Page 5 of Crusher

I hear a huff, but I still don’t look.

Apparently, the head cheerleader I fucked, who lost her role to Toya last month, her name was Roxy, and now she’s latched onto me. It hasn’t helped win my girl over because even now her eyes slide towards the girl, her brows furrowed, and I swallow hard.

“Hey Alex,” Linc says as they go to walk past us, and she gives him a blinding smile that has me clenching my jaw. He asks, “You got a minute?”

Her eyes slide my way, most likely still feeling them on her, and she nods before unlinking herself with Clark. I grit my teeth when Linc puts his arm over her shoulders.

Don’t hit him, don’t hit him…

Fuck I really want to fucking hit him.

I watch as he guides her inside with Clark and Belle following, and I try not to drag her back, to fucking beg her to give me a chance as my phone vibrates against my leg yet again.

Taking a deep breath so I don’t snap at my father, I grab my phone out of my jeans pocket.

“Yeah?” I answer with agitation as I watch my girl disappear with my friend.

Dad growls, “Where are you?”

I roll my eyes and remind him, “I’m at school, Dad, it’s finals, remember?” I hear him curse, and I huff, “Of course you forgot, just like you forgot about my game again last week.”

“Shit, son, don’t be like that. I just don’t want you fucking up,” he says softly, and my anger clouds over.

Years ago, he was a fun-loving dad, then I hit an age where he deemed fit to micromanage my fucking life. All because he fucked up his role and fucking Roxy and whoever else at school is the only fun I’ve ever fucking had, which says a lot, and the only reason why I’m on the football team is cause Mom got involved.

She told him he’d lose me, but unfortunately for Mom, he already has.

“And when pray tell have I given you any indication that I’d fuck it up to begin with? You’ve been pressuring me for fucking years, Dad, and I’ve had enough of it! It’s finals, you know, the time that will dictate whether I can take AP classes? So, I can go into the mechanical field like you wanted me to!”

Do I want to be a grease monkey? No, not really, that is more Bash’s calling because the fucker loves being under the hood, me, however, I would love to go into the medical field, maybe be a paramedic. Instead, I have this dumbass need to impress my stupid father.

“Yo, Killer, we’ve got to roll,” I hear shouted in the background just as the warning bell rings and Dad mutters, “Shit, look, I’m sorry I forgot, son, make sure you ace them, yeah, and when you get home go to my office and study the maps, and I mean it, straight home after school!”

That said, he hangs up, and I shake my head before storming inside the packed school, ignoring everyone around me as I shove my phone into my pocket trying my hardest not to smash it.

Sometimes I wonder why I should even fucking be a brother because right now, just like Splinter with Liam, he only cares about having a child to take his role. He doesn’t give a shit about his kid as long as they don’t fuck up their role.

***

“You seem pissed,” a sweet voice says from beside me, and I half smile, hearing her voice.

We’re in the fifth period, and unlike the other days where I’d try to get her attention, I’ve been in my head. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve sat next to her and shit, I’ve just struggled to concentrate since that call with my dad and the four messages reminding me that I’m to go straight home after school like I’m some child he still gets to boss around.

“My dad, he messed up once years ago, and he’s become a little controlling over the role I’m supposed to take on,” I admit quietly, and she hums as her eyes take me in, looking over my piercings.

“I’m sorry your dad is hard on you,” she whispers as the teacher plays the slides in front of us, which I couldn’t even fucking tell you what it’s about because this beautiful creature has my whole attention, something I know everyone has noticed these past two months.

“Thanks, freckles,” I murmur, and her cheeks heat a little bit.

She gently chews her bottom lip as she looks at her work, but I don’t take my eyes off her, her features striking.

She’s breathtaking, and over the past few months, I’ve also realized she’s top of our class, an almost guarantee for valedictorian next year. She’s even beating Miles, our tech guru, by a landslide already. She’s sweet, kind, and very fucking hard-headed, like someone hurt her and she’s closed off kind of hard-headed, but oh so fucking perfect.

She looks back at me, and as our eyes connect, she whispers, “Linc says you’ve never acted like this over a girl before,” and my heart thuds.

“I haven’t,” I admit.

Her eyes race between mine, “So if I accepted a date, you wouldn’t break up with me in a few months?” she confirms, and I smile softly at her.