Playing basketball again, Ayden felt a little more like a Witch, and a little less like a corpse. His chest felt a little less heavy, and he was able to forget – if only for a while – how shitty life had been in the past month. It was almost like he could escape all his grief on the court.The only problem with this escape was Bryden Vega. If Ayden wasn't the captain, he could quite easily ignore him. (Well, maybe not exactly easily, but he would have found a way.) But he was, so ignoring him wasn't an option. He had to go so far as to be civil with him. On the court, at least. But that same courtesy didn't seem to extend to Ayden, in Bryden's mind.
Ayden watched as the ball moved from Lukas to Thorn, closer to the net and closer to him. The gym filled with the sound of the ball against the wooden floor of the gym. Thorn brought the ball closer and passed to Bryden.
"Yes, Thorn. Good pass," came their coach's voice, pointing toward Thorn with his clipboard for emphasis. Their coach was an enthusiastic man with a love for yelling, and Ayden supposed that made basketball an ideal sport for the guy.
Once Bryden had come closer, Ayden called out, "I'm open!"
Bryden shifted his gaze to Ayden for a fraction of a second – barely enough for it to be considered a look at all – and smiled tauntingly, turning back to the net, like the asshole he was. Bryden raised his arm, hurling the ball up and toward the net. The ball flew up and, thank the Goddesses, missed the net by a good metre.
Ayden fought the urge to grin. And that was why the jackass wasn't supposed to take any shots.
"Bryden, you're supposed to pass to Ayden once you're in the D," Coach yelled, as if Bryden hadn't known that.
Bryden turned to Coach as he jogged back to his position and muttered, "Sorry, Coach." But he didn't sound sorry at all.
Ayden shifted on his feet and ran a hand through his hair. He groaned, knowing it was sticking up in all directions, but also knowing he could do nothing about it.
"Noah, I need you to be more aggressive in the defence. Good?"
Noah nodded once in reply. Coach blew the whistle, putting the game in motion once more.
Lukas won the toss, running forward. Noah knocked Lukas to the side, grabbing the ball mid-bounce. He grinned and told Lukas, "No hard feelings, buddy."
Lukas stole the ball back somewhere along the line, bringing it to the net once more. Lukas threw the ball in his direction. Ayden ran forward, catching the ball and turning toward the net. The ball felt rough and familiar in his hands.
And then the world tilted and he was on the floor, pain running up his shoulder and wrist. Bryden grinned down at him, the ball in his hands. He made the shot this time.
Coach shook his head. "I hope that was an accident, Bryden," he said.
Bryden didn't say anything. He grinned at Ayden once more.
"You okay, Ayden?"
"Fine, Coach," Ayden said, pushing himself off the floor.
"Okay, boys, I need two laps around the training centre from you. Good practise. See you all tomorrow," he said, turning to leave. The gym doors closed behind him.
Bryden and his friends began for the door. Ayden watched as they started their run. Ayden wanted to hurt him. He wanted to break his bones and crumble them into dust. His hands formed fists.
He walked out the door and began the run.
Since childhood, Ayden struggled to avoid his violent tendencies. His parents, the Carters, thought it would be a good idea for him to start basketball. A safe way to expend his rage. It worked, for the most part.
YOU ARE READING
ANATOMY OF A GIRL
FantasyDidn't you know? Destructive youths with killer tendencies and magic in their veins are the best kind. book i, first draft © 2019, arkhaic