Twinkling in the Dark | ✔︎

Chapter 12

"I fricken hate you!" I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest with a teasing smile to let him know I was just kidding.

"Sweetheart, if you actually did you wouldn't agree to be my girlfriend," Tommy said and bared his perfectly white teeth.

We were on our way to the track meet which was taking place at our school, and Tommy insisted on walking with me.

I smiled back at him before making our way through the crowd. It was the first meet of the season, so naturally, everybody was here, even the other team's school.

"I hate crowds," I whispered to myself as I looked at the opposing team greeting their guests. I didn't take the time to find out which school we were racing against so it was still a mystery to me.

"Ah, Rory and Tommy!" I heard Cooper's voice boom to the side, and we turned to face him.

"Hey, man," Tommy waved before doing that universal guy handshake that somehow they all knew.

"Coach is having a word with the team," Cooper nodded in the direction of the field where I assumed the team was with Coach. "He wanted the entire team," he added before we took off to the group.

"First meet of the season, guys!" Coach shouted, scanning over the team. "We gotta start out good. Get it, got it, good?"

I looked around the team to make sure nobody was missing. Brett , Joey, Cooper, Tommy, and Xander were here, as I expected. I smiled to myself, knowing Mckenna wasn't going to bother to show up. But bad things happen to good people, and I turned around to be met with her cake face.

"Hello, Aurora," she snarled, looking me up and down. I scoffed and rolled my eyes before turning around to rejoin the team discussion.

"And if you guys didn't know, we're against the Eagles," Coach announced.

"The Eagles?" Xander asked with widened eyes. "As in Eastview Eagles?"

"Yeah..." Coach nodded slowly. "What's wrong with them? You scared, son?"

"Of course I'm not scared, Coach," Xander rolled his eyes and scoffed. "It's just that I, um, used to go to Eastview and know some guys on the team," he said and averted his eyes to the field.

"Well, we're starting soon, so hurry up. Drink water, stretch, do whatever you guys need."

The team dispersed, and I headed over to Xander who was practically radiating anxiety.

"Hey, what was that about?" I asked, scrunching my nose in concern and looking up at him.

"It was nothing," he said with a shake of his head. "I mean, it was something, but it's nothing you need to worry about."

I opened my mouth to respond, but I was cut off by a brief kiss planted on my cheek.

"Hi, babe," Tommy said and boyishly grinned.

"Uh, hi," I breathed out and returned the smile.

"Babe?" Xander repeated, his eyebrows raised causing his forehead to crease.

"Yeah. It's been official since yesterday," Tommy nodded.

"Oh, um, nice, man," he responded uncomfortably after he inhaled. He rubbed his neck, looking between Tommy and I with a crease settling between his eyebrows, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

A moment of silence stretched between the three of us, none of us knowing what to say, but a nasally voice interrupted the stiff silence.

"Hi, Xander," Mckenna's looked up at him under her lashes, in what I think was an attempt to be seducing. She latched her claws onto his arm like her life depended on it.