Coach's Number One

Chapter Four

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Dedication: OnyAnonymous for the amazing cover! Thank you!

Recap:

"Well, thanks for the chat," I said breezily, grabbing my bag. I began walking from him. "See you around, Ashton."

"You definitely will, Connaway. I'll be here this afternoon, if you want to swing by."

"Maybe, if you're lucky." I called over my shoulder as I walked into the locker room.

As the door closed behind me, I lent on it.

He was definitely flirting with me.

And I was going to use this to my advantage.

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Byron Elite Private School is a lonely place.

Besides the classes I have with Harvey, I'm completely isolated the rest of the time. Everyone has their tight-knit groups and I don't fit into any.

Damn being a transfer.

At the end of our Society and Culture lesson, I've had enough. I stride towards a group that I would label the popular kids. Their style somehow made the hideous uniform look kind of cool.

I wonder if I would have made the cut if I had originally started at this school?

I probably should have felt intimidated walking up to the group. One, they're clearly the elite of the elite. Two, there's a chance that they will now target me. Three, they probably won't hold back in embarrassing me.

"Hayden," I address him coolly, coming to a halt.

The chatter stopped abruptly. Eyes swivel my way. A girl, flanking Hayden glares at me so hard I almost want to take a step back. I understand why Harvey is scared of them. They definitely are intimidating.

The girl has short blonde and bright, doe eyes would have been pretty if they weren't narrowed into slits. The scowl on her face made her look unattractive when she clearly isn't.

He doesn't answer, simply offers me an unreadable expression.

"Can I talk to you?"

The silence is deafening. The group flickers their eyes between us, waiting for his response. My heart rate begins to increase when he doesn't reply right away. Maybe this was a bad idea. Hayden cocks his head to the side and reclines, looking extremely relaxed.

"We have nothing to talk about," he says in a flat voice. 

"Really?" I ask, my voice icy. "I think we do."

"Nah," he shrugs and a few snickers can be heard amongst the group.

One thing about being dark-skinned is when I blush, you can hardly see it. I'm thankful for that right now. My nails biting into the skin of my palm makes me acutely wear of the anger bubbling inside me. He's showing off to his friends and now I'm really pissed off.

"Hayden," I warn in a low voice.

"Grace," he replies in the same tone.

Reaching out, I grip his tie and pull on it. Surprisingly, he stands and walks over to the other side of the classroom with me. The group he left stares after us in shock and curiosity.

I fold my arms defensively across my chest and stare up at Hayden, who is about a head taller than me.

"I'm going for a spot on the team."