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*

The looks and the whispers thankfully lessened over the past few days.

Life went on. School went on, and it was awfully difficult to snag a table all by yourself during these times of the school year when the workload was starting to weigh down on the students.

Luckily, I was able to claim a spot of my own after dashing towards the library when the bell for last period rang to signal the end of the class. Coffee shops were more convenient, where there were hot drinks that could keep us warm in the middle of this coldness, but they were too noisy. Distracting.

I wrapped myself up in the pink hoodie I wore and rubbed my hands together. My teeth chattered as I pressed my palms against my cheeks, eyes moving across the book spread out in front of me from one paragraph to the next.

A shadow fell over my table an hour later. Before I could look up, a gasp of surprise escaped my lips as the piece of cloth hit my face. My hands caught the item as it fell.

Nico sat on the chair across from me. "Stop leaving your things around."

"Wh-what?" I looked down at the red scarf in my hands and turned it over. My eyebrows furrowed as I returned my gaze to Nico's. "It's not mine. And couldn't you have just handed it to me like a normal person?"

"You left it on your desk in biology this morning," he said, mouth curling upwards to a lazy half-smile. "Just say thank you and I'll be on my way."

"It's not mine," I argued again, reaching the scarf out to him. "I didn't bring a scarf with me today."

"Then you're an idiot," he snapped, rolling his bright green eyes. "The fuck aren't you bringing a scarf for? It's like winter for fuck's sake."

I opened my mouth to snap back, but Nico beat me to it. "You're also an idiot for forgetting that you actually did bring one."

Taking a deep breath, I placed the cloth on the table and reached up to knead my fingers against my forehead. The ache that was starting to form from hours of studying eased up a bit. "If you could just...not insult me for a second—"

"Are you coming to the pep rally tonight?"

The sudden change of subject made my eyebrows raise. Nico stared back at me evenly, lips pressed to a thin line. "What?"

"Are you coming to the pep rally tonight?" he repeated slowly, emphasizing each word as if I were a toddler.

I leaned back against the chair, the urge to lash out at him at the tip of my tongue. "Yes, I think so, but why—"

"Don't."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't come," Nico said, standing up and pushing the chair back into its original place. "It's not your thing."

My eyes narrowed in anger. "How would you know what my thing is and what isn't?"

Nico cocked his head to the side. "Not that hard to figure out. Don't come. I don't want to see your face."

Before I could sputter out anything else, Nico turned and walked away.

My hands balled themselves into fists under the table. I wanted to scream, but the library wasn't the best place for it.

So I packed my stuff and left.

*

After the misfortune last Monday, Faust had picked me up at my house the next day with flowers and an explanation that his family had an important issue to attend to. Even though I'd forgiven him and we were back in a good place, the days that followed had given me a reason to worry—Faust's eyes would turn glassy and he would be lost in thought in the middle of our conversations. He'd said it was because he was nervous for the semifinals, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was something else.

But I didn't want to worry about it now. I pushed the thought into the back of my mind as I pulled a pair of skinny jeans up to my thighs and slipped on a white tank top over my head. "I didn't know you were friends with Sutton Kirk," Paula said incredulously as she sat on my bed, my phone in her hand. "Why didn't you tell me you were friends with her?"

I shrugged. "Didn't think it mattered. Why, what did she say?"

"How could it not?" Paula scoffed. "She's the transferee last year who became the EIC of the paper, student council president and head of the debate team. She's the most popular girl in school."

"I'm perfectly aware of all of that, thank you."

"I've been trying to get her on the team for months, Thea—I heard she was a star cheerleader back in Modoc. Anyway, she said she'll be here in five minutes."

I looked myself over in the mirror. Frowning, I headed back to my closet to look over which jacket would complement the outfit best. "How did you get my address again?"

"I dated Theo, remember?" she answered in a nonchalant tone.

"How come I never noticed you when you came over?"

"You don't notice a lot of things, Thea."

I pulled a red bomber jacket from its hanger and shrugged it on before asking, "Why'd you break up anyway? What happened?"

There was a pause before she said, "It's all history. By the way, what happened to that secret admirer of yours?"

I groaned in exasperation and stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing the jacket down with my fingers. "Let it go. It was one time. There wasn't even a note."

"Defensive," Paula mused with a grin, eyes sweeping me up from head to toe. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," I muttered sullenly.

The cheerleader let out a laugh. "Alright, what's up with the bad mood?"

I ignored the question and pointed to my hair pulled up in a bun. "Should I let my hair down or is it decent this way?"

"It's decent. Answer me."

I sighed. "I'm not in a bad mood." Paula sent me a flat look. "Fine. I don't know. Nico makes me so mad."

Her eyebrows rose. "Nico?"

"He's so rude to me. He throws things in my face. He leaves before I even get a chance to say something. He's so mean—"

"Wait. Throws things in your face?"

"Like a scarf."

"Oh. Well, Nico does and says things he doesn't mean sometimes."

I stared at her. "He just throws a scarf in someone else's face for fun?"

"That's not what I meant," Paula said, rolling her eyes. "He's a little...rough on the edges."

"Doesn't make it right. He actually hurt me. With the words, I mean, not with the scarf."

"Thea," Paula said softly, standing up to loop her arm with mine. "You should learn not to take Nico's mean words to heart."

My eyebrows drew together as I pondered on the reason why I cared so much. Why I was hurt so much.

A car honked outside.

The cheerleader pulled me with her as we climbed down the stairs. "Come on, we can't be late."

*

I'd been to a pep rally before, but I'd never stayed long enough to find out what the reason behind the hype was.

Sutton and Paula got along really well—more so than I'd imagined as I sat alone in the backseat of Sutton's Ferrari while they chatted animatedly. The sight was relieving, and I was grateful to have that small moment alone.

Paula had to go first to join the squad to prepare for the rally, and Sutton and I went to find seats by the bleachers. The obvious excitement of the Northvale students was palpable in the air. "I never knew that you were a cheerleader back then."

Sutton stood to smooth out the wrinkles in her skirt before sitting back down to cross her legs in perfect posture. "Three years at my old school. It just took a lot of my time with everything," she explained, her lips curling upward. A loud cheer rose in the school gym as the cheerleaders entered a few minutes later, pumping their fists in the air and clapping enthusiastically. They started taking their positions before booming music blared from the speakers, and I spotted the dark-skinned beauty at the center front. "You seemed quiet in the car ride."

"I was thinking about stuff."

Sutton let it go with a nod, noticing I didn't want to elaborate further. Paula and two other girls performed a series of stunts before they were lifted in the air by their teammates. My face crumpled in a grimace. "How do they even do that?"

Sutton raised her shoulders, a smile of melancholy and impressiveness touching her lips. "Training. Everything that's perfect all comes down to training."

Her statement reminded me of how Theo trained twice as hard as the other players on the team to be as good as Faust.

The music stopped and the audience cheered for the performance as the squad left the floor, jumping and doing cartwheels as they did so. Principal Dawson was handed a microphone, and he started to welcome all the students to another pep rally for the last game before the state championships, and then proceeded to introduce the players one by one.

Derrick Olsen. JJ Ford. Grayson Delaney. Cameron Connors. Andrew Philipps. Benjamin King. Justin Ellis. Colton Shaw. Todd O'Connell. Nico Romero. Ryan Hamilton. Jack Wood. Desmond Finley.

"Faust Carter, number eleven!"

Thunderous applause echoed across the gymnasium as Faust entered, face masked in a charming grin as his blue eyes scanned the bleachers before landing on me. He snapped his fingers and pointed in my direction, doing the same thing he had done the first time I'd watched him train. Heat rose up to my cheeks as the students turned their attention to me, and I couldn't help but mirror the stupid smile on his face.

"And lastly, number thirty-seven, Theo Simmons!"

The school erupted in more thunderous applause, just as loud as the cheers when Faust's name was called. Theo was given the honor to be recognized last because he'd scored the last point during their most recent game. His smug grin showed that he didn't care that Faust was the reason why he had scored the last point at all, but I clapped and cheered anyway. Theo deserved the same credit, last point or not.

The team took their seats at the front row bleachers while the principal then droned on about the team's recent wins. After his speech, he handed the microphone to the captain of the cheer squad, Kathy Vergara, who was flanked by two others who held basketball-designed buckets each. The students yelled in excitement.

I turned to Sutton and said, "Never knew games could hold so much enthusiasm."

The blonde shrugged. "I've been hearing rumors of a Northvale-famous game played during pep rallies. It's what everyone's been waiting for."

"Interesting," I murmured, resting my chin against my palm.

"Make some noise, Northvale!" Kathy started, basking in the loudness of the cheers with a grin on her face. "Now, before anything else, I would just like to introduce our mini games held here inside the gym as we wait for the main game to finish. Anyone wanting to sign up can do so later at our booth. We have dodgeball, badminton, and air hockey. Each person who wins the match gets to compete with the next person in line until he's beaten. The winner is determined by the last defending champion until the time for the main game stops." As she spoke, the rest of the cheerleaders started to bring the necessary equipment in. "Remember, you can't enter the Safezone if you don't win any of these three games."

More hollering. I looked around, confused and slightly scared by the commotion. "What the hell is the Safezone?" I asked Sutton, my voice almost on the verge of yelling over the noise.

"No idea!" Sutton answered just as loudly, looking as confused as I was.

"Onto the main game," Kathy continued, placing one hand on her hip. "The girls—those who have heard about the game and know the secret registration link—have all been given the chance to register for this year's Dispatch, but I can only choose fifteen." She took one of the buckets into her hands. The girls near us started holding each other's hands for dear life, closing their eyes and muttering silent prayers. Sutton looked at me. I stared at her back with the same expression, not knowing what was going on. "Before I explain the mechanics, let's know who the players are."

Kathy started drawing papers from the bucket. After each girl's name was announced, a high-pitched squeal followed. The participants rounded up together on the gymnasium floor, wringing their hands together in anticipation, adrenaline already pumping through their veins.

"I'm scared," I told Sutton.

She whispered, "Me too."

"Now for the ten lucky basketball players!" Kathy began, reaching for the other bucket to announce the participants. A couple of names from the team were called, each being hyped up by the rest of the members as they cheered before going over to the center of the floor.

Theo's name was called. Grinning, he gave some of his fellow athletes high-fives before walking to his place on the line.

Faust's name was called.

At first, he didn't stand immediately. I leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his face, but he was being blocked by the rest of his teammates, who were hollering at him and pushing him forward. When Faust turned, I could see his expression morph into worry and anger and confusion all at once.

"Something's wrong," I muttered, watching the court as Faust approached Kathy.

The noise in the gym died down as the students watched the interaction. Faust was speaking lowly and quickly, features drawn together in obvious frustration. Kathy kept shaking her head, and the two cheerleaders beside her dragged Faust to the line.

When his eyes found me, I couldn't read what was written in them.

"Alright," the head cheerleader went on, clearing her throat. "Here are the mechanics for Dispatch, in case anyone here has never heard of it yet. Each player must have a photo of themselves around their necks—this photo is your life. Dispatch is simple. For the girls, it's kill or be killed. For the boys, it's hide or be killed."

Murmurs arose from the audience. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Theo grabbing Faust's wrist to whisper to him. I watched them both in worry, and Faust answered back with his jaw clenched, eyes blazing with anger.

Eventually, Theo let go. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"The girls are the only ones who can snatch photos," Kathy continued to explain, walking across the court. "If you're killed, you have to hand the rest of the photos that you have as well and proceed to the Safezone, where the winners claim their prizes later on."

There was a slight pause as Kathy held her hand up to signal the students to be quiet. "These are the ones who will claim their prizes: the girl who wins all the photos, the last boy caught, and the three winners of the mini-games. You'll all see what the prizes are later!"

The crowd roared once again in excitement. Sutton and I flinched in surprise.

"Remember!" Kathy yelled into the mic, "your playing ground is inside the school only for twenty minutes. Phones will be surrendered here before the game starts. No hiding in one place for more than two minutes—my girls will make sure of that. Also, the Safezone is on camera, it will be livestreamed here after the game and the facilitators will be making sure that consent is given for the prizes. Once everyone has their photos on them, Dispatch begins. Good luck, players!"

The other students began descending down the bleachers to sign up for the mini-games while the chosen players were having their pictures taken and their gadgets confiscated.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Sutton.

"Me too."

Paula ran up to where we were seated, out of breath. "Thea, I swear, Faust told us that he wanted to opt out this year. Kathy agreed, we all agreed, but—"

"She went back on her word," the blonde murmured, eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Paula looked crestfallen. "Theo and Faust give the game a high rise on its popularity. The girls are mostly in it for them."

I closed my eyes. "It's fine. I understand why they want them to play, but is Faust okay? Isn't he pissed?"

"He is," Paula said, taking a deep breath. "But he can't back out."

Because his reputation was at stake. I nodded. "Okay, then."

"He told me to tell you he's sorry."

"Tell him that I trust him."

Paula rushed down the stairs.

Sutton turned to me. "It's just a game, why are Paula and Faust making a big fuss?"

"I'm afraid to find out."

"And I still can't see what the hype is all about. Is it the chase? The prizes? We should've asked about the prizes."

I fiddled with the fingers on my lap. "It doesn't matter. Faust won't do anything he doesn't want to do."

As if he heard me speak his name, Faust turned his head towards my direction, eyes finding mine in a second. I smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

Dispatch began when the whistle blew, and ten minutes later, I was starting to get anxious.

The mini games were still ongoing, but I couldn't pay attention to anything as I waited for the main game to finish. I pulled Sutton up with me before we climbed down the bleachers.

Deciding to indulge ourselves with food to pass time, I waited in line at the hotdog stand while Sutton searched for donuts on a stick and blue lemonade.

It was when I was nearing the front of the line that my arm was yanked. Hard.

"Ow—!"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Nico growled, green eyes burning with fury. The look on his face made me cower in surprise and fear. "I told you not to come!"

I wrenched my arm off before he could tighten his grip any further and seriously hurt me. "Do I look like a dog to you?" I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat. Nico balled his hands into fists. "I don't understand how you can think I'll follow every order that you have to say. Last I checked, I'm here because I want to be. That should be enough explanation for you."

"You need to leave," he said lowly, dangerous enough.

I shook my head. "I don't care if you don't want to see my face or not—I don't need to fucking do anything. Fuck you." I left the hotdog stand, throwing a middle finger in his direction for extra measure as I reentered the hallway heading to the gym.

I stopped when I noticed that the livestream at the Safezone was already playing. All eyes were fixed towards the giant screen.

Introductions for the prizes were over. One girl with a hopeful expression stood out among the rest, holding numerous photos in her hands. Faust was beside her, while everyone else surrounded the two. I couldn't read his expression because of the blurriness, but his posture was stiff. Tense.

Without warning, the girl launched herself onto Faust and kissed him.

I drew in a sharp breath as my nails dug themselves into my palms, waiting for him to push her away. I watched in horror as Faust kissed her back instead, cradling her face in his hands.

I became deaf towards the cheering of the crowd. As much as I wanted to turn away, my gaze kept itself glued to the screen.

Barely registering my surroundings, I wasn't able to notice the looming presence behind me before a hand came over my eyes, completely covering my sight in darkness. Protected by its shelter, the few tears threatening to escape my eyes spilled down my cheeks.

It was a competition. It was a game, I knew that. It just didn't mean it hurt any less.

I let myself stand there for a few more seconds before I stepped away, Nico's hand falling to his side. I furiously wiped the tears away.

"You never listen to me," he said, a sort of softness lacing his tone.

I chose to ignore his statement. "The girl who wins—the one who collects all the photos chooses one of the victims to kiss?"

Nico nodded once.

I forced myself to face the screen again. Faust and the girl had disappeared into the surrounding players. A second pair took the center of attention, then a third, a fourth—all claiming the same disgusting 'prize'. It made me sick to my stomach.

"Thea, everything's consensual."

"You're basically telling me that Faust could've given a no to this but didn't."

"I'm not going to bullshit anything if that's what you're asking," he snapped. "Look at me."

Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from the livestream and stared into Nico's greens.

"It's just a game," he reasoned, voice dropping to an unusual sense of...assurance. "Stop crying."

"Stop telling me what to do," I muttered, tearing my gaze away and wiping my face with my palms.

Nico exhaled heavily and extended one arm.

I sniffed. "What's that?"

"My arm, what else do you fucking think it is?" he grumbled with his jaw clenched. His eyes strayed as far as they possibly could from my face. "Use it."

It took me a second to process his words. "Oh."

"I'm giving you three fucking seconds—"

I grabbed it and pressed the sleeve of his navy blue hoodie to my eyes.

Fresh tears streaked down my face.

I used the sleeve of Nico's hoodie to dry my skin after the last of the wetness stained my cheeks. I stepped back. "Thanks."

Nico grunted in response as he brought his arm down. My eyes widened when I saw I'd left a small, dark patch onto his hoodie, but before my cheeks could heat up and apologize, he pointed at the screen. "We need to go. The livestream is ending."

"What? Why?"

"Theo was in there with Faust," Nico explained quickly, breaking into a jog. "I have an idea about what they talked about before the game, and it's not a good one. Come on, I know where they are."

Now, I wasn't athletic by all means, but running was the most I could do with my clumsy legs. We cut through stairs, hallways, and two doors before finally reaching a classroom—the venue of the Safezone.

The other players had dispersed from the place, but Faust and Theo were still inside. I dashed forward to stop the disaster about to happen, but Nico pulled my wrist back and gestured for me to keep quiet with a finger on his lips.

The small gap along the doorway gave little but enough window to see what was happening. Theo stood across from Faust in a predatory way, eyes burning with fresh anger. "You told me you wouldn't give your consent. Back in the court."

"People change their minds," Faust answered curtly.

They do, indeed. I gritted my teeth.

"I wouldn't care if you weren't dating Thea," Theo continued, harshness dripping from every word and tone. "You fucking liar. I don't even think you wanted to really opt out of the game—a game you knew I'd win popularity over if you weren't in it."

"That is why I expect you to understand, Theo. I did it for my reputation and nothing else."

In a flash, my brother slammed him against the nearest wall, bringing his forearm up to block his throat. "You care about your reputation more than you do my sister!"

I flinched, my fingers digging themselves into my palms. I helplessly glanced back at Nico, who shook his head with a clenched jaw. Faust's fingers clutched Theo's shirt, eyes wild. "That's not what I fucking—"

"She's not Anya," Theo snarled viciously, pulling back to land a punch onto Faust's face. My hands flew to my mouth in horror. "My sister is not Anya, you fucktard, you don't get to hurt her when you want to—"

Faust finally pushed my brother back with a knock to the stomach and kicked a chair towards his direction with a growl. He breathed heavily as he stood on his feet, touching the newly-formed bruise on his cheek, just below his right eye.

"No, she's not, the both of us know that," Faust muttered. The way he spoke was softer, calmer, but angrier. More dangerous. "This is your last fucking warning, Simmons. Don't talk about Anya when you know neither of us deserve to say her name."

Before I could process any more of their words, Theo hurled himself headfirst into Faust as they both crashed to the ground.