Holden Steele's Ruin [Completed]

Chapter 24

"They want to set you up with Archer, don't they?" Holden whispered, clenching his fists on either side of him as we watched the Robinson's car disappearing around a corner.

"No" I murmured, my eyes settling on my feet.

"Your a shitty lair" he said while sliding his fingers under my chin, tilting my head upwards before brushing his thumb against the corner of my mouth. He seemed distracted, his eyes looking past mine as his lips stretched into a thin line.

"It doesn't matter, they don't get to pick and choose who I want to be with. Besides, Archer isn't my type" I had no idea why I had an overbearing need to reassure him but the words were practically tumbling out of my mouth.

"What's your type then?" Holden questioned huskily while pressing a warm palm on the small of my back, pulling me flush against his firm chest.

"Mysterious and brooding" it was barely a whisper, my sense completely overpowered as I leaned further into him. I never got to kiss him though, blinding headlights paired with the annoying hocking of a horn successfully breaking us apart.

"We should probably head to the truck" Holden chuckled, pointing towards his car behind us.

"W- why were the Robinson's so..."

"Cold?" He supplied, helping me into the passenger seat before standing on either side of my parted legs "they weren't always like that...at one point they were decent people, however pretentious they were. They were actually the ones that paid for all the football camps Archer and I attended" he shook his head, fidgeting with my fingers.

"What happened?"

"I wasn't the charity case they could brag they were helping anymore, suddenly scouts were flying out to watch me — the kid who had nothing — play. I guess they felt threatened, like I was stealing their son's spotlight. I could never get myself to resent them though, they just wanted the best for their child" he scoffed, the moonlight reflecting on his fallen eyes "Besides coach was a part time trainer at the camp, he saw potential in me and trained me all through highschool, I couldn't be more grateful for him"

"I...I..." What was I even going to say to him? 'Sorry your friend's parents are such shitty people?'

"Don't sweat it, I've learnt to ignore them" he shrugged, kissing my cheek before circling the car to get to the driver's seat.

The ride back was silent with thick tension as I tried to wrap my head around why two adults would be so cruel to a fourteen year old boy. The constriction in my heart was still there even when we rolled up to the familiar brick building, my dorm.

"Your frowning" Holden stated from beside me as he shut the engine off.

"Sorry" I sighed

"You don't have to worry about me, let's just go inside" his words did nothing for me, I didn't even understand why the issue affected me so much when I had only recently met Holden.

Nodding albeit hesitantly, I clicked off my seat belt hopping out of the car.

I had decided to stay in seeing as I wasn't in the head space to attended any social gather. Much to my delight Holden had suggested to stay with me, but now standing in front of my open room I wished I had been the furthest place away from the dorms.

My head still hadn't wrapped around the disarray state my room was in, I guess I just didn't want to believe what I saw. Both my bed and Avery's had been flipped over, my dresser smashed with all my clothes lying strewn haphazardly on the floor.

That wasn't the worst part though, not even close. The wall beside my bed was littered with so many photos, some of me and Holden others of him walking around campus, his face crossed of with a red marker on each and every photo. The words 'I found you Anna' sprayed across the same wall. There was only one person that called me Anna and if I had it my way, I would never hear the name again.