The Players' Game

Part 11 || Coming Out ||

Who reads author's notes anymore right?

I wanted to upload when we reach 1K but I was so excited I wrote 3 more chapters and I can't wait for you guys to find out more~~

Song : The Truth - James Arthur

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A lot of things happened at once. The stranger bounced back on his feet in an instant, eyes narrowing in fury before he lunged at Valerio. He stumbled, allowing Valerio to step away and driving his knee into the stranger's stomach.

Even though Valerio told me to run, my legs refused to move. No matter how many times I've willed my mind to forget, my body would not. PTSD devoured every bit of control I had over my body and soon I found my legs going weak.

The stranger had a switchblade in his hand now, hidden behind his back as he coolly approached Valerio and suddenly everything was in slow motion. Valerio tensed, poising his body to defend from another attack—

Damien came from nowhere, a gun in his hand grasped calmly as if the situation was an everyday occurrence.

The click of the safety being released could be heard and then the stranger slacked, his knife falling from his hands that were now held in front of him in surrender. "I'm sorry..." he breathed, eyeing Valerio. "I overreacted."

"You think?" Valerio growled in a way that sent a tiny part of me in hiding. Angry Valerio was scary.

Stranger sighed, "Just—tell me why?"

Valerio pursed his lips and before I knew it, his arm was around my waist, pulling me closer to his body. "I have a girlfriend now. So please, just leave me alone."

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My leg bounced up and down restlessly, my finger tapping to the sound of the ticking clock. After the stranger left, I was dragged into an upstairs room, something like a private library and I immediately assumed it was someone's office. Valerio and Damien were outside the door, arguing in hushed whispers too low for me to hear.

Finally, after almost two hours of being an anxious wreck, the door opened with solemn faced Valerio. For a moment I almost felt sorry for him, my heart sympathising with the sight of a fellow broken person with his own demons but I was curious. I obsessed over mystery and thriller novels, it was what helped me build a stronger version of myself after Chase.

Valentine's academy was a dark place but here stands a beautiful man who was begging to be unravelled. I put up a glare, my chin high and charisma exuding from my pores, giving him the same look that did everything but audibly hiss.

"So," I began, my voice sharper than I intended. "Since when did I agree to be your girlfriend? Last time I checked, I despised the Phoenix line as a whole."

"April, I'm sorry... I kind of lost my shit a little when he appeared."

"And? That doesn't justify the fact that you can drag me into your own bag of drama, Val! Did you not see him? He looked like he belonged behind bars. Putting the fact that I am your 'girlfriend' will endanger me more than it would you. In case you didn't notice, this town is pretty small. Who knows what that man and his little friends are plotting? Do have any idea what this would do to my image as queen? I thought you were smarter than that but I guess I misjudged you."

His jaw ticked. "Look, I get it, I screwed up. I get that I probably could've handled the situation better—"

"You think?"