Bleeding Hearts (Bloodhearts prequel)

Chapter Five

As the week progresses, I have to keep focus on the game and less on Cory. My dad thinks the whole idea of this game is nonsense. There's only one other school that we can play against. Competition even between high schools isn't what it used to be anymore. People don't travel much anymore. It's too risky. Instead, most of us stay in the familiar space of home for as long as humanly possible.

As I walk across the hall at school with my bag over my shoulder, I spot the figure of my boyfriend in the principles' office. I make a halt, blinking in surprise. Taking a quick look around, I make sure no one is around. Then I enter the office. Cory is here, sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. His arms are crossed and he is pouting. It's cute and worrying at the same time. I eye the receptionist, who looks occupied, and walk over to squad in front of him. I pull his face up, so he has to look at me.

"What happened?" I ask and he seems reluctant to tell me.

He shrugs. "It doesn't even matter," he mumbles and tries to wiggle out of my grip.

"Just tell me, Cor," I say with a frown. Thinking about it, he looks like someone's been after him. There are pieces of grass sticking out of his hair. I pick them out, realizing I know exactly who did this. I take a deep breath to control the anger bubbling up within me.

"I'm gonna kick his ass for this," I promise, but Cory shakes his head.

"No, you won't. If you do that, then everybody's gonna know about us, you idiot. Tell him that your dad and my dad are working together now. So you can't beat on me anymore. That makes sense. He'll believe that," Cory says with conviction. He holds my hands in his for a moment.

"Fine," I mumble. "But I still want to kick his ass."

Cory smiles slightly. "Kick the ball instead. Make me proud."

I nod. I kiss his forehead and get up. There's a couple of hours until the game starts, but I have to be at the field, ready for the game in a few minutes. Still, I can't shake the anger completely. As soon as I see Jason, I automatically glare at him and he holds his hands up.

"Wow. Did I do something?" he asks as we change into our uniforms.

I don't reply and just wave him off. He looks at me funny and turns to the others to ask them what the hell's going on. He's not very subtle about it, probably because he wants me to understand that I'm being unreasonable. I just keep my mouth shut, so I don't yell at him in front of everyone else. Luckily, I am left alone for a few minutes. I get to run a few laps inside our gym and it does help a little. However, my anger doesn't subside all together. Jason, that idiot, is constantly keeping an eye on me. Sometimes it feels like he's a dog following me everywhere I go. Today, it pisses me off more than it usually would. Coach yells at us to gather around for a last pep talk before kick-off. Personally, I can't wait to get out of here and kick the other school's ass. Coach wishes us a good game and I can feel the adrenaline building up.

Just that second Jason's hand lands on my shoulder. "Dude, are you pissed at me or something?"

I scowl. "No," I lie through gritted teeth.

Jason's eyes narrow. "Bullshit. What's wrong?" he demands.

I clench my fists. "Can we talk about this later? I don't want to do this now."

Now he's getting angry too. "Hell no! We're supposed to go out there as a team. We can't be arguing right now, so out with it, idiot."

I glare at him. "You picked a hell of a time to do this," I sneer.

He doesn't seem intimidated at all. "What's the matter with you lately, Jay? You've been prissy, and you've been seething up over the smallest things! You don't pay attention to pretty much anything! Is it any wonder that I'm fucking worried about you, man? You're my best friend and you're not talking to me! What the hell is happening?"

The look on his face gets to me and I calm down a little. I rub my temples, until I've calmed down enough to answer. "It's not your fault, Jason," I promise him. "I don't even know what's going on with me right now. That's why I can't talk about it. But I will... when I'm ready. Okay?"

He looks at me in confusion, but nods. "Jay, just know I'm there for you, man. No matter what the problem is."

I smile sadly. "I really hope so," I reply without explaining. "Now, let's go win this stupid game."

Jason puts his arm around me for a moment. I can't forget my anger completely, but I manage to utilize it on the field. At kick-off, I spot Cory on the bleachers with Sadie by his side. To my surprise, he's wearing a school tee and is cheering loudly. The very sight makes me smile and apparently makes Sadie embarrassed. I know he's doing it for me. This is a good start. The game is tough and the other team is more of a challenge than we expected. We have a few injuries on both teams, but all in all, we win a narrow victory. The audience from our school gives us a solid round of applause. It feels good. Cory smiles down at me as the whole thing concludes and I smile back.