I should've stayed home.
That was the only thing on my mind as I stood in the gym, staring at the neon orange dodgeball rolling back and forth under someone's sneaker like it wanted to kill me.
PE class.
My worst nightmare.
My personal hell.
Especially today.
I was already stressed — the whole Kevin walking me home thing somehow spread around the school. People whispered in the hallways. Girls stared at me like I'd stolen their boyfriend. Guys kept glancing between Kevin and James like I was the prize in some competition.
And James?
James wouldn't stop staring at me.
Every class.
Every hallway.
Every lunch break.
His eyes followed me everywhere, and every time I caught him looking, he looked away like he'd been caught doing something wrong.
But today, I didn't care.
Today, I just wanted to survive dodgeball without dying.
Coach Lucas blew his whistle.
"Alright, people! Two teams! Adams, Paul, and Logan — team red. Elizabeth and Chloe — team blue. Everyone else, scatter!"
Of course.
OF COURSE I ended up on the opposite team from James and Kevin.
Of course my life hated me.
I took a deep breath, adjusting my oversized PE shirt. It felt tighter than usual today. Maybe I was just more aware of my body — more aware of the eyes on me that weren't usually there.
Especially two pairs.
Across the court, Kevin stretched lazily, glancing at me with a small smile.
James noticed the smile and elbowed him.
Kevin smirked.
James glared.
Perfect.
Fantastic.
Kill me now.
Coach blew the whistle again.
"START!"
---
Chaos.
That was the only word for dodgeball.
Balls flying everywhere.
Students screaming.
Coach yelling like we were training for the Olympics.
I ducked as one ball whizzed past my ear.
Another came straight toward me—
WHAM.
Kevin caught it with one hand before it hit me.
He winked. "You're welcome."
My cheeks burned. "I—I had it."
"No, you didn't."
"Shut up."
He laughed.
James watched from across the gym, eyes sharp, jaw tight, fingers flexing around the dodgeball in his hand.
Uh-oh.
I knew that look.
The competitive look.
The "I'm about to ruin someone's day" look.
He lifted the ball.
Aimed.
At Kevin?
No.
At me.
I blinked. "James, don't you dare—"
He threw.
I gasped and dodged.
My foot landed wrong.
My body twisted.
My ankle snapped—
And I fell.
Hard.
Right onto the polished gym floor.
The sound echoed like a gunshot.
The entire gym went silent.
Even the balls stopped bouncing.
Then—
"Lizzy!"
Two voices.
At the same time.
James and Kevin sprinted across the court, so fast other players jumped out of the way.
Kevin reached me first, dropping to his knees.
"Are you okay? Can you move? Where does it hurt?"
I opened my mouth but nothing came out.
James skidded beside me, wrapping an arm around my back and lifting my shoulder.
"Lizzy, talk to me," he said, voice sharp with panic. "What hurts? Did you twist something?"
Everyone was staring.
The cheerleaders.
The basketball boys.
Coach Lucas.
Half the school.
Someone whispered, "Why are BOTH of them freaking out?"
Another girl said, "Is she dating one of them?"
I wanted to die.
Kevin gently touched my ankle. "Does this hurt?"
I flinched. "Ah—yes!"
James grabbed his wrist. "Be careful!"
Kevin pulled his hand back. "I am being careful. Stop acting like I'm trying to break her."
"You're touching her like she's a science experiment."
"At least I'm checking on her."
"I'm checking on her too!"
"Barely! You practically aimed at her!"
"I was aiming at you, dumbass!"
Kevin smirked. "Jealousy much?"
James went red. "Shut up."
I squeezed my eyes shut. "Both of you, stop… please."
They froze immediately.
Coach finally pushed through. "What happened?!"
Both of them answered at once:
"She fell!"
"James hit her!"
"I wasn't trying to!"
"You literally threw the ball at her!"
"I was aiming at YOU!" James snapped again.
Coach sighed. "Alright, someone take her to the nurse—"
"I'll take her," James said.
"No," Kevin cut in. "I will."
They glared at each other like wolves deciding who got the last piece of meat.
"One of you," Coach said. "Not both."
"I'm going," James insisted.
"No," Kevin said calmly. "She's scared of you right now."
James froze.
Kevin looked at me. "Right?"
My throat tightened.
Everyone waited for my answer.
Even James.
Especially James.
"I just want to go," I whispered.
Kevin nodded. "Come on."
James looked like I'd slapped him.
He stepped back, eyes dark and confused.
I didn't look at him.
Kevin helped me limp out of the gym. Students parted like the Red Sea, whispering as we passed.
"The new guy cares about her?"
"Did you see how James reacted?"
"Love triangle?"
"Lucky girl…"
"Unlucky fall though."
By the time we reached the hallway, my cheeks burned.
I couldn't take it.
I pulled my arm away. "Stop… stop… I can walk."
Kevin frowned. "Lizzy—"
"I said I can walk!" I snapped.
My voice echoed.
Kevin blinked. "Okay… I was just trying to help."
Guilt punched me. "I'm sorry… I just… I need a minute."
"Take all you need."
I didn't wait.
I limped as fast as I could down the hallway, past lockers and classrooms.
Straight into the girls' bathroom.
I shut the door, slid down the wall, and breathed hard.
My heart pounded.
My ankle throbbed.
Tears burned my eyes.
"Why me?" I whispered. "Why always me?"
James was a playboy.
He was careless.
He never thought before acting.
But today—
He panicked.
He chased after me.
He looked jealous.
He looked… concerned.
And Kevin?
Why did he look at me like I was someone worth noticing?
I buried my face in my hands.
This wasn't simple.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't safe.
This was something dangerous.
Something emotional.
Something that could break me.
A knock hit the door.
"Lizzy?"
James.
I froze.
He knocked again, softer.
"Please open the door."
My chest tightened.
No.
Not yet.
I couldn't face him.
Not after everyone saw what happened.
Not when he looked at me like that.
Not when something inside me felt like it was cracking open.
I stayed silent.
James sighed.
I heard him slide down the wall on the other side of the door, sitting right outside the bathroom.
"I'm not leaving," he said quietly. "Not until you talk to me."
His voice was soft.
Too soft.
Not the cocky boy everyone else knew.
A different James.
And I hated that I still cared.
I covered my mouth and cried silently.
Because no matter how hard I tried…
I couldn't run from this.
I couldn't run from him.
Not anymore.
---