Stealing the Rival's Heart

His teammates dared me to go flirt with the other team's best player and charm the win right out of him.

Their captain was the boy I'd loved since high school.

I looked at Bryce, waiting for him to tell me not to.

He shrugged. Go for it.

Four years I'd waited on that boy. That was the first time I stopped waiting.

So I picked up the water. Walked it across the court. Put it in the hands of the best player on the other side.

And the guy I gave that water to?

He went out and buried Bryce's whole team.

CHAPTER ONE

Sienna touched up her lip gloss, leaned over my desk, and asked if I wasn't heading out yet.

"Out where?" I said.

Fake gasp, hand to her chest. "Don't tell me Bryce didn't invite you. The team's got a scrimmage tonight."

Every girl in the room looked up at once.

Of course they did. Bryce was the captain, top of the class, with a face that made group chats go quiet. Half the floor had a thing for him.

"Why would he tell me?" I kept it bored.

Sienna tilted her head. "Aren't you two close, though? I just figured he'd want his favorite girl courtside."

Close. Sure. We were close.

Our families lived two doors apart. Same schools since we were kids. I confessed to him back in high school, and he smiled and said, I don't do the dating thing in high school, Wren. Ask me again in college.

So I waited. Got into Wexford right alongside him. And then we just stayed exactly where we were.

College Bryce was the same as high-school Bryce, always ringed by pretty girls, never once dating any of them. Friends, he called them. All of them.

Took me long enough to do the math and land on the obvious: I was just one more name on the list.

When I didn't answer, Sienna smiled to herself, pleased. "Our department booked a scrimmage against Engineering tonight. Come watch with me, Wren."

The no was right there in my mouth. It didn't come out.

Because Bryce would be there. And I still wanted to go.

At the court, one of his teammates spotted me first. "Cap, your little fangirl's back."

Bryce looked over. "Why are you here?"

Something in my chest dropped. Was it really that unwelcome, me showing up?

Sienna was already moving, tucking herself in close to him. "I dragged her along, Bryce. You only invited me. I didn't want to be the only girl here."

All syrup, all lean-in. It told the whole bench exactly how not-just-friends they were.

She'd been invited. I'd shown up on my own.

We took the front row. The game started fast.

Sienna screamed his name like a one-woman cheer squad.

Bryce glanced our way. More than once.

She leaned into me, all worry. "He keeps looking over here. God, I hope I'm not messing with his head."

I kept the eye-roll on the inside.

She didn't need to worry. Bryce's head was already gone.

Engineering was simply better. Cleaner passes, sharper shooting, a whole tier above our guys. By the time the half ended, it wasn't close.

Sienna popped up to bring water. To exactly one person, obviously.

Bryce took her bottle and drank. But right before he did, his eyes cut to me.

A few of the guys had started watching the other bench, and the ribbing began. "Their number seven's a problem. Callum, right?"

"Heard he's single. Our department's got no shortage of pretty girls. Set him up, get him to go easy on us next round." Laughter.

Somebody's gaze swung to me. "Send Wren."

He caught an elbow. "Idiot. She's into Cap."

"Even better. Heart in the enemy camp."

"Right? And once he's got a girl keeping him busy, bet he won't have the legs for a full game either." The laughing spilled somewhere cruder after that.

They joked about me like I wasn't sitting right there.

And Bryce, one seat over, said nothing.

He let all of it happen. Didn't even look up.

Not one word.

CHAPTER TWO

Sienna turned to him, sweet as anything. "Bryce, what do you think of the idea?"

He didn't even look up. "Sure. Fine by me."

And just like that, the anger drained right out of me.

Because there it was, in three words. I could walk over and throw myself at a total stranger, and he'd feel nothing. Fine by me.

So I smiled.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot." I stood and brushed off my jeans. "He's fun to watch anyway."

Something flickered across Bryce's face.

Good.

I grabbed a bottle of water and carried it across to the other team's bench.

Callum was catching his breath, trading jokes with the guy beside him. I nudged his back with the cold bottle. "Hey. Want some water?"

Heads turned. My face went hot.

Okay, so I hadn't gotten a clean look at him from the stands. Turned out he wasn't just good at basketball. He was stupidly good-looking.

"Oh, here we go, Cal, another one. Watch him shoot her dow"

The teammate stopped mid-word, eyes blowing wide.

Because Callum's mouth had already curved, and he was reaching for the bottle.

Our fingers brushed. His skin was hot from the game. For half a second his hand didn't move, and neither did mine. Then I pulled back fast.

"Thanks." He held my eyes the whole time, still smiling.

"Don't mention it." I turned to go.

A lazy voice caught me from behind. "What, you bring me water and then go cheer for some other guy?"

My feet stopped.

The buzzer went. Halftime was over.

"Here. Sit." Callum was already up and heading for the court, his spot on the bench suddenly open.

The guy next to it waved me down, friendly. "I'm Miles. What's your name? You're not one of ours, right? For the record, you're the first person whose water Cal has ever actually taken."

The first. Lucky me. Spared the public rejection.

Miles fired questions faster than I could answer them.

"Isn't he tired?" I nodded toward Callum. He'd played three quarters straight. Nobody had subbed in for him.

"Cal? Nah, man's got a motor. He'll finish all four and still go run the track after."

It was such a ridiculous brag that it startled a laugh out of me, and the knot in my stomach eased.

The freshly-praised Callum picked that exact moment to jog back. "You. Fourth quarter. You're in for me."

Miles's face fell. "Cal. I'm tired."

"You look plenty awake to me. Mouth hasn't stopped all game. Up." Callum dropped onto the bench beside me, sweat-dark hair stuck to his forehead. He raked a hand through it, grabbed a towel, and looked over. "So what's funny?"

I blinked. He'd clocked me laughing. From the court.

"You've got good eyes," I said, and meant it.

"Obviously." One corner of his mouth tipped up, smug. "How else would my shots drop this clean?"

There was no suspense left in the game.

When Bryce's team came down the handshake line, his face was thunderous. His eyes skipped past his own guys and fixed on me. "Still here? Comfortable?"

Over a scrimmage. All that heat over one lost scrimmage.

I shrugged and turned to Callum. "My friends are over there. I should go."

Sienna pounced the second she saw me. "Wren, you and Callum already knew each other?"

"Just met."

"See, this is what I mean. Wren just pulls the boys in." She aimed it at the whole group, bright and loud. "I could never."

Fake. So expertly fake.

Then Bryce announced he wanted to grab food.

CHAPTER THREE

Sienna gave me a pained little look. "Wren, I'm gonna go grab food with the guys. You'll be fine getting back on your own, right?"

"Sure." I nodded.

"You're coming too." Bryce. An order, not an invitation.

Sienna's face changed.

The old me would've been over the moon. Bryce, asking me along.

But I didn't have it in me tonight. One more round of watching him trade flirty little jokes with a rotating cast of girls.

I shook my head. "I'm good. I'm tired."

He acted like he hadn't heard me. "Didn't you always want to try Maple and Thyme?"

I'd sent him that place the week it opened. Wanted him to take me.

He was always busy, though. No time. All of it went to his new friends.

I looked him dead in the eye. "It's been too long. I don't want it anymore."

I used to beg him to take me there. He never had a spare hour. Funny how the wanting just went quiet on its own.

Showered, in bed, thumbing through Instagram, I hit Bryce's post from five minutes ago.

Lost the game, won the girl.

Photo of him and Sienna.

My thumb stopped on the screen.

For years, seeing him ringed by other girls had gutted me every single time. But actually watching him with someone, right there, public, official, I just felt light.

I locked the phone. Set it face-down. Didn't scroll another inch.

"Babies, come eat." Sienna was back, swinging two bags of takeout. "This place is so good, I had to bring some home for you guys. Bryce's treat."

The other two roommates crowded in. "Bryce is so different with you, though. I just saw his post. Are you two, like, official now?"

She threw a glance my way as she said it.

"Ha. Guess you caught us." Sienna covered her mouth, giggling.

When I still hadn't moved, she came over to my bed. "Wren, you're not coming down for a bite?"

"I'm good, thanks. Already brushed my teeth."

She sighed, all regret. "Aw, and I bought it special."

My phone buzzed. Bryce.

[Had someone drop something off for you. Did you eat?]

Classic Bryce.

He rejected my confession in high school, then showed up the next morning with my favorite breakfast, said he'd gone out special to get it.

He handed other girls flowers at the school showcase, then waited around after just to walk me home.

He ditched me before graduation to travel with the girl I hated most, so I froze him out for a whole summer. Then he turned up at my door before the semester started, helped me pack, promised my parents he'd take good care of me at college so they wouldn't worry.

A slap, then a piece of candy. And every time, I ate the candy.

For years I'd told myself he just didn't want to date in high school. That being everyone's favorite wasn't his fault.

The excuse showed up again tonight, right on cue.

For the first time, it didn't fit.

CHAPTER FOUR

For years I'd lied to myself, so sure I meant something different to Bryce. Different from all the others.

The truth was simpler. He didn't love me. He just didn't want to lose me.

So he kept me on a low simmer. Warm enough to stay. Never enough to boil over.

Wren. You lovesick idiot. Time to wake up.

Next day. Boys' dorm, other side of campus.

Callum checked the time and closed out of his game.

Miles poked his head around the monitor. "Cal? Why'd you log off? Keep going."

"Got class." Callum swiped his phone off the desk and headed out.

"Class? It's one throwaway elective. Since when do you skip a match for a lecture? Free game right here, man!" Miles called after him, baffled.

I'd barely dropped into my seat in the lecture hall when the texts started rolling in. Bryce first, then Sienna.

Bryce: [Not coming to class today. Sign me in.]

Sienna: [Wren!! Bryce and I are out on a date, be a doll and sign us both in?]

A three-person class. Somehow I was the only one it stung.

I jabbed out a reply. [k]

Then I opened Bryce's contact.

I looked at his name for exactly one second.

Delete. Block.

Done.

"Small world."

I looked up. Callum.

He was in this class. This throwaway elective.

Small world, my ass. This was small-world-turning-up-at-your-door, small-world-moving-into-the-spare-room.

"This seat taken?" He nodded at the empty chair beside me.

I shook my head.

He dropped into it, and then, out of nowhere: "Thanks for the water yesterday."

My stomach dropped.

Please. Please don't ask why I brought it.

Because the honest answer was that his rivals had dared me to walk over and charm him into throwing their game, and if he ever found that out, whatever this was would be over before it even started.

He didn't ask, though