Eden

Chapter 4: She's Back

"What are you talking about?" She innocently sets down her fork.

She's playing dumb. I shift so our thighs no longer touch. My voice hardens at the thought of her new boyfriend, "How's Ethan?"

"What about him?" she says quietly.

"What would your boyfriend think about you being here trying to screw with me?" I turn back to face her.

Her voice rises as she completely ignores my comment, "Ethan's good. Actually, Ethan's great and he treats me well. He's always there for me and isn't gone all the time like you were."

What is she trying to accomplish? I loved her and she knew that when she broke up with me. Now she's back here to just rub it in my face? I could let more anger seep out of me if I want to, but I keep it controlled. "Nice."

An agitated expression forms on her face. "That's all you have to say?"

"What else do you want me to say?" I clench my jaw. "What else do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me you'll put me first!" emotion fills her voice, "No, I want you to actually put me first. Not just tell me that you will. Basketball practices always came before me. That's why I broke up with you when your season started."

I try to stand up, unable to sit next to her anymore. She doesn't get out of the booth. I take a deep breath. "You could've told me how you felt."

"What would that have accomplished. Would you have given up basketball?"

I stare at her in shock. Did she really just ask me that question? Why would any girl ask a guy to give up something he loves?

"No," I sigh. A somber expression paints her face. She sighs and looks down at her plate.

"It's just a sport," she mumbles. The guilt of possibly hurting her slaps me across the face. I don't know how I could make her understand.

I love basketball for more than the praise and the wild parties after the game. It's the adrenaline that rushes through your body as you dribble across the court, and the roar from the crowd as the ball swishes through the hoop. It's the competition, and it's a team full of guys cheer you on with your every move. It's the scent of popcorn and hotdogs drifting in the air at the games, and the peacefulness after everyone leaves the stands. It's the feeling of being alive.

"Hey!" A voice in the distance jumps me. I turn to spot Liam and Allison walking towards us, holding hands.

"Shit," Liam mumbles quietly as he realizes who I'm sitting next to.

I watch him force a smile onto his face. "Hi, Bella."

"Hey." Bella stabs her fork through a strawberry in an irritated manner. Liam and Bella have had bad blood from day one. Liam always thought she was toxic to me, and he's always been very open about his opinion.

"What's going on? Are we interrupting something?" Liam and Allison stand there awkwardly. They can sense the tension.

"No," Bella responds, "I was actually just leaving."

My heart aches as I watch her pick up her plate and push past my brother. Her sunny yellow dress flows behind her as she marches away.

"Coast is clear!" Liam says as he watches Bella disappear around the corner. Liam and Allison slide into the seat across from me.

His face looks completely dumbfounded. "How fucking crazy is it that she's actually here. I thought my eyes were just playing tricks on me when I saw her last night."

I take a sip my coffee. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"Maybe a little too crazy." Liam scratches his head.

"Who was that?" Allison asks curiously.

Liam rolls his eyes. "Noah's clingy, manipulative, ex-girlfriend that broke up with him yet he's still into her for some odd reason."

"Yikes." her light brown eyes widen.

"The cheerleaders at our school are crazy." Liam flashes me a I-told-you-so look. He's definitely speaking out of past experience.

"Stop." I quickly shut him down. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

Liam backs down. I'm actually glad to see it's almost 8. I could use the distraction.

"I gotta go meet a uh-" I pause, "-friend, in the arcade."

"A friend  huh?" Liam looks at me in suspicion.

"Yep." I wave goodbye to them. "I'll catch you guys later."

Thank god I'm getting my lighter back. A cigarette sounds great right now.

******

Squinting in the dim lighting, I scan the rows of gaming machines for Jade. Where the hell is she? What if she ditched? I wander into the back of the arcade and shoulders relax as I notice her leaned over one of the shooting games, holding the shotgun controller.

Torn jeans. Guns N' Roses tank top. Tattoos on her back. Yep, that's her.

I call her name, but the chiming bings from the pinball machine and car games drown out my voice. Casually, I stand in the distance and watch her play. She might be a girl but she sure knows how to handle a shotgun. I watch in awe as she tackles the game, House of the Dead—blowing apart each zombie before it can barely make it through the doorway.

She's smaller than I remember. Her attitude was so big I forgot how tiny she was. Her long voluminous black hair falls in front of her face, but her slim figure with a hint of curves catch my attention. She isn't like the girls at home. Not in the slightest. She's not wearing any designer labels or expensive jewelry.

She has her own style.

Her red tank top shows off her smoothly tanned olive tone skin and her skin-tight dark denim jeans hug all the right places.

As the game intensifies, she leans her body over the machine and my eyes linger on the rip in her jeans, directly below her ass. I quickly avert my eyes to the floor.

"Hey there, stalker."

I look up to see Jade standing in front of me, hands placed on her rounded hips. "How long have you been standing there?"

Heat crawls along my cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't want to distract you from your game."

A hint of amusement dances in her fiery amber eyes. She rests her hip against a machine and crosses her arms. "You're sorry? What happened to your snarky-tough-guy attitude from last night?"

An answer struggles on my lips. Her strong glare dares me to look away, but I don't. Any weaker guy would, but I'm not weak. Keep staring, you don't scare me.

"I asked you a question." She provokes me with a smirk.

If she wants to play this game, she's on.

"Sorry, I'm just speechless at how bad you were at playing House of the Dead."

Amusement grips onto her taunting smile. "If I'm so bad, how about you take me on?" She takes a bold step in my direction. "I dare you."

She wants to go against me at House of the Dead? She's gonna regret that. The lighter can wait.

I take a heavy step towards her so I'm in her face. "You're on."

A/N: What do you think of Bella so far? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on this chapter! If you enjoyed reading, please don't forget to vote! Thanks guys, and have a great day! :)