Vendetta

Chapter Twenty: Team NYU, Player One

It's game night.

Rachel and I walk to the sidelines. I lug a tray of cola, while Rachel's hands are full of popcorn. She insisted we paint our cheeks in favor of our team, and so I have the violet and white letters of the NYU Violets splattered across mine.

I opted for shorts and a crop top, and a violet NYU cap. Rachel's more sensible, I think. Jonah's jacket hangs off her shoulders, and she looks enthusiastic.

Two days after the cafeteria fiasco, Jonah asked her to be his girlfriend. And she said yes. She confessed that she wasn't sure they loved each other, but she wanted to give her first relationship a try. So did Jonah.

Supposedly.

It was me who insisted about Rachel pursuing some healthy relationships, but just like Jared, I had a bad feeling about Jonah. The guy was good looking and all, but he wasn't the type of guy one would trust. I hated him from the moment I lay my eyes on him, but that isn't new – I hate all people I ever meet, I hate Jared, I hate Rachel, I hate Christian.

I hate people.

Full stop.

'Hey, Jonah!'

We push through the locker room, where our team is decked up and ready. Jonah spots us at the door, and he runs towards us, specifically towards Rachel, before lifting her up in a hug.

'Hey, babe.'

Jonah tips his head towards me, in acknowledgment. 'Hi, Coral.'

'Hey.' I lift up my tray. 'Cola?'

'Thanks.' Jonah grabs one with his left hand, his right firmly around Rachel's waist. 'You mind if we move to a corner there?'

'No prob,' I grin. Jonah's cool otherwise, though I found him a little grabby. 'Where's Christian?'

'He's back out there,' Jonah points to the back of the room. 'Are you two together?'

'Yeah. He's my boyfriend.'

Jonah gives me a look of disbelief. 'Wow. You must be good to snag him down.' His eyes rake over my body and I turn away from him, repulsed. I try to not let it show on my face. For someone who is apparently too good at faking emotions, I feel it hard.

I shrug, before waving him off and walking towards the other end, pushing through the other pounds of muscle. I repeat 'Cola! Cola!' like a street vendor, blatantly thinking how quickly my life changed, and my tray is three-fourths empty by the time I reach Christian.

'Hey.' I look around to see almost all of the team looking at us.

'Are you nervous?'

I want to smack myself. Christian doesn't look nervous, if at all, he looks confident. He is the star quarterback and the captain for a reason. He's a player, in the grounds and apparently in life.

If I was on the Hate List of Leigh and the Bitches&Co. before, now I am the enemy of the entire female population. Christian has been hanging out with me, his half-a-ton arm always on my shoulder, for almost over a week now, and I have been getting hate messages left and right. There hasn't been much verbal attack or physical harm, though –mostly because Christian had been shadowing me throughout the campus.

'No.' Christian chuckles, his eyes on the others too. 'Guys, I'll let you know when we are going to have PDA. Don't appear too eager.'

They all turn away.

'Aren't you a charmer?' I roll my eyes.

'You got what you wanted.' He grabs a cola, opens it. 'I completed your essay. We can turn it in on Monday.'