Chapter 11 Chapter 11

Troy

He strode into the room; he didn't have the keys, but I had left it open on purpose. He was a large man accustomed to respect. Duncan Fisher, the man that raised me, his eyes held fury; the men stayed outside the door as he came to where I sat.

On the desk behind my laptop, he didn't say a word, just slapped hard against the table. I didn't look up; I didn't have to. I knew him and knew how he thought.

One thing about Duncan was that he always wanted a reaction, to spread fear; fear made people do things, it made them abide. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any of those things for him, not anymore.

The items on the table rattled around with the jolt, but I said nothing and didn't even look.

His hands rounded in a fist, I smiled inwardly; in the brotherhood, we had a rule never to strike each other, and I wondered if he would go against the rules he set himself. Moreover, without rules, there wouldn't be serenity.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked, his words echoing in the walls of the room.

I stood walking around the room, my hands behind my back. I stopped at the window looking out; it was a bright day. I wondered if Skylar had gotten up safely.

The thought made me chuckle, and that was a grave mistake, as it earned me a fierce punch right across my left eye.

I staggered, smiling at him, then wiping off blood from my nose; at least that wasn't crooked.

"If you do not get your acts together, trust me, I am going to cut you off," he warned in a very stern tone, laced with eager threats.

“Sure you will," I replied, not giving a damn about him and his uptight leadership.

He was backing me now, his fist clenched; he hauled at me once more, but the other men were there in time to put him in check.

They feared him; everyone did, but they knew the consequences of letting him act out his head.

They didn't have to come close; seeing them alone restrained him.

"Let's strike a deal: behave, or I cast out Jeremy." I knew what he was asking; it had always been this. Being cast out meant putting a person's life in danger…it entailed a lot, and I wasn't ready to do that to Jeremy yet.

"Then we have a deal," I agreed, but there wasn't a handshake to finalize it, just a nod from two men who knew each other in ways no one else did.

He left, and I stuck tissue paper under my nose to stop the flow of blood. It was going to be a tough day, and I could see signs of it already.

I drove to school; the parkway was full, so I had to pack in the teachers' lot. I had a cold compress over my eyes while I drove, so by now, the mark was starting to look faint.

I entered the hallway; the guys were waiting in the locker room. We had training to do. Some girls winked at me, and others sent flirty looks, but I wasn't interested in any of them.

I had eyes for one person, a petite, shy, sharp-tongued team assistant, a combination of ice and summer.

I looked around for her, but she was nowhere to be found. I spotted Nina in the crowd; they always hung around together, which meant technically they were friends, right?

She was the same height as Skylar but had messy wavy hair and wore a knee-length gown with dull colors; she had an oval shape with black eyes.

“Hey," I said. But she didn't look up; she was searching for something in her locker. The others were looking at us, but she was busy, and she didn't notice.

“Hi",

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, have you seen Skylar today?" It felt weird checking up on a girl, especially one you snapped at earlier this morning.

"Skylar, I think…," I think she was starting to say before she actually looked up and exclaimed in shock, "Fuck."

"Well, Skylar, um, she..." she was stuttering.

“Don't worry, I will find her myself," I smiled before leaving her.

The others were muttering to each other by now, but I didn't care. They could talk all they want.

When I met the guys, I noticed that she wasn't there either, and sincerely, she never missed any of our training. That was how fabulous she was.

Therefore, their training, all their games, always being in classes, and finally having good grades. She was just a powerhouse, though she would deny it.

The training started, and after two hours we were done. The guys went to shower since we had classes soon, while I had to pack the equipment.

Not like it's my job, but maybe if I stayed longer I would be able to catch a glimpse of Skylar; she should be in school but is hiding somewhere.

A tall blond walked up to me, furious and agitated.

“So you are truly dating her," she sneered, hands on her hips.

“I didn't think yesterday was a show for you."

“Yeah, but you can't really tell me you settled for her, Troy; she is nothing."

"And you are...?" I asked, rolling my eyes at her in a cynical way. I really wondered what Tiffany thought she was. If I were to pick between them both, I would always pick Skylar over and over again.

They were two contrasts with different personalities, and Tiffany, I knew her from way back, and she was really nothing to write home about.

“I like you, Troy. You know I really do. You can break up with her; I can take you back. Together we can become a power couple.” She sounds desperate, reaching for my hands.

I shrugged them off; I didn't want Tiffany. I just didn't know if I had to paste it on every locker door so she knew she wasn't my love interest.

But she wouldn't flinch; she reached for my polo, hugging herself to me. I flashed a look of disapproval at her. To a guy, I would have hit the floor by now, but using the same force on Tiffany, she might actually be hospitalized for days, so I thought otherwise.

She kept hovering, her hands on my neck forcefully.

"You have a boyfriend," I accused her.

"But I want you, Troy." She was a leech, and I didn't really see what Leo saw in her.

She brought her face closer to mine, and this time, I wanted to push her away; she could get injured for all I cared.

But I was slower, or would I say she was faster?

Skylar pulled her away in my stead; Tiffany's hair curled around her fist as she winced, struggling against Skylar’s wrist, but she wouldn't budge.

"Stay away from my boyfriend,” she threatened, and Tiffany jerked her head violently before Skylar let go and she fell to the grass.

I looked at her, admiration encircling my eyes, but she didn't look back; she ju

st turned and left.

But I didn't miss it… She had called me her boyfriend, so it wasn't over yet.