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49. Sixth Sense

I make it to the gym without a boner, surprisingly. The thought of anything regarding Paige made my blood sing, I'd been deprived far too long.

In the locker room, I flipped through the clothes in my locker, telling myself that I needed to bring them home and wash them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hear somebody growl from the other side of the line of lockers.

Before I even realize it, my jaw aches and I'm crouched over, Ryan Strickland is standing above me.

"You think you are better than me Collins?" He shouts. I wiggle my jaw and rub it with my hands before standing up.

"What are you talking about?" It hurts to talk, I think he broke my jaw.

"Paige! You think you can just steal my girl?" Ryan grabs the collar of my shirt and spins me around into the wall behind him, my shoulder stings at the hit.

He punches me again, right square in the space where he hit me before. And then he's being dragged off of me by the coach, who looks livid and panicked.

Minutes later, we are both seated in the chairs in Ms. Keaton's office, me with a Ziploc bag if ice on my jaw and Ryan cross-armed beside me.

There's commotion in the lounge and I smile, knowing exactly who it is.

"You asshole!" Paige shouts as she busts through the door.

The deputy in the corner of the room lunges forward and grasps Paige shoulders as she glares at Ryan.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Paige tries to break free from the deputy's grasp and then he wraps an arm around her waist to hold her back.

I feel smug as I glance at Ryan, he looks almost scared. Paige frightens him. Honestly, she frightens me too. Paige has pushed the deputy's arms from around her and is crouched down beside my seat.

"Are you alright?" She places a cool hand on my forearm.

Ms. Keaton came in the room before I answered, her gaze hard and disapproving. She looks at Ryan as she sits down.

"What was that stunt all about, Mr. Strickland?" She folds her hands over on the desk and I stare down at it.

My mother had me in here not too long ago, those deputies had been fired soon after. Paige looks as livid now as she did then, her blue eyes fixed on Ryan.

"Collins provoked me," he leans back in the chair and gives me a sideways glance.

Ms. Keaton looks to me, confused. Before I deny it, Paige scoffs lousy, standing back up.

"Do you have something to say Miss Moore?" Ms. Keaton's harsh brown eyes narrow at Paige and I almost feel relieved that they aren't fixated on me anymore.

"Ryan and I broke up over a year ago," she backs up and places her palm against the wall beside the door, facing away from the three of us, "and he's convinced that I'm going to go run back to him."

Her voice is resigned and breathy, like she is having a hard time saying this out loud. How come I didn't know?

"Collins threatened me. He said that if I ever go near Paige-" Ryan starts to whine, his story is crumbling.

"Shut up, Ryan. I threatened you, it was me, Ms. Keaton." Paige turns back around, her eyes wild and bouncing from Ms. Keaton and Ryan- avoiding me.

"What do you mean?" Ms. Keaton has leaned forward in her chair, completely enraptured in the teen drama.

"Can't we just leave it at 'I threatened him' and be done with it?" Paige sighs, her eyes finally meeting my frantic ones. She shuts them before I even realize it.