26| Swim meet 2

It's been five minutes.

I push past the crowd of cheering students, weaving through bodies still high on adrenaline from the meet. Maddie barely acknowledges me when I tell her I'll be back—she's too busy screaming about Reid's victory, swept up in the excitement.

The energy in the air is electric, but all I can focus on is the text burning a hole in my pocket.

Meet me behind the building in five.

Oliver's message had been brief, no explanation, no hint of what he wanted. Just an unspoken urgency that had my stomach twisted in knots. Why now? Why here?

It had to be about that night right?

I slip through a group of girls holding up glittering placards, their voices shrill with excitement, and finally make it past the chaos to the entrance of the locker room.

My breath is uneven as I stand there, waiting. My heart hammers against my ribs, and not just because of Oliver.

I hate to admit it, but I'm looking for him too.

Reid.

Even now, I can feel the remnants of his stare from earlier, the way his eyes had burned into me from across the pool, searing through my skin, igniting something deep within me.

I exhale, shaking the thought away, and move to the opposite corner, away from prying eyes.

Then I hear it.

Raised voices. An argument.

I hesitate for a second before my feet move on their own, drawn toward the sound. Rounding the corner, I come to an abrupt stop.

Reid is standing with his back against the wall. His hoodie is pulled low over his head, and he was still wearing his swimming trunks still damp from the pool, his breathing heavy. In front of him is a girl—Red.

I know it's her before she even speaks.

"You owe me. I own you, do I have to remind you of that?" she spits, her voice sharp with fury.

Her hair is wild around her face, her chest rising and falling like she's barely holding herself together. There's something unhinged about the way she stares at him, something desperate.

Reid's jaw tightens. His hands clench into fists at his sides, but his expression is... resigned. Tired.

"Aren't you tired of this, Red?" His voice is low, strained. "We can't keep doing this, hurting each other. It's time to let go."

Red laughs, but there's no humor in it. "So you're abandoning me too? After everything I did for you?"

His head tilts back against the wall, exhaling harshly. "What more do you want from me?" His voice breaks, raw and exposed. "I've done everything. Everything. But I can't do this anymore. I'm drowning, Red. Just—just leave me alone."

The words barely leave his lips before she slaps him.

The crack of skin against skin makes my breath hitch. Reid staggers back, eyes wide with disbelief.

Why does he keep letting her hurt him like this?

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," she hisses.

Another slap.

"I gave up everything for you. You promised you'd take care of me."

And another.

I move before I can think, before I can stop myself.

"Stop!"

I shove my way between them, the force of it making Red stumble back. My body is buzzing with adrenaline, my hands shaking as I reach for Reid, scanning his face for signs of damage.

His skin is red, his cheek marked from the impact, but he looks more stunned than hurt.

"Isla," he breathes, his voice laced with something I can't place. Guilt? Confusion? Fear?

I shake my head. "Don't." I know what he's going to say—This isn't your business. Leave. But I won't.

Red is still on the ground, her bloodshot eyes flicking between us. She tilts her head, intrigued, as if seeing me for the first time. Then she stretches out her hand toward Reid.

"Come help me up, little flower."

My stomach drops.

The nickname.

The book.

It was her.

Reid moves instinctively, but I don't let him. My hand shoots out, pressing against his chest, holding him back. I can feel his heartbeat beneath my palm, rapid and unsteady.

Red watches me with sharp, calculating eyes before pushing herself up.

"Do you even know who I am?" she asks, her lips curving into a smirk.

"I don't care," I bite out. "Leave. Now."

Her smirk fades. "Reid?"

He doesn't respond.

I hold his hand in mine, anchoring him in place. He doesn't pull away.

Red's lips part like she wants to argue, but then something shifts in her expression. She exhales, slow and deliberate, and pulls a cigarette from her pocket.

"I guess I'll be seeing you later, little flower. You know where to find me," she murmurs, the nickname dripping with something that makes my skin prickle.

She turns to leave, but I can't stop myself.

"I don't care what history you two have," I say, my voice shaking with fury, "but you don't get to keep hurting him like this."

Red stills.

"Isla, stop," Reid mutters, his grip tightening on mine, but I ignore him.

"He is not your punching bag," I say. "The next time you lay a hand on him, I'm calling the police."

Red turns back slowly, her expression shifting from amusement to pure, unfiltered rage.

"Excuse me?" she seethes. "He is my property. Mine. I can do whatever the fuck I want with him."

Her hand snaps up, moving fast, and I barely have time to react before—

A firm grip catches her wrist midair.

Oliver.

His expression is unreadable, his grip unrelenting. "Let's not make this a bigger scene," he says smoothly, nodding toward the approaching footsteps.

Red yanks her hand away, seething. "This isn't over," she snarls at me before brushing past, deliberately slamming her shoulder into Oliver as she disappears down the hall.

Silence lingers in her absence.

I barely notice that Reid and I are still holding hands until his fingers twitch against mine, and I realize just how tightly I've been gripping him. But before I can let go, he does it first, pulling away abruptly.

A strange, empty feeling creeps into my chest.

Oliver steps closer, his brows furrowed with concern. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't expecting Coach to keep us back so long. I tried texting, but... I guess you were preoccupied."

Something in his tone makes me falter. Guilt creeps up my spine.

Reid takes a step back, his walls slamming back into place. I can feel him retreating before he even moves.

Panic grips me.

I can't let him shut me out. Not again.

I grab his wrist before he can disappear, my voice barely above a whisper. "Reid, wait."

He stills.

I turn back to Oliver, my heart twisting. "I'm sorry. Can we reschedule? I need to talk to Reid."

Oliver's jaw tightens, disappointment flickering in his eyes. But he nods. "Yeah. Sure."

I don't look back as I tighten my grip on Reid and pull him with me.

And this time, he follows.

We walk in silence until we reach my car. I stop by the driver's side, awkwardly fumbling through my bag for the keys, but it's difficult when I'm still holding onto Reid like my life depends on it.

He notices and smirks, the expression lighting up his tired features. "You know, I won't run away." His voice is low, accent thick and deliberate, doing dangerous things to my head.

I exhale sharply and force myself to let go, digging into my bag until my fingers finally close around the keys.

"So, where to then?" he asks, leaning lazily against the hood of my car, as if he has all the time in the world.

"I—" I falter, realizing I hadn't thought this far ahead. "Where would you like to go?"

His smirk deepens, and my eyes flicker to his busted lip.

"My place," he suggests. "I need a shower and a change."

Shower. Reid. Water running down his skin—

I snap out of it, my breath hitching as I scramble for a response. "I don't... I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" He pushes off the hood, stepping closer.

"I just want to talk."

"And we can't do that at mine?"

I hesitate. He watches me, his eyes glinting with challenge, like he knows exactly what he's doing.

Probably because he does.

Two can play that game.

"Fine," I mutter, giving in.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

The car ride is quiet, but the air between us is anything but. I grip the wheel, eyes fixed on the road, yet I can feel him watching me. His gaze is heavy, unwavering. It's unnerving how he does that—looks at me like he's searching for something, like he already knows what he'll find.

After a while, he finally speaks.

"Are you always this reckless?"

I swallow, unsure how to respond, so I don't. Instead, I keep my focus ahead, hands tightening around the wheel.

"Who is she?" I ask, finding my voice.

He exhales, long and slow. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

I shake my head.

A pause.

"She's someone I hurt," he says, reclining further into his seat. His voice is quieter now, as if the weight of the words exhausts him.

I glance at him, dumbstruck. He's back to cryptic answers.

Still, it's more than I had yesterday.

"Is that why you let her hurt you?"

His jaw tightens. He turns his face towards the window. "It hurts her more than it hurts me."

I don't understand. And worse, I don't like the way his voice softens when he speaks about her. An ugly feeling rises in my chest, one I don't want to name.

"I don't get it," I huff.

He chuckles, low and amused. "It's better that way, princess."

My stomach clenches.

"Don't call me that," I murmur.

"Why not?" His smirk returns. "You don't like it?"

I shake my head.

"Alright then," he muses. "What should I call you? Kensington?" He raises a brow, waiting for a reaction.

I don't answer. That uneasy feeling creeps back in.

And then, before I can stop myself—

"Do you love her?"

The words slip out. My grip on the wheel tightens.

He doesn't respond right away. Just looks at me, something unreadable in his expression. Then—

"I don't do love, Kensington. You know this."

I look away, swallowing down the sudden ache in my chest. Wondering why he looked at me like that when he said it?

His house comes into view. I pull into the driveway, cut the engine.

Neither of us moves right away. Then Reid opens his door and steps out like it's nothing, like that last exchange didn't just leave me spiraling.

He walks up ahead before pausing at the entrance. "You're not coming? Thought you wanted to talk."

He pushes the door open and disappears inside.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart before following him in.

Hoping I don't regret this.

Authors note:

So..... what are our guesses on Reid and Reds history.