Page 28 of Make Her Break

“Rest,” Coach says, “and don’t rush back. We need you at your best.”

I fake the limp until I’m out of his sight. My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s my dad, because I lied to him too, just to make sure no one figures me out if he and Coach ever talk about it.

Did you make the appointment? Don’t screw around with your ankle, son. Scouts talk.

I send back a quick, Yeah, all handled, and shove the phone back into my pocket. My dad thinks I’m a season away from going pro, so he doesn’t want anything messing with that, which is good, because I need time.

Right now, I can’t lose so much time on the pitch because I need to get even closer to Veronica. Sure, skipping practice to follow her around might be a little too much even for Supreme, but who cares? All I can think about is Veronica, and the sooner I get her where I need to, the sooner I’ll have the information that I want.

My phone goes off again, and it’s Montoya this time.

Heard about your ankle. So unlucky. Get well, captain.

A couple of the other guys send their own get-well messages, and I write a quick thanks. Great. Now I’ll have to avoid them too so they don’t ask too many questions or see that I’m perfectly fine. What am I even doing? I’m actually risking my career, because if someone finds out the truth and word spreads, I’m screwed. And all so I can stalk a girl. But she’s not just any girl. She’s Veronica.

I pull a hood over my head, and then I go after her, careful enough that there’s plenty of distance between us so she doesn’t see me. I need to know how she’s acting and what she’s doing, since knowing that will help me plan my next step.

Veronica heads to the library first, which surprises no one. I linger between the shelves, pretending to find the books interesting. She spreads out her books and focuses completely on them. As soon as someone comes close, I pull deeper between the shelves, making sure I can still see her.

Watching my target is literally my assignment anyway, so technically, I’m working. Except, I know that’s a lie, because I could do it without being everywhere she is. It’s crazy. I’ve had girls lining up for me since I set foot on campus, and not a single one of them ever made me fake an injury to keep tabs on her. But I can’t get Veronica out of my head no matter what I do.

I don’t know how long I stay like that, but when she finally packs up and heads out, I wait a bit and then trail after her. She stops at the coffee shop, and I duck under a tree and scroll through my phone while she goes inside. When she comes out with her coffee, I press myself against the tree trunk before following.

A guy comes down the steps and heads straight for her. He says something to her, and she pulls one earbud out of her ear to answer him. He grins, and I go still. Who the fuck is that? I’ve never seen this guy near her. He’s got a folder tucked under his arm and he leans way closer to her than I’d like.

Everything in me wants to march over there and put myself between them. My jaw tightens, and I take a step forward before I catch myself. What would I even do? Go up to a guy I’ve never met in front of Veronica and warn him off a girl who isn’t even mine? Yeah, that would go great. She’d want nothing to do with me after a stunt like that, so I make myself stand back and grind my teeth instead.

She laughs, and I grit my teeth even harder. This clown gets a laugh out of her so fast. How? Why? He hands her the folder, and she flips it open and nods. He says something else that makes her smile. My hands curl into fists. This is insane, and I know it. I don’t own her, but I still want to grab him by his ugly jacket and haul him away from her. Maybe even put a fist in his stupid face.

I don’t even know his name, but I hate him. What if he wants something from her? What if he’s had his eye on her for a while? Shit. I should’ve started missing practice earlier. I don’t need some idiot messing with what’s mine.

When they finally split up, Veronica heads toward the dorms, and the guy goes in the opposite direction. Perfect. There’s no way I’m letting him anywhere near her again, so I stride after him.

I make sure no one else is around as I approach him. He looks at me, his eyes going wide.

“Hey,” I say, a smile spreading across my lips, but I’m pretty sure I look intimidating right now.

“Uh, hi.” His eyes flick past me as if he’s looking for a way out or some help. “Do I... know you?”

“Not yet.” I prop myself against the railing next to him, blocking his path. “You were talking to Veronica Devlin just now.”

He nods. “Yeah, Veronica. We, um... We have a class together.”

“You do?” I narrow my eyes at him. “And what were the two of you so cozy about?”

“It’s... it’s nothing,” he blurts out, and I’m glad he already sounds terrified, even though I’m not really doing anything yet. “We got paired up for a paper. The professor picks the partners. I barely even talked to her before today.”

“And what’s in the folder?”

“Um, it’s... It’s the assignment sheet. I was just showing her what the professor wants.” He clutches the folder to his chest as if he thinks I’m about to snatch it. “There’s nothing else going on. I promise.”

A paper. Sounds innocent enough. The knot in my chest eases off, and I almost laugh at how wound up I got over a class assignment, but I keep my face expressionless, because the guy doesn’t need to know any of that.

“Okay.” I clap a hand on his shoulder, pretending to be friendly, except I dig my fingers in. “You’ll do your half of that paper and you’ll keep your hands off her. Got it?”

He nods fast. “Yeah. Yeah, of course.”

“She’s mine.” I hold his gaze. “The two of you are partners and nothing else. If you touch her or she gets a bad grade because of you, I’m going to find you. And I won’t be this friendly about it next time.”