The squeaking of wrestling shoes on the mats, intermittent grunting, the cheering of the crowd, and a shrill whistle clue me in that I’m in the right place before I even turn the corner. I glance around, looking for Ed so I can avoid him as best as possible. I enter the gym and walk around the competition area to take a seat on the bleachers. I watch for several minutes, breathing slowly, trying to calm my thundering heart. I know he’s here somewhere; I just haven’t laid eyes on him yet. Fuck. This sucks.
Sure enough, out of the corner of my eye I spot someone walking toward me. It’s Ed, of course, and if I were a betting man—given the look on his face—I’d say things are about to get interesting.
The last damn thing I want is for this to be a public shouting match, so with a sigh, I stand up. He raises his brows and jerks his head toward the locker room. I nod and follow him through the doorway.
When the door shuts behind us, he spins on his heel, eyeing me with such disdain I wonder if there’s actually something else I’ve done to offend this man. There’s not. He slowly shakes his head, an odd smile on his face. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to talk to you alone.” He props his hands on his hips. “So, you decided to fuck your teacher, eh?” He grins at me like he thinks this is the funniest thing in the world. “Must be lots of fun, sneaking around. She’ll get tired of it, though.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. I’m not admitting a damn thing to this asshole. My mind works quickly, trying to figure out his angle. “What’s your deal, man? I don’t understand what you want from me.”
“Did she show you the pictures I took of her? She posed like that—for me. She’ll come back to me eventually.”
She’ll come back to him. Which means she’s not with him now. I eye him carefully, wondering what sort of person sends photos like that to someone they are no longer with. And why does he still have photos of his ex in the first damn place? “Okay, man. Whatever. I’m going to go finish watching the tournament. Thanks for the talk.”
I’m not about to play into his hand or give him any info even though it’s instantly crystal clear what an idiot I’ve been to think for a second that Hadleigh would cheat on me—especially with him. I’m not going to let him know that. I turn and shove through the door, my mind reeling with what he’s unwittingly revealed to me. Little bits of a conversation she and I had not too long ago come back to me, adding fuel to my fire. I think her exact words were that he’s possessive when he shouldn’t be. And that would be because she’s not with him.
I find a quiet corner amid the cheering and do some quick googling, wanting to know just what the legal repercussions are for harassment, because it’s clear the very thing Hadleigh has been trying to hide from me is what I’d unknowingly stumbled upon last night. I’m now one hundred percent certain he’s been harassing her with photos he’d taken of her when they were dating. Fuck knows what else he’s been texting her.
I rub my forehead as I slowly shake my head. By jumping to hurt-fueled conclusions instead of just talking to her, I may very well have messed this up. My eyes glaze over, and I can’t concentrate on anything going on around me. I need to fix this with her. Now.
Bottom line: I love Hadleigh. I trust Hadleigh. I need to make this right.
I thumb open my messages, read her text from last night, and send a reply.
Me: I’m an idiot. I’ll come by once I’m done at this wrestling tournament.
My heart leaps as the little dots start to jump, and I smile, throwing up a silent prayer that I’ll be able to explain to Hadleigh how I’d been wrong to not talk to her last night. I hope she doesn’t hate me for it.
Hadleigh: You’re not an idiot. And OMG, what are you doing there?
Me: I’d already planned to attend today because it’s such a big school event.
Me: I volunteered to work the snack bar, which I need to go do in a sec.
Me: Ed actually cleared a few things up for me. He can’t help but run his mouth.
Hadleigh: Why does that scare the shit out of me?
Me: No worries. I’ll come by your place in a little while.
An hour later, my shift at the snack bar wraps up, so I bolt. I turn the corner to head to the parking lot only to find Ed right there, leaning against the building, the same way he’d been the other day while spying on us. He pushes off the wall and blocks my path, so I stop.
“Do you need something else from me? Shouldn’t you be in there with your team?”
He shrugs, “Nah.” One side of his mouth turns up in a smirk. “You know, you can have her. She’s a slut and a bad lay, anyway.”
My mouth drops open, and I’m so gobsmacked by his words I can’t help but chuckle. His outburst gives me more confidence in what I’m about to say. “You know, based on the text you sent last night, I think you still want her. And I’d bet it makes you angry that she doesn’t feel anything for you anymore. Doesn’t want you at all. You lost
