Page 13 of Puck Me, Valentine
“It’s very suspicious,” I continue, my voice rising slightly with excitement, “that you were sent a Valentine’s Day card in my name, and I was sent a Valentine’s Day card in your name. It’s not normal, and—”
Devlin grimaces. “Stop. Now you’re going to pretend that I sent you one too.”
“I’m not pretending!” Anxiety spikes through me. “You have to believe me—”
“Why?” He moves closer, and suddenly there’s barely any space between us. “Why should I believe you?”
I’m acutely aware of the other players still in the hallway. Of how this must look.
And… of how Devlin knows exactly how much this is freaking me out.
“Yes,sweetie,” he says quietly, almost mockingly. “We’ll stand here whileeveryone seesthat you’renotgay.”
Something snaps inside me. I pull myself together, look him straight in the eye, and refuse to back down.
“You have to believe me. This is all very strange. Someone is writing…errall kinds of obscenities on our behalf.”
“Then show me.” His tone is almost sarcastic now, like he’s calling a bluff. “Show me this Valentine’s Day card you supposedly received.”
My hand trembles as I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out the red paper.
When I hand it to him, our fingers touch—and his fingers linger on my palm.
For just a moment, I think he’s doing it deliberately. To calm me down and to reassure me. It’s so odd.
Then he unfolds the paper and starts reading.
His entire body goes rigid.
Before I can process what’s happening, his hand clamps around my elbow and he’s pulling me, practically dragging me away from the main corridor.
“Hey—what—” I stumble after him, too shocked to resist effectively.
I want to ask sarcastically what happened to that demonstration he wanted to put on for his teammates, but we’re moving too fast.
He pulls me around two corners, down a side hallway I didn’t even know existed, until we’re in a dark dead-end where no one can possibly see us.
“What’s going on?” I let out a nervous laugh. “Why did you drag me here?”
Devlin looks up from the red card, and my breath catches.
I’ve never seen him like this. Not the cold anger from yesterday. Not the mocking superiority from this morning.
This is rage—pure fury that makes his eyes burn black and his jaw clench so hard I can see the muscle jumping.
Yesterday’s emotions were nothing compared to this.
“Who gave you this?” His voice is stern, clipped. “And when?”
5
Chapter 5
Iback away instinctively as Devlin advances, his expression vibrating with a brand of fury I’ve never seen before.
Within seconds, the cool, industrial cinderblock of the hallway bites into my shoulder blades. There is nowhere left to run.
I force a shaky, pathetic smile onto my face—an automatic defense mechanism that feels brittle against his rage. “What—what’s that supposed to mean?”
