else like her, and that was... a problem. Because instead of hating her, I liked arguing with her.

Not that I'd admit that out loud, because how could I like her? I mean, she's a bitch. She's slept with practically all my friends, so, yeah. I slept with hers back.

It wasn't like I planned it. At least, not at first. But when Jake wouldn't shut up about meeting the "girl of his dreams" at a party, only for her to ghost him without so much as a text... and that girl turned out to be her? Let's just say I didn't exactly feel guilty when one of Zaara's besties decided I was her flavor of the month.

Was it petty? Yeah. But Zaara started it.

That's the thing with her—she always starts it. Whether it's a snarky comment, a shove to the shoulder, or a lingering stare that I swear she doesn't even realize she's doing... she knows how to get under my skin. It's like she's got a PhD in pissing me off.

And yet...

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a strange twist in my stomach.

It's not like I care who she hooks up with. We're not friends. We're not even close to friends. The whole Jake situation? That wasn't about me being jealous or anything. It was about loyalty. About defending my teammate. Right?

Yeah. Totally.

Still, as I reached my dorm and swiped my keycard, I couldn't help but think about how effortlessly she walks through life, leaving chaos in her wake. How she'll grin like she owns the world one second and roll her eyes at you the next, like you're the dumbest person alive.

And for some reason, I always rise to the bait.

I threw my bag on the floor and flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. This wasn't the first time she'd wormed her way into my head, and I doubted it'd be the last.

But I knew one thing for sure: whatever this was, this weird, frustrating, stupid thing between us—it couldn't mean anything.

Because Zaara? She wasn't the kind of girl I liked. Not even close.

And if I kept telling myself that, maybe someday I'd believe it

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Just a short chapter so you guys can see Lucas' thoughts on Zaara 😭 i'm thinking about making it dual pov so you can see more of what he thinks