their win is not my loss

Aurora Holland

"I don't mean to stare, but your work is really good," I murmured to the girl next to me, my cheeks flushing as she looked at me in shock.

I saw her yesterday, seeing we had homeroom together. I knew nothing about her, not even her name. She didn't even talk to anyone who came in, let alone look at them. She was one of the only people who didn't stare at me when they saw me with Logan and Carter, it seemed as if she didn't care to look at them either.

Her hair was a pretty golden blonde color, the roots a dark brown. Her eyes were a brown color as well, just like most of the people I've met at Riverway so far. She was dressed beautifully as well, wearing an outfit I could never find myself feeling pretty in.

"Thanks? I guess," She awkwardly said. It wasn't meant to come off as rude, and she quickly realized how she sounded. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I politely said, twirling the ring around my finger mindlessly. "I just saw you working on it yesterday as well, and was too nervous to say anything. You take art classes?"

"Some, it's just something I do in the meantime." She shortly answered, tapping her foot on the ground.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you, I can stop talking." I couldn't help but chuckle out, feeling nervous. I don't know what came over me to start talking to her, maybe it was because it would be nice to befriend someone who wasn't constantly surrounded by other people.

"You're not, thanks." She breathed out.

I just nodded, not feeling the need to say any more at first. She looked really cool, and I couldn't help but admire that she didn't seem to care what others thought. Then again, that could just be me judging a book by the cover, but I still found myself wishing I could at least look as careless as she looked.

Even if that wasn't what she was truly like, she held herself together really well.

"Well, I'm Aurora if you ever want to like, hang out or something." I instantly cringed at the way it sounded, feeling even more embarrassed by the look on her face. "I'm sorry that came out so weird, I'm new to this friend thing."

Friend thing? Seriously, Aurora?

"Hey, Katherine, saw your mom at the motel again last night-" A boy nearby spoke, cutting into our conversation. He was staring straight at the blonde sitting at the desk next to me, making me realize he was talking to her.

Katherine.

"Bite me," Katherine said before he could finish his thought.

"Oh, the way your mother was on some rando at the town's shittiest hotel?" The boy asked in return, feeling more than amused by his bullying.

Anger coursed through me, my lips slammed shut as I thought about what to do. This just reminded me of what I had to deal with at Point Prep when Paige wasn't around. Of course, it wasn't anything to do with my mom as to why I was bullied, but it brought back many feelings I wished it didn't.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked the boy before I could bite my tongue.

"Hanneman is what most call me, but you can call me James." The boy winked my way, seeming to think I was interested in him and the way he was bullying the innocent girl next to me.

"Not surprised that's your name," I breathed out softly to myself, before looking back up at him. "Look, your fly is open and I can see your dick. It's not big enough for you to be acting this way, now is it?"

The boy - James - immediately put his right hand over his zipper, which was, in fact, open. I couldn't see his dick, it was just the first rude response I could think of to embarrass him in front of his little posse sitting around him.

Before James could respond, the bell chimed, indicating that homeroom was over. I had one last class of the day, which was PE. Although part of me felt guilty for fighting fire with fire, overall, I knew I wouldn't regret saying what I did. I know what it's like to be bullied and not have someone who isn't family stick up for you.

It sucks, and I'd never wish that on my worst enemy.

I got a glimpse of Katherine's face as I shoved my homework into my bag. She looked just as shocked as James, her eyes darting back and forth from him to me. "You're going to be living in hell," She quickly said.

"What?" I asked in confusion, shoving my backpack on my back.

"That's James Hanneman, one of the most popular guys in the school." She pointed at the boy sending glares my way.

"Okay?" I asked, not seeming to get what she was saying. It was doubtful in my head, considering I'd heard all about Carter and Logan before I actually met them. I'd never once heard or seen anything about no James Hanneman before.

"He says and gets what he wants," She stated.

"Oh, much like Logan and Carter Jackson?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"No, I mean like he's friends with Carter, but he's the definition of the devil. He's literally the spawn of Satan." She shook her head, "You shouldn't have done that. You don't even know me, I barely even talked to you."

"Look," I said, ignoring the fact that I was wasting time getting to the gymnasium. "I have experience when it comes to dealing with that. It's not cool, and yeah, I was trying to befriend you, but I respect the fact that you don't want to be my friend. That doesn't mean I'm going to be bitter and let something like that happen."

"But-"

"I gotta go," I cut her off, realizing I had to change into a different set of clothes for PE before class started. "I don't care if he's the devil himself; the devil himself can be humbled. And even then, a teenage boy doesn't scare me."

Lies. All of it was lies. I know boys like James Hanneman, and I know that sticking up for this Katherine girl possibly put me in a world of hell. I'll surely be hearing about it from Paige whenever she gets over her tantrum.

But, that being said, I couldn't help the anger I felt. Maybe it's the anger that's been building up from years of torment when I had nobody around to defend me. Maybe it's from my mom, who knows? But seeing him say those things to her and how she had no comeback or any way to stick up for herself, just made me mad. She deserves better, whether I know her or not.

Before she could respond, I rushed out of the classroom. I sped through the halls as quickly as I could without it turning into a run, and it wasn't long before I found myself in the gymnasium.

I'm not too sure if I'm supposed to go to the locker rooms and change first or go here, but I smiled to myself as I saw a friendly face.

"Lilian!" I shouted out, catching her attention.

I don't know where the sudden confidence came from, maybe it was because I was still pumping adrenaline from the James situation, but I wasn't complaining. I found a familiar face, and no matter the reason, the adrenaline running through me helped me get the courage to talk to her.

"Hey, Rora!" She exclaimed happily, "You have PE?"

"Yeah, I'm glad I saw you. I was unsure if I was supposed to change first, then head, or be here first," I said awkwardly, twirling my ring around my finger.

"Oh, we can change first. Gives us more time anyway. We can walk together if you want?" She offered.

I nodded gratefully, thankful she was nice enough to walk with me. I was glad to see a familiar face that wasn't a boy. Despite having never really been around boys unless they were wanting to get close to Paige, I've sure been around them a lot lately.

Paige would tell me I shouldn't complain, as this is the most attention I've ever gotten from the male species, yet I can't help but complain. It's not that I ever asked for this; I just really wanted to be out of her shadow and my own person.

So why am I suddenly getting the attention and seeming to still be her little shadow?

"So, how are you liking life at Riverway?" Lilian asked, sparking up a conversation as we made our way to the locker room.

"It's okay," I said. "A lot different from life at Point Prep for sure."

"I bet, going from Private to Public can be difficult." She nodded, "Have you been told anything about this class?"

"Just that we change, and if we want to, we can shower." I shrugged, following her into the girls' locker room.

"Yeah, so that's true," She said. "You should have a paper with the information on your locker."

"Is it on the schedule?" I asked, beginning to dig through my bag as we walked.

"Should have been with the papers with it. Do you have those?" She then asked. We stopped in an empty area next to the lockers so I could look more thoroughly through my belongings.

"I should, I haven't taken it-" I stopped, looking at my backpack in confusion as I felt something unknown to me. It felt leathery and small, a lot like a small book.

"What? Did you not have it? I'm sure that it'll be okay if you forgot it, coach is really-"

"No, it's not that," I quickly denied, pulling out the small leather book. It was a notepad, the same size as the pocket one I usually carry in my purse. I didn't put it here, as I didn't own one like this and had yet to replace the one that Elijah accidentally ruined at the party.

"What's that?" Lilian asked curiously, her eyes looking at the book in confusion.

"I don't know," I said. Remembering what I was digging in my backpack for, I just shoved my thoughts away along with the sketchpad. "Ah! Here we are," I said as I pulled the paper out with it. "Looks like I'm locker L20."

"That's two away from mine!" Lilian said happily, "They're this way."

When finding my locker, I put in the combination that was on the paper that went along with it. It popped open, completely empty, and it smelled of sanitizer. I pulled my PE clothes from my heavy backpack and set them on the bench behind me.

Lilian opened her locker and immediately began to change into the clothes that were sitting in her gym locker. I averted my eyes, not wanting to come across as staring at her and have her get creeped out or the wrong idea.

Instead, I shoved my backpack into the locker with a slight struggle. Afterward, I glanced around to see other girls entering the locker room, doing the same as Lilian had. Some walked to the stalls to change, whereas others were flat-out getting naked in front of everyone.

I've never had the experience of PE like this before, so I was very caught off guard at how... open these girls were. It's nothing bad, just a shocker is all.

"I'll wait for you so you don't have to walk out there alone," Lilian spoke up from next to me as she tightened her ponytail. She looked at herself in the little mirror at the door of the locker, her attention not on me and my anxiety-freaked self.

"Thanks," I politely said as I finally began to change. It was awkward, but I didn't want to come across as showing how insecure I really was. Plus, it's not like I'll be changing out of my underclothes, just my main clothes, and into the T-shirt and gym shorts I brought with me.

It didn't take me long to change, considering I rushed. I pulled my tights off and slipped my gym shorts on underneath my dress, and then after I did that, I finally took off my dress. I was in just my bra and shorts for only a short amount of time before my dark gray T-shirt was slipped on, covering any bare skin that I felt insecure about.

As soon as I changed, I slipped on my old Tennis Shoes that I brought from home. Lilian offered some cotton candy-scented perfume she kept in her locker to me, and I took it, seeing other girls pampering themselves before we had to be in the gymnasium.

I didn't plan on doing too much to look pretty, considering it's only gym, but I can't say no to smelling good. Not that I stank before, but I've been surrounded by sweaty teenagers all day, it's good to feel refreshed, even if it's something as small as cotton candy perfume.

"Ready?" Lilian asked after shutting her locker, and I just nodded as I shut my own.

I followed her out of the locker room and back into the gymnasium, where students were littering in different spots of the gym. Some sat on the bleachers, others on the floor. Some played basketball or threw a football back and forth, doing whatever it was they wanted until it was time to begin PE.

I've never been good at physical things unless you're counting Just Dance as an option. Of course, I love being physical, such as going on walks and stuff. I'm just not athletic in the way most students are. I've always felt insecure going to any public gym or taking Physical Education at Point Prep, but then again, at Point Prep, they kept the boys and girls separate.

"By the way, you can call me Lila. That's what most of my friends call me," Lilian kindly spoke as we sat at the bottom of some of the bleachers. "I meant to say something before, but completely spaced it."

"That's okay. You already call me Rora or any other name you've heard, so I'll save that mess." I shrugged, running a hand through my hair. I didn't do anything but straighten it today, and I'm starting to regret it, as I didn't even have a hair tie with me.

Usually, I always keep one on my left wrist, but today I just forgot to put it back on my wrist when I got out of the shower.

"Yeah. Is there a specific nickname you like?" Lila asked, tapping her fingers on her thighs as she glanced around the room.

"I don't know, I'm called Rora more than anything else, sometimes Ro from Paige. Rory's new," I then said, remembering Carter's nickname for me.

"Really? That would be the first nickname I would think of. Who gave it to you?" Lila asked.

"Carter," I answered. "Elijah then heard me get called Rory, and it just kinda stuck."

"Carter as in that Carter?" Lila asked, pointing to the entrance of the gym.

My eyes traveled to where she was pointing, my stomach erupting in butterflies as I saw him. It was getting ridiculous how many classes I had with him. It's as if the Gods chose to make it look like we follow each other when in reality it was just a very odd coincidence. Nothing against Carter, but I wish I had gotten some classes with Logan or even more with Cameron than I did.

Having this many with Carter feels sort of suffocating, besides the fact that we barely talk. We don't even sit by each other in a lot of the classes we have, yet it still feels like it. It's probably because of how big of a school this is, and with how many classes there are, you'd think we'd be lucky to get one together.

"Yes," I finally answered, realizing I left Lila without an answer.

Carter finally looked my way, causing Lila's finger to shoot down. She sheepishly glanced at her lap, whereas I just continued to look at him and the group of friends surrounding him. He was wearing a light gray T-shirt, one I immediately recognized as the one I wore the night of the party. He must have either happened to take that one home to wash, or he has multiple. I wouldn't be surprised if it were either answer. He wore long black basketball shorts ending just above his knee, fitting his form perfectly. I then looked away from him to his friends, a frown covering my features.

"Oh god," I felt the heat drain from my cheeks.

"What?" Lila asked curiously.

I ignored her, my lips sealed shut as I stared at the person standing right next to Carter. I ignored the fact that Carter could see me staring, and instead, I looked into the bright blue eyes of the boy I had seen only a little bit ago.

"Everything okay, Ror?" Lila asked, touching my arm.

I pulled my eyes away from the small staring contest, blinking a few times. "That's James Hanneman," I stated, causing her brows to furrow.

Her brown eyes looked between my two blue ones, confusion written on her features. "And? That's one of Carter's best friends."

"James... is one of Carter's best friends?" I repeated, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Yeah, why?" Lila asked, a light pout on her full lips as she didn't understand what the problem was.

"I may have called him small dick twenty minutes ago."

"WHAT?!" Lila exclaimed, catching a few stares. She sheepishly smiled at the people glancing our way before finally looking back at me. "Why?"

"He was being an ass," I spoke with a shrug.

"He's always an ass," She said in return, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Doesn't mean he can get away with it. Someone had to humble him." I muttered, just the thought of my conversation in homeroom was enough to make me angry again.

"You surprise me, you know that?" Lila asked, tightening her shoelaces. "You were all quiet yesterday when I met you, but you're a little firecracker behind all the shyness."

"Oh, I'm not usually like this. It's just that bullying is one of those things that isn't acceptable, no matter the situation. I wish I had more confidence to do it more," I admitted. 

The final bell rang, indicating that PE was officially starting. It felt like the longest six minutes of my life, considering we've been changed for a while, but I'm not complaining since Lila was a nice person to talk to. She'd yet to mention Paige and the way I'm always hidden behind her, and I liked that.

Of course, it might not stay that way, but I'm not going to be the one to ruin it and bring Paige into the conversation. It's nice to have a conversation with someone who isn't clearly using me to get to Paige.

A tall, buff man came into the gym, wearing what you'd expect a typical high school coach to wear. He glanced around at everyone, his eyes finally landing on me. "Welcome to Riverway High, Miss Holland. It's a pleasure to have you here." He spoke, causing everyone to stop what they were doing at his loud booming voice.

He didn't say it to embarrass me, but to give me a warm welcome, but by the way everyone immediately listened to him, it was obvious he was a well-respected teacher. His voice was naturally loud and deep, which I expected since he was a PE teacher.

"Thank you," I told him nicely, nodding my head in thanks.

"Today we're going to do warm-ups, then play a nice ol' game of dodgeball." He announced to the rest of the class, immediately taking the attention off me.

It was a short and sweet welcome, which is just how I liked it. It took the attention away from me immediately, but made me feel acknowledged. It was nice.

"Damn it," Lila muttered under her breath, clearly not happy with the activity for today. "Dodgeball's brutal with those assholes." She pointed to Carter and his friend group.

"Aren't you friends with Carter?" I asked out of curiosity, considering I'd seen her at his house last night.

"Not really," She told me. "I'm friends with Logan, considering he's friends with everybody. Carter's more closed off and doesn't really talk to people, and I get a little shy around people like him. Not that I like him or anything, he just intimidates me."

"Why does everyone say Carter doesn't talk to people? He talks to me. And look, he's with a group of guys right now." I explained, motioning a hand to the boy we were talking about.

"Well, it's odd he's talking to you. No offense, but the only girl to ever see a certain side of him is that girl over there." She pointed in a direction on the other side of the gym. My eyes landed on a group of girls, all looking beyond gorgeous. Almost too pretty to walk the Earth, even.

There was a light blonde-haired girl and two girls I noticed I had my painting class with yesterday. One of them was Kaya, the girl who made a fool of me in front of everyone when Carter walked in. She was still gorgeous, despite her ugly personality.

"The one in the middle. Ashley Wilde. The most popular girl in school," She explained, talking about the natural blonde one. She was absolutely breathtaking, and her eyes were on Carter the entire time she talked to her two friends. "They recently went through a breakup. Nobody knows what happened, but it's rumored that he cheated on her and dumped her in the worst imaginable way."

"Ouch," I said, standing up along with everyone else to do stretches.

"Yeah. It's never been confirmed or denied, because you can't really rely on her friends' words. She hasn't said anything herself, but Ashley's known to start a rumor or two." Lila shrugged, tearing her eyes away from the group of girls and back to me. She grabbed the tip of her foot, stretching it to the back of her body.

"And what about Carter?" I asked, my eyes moving from Ashley to Carter as I copied her movements.

He was staring down at his lap, not seeming to care about what his friends were talking about or about the fact that we were supposed to be stretching. He seemed lost in thought, his finger messing with a loose thread on his basketball shorts. He looked peaceful like that, and if it wasn't considered weird, I would have pulled a notepad out and started to sketch the way he looked.

"He won't talk about it. People bugged him about it for weeks, but he's already closed off to begin with; the moment you mention Ashley is the moment he stops talking altogether. You're lucky if you get back on his good side." She told me, seeming to know all about the Carter-Ashley drama.

"So if he did all those horrible things, why is he the one not saying anything?" I asked.

"People are weird. People will cheat and lie, and hurt others at this school, and brag about it. Like you said, bullying. Maybe he just doesn't like what he did and regrets it, or maybe he doesn't regret it but doesn't talk about it to keep the mysterious act going on. Nobody knows, that's why it's all suggested rumors." Lila explained, rubbing her palms on her thighs before switching legs.

"What do you think?" I asked, "I mean, you're part of his friend group whether you're friends with him or not, right? So what do you think based on your thoughts and what you've heard?"

"I think it's a mystery. I don't know Carter, and I don't really know Ashley. Ashley doesn't like me because there was a rumor I hooked up with one of Ashley's exes before Carter. Obviously, it didn't happen, I guess I just rubbed her the wrong way. She's a bit of a known whore and the devil's spawn in human form so who knows." She shrugged, "I can't say I'm on Ashley's side based on personal experience, but just because I have bad blood with her doesn't mean she's lying about what happened with Carter. I've seen the guy beat a boy to a pulp."

"Oh my g-"

Before I could get the rest of the sentence out, I was cut off by the coach blowing a whistle. "Team Captains are Jackson and Hanneman. Everyone, stand up against the far wall."

"Well, good luck," Lila told me as she stood from the bleachers. I followed immediately, sheepishly walking behind her to the wall we were ordered to stand behind.

"What do you mean, good luck?" I asked.

"I wasn't kidding when I said that dodgeball was brutal with those guys." She shrugged, "You're lucky if you last thirty seconds. Especially with Hanneman. And from the looks of it, he's not very happy with you."

As soon as she said that, when we were all in a line pressed against the brick wall, my eyes landed on Carter and James. They were standing in the middle of the gymnasium, the coach whispering a couple of things to them before walking off to the side.

This was probably his way of not having to teach and keeping us active. Or at least it seems like it.

Carter was standing to the left of the coach, his eyes on the floor as he didn't seem to care about the rules. He's probably done this more than enough times to know the rules like the back of his hand, and so he just stared at the ground in thought.

My eyes turned from Carter to James, who was staring at mine and Lila's direction. He had a sick smirk on his face as if he had some plan in his head. Anger coursed through me at the thought he was going to try and bully me the way he bullied Katherine and probably a lot of other students at Riverway.

I didn't come all the way here to start over just to be bullied all over again.

I scratched at the skin on my right hand, forgetting it was still healing as I stared James down. He just smirked wider, seeming to know he was getting a rise out of me. My eyes narrowed, my nails on my right hand digging into my hand as I clenched my fist.

"Are we going to choose our partners or what?" James then asked aloud, tearing his eyes away from me.

"Aurora," Carter responded, not answering James' question.

My fist unclenched as my name rolled off his lips smoothly, echoing through the quiet gym. I heard murmurs at the simple call of my name, and I felt my cheeks heat up quickly as if I'd already played the game.

"What? Who said you were choosing first?" James snapped, looking at Carter.

Carter finally looked up from the ground, rolling his eyes as he looked at his friend. "You wanted to start, and you were taking forever, so I chose. And I choose Aurora."

"Who's Aurora?" I heard a mutter from my left, but I just stayed still in my spot.

"You're supposed to go over there," Lila squeaked, seeming just as shocked as I.

"I don't want to walk in front of-"

"Aurora, come up, please, so we can get this going!" The coach shouted from the bleachers, having caught on to how we hadn't started yet.

I twirled the ring on my finger as I glanced at Lila. She sent me an apologetic look, but I shook my head in assurance. This wasn't her doing, she doesn't need to apologize for something she didn't do.

James rolled his eyes as I slowly walked forward, making my way diagonally to the left where Carter stood next to the boy. James glared at me, seeming annoyed that I was chosen quickly.

I don't know what his plan was, but I surely thought he was going to purposely put me off his team so he could hit me with a ball first or something. With the way he was looking at me, he wanted revenge for saying he had a tiny dick.

So why would he be mad that Carter called me first?

James called the name of someone I didn't know, causing Carter to choose next. "Lilian," He called quickly, seeming to already have her in mind.

Lila's eyes widened at the call of her name, and all eyes landed on her. She immediately sped-walked toward me, stopping to my right. Carter was to my left, and as usual when I was close to him, I could smell his cologne.

"What is going on?" She softly asked as the choosing continued. "I'm never chosen second."

I just shrugged, listening to who James was going to choose next.

"Ashley," He spoke with a smirk.

The beautiful girl who Lila had been telling me about before proudly walked up, a pep in her step. All eyes were on her as she did so, and as she crossed us to get to James' side, she blew a kiss at Carter.

Carter rolled his eyes next to me, crossing his arms. He called the name of someone else I didn't know, someone who seemed just as surprised that he was calling their name.

"He's choosing everyone he doesn't talk to," Lila whispered in my ear. "He's never done this."

I stayed silent, not having anything to say. I bit the inside of my lip as James called Kaya, the girl sending me a glare as she passed by. It seemed as if James was choosing all the popular people, whereas Carter was choosing everyone else.

They chose quickly, their calling getting slightly aggressive as if it were some competition. Well, it is a competition, but we haven't even gotten to that part yet, and Carter looks like he wants to rip out James' throat.

As soon as the class was divided perfectly in half, Carter chose the side we had previously been standing on to get chosen. James took the other half and ordered one of the people on his team to get the balls.

The person quickly did as he was told, laying the balls out perfectly in the middle of the gymnasium.

"No playing dirty, Hanneman." Carter snapped, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Rules are rules, Jackson," James responded, the same sick smirk on his features as they were before. He glanced at me and sent me a wink, causing a chill to go down my spine.

He really was planning something...

"Coach, blow the whistle in three," James then ordered.

The coach, who still sat on the bleachers reading some sports magazine, held up a thumbs-up.

"Carter, I've never played before," I mumbled quietly, still standing next to him.

"Throw the ball. Don't hit their heads." He told me in return without glancing at me, his eyes on James.

My stomach erupted in butterflies as Coach counted from three. As soon as he counted down, everyone ran to the balls.

Everyone but me.

I stayed back, as like I told Carter, I've never played. But I used to watch Asher back at Point Prep, and whenever he would tell Paige and me about how he would win, he told us running to the ball knowing you weren't going to get ahold of one, was pointless. It gives a better chance for someone who grabbed one to hit you and not miss, causing you to get out.

So I waited, watching as three of our teammates were out almost immediately due to the tactic.

"You afraid to play, Aurora?" James taunted me as he noticed I stood in the back, waiting for a ball to be thrown my way.

Carter glanced back at me for a split second before looking ahead again, making sure he didn't get out. "Rory, what are you doing?" He asked as I stood frozen.

My eyes continued to scan who was left on the other side. Almost all of them, considering James chose all of the athletic people. I twirled my ring as my eyes bounced around, ignoring them.

"Aurora," Lila mumbled as she held a ball, looking at me. She was suddenly struck in the side by a ball, a ball thrown by none other than James Hanneman himself.

"Out."

"Damn it, stupid ass game." She muttered as she walked to the side where our teammates who were out sat.

They all watched the game intensely, and I waited for someone to throw a ball. Kaya held two by each of her sides, smirking. Then my eyes traveled to the other girl from my painting class, the same crazy smirk on her face.

They were planning something, and if I could guess right, it's got something to do with me. They've had opportunity after opportunity to get me out, yet they haven't.

James looked back at Ashley, who had her eyes on me. It was the first time she sent a glance my way, and I saw nothing but hate in her eyes as she did so.

"Rory, you really need to help out here," Carter asked, dodging a ball.

I then watched as Kaya and the unknown girl from painting class threw a ball at one kid at the same time, hitting him in two different spots.

Nobody bothered to throw any at Carter, who managed to get one or two people out on James' side.

Then it hit me.

They're getting us out one by one, ganging up on us. They're saving me for last because I haven't shown any type of threat to them, and they just happened to get lucky and not get Carter out yet, since they've focused on everyone else.

By now, half of our team was out, whereas only a third of James' was out. Carter threw a ball here and there, getting the weaklings out of the other team much like they had been doing to ours. I could tell that Carter was getting frustrated with me because I still stood toward the back of the gym floor, ring spinning around my finger aggressively.

"You regret it now, don't you?" James asked Carter, taunting him.

"What?" Carter asked, taken by surprise.

"Choosing the new girl." He nodded to me. He threw a ball in one swift motion, hitting another person beside us.

There were four of us by now, with me still standing there looking like an idiot. Carter got three more people out on James' team. This left James, Ashley, Kaya, and the unknown girl, along with a few other guys.

On our team, it was me, Carter, and two other kids who didn't stand a chance. Realistically speaking, Carter would be the only one to win this. But this was James' plan all along, I'm assuming.

He was going to make me feel so small by leaving me to be the last one standing, then get me out the way he had done to the others on our team.

A ball rolled to my foot, stopping at the tip of my toes. Most of the balls were on the other side of the gym, and Carter frustratingly stood with his hands in his hair. He paced backward, his eyes on the other team as he made his way back to me.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He whisper-yelled, keeping his eyes on the other team.

"They're picking us out," I answered, my eyes on James. "James is leaving me for last, and he's going to embarrass me."

"So why aren't you playing?" He asked in confusion. His hands were laced behind his head, sweat running down the side of his temple. I know this isn't the right time, but he looked ridiculously attractive.

"Because," I said. "If I were to have run out there with the rest of you, I would be out already. He's gloating at the fact that you chose the non-athletics and the fact that his so-called plan is working."

"Why would he do that?" Carter asked, breathing a little hard from running back and forth.

"Because he wants to fix his sad, sad ego." I shook my head, bending down carefully to pick up the ball.

Just as I thought, the moment I bent down to grab it, they struck. Kaya and Ashley chucked their balls at the same time, to which I just slid to the right to avoid being hit.

Carter caught one of them, getting Kaya out. She huffed in anger as she walked off. Carter chucked it as hard as he could, catching one of the guys off guard and hitting him in the chest.

This left two unknown guys, the unknown girl, Ashley, and James.

By now, Carter and I were the only two on the team because at some point, when Carter and I were talking, they got the guys out.

"So you can move after all, how cute." James cooed, the smirk still stuck on his face.

The unknown girl tossed her ball angrily at Carter for catching Kaya's ball, which he just caught again with a smirk. She stomped her foot in anger as she walked off, cursing a lot like Lila had when she got out.

I held the ball I originally went down to grab, rolling it in my hands. It was soft and plush, meaning if one were to hit me, it wouldn't hurt too badly. They were nothing like the dodgeballs I've seen in movies, which makes me happy cause if one were to hit me in the face, it wouldn't be as horrible as it sounds.

"You run your mouth a lot, you know that?" I softly asked. "Much like a sore loser."

James frowned at this, chucking the ball in his hands toward me. I swiftly moved a little further to the right, letting it hit the wall behind me.

"Aw, still missing. How cute." I cooed, copying his words from moments before.

"Shut up, you haven't even been playing," Ashley snapped, seeming upset at my attitude.

"Who are you?" I asked, tilting my head to the side as I narrowed my eyes at her. I know that would hurt her ego, and hopefully distract her from the game. I don't know where this confidence has come from, maybe it's because of the things Lilian told me. I don't like that Ashley's possibly hurt Lila, so that just makes me as mad as James bullying Katherine.

Ashley's jaw fell, shocked I asked that question. I heard laughing from where Lila was sitting, but didn't bother looking over as I knew that was what they were waiting for. The moment I look over, they're all going to chuck the balls at me, getting me out. That's the opposite of what I want.

Carter easily tossed one ball after another, getting the two guys left on James' team out. This made it even, with it being Carter and me versus James and Ashley.

James held two balls in his hand, spinning one of them while the other sat in the curve of his arm. Without a blink, he chucked both of them toward me.

I moved just as quickly, dodging both of them as if they were moves from Just Dance. His jaw clenched as he failed to get me out, despite catching me off guard. He ran a hand through his hair, and I took that as a chance to strike.

Picking up one of the balls off the ground, I ran forward slightly and chucked it at him as hard as I could. I even added a jump as I did so, feeling like I should be a little more dramatic, considering it was the first time I was going to throw a ball.

The ball hit his chest hard, bouncing off to the left and hitting Ashley in the shoulder before dribbling to the ground. At the sound of the ball hitting the ground, Lila erupted in cheers.

"GET THAT MOTHERFUCKERS!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger. "OUT!" She then copied James' words from earlier.

I couldn't help but smile, surprised my plan actually worked. It's not that I'm not athletic, considering I'm constantly moving, it's just that I'm not coordinated to play games like this.

But this game was pretty easy, and because I didn't jump to the middle the way most had, I think that's what saved me in this game.

The rest of our group cheered, the other group embarrassed and feeling defeated that we beat them, considering Carter was the most athletic in the group.

My hands rested on my hips as I smirked at James, not breaking eye contact. That's what he had wanted all along, was for me to cower and apologize. But I'm not sorry, and this proved it.

"You cheated," He muttered.

"Accept the loss, little dick." I shrugged, tapping the tip of my toes on the ground.

At the name-calling, James' jaw tightened in anger. He began to advance toward me, but it wasn't long before a tall body stood directly in front of me.

"Calm down, little dick, and go shower. You stink of loss."