CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE

ADAM:

The cafeteria chatter was always its own chaotic soundtrack—students laughing, shouting, and ranting about whatever assignments were due next or how Coach Henderson had us running around the field like madmen since the match was in three months time.

Today was no different.

"Man, I can't believe that Alex decided to take Blake's side," Cole muttered, stuffing his hands deep into his hoodie pockets. His shoulders were hunched forward, and his face was twisted up in a mixture of disbelief and frustration.

I shot him a side-eye, already knowing exactly what, or rather who, he was talking about.

"You know that you could have brought it up during lunch," I said and he shrugged

"I couldn't Adam, we were planning her birthday, I couldn't just ruin the mood" Cole grumbled, kicking at a stray rock on the sidewalk. "Dude just swoops in, all smooth-like, and now she's suddenly hanging out with him? What the hell."

Cole was pissed—understandably so. Everyone in the school knew that Alex