Firestorm | ✎

10. showdown

     Will bloody Hampton.

     The first thought in Elias's head when he saw him with Isla and her friends. What the hell was she doing with that bastard? He was the most manipulative, condescending, egotistical arse that he knew of. And sure, maybe the same accusations had been made about him, but it was nowhere close to that dirty blond-haired trickster.

     Too bad nobody fucking agreed with him.

     Not even his own best lads.

    "I didn't know Isla was friends with Will!" Charles quipped, holding his lacrosse stick up his front.

    "They're in the same year, Charles," Nolan answered leisurely from the edge of the bleachers. "They probably share a few classes!"

    "Must be pretty cool!" Pause. "Didn't we buy weed from him once?"

    "Once," Elias cut in, throwing the ball at Charles's direction, "and never again."

     At this, Charles and Nolan gave each other the exasperated, here-he-goes-again look. They knew Elias hated him but they never bothered to take his word seriously. That was what happened when the person in question was well-liked, easy on the eyes and very much contributed to the community of repressed teenagers.

     But Elias's gut told him differently.

    "Hey, boys!" Blair's voice floated from the other side of the field.

     Blair Bradshaw and Sofia Kapoor had a way of charming everyone—boys and girls—into their attention, walking across the field with a hypnotic air to them. But the lads had grown immune a long time ago. His friends almost shot to their feet, with Nolan overzealously shoving his things back in his bag and Charles attempting to race out of there. Elias easily caught the back of his shirt and gave an oof! as he slipped, no match against Elias's stock frame.

    "How long are you going to fake date her?" Charles groaned. "I didn't even pretend this hard to be straight—"

    "Ssshh!"

    "You didn't answer my text," Blair pouted, stopping in front of them and flanked by Sofia. She ran a seductive hand over his bicep. 

     He shifted uncomfortably.

     It was a recurring problem that Blair took advantage of their faux relationship by making it less and less faux than planned. When the spotlight was on them, he'd endure her persistent touching and public displays of affection, even as reciprocating them back; but when the curtains were down, that was end scene. He dropped his act. She didn't.

     It was a variable that Elias hadn't anticipated. Or perhaps he did and was just blind enough to ignore it, his priority having been fixated in Isla Kingsley's demise and only that.

    "We were busy practising and I left my phone off," Elias gave a tight smile, swatting her hand off by pretending there was dust. "Right?"

     Charles realised he was talking to him. "Right, practising... for the, uh—" He clicked his fingers. "The big game."

     Hallelujah. "Exactly."

     The girls didn't seem convinced. "Well," Sofia chirped in, "maybe we can be your own personal cheerleaders—"

    "They got me, remember?" Nolan appeared out of nowhere, having walked from the bleachers and deciding not to leave his two best mates alone after all. Nolan Parrish, always there to save the day. He mimicked a few hand gestures and went:"Gooo, Belfort Beasts!"