Never Let Me Go » Liam Dunbar

the one with the weight lifting

Sophie was sitting on the bleachers beside the lacrosse field outside of Beacon Hills High, wearing a pair of dark jeans, her favourite Steve Maddens with the purple zippers, and a thin pale pink sweater that was a little too cool for the time of year, when it was still chilly and damp, but the sun was just popping over the edge of the clouds.

She watched as her friends tore up the field, Stiles still struggling to stay upright, Kira accidentally doing the right thing, and Scott finally proving himself as the best captain BHHS had ever seen. One that happened to be a teen werewolf. She bit her lip as she attempted to tear her eyes away from Liam. It wasn't just because he looked insanely good in those shorts, or that she knew he was winking every time he chanced a glance up at her. It was because she knew finally what she had to do, how to take control of her feelings and all that other female empowerment BS her mother had always preached.

Liam reached up to pull off his helmet as he grabbed a water bottle during a short break, looking around to see Sophie tugging on a strand of hair deep in thought. He raised a hand to grab her attention when suddenly he noticed the enormous boney monster standing just to the left of the bleachers, mere feet away from the girl who was completely oblivious. "Sophie, look out!" Liam screamed, his voice cracking in fear.

His shouts gained the attention of the entire team, who looked urgently from Liam to Sophie, who jumped instinctively and looked around behind her, to where the monster had just stood and now where- strangely enough, Brett stood. She dropped her hand and looked back at Liam, shooting him a glare before she grabbed her bag and began to stomp down the bleachers. He glanced around at his teammates around him, all of whom had fallen silent and were watching somberly. Scott and Stiles stepped around the guys towards Liam, but he just shook his head curtly and started towards where Sophie was talking quietly to the boy.

"What are you doing here?" Liam asked, his tone low but his voice loud, strong.

"Not your problem, Dunbar." Brett shot back in exasperation, giving Sophie a pointed look. She refused to look back at Liam's hurt expression, instead ducking her head and tightening her arms around her waist insecurely.

Liam let out a sigh of frustration, but when he spoke there was a bit of panic in his voice. "You're not seriously-" He started in a mild shout, but then stopped himself, looking back at the team as they listened intently, before lowering his voice, "you're not seriously going with him, are you?" Liam asked.

Sophie pursed her lips and then looked up at him, trying to keep her voice steady. Confrontation was not what she'd wanted or expected today, she'd merely hoped to get the message across passively. But Liam was an IED, an angry and aggressive player on and off the field. "Yeah. We're- I'm going with him." She nodded, her eyes going dry as she watched Liam's face drop minimally.

Liam curled his hands tightly into fists before shooting Brett a harsh looking and stepping back a few feet, waiting for Sophie to follow. Brett rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and wandering a few feet in the opposite direction as Sophie hesitantly followed Liam. "You know what an asshole he is, why would you of all people be hanging around with him?" He asked sharply, and Sophie winced outwardly at his voice. "How could you?"

"How could I?" Sophie snapped, dropping her arms to her sides in exasperation. "Quit ragging on me, Liam!" Her words cut like claws, deep into his chest like a physical pain. She'd never seemed to angry, annoyed, or on edge like this before, not with him. "Can't you just leave me alone, and stop trying to control me?"

Coach cleared his throat behind them, trying to gain the team's attention. "Alright losers, practice is dismissed for today. No sex." He called out, waving his clipboard around at the players. "Dunbar, Martin, break it up over there."

"Control you?" Liam shouted back, disregarding everything Coach had just said.

"You always act like I can't protect myself, Liam. But you never give me the benefit of the doubt. You're keeping me from my sister, from my friends, from the people I need to protect." She breathed angrily. "You're a newbie, a beta. You can't control yourself, and so you're trying to pretend you can control me. Please, just let me go."

"You want me to let you go with him?" Liam asked in disbelief, nodding in Brett's direction and earning a sarcastic wave. "What has he ever done for you? All I've done is try to protect you and you're choosing him?"

Sophie sighed, looking over Liam's shoulder at where the team was still standing, watching, muttering. All forming assumptions and rumors about the blowup fight Sophie Martin and Liam Dunbar had during lacrosse practice, how she'd driven off with the captain of the Devenford lacrosse team. She looked at Scott and Stiles, worried expressions on their brotherly faces as they looked on, listening intently.

"Yeah, I'm choosing him. He helped my friends, he saved them. You got scared and you ditched them. They could have died, Liam. And you didn't help. So yeah, I'm choosing Brett." She answered in a low but firm voice. And then she turned, walking to meet Brett as they hurried to his car, talking lowly to each other.

Liam threw his helmet to the ground with a crack, a loud growling shout emitting from his lips as he turned and grabbed his bag. He threw it over his shoulder and started towards the school, to the weight room where he found Mason waiting for him.

"Finally, man! I've been waiting for almost fifteen minutes." Mason complained, following Liam into the weights room and sitting on one of the empty machines. He frowned as Liam dropped his bag on the floor and began loading weights onto the bench press, nearly 300 pounds. "Why do you look like you just got hit by a bus?"

Liam ignored him, lying down and starting to lift the weights and for once, actually struggling. "That's a lot of weight."

"I've got to get ready for the game tomorrow." He replied flatly.

"Do you need a spot?" Mason offered, motioning to get up.

"No, do you?" He asked rudely, shooting a look at the tens that Mason was curling.

"This is my warm up." Mason raised his hands defensively before sitting back down and eyeing his best friend in worry. He wondered where Sophie was, why she hadn't come, but then worried that maybe asking wasn't going to be the smartest decision.

Liam layed back, preparing to lift the bar, but freezing when he saw Mason begin in his direction. "What are you doing?"

"Spotting you." Mason replied flatly, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

"Well I said I don't need one." Liam snapped, sitting up and glaring at Mason. "Do I look like I need help?"

Mason threw his head back in annoyance, shooting Liam a look. "Yeah, man. You really do."

Sorry it's been so long! I don't think I need to remind you all how much school blows.