Deep (Heavy Hearts Book 2) by Sarah Duncan (reading tree txt) 📕

I watch the ball in play and assess the situation quickly before running towards Allison. She sees me coming, her dark brown eyes widen, and I read her lips saying “Oh fuck” before she turns and runs in the other direction. She’s not quick enough, and I leap on her back, tackling her to the ground.

I get a mouthful of her chocolate brown waves before the whistle sounds, and strong arms wrap around me just as I’m about to pound my fist into her. My legs flail, and I growl in frustration as I’m dragged in the other direction.

“Calm down, Lexi,” Jared growls in my ear, so I relax a little, happy that for once, it isn’t Marcus trying to control me. When we’re far enough away, he puts me down and releases me.

“What was that, Miss West?” Mr Foster yells, his over sunned face reddening in anger.

“What? Aren’t we playing football?” I ask innocently.

Snickers sound around me.

“Not Aussie rules football Lexi. This is soccer. No tackling!” Mr Foster shakes his head, walking off.

“Well, that’s boring,” I say before shooting Allison a glare.

The boys jog over to us, noticeably confused. Well, except for Simon, he seems happy.

“You okay, Lex?” Garrett asks, but I ignore him as I seek out Marcus. He’s standing back, which is odd because he’s always front and bloody centre in my face telling me what to do lately.

Stomping towards him, I let the anger show on my face and his eyes go wide just before I shove him in the chest.

“What the actual fuck Marcus!”

“What?” His brown eyes go round in innocence, and he takes a step back.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me he was back?” My chest rises and falls with heavy breaths. I’m on the edge of a very steep cliff right now, and I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to step away from it.

“Who’s back?” Simon asks from behind me.

I keep my focus on Marcus, and he opens and closes his mouth like a damn goldfish, obviously struggling with words.

“Who’s back, Lex?” Jared asks, and I realise Marcus has kept this information from all of us.

The whistle blows, and Mr Foster calls for us to take positions again, but none of my boys move.

“You could have fucking warned me, Marcus.” A tear slips free, and I turn from him, needing space between us. A lot of fucking space.

I push through the boys, but Jared grabs my hand halting me briefly.

“Six. Who’s back?”

I look up into the eyes of one of my oldest friends and let him see the pain swimming in my own.

“Ayden,” I whisper before pulling away and taking my spot for the game to resume.

I don’t miss the round of curses falling from the boy’s lips as I retreat or Garrett’s voice as he tears strips off Marcus.

“What the fuck, man! That’s information we should have all known about!”

I take my anger and focus it on the game, letting my competitive side come out in full force. While everyone else’s aim is to kick the ball in the goal, mine is to hurt Allison. I am relentless in my endeavour to make her suffer. I stay near her for the whole game. Sticking my leg out to trip her or nudging her hard whenever Mr Foster isn’t looking.

Even though I get concerning looks from the boys, they don’t try to stop my attacks on Allison. It’s like they know I need to get my aggression out, so they just watch on at the monster I unleash.

While my anger stems from my family and the way Tasha and her merry bitches have been treating me, I realise that I’ve been bottling up anger to do with Ayden as well. I’ve been telling myself that he is better off without me. That I tainted his world. But the selfish part of me is truly hurt by the cruel words he said with such distaste the day I walked away from him in Melbourne.

I know I should probably go to Mr Matthews instead of unleashing my wrath on Allison, but there’s just one problem. I can’t go to him because he is with Ayden right now. Ayden fucking Mitchell. The guy that took my virginity, took my heart, and then destroyed me.

That’s not right, though, is it? I know I’m being irrational. If I were a better person, I’d admit that I was the one who happily gave him my virginity, who freely gave him my heart, and who tainted his life, leaving him no choice but to demand space.

Today, I’m not a better person. I am tired. Exhausted. Scared and confused. I am hurting so brutally on the inside that I almost wish I could come face to face with Mike and let him beat the shit out of me because it would be less painful than what my heart is suffering.

Ayden Mitchell pushed his way into my life and broke down my walls. He made me care about him. He made me think there could be a better life. He made me trust him. In this moment, I realise that what he did to my heart is the biggest betrayal I’ve endured.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Who pissed you off?” Bell stands before me with her midnight black hair in her Wednesday Addams braids, wearing her typical indifferent expression.

“You, if you don’t get out of my face!” I snap, and holy shit, I get a fucking grin out of her.

“You’re always pissed off. Today is different, though. Who do you want to kill?” Bell makes no attempt to move, so I step around her and sit on the steps at the back of the school stadium.

“Girl, are you on your period?” Dale sits next to me, screwing his nose up in a cringe while sweeping his hand through his mop of sandy curls.

“Maybe.” I lie, not wanting to talk about the real reason I have fuck off written across my forehead.

“Here, this might help.” Dale