The Rising Star [Varsity Boys #1]

Chapter Nine

"What did you talk to Jaylen about?" Mona asked as soon as the game finished.

Ridgeview ended up winning. Thanks for my advice. Jaylen seemed to be more in sync like he was back in his mojo. Mona was waiting for my response. An explanation of what happened outside of those gym doors.

"I gave him a pep talk," I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. But it was. She could read me like the back of her hand. Whenever she had brought me other games, it didn't matter the sport, she knew I had observed everything. Taking in all of the possible information I could to determine the situation in front of me.

"It worked," She replied. We made our way down, getting ready to exit the place. There was an article I needed to read before I went to bed tonight. It was waiting for me on my study table.

However, I wasn't going to do any of that tonight. Jaylen was making his way over where we were. A few people patted his back as he jogged, congratulating him and whatnot. Mona and I stopped our movements, waiting for him to get to us.

"Wait for me, alright?" Jaylen said, his eyes straight on me.

"Uh... " Was my only response. He didn't even let me finish since he was already on his way back to his team, who was making their way to their locker room.

"How can a freshman like you catch the attention of the captain?" A voice said, moving Mona and mine's attention to shift to whoever had spoken. Olivia stood near us, her arms crossed in front of her chest. An envy look spread across her face.

"Did you already spread your legs out for him?" She let out a cynical laugh, "Jaylen changed his dynamic. Any desperate whores would suffice him."

Usually, this wouldn't affect me. Mostly because I never associated myself with anyone else other than Mona. This was part of the consequence. His little groupie was coming for blood. My blood to be exact. Only because he had given me more attention than anyone in the room.

"Then that should give you a chance that you've been yearning for the last three years," Mona spoke up. Her tone of voice icy and sending daggers right at her. Olivia still stood straight. Not letting the comment affect her.

"You know what I can't figure out?" Olivia inched closer to us, "What you could have that I don't."

My hands were clenched at my sides. If this was any other circumstances, I would've been able to keep cool down. Mona was always about her words. She said that it cut deeper than physical pain would.

Words would keep repeating in their minds. Taunting them, every second of the day. While physical wounds would be there for a brief moment then disappear in days. Words were a powerful tool to manipulate to get inside someone's head.

That was how you get under someone's skin. Let them stew in what you said. Let their own demons start speaking to them. Burying them deeper in the hole you just started to dig. Then, when they were at their worst, that was when you strike your final blow.

"Watch your next words to me, Olivia. What comes after will not be my fault," I taunted. I knew she wouldn't be the type to be scared of the threats I had dished out. She didn't know who I was.

But she was about to learn. I, Lilliana Roselli, do not make empty threats. With a smirk growing on her face, my assumptions were correct. She didn't think I had the balls to actually put work into my words.

"So, Lily, entertain me for a second. Was he a good fuck? Every woman who tried him said he was the best."

I wasn't sure what clicked inside me. But what she said was my trigger point. Christopher taught me a few moves to defend myself if anything happened to me. He wasn't always around to protect me. And I needed to learn to stand up for myself.

Olivia didn't see my right clenched fist coming up and swinging at her smug face. There was a gasp that left Mona's lips. Probably surprised that I actually swung at her. Not that she doubted I would. Moreso, this early in an argument.

A scream tore through Olivia as she pathetically tried to swing at me. But I immediately blocked it by grabbing her hand with one while the other was placed on her upper arm. I twisted in the wrong direction, agony seeping right through her.

"Would you like to repeat what you said to me?" I asked, pushing her down to her knees. Her eyes never met mine as it continued to stare down the gymnasium floors.

"You got so much to say earlier. What happened? Cat got your tongue?" I hissed before letting go of her harshly causing her to fall on her ass.

Before I had the chance to kneel down to her level, a hand was on my shoulder, pushing me away from the bitch I wanted to beat up so badly. I looked up to see Jaylen, no longer in his basketball uniform but rather his usual matching sweats and hoodie attire.

"What are you doing?" Was the question that left his lips. A confused expression spread throughout my face. Was her trying to defend her or something? Did he not hear all of the things she had said to me? How degraded I felt?

My hands shoved him off of me. Zane was at Olivia's side, helping her up. Her jaw was red from the impact. She was rubbing her assaulted arm, mumbling things I didn't care to understand. I cared more as to why him and his best friends were at her side.

Not that they had an obligation to take my side. No. That was far from it. But they never even bothered to find out what really happened that lead to the conclusion of her on her ass. Zane looked at me with amused. With that, I knew he understood. No words needed to be spoken between us as his eyes told it all.

"Tend to your bitch and leave me alone," I scoffed at him as I slowly retreated myself from this situation. Jaylen covered his thoughts and expressions well. Not a single to clue as to what he was thinking.

"Let's go," He said, grabbing me by my elbow. Not letting me say anything further, dragging me out of the gymnasium. I huffed but didn't try to get out of his grasp.

Not until we reached his car he let me go. He unlocked the trunk, placing his duffel bag inside it before shutting it. I stood quietly at the side of his car, watching his movements. Trying to depict whatever he was thinking was a hard thing to do when the man didn't give me much to go on from.

If he was angry that I had laid a hand on one of his precious little groupie, he should flatly say it. He had a reputation to upkeep. I knew that. This would incident would definitely travel throughout campus. Like anything that happened that involved him.

"What did she say to you?" He finally spoke up. He was near me, waiting for my response. A response that he was not getting from me. All I wanted was to get away from him as far as possible. Avoid him like the plague. If this was going to occur frequently, my hands would be filled with scars and bruised all the time.

"Lilliana, answer."

Jaylen was talking to me as if I was a child. I rolled my eyes at him. An action he hated, it seemed. His hands clenched at his sides when I did it. Good. Get mad. Feel the same anger I had when Olivia said those vile words about me.

"Don't got shit to say to you. Shouldn't you be tending to your groupie?" I asked, trying to get more emotions out of him. Throwing him a bait that I prayed he would latch on.

"I'm right where I'm supposed to be," He told me. My head cocked to the side, confused at what he said. Where he was supposed to be? What the fuck did that mean?

"Are you okay? Does your hand hurt?" He no longer seemed angry at me. He grabbed my right hand, inspecting the damage on it. There wasn't anything visible but the pain was definitely there.

I shook my head, "It's fine. Nothing I haven't done before."

"You surprise me every day, Lily."