Our Invisible String (Complete Version)

8 (Travis Version)

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This chapter was written by shiningjustforyou13

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I didn't reply to Taylor's email, wanting to leave her hanging for a while since I knew it would really make her sweat. Even though she insisted there was no us, nothing at all, I knew she wouldn't have replied if she didn't feel something towards this. If she really didn't care, she would have deleted my email and never replied.

Throughout the day, I had to stop myself from replying to her email. I read it over and over again, smiling to myself, finding humour in her snappy remarks, her little French word speckled in there like she was trying to prove she knew more than me. All I wanted to do was known her more, better, deeper, but I was pretty sure all I was going to get was snippy Miss Swift who left glitter gel pen notes and snarky email. But hey, I'd take what I could get. Who knows, maybe we'd be like one of those silly little Wattpad books I'd seen the high school girls giggling over; he fell first, she fell harder.

"Keep it up!" I called across the field to the boys, who were throwing to each other, starting off our first practice with the basics so that I could get a feel for how each of them played, make sure they were in the right positions. James – who had made it in time from band auditions to try out and had been a stunner – was throwing with Kobe, and I watched them for a moment. Kobe was skilled, from the team last year, and he seemed to be giving James tips.

"No, I swear, Jason told me." One of the other boys – Harrison – was saying as he threw back and forth with Ryan nearby. "Apparently, she looked pretty flustered and her top was half open. I'm telling you; she was getting freaky with someone through video call or something."

"No way." Ryan laughed. "Miss Swift is like...innocent you know?"

"Well, I reckon that's exactly what she was doing." Harrison wasn't deterred, and I couldn't help but pause, pretending to reply to a text as I listened in. "Why else would you have your top undone with the door closed? She was totally getting in on with some guy, phone sex." He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Can't blame whoever he is. Miss Swift could take me out for a ride anytime."

"She's a teacher." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"She's only like two or three years older than us remember?"

"Boys!" I snapped; my will so thin that his comment had shredded it. Their heads snapped up and their eyes widened to see me standing there, listening to them. Everyone looked over at my exclamation, pausing what they were doing. "It is highly inappropriate to speak about a teacher like that." I got a mumbled 'sorry coach' as the boys looked down, embarrassed. "Laps, now." I circled my finger in the air.

"Coach!" Harrison complained. "Everyone's talking about it, it's not just us."

"Well then." I raised my voice. "Ten laps, everyone, now."

All of the boys groaned, glaring at Harrison, who shrank back a little. They put the balls back into the bag and started to run when I didn't back down, and I folded my arms as I watched them. I tried not to think about what I'd overheard, but God, the image of Taylor shirtless, panting into a screen to someone on the other side filled my mind. I couldn't help but let my mind wander, imagine what she might look like shirtless, what her tits would look like as she ran her fingers over them.

Fuck.

I blinked, forcing myself out of my own head, trying to banish the filthy image from my mind. That was not an okay thing to be thinking about, not now, not ever. I could entertain this little crush as far as it went with our little rivalry, but thinking about Taylor any kinds of naked would only make it worse. She'd made it perfectly clear how she felt, and even though I was pretty sure she was masking feelings, if I thought about touching her that way my attraction would spiral out of control.

As the boys ran laps, I took out my phone and logged onto my teacher email, tapping on the email I'd read about fifteen times today. Yeah, it had been long enough. I could reply now.

Scanning her words one more time, I clicked reply.

Miss Swift,
Feel free to tell yourself my intelligence is that of far below yours if it makes you feel better, sticks and stones.
And I think you can drop the comments on my manners coming from someone who's gone out of their way to keep themselves on my mind the way you have. The only reason I went to your class was to do one of my boys a favour, the only reason I heard that phone call was because my car was parked next to yours, and don't flatter yourself. Maybe you think I'm staring at you because you WANT me to be staring at you. Think about that.
Don't think about me too much though, your boyfriend might not like it. And speaking of your boyfriend, maybe keep your relations with him off campus, you're the prime gossip right now Miss Swift.
Unsincerly,
Coach Kelce

Smiling to myself, I sent the email and put my phone away so I didn't start to obsessively check for a reply. Even if Taylor saw my email right away, I knew she would wait to reply just like I had with hers. She was playing the game just as I was, and I didn't know which of us had the upper hand. Maybe neither of us did.

My phone pinged just as I got into my car after practice, and I closed the door, sitting back before taking it out and glancing at the screen. Oh, so she had replied almost immediately. What was she playing at? Curious, I opened the email.

Kelce,
That only tells me that I'm on your mind, so who's obsessing over who huh? And don't YOU flatter yourself, I certainly don't want you staring at me. I find your ogling rather annoying and no better than the egotistical football captain you used to be. In fact, it seems you've stayed as that same little boy who used to pick on me just to get a good laugh from his friends.
And if implying I had a boyfriend is your way of prying into my relationship status, I'm very happy to inform you that it's none of your damn business. However, I would appreciate it if you got your fact correct, so no, I don't have a boyfriend. I'm not dating now and I won't be dating in the future either. So, I don't know what you mean by relations and gossip.
Sorry to dash your dreams coach,
Miss Swift

What a woman she was. I couldn't help but laugh to myself, smirking at my phone. She was biting back and she was biting back hard. Unable to help myself, I replied.

Miss Swift,
Hitting me where it hurts, I like it. You sure have grown a backbone since the last time we saw each other all those years ago. What happened to the little girl who ducked her head into a notebook and wrote romantic songs about the kind of ditzy love that doesn't exist in real life? Maybe you think I haven't grown up, but I don't think you have either. You act tough, but you're still holding out for that notebook love. Sorry to burst your bubble princess.
And don't act like you don't know. Students all over the place are talking about how Miss Swift was topless and getting it on with some old fashioned phone sex in her office today. Don't get me wrong, everyone has needs, but maybe keep it at home so you don't flash anymore students? It's not good for your reputation.
Careful,
Coach Kelce

Did she really think she could try to deny it? God, we might have grown up a bit, but it seemed both her and I were reverting back to high school levels of maturity. She'd started it, I swore she had, but I'd poked her up and now it was getting exciting.

By the time I got home just before six, there was another email waiting in my inbox for me. I stayed in my car to read it, pathetically unable to wait until I was inside. She'd replied quickly, so she obviously was fired up enough not to care that it made her seem invested in this at all. Her email was only short.

Kelce,
Well, I can assure you that whatever you heard was not what happened, but I'll let you believe it if it makes you feel like you have any power. And you're welcome for now giving you another image to fill your head at night when you're stroking yourself all alone.

Game on Miss Swift, game on.