Chapter 51: Chapter fifty one

Drayton

The last time I was this mad was when I moved out of the King's mansion two years ago and Jonathan tried to stop me. But right now, I was livid. And the reason for that was the piece of shit currently bleeding in front of me.

Whatever I felt for Jack Sinclair before was nothing compared to the anger currently burning in my chest. I didn't know what exactly got me so mad.

Maybe it was when I went back to Brown's office to ask who had volunteered to study with Arielle and she told me it was Jack Sinclair. Or when Coach kicked me off the team like it was nothing. Or when this fucking bastard thought it would be a good idea to rub it in my face that he was the new captain Coach had replaced me with.

Whatever it was, it had made me lose it completely.

It wasn't surprising that I got kicked off the team. I hadn't taken basketball seriously ever since this season started. I had blown off practices and ignored Coach's summons.

I already assumed I was off the team. It was kinda hard juggling tutorial sessions, work, and practices at the same time. But to hear that Coach replaced me with Jack fucking Sinclair of all people, I couldn't take it.

“Not surprising that you still have a shitty aim, daddy's boy.” He spat.

“It seems to have gotten you messed up anyway, Stutter Jack.” I crawled.

Jack had a stutter in fifth grade and he hated it. His speech therapist did a great job correcting it during the summer. Everyone got over it when he became one of the hot jocks on campus. I never cared about it before. He was still my best friend regardless. But I knew it was a sore topic for him.

As expected, he lost his cool and immediately threw a punch at me. I ducked but was not quick enough to avoid the hit. It landed on my shoulder.

My anger skyrocketed. I would be damned before I let Jack Sinclair beat me in a fist fight. Not when he had already taken everything that belonged to me. He took my best friend, my position, and her.

Fuck him.

I immediately returned the punch and it quickly escalated into a brawl. I was fairly aware of Arielle screaming at me to stop but I couldn't stop. My eyes were red with fury. I needed to get it out of my body before I imploded.

Jack kept throwing punches at me but I barely felt them. I was too mad. I felt someone pull me away from him but I shrugged them off.

“What the fuck is your problem with me?” Jack yelled as he threw another punch which I successfully ducked.

“You're asking me? You're the one that keeps coming at me. You proposed the bet and now you took my position.” I yelled back.

“She's my girlfriend, I can ask her out whenever I goddamn want to. And Coach replaced you because you're a self-centered fucking asshole.” He thundered as he threw another punch at me.

I wasn't able to escape this one so I made sure to double my punch at him. I was satisfied when both of them hit home.

“I've never done anything to you. You're the self centered asshole. You were a shitty friend to me and a shitty boyfriend.”

“And you weren't to me? You fucking left me when I needed you.” he said and I scoffed in disbelief.

“Don't play the fucking victim's card, Sinclair. You left me first. Remind me how was your vacation in Hawaii again.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, let that go already.”

“Never!”

A small hand pushed at my chest and shoved me away. I was forced to take a few steps away from Jack. It was then that I noticed the spectators around us and a slightly trembling Arielle between us.

“Cut it out and stop acting like children!” She said sternly.

I could feel her hand trembling slightly on my chest but her face remained stern. Guilt immediately washed over me. I knew how much she hated violence and I had dragged her right into it. I'd thrown the first punch and started the fight.

The fury I felt at Jack immediately melted away. My entire focus was on her now. I didn't even notice Coach approaching until he got to us. And he was livid.

“Sinclair, King, my office now.” Coach said and turned away before any of us could reply.

I turned to Arielle. My heart plummeted at the sight of her solemn expression.

“Arielle, I–”

“Just go meet Coach before you piss him off more. I'll, uh, finish up here.” She cut in.

I nodded because there was nothing else I could do. What was I even going to say to her? Apologize? Or try to explain that I had just fought Jack about something that happened two years ago. Something that ended our friendship.

Arielle walked away from me and dragged a frozen Laura away. She seems to be recovering from a mini panic attack. Guess it wasn't just Arielle our brawl sent into spiral mood. My guilt deepened at the thought.

Jack and I began walking towards Coach's office while making sure to keep out of the other's way. I thought he would be less mad by the time we got to his office but I was totally wrong. If anything he was angrier. I've never seen someone's face turn so many shades of red in such short time.

“What got into both of you? My former captain and current captain punching each other on my court! What the hell was that?” he thundered.

Technically, the fight happened in the gym, but I had a feeling pointing that out wouldn't help my case at all.

“He started it.” Jack accused.

“How convenient of you to immediately blame me.” I scoffed.

“I don't want to hear it. Both of you have detention for the next two weeks.” Coach said.

Jack and Arielle started talking ay the same time,

“But sir…”

“Coach it wasn't…”

“Enough!” Coach thundered. “You both are and have been my captain. And there you were, punching the lights out of each other. What kind of leadership are you showing your teammates when you two can't even get your shit together? I don't care what the issue between the two of you is, you will work it out and not disrupt my team.”

There was pin drop silence in the room. Coach rarely loses his cool, and when he does, it was like a volcano erupted. His punishment were usually severe. We were getting off lightly with just two weeks detention.

“And Sinclair, since your first action after becoming a captain was fighting your former teammate, you are going to sit out the next few games.”

“Coach, you can't bench me. I'm your best player.” Jack argued.

“Second best player. Everyone knows I'm the best.” I snorted.

I was better than him on the court and he knows it.

“And yet you got kicked off the team. Touche.” Jack sniped back.

“Alright, that's it. One month detention, and Sinclair you're on the bench for the foreseeable future. Incase you need reminder, King, you're only temporarily suspended from team activities. You will still be required to attend practices unless you need me to have a chat with your father. If either of you tries to skip detention, it means no senior trip next weekend.” He deadpanned.

Neither of us tried to antagonize the other again. First, because the punishment could get more unbearable, and also because I wasn't looking forward to a meeting between Coach and Jonathan.

The third reason was because neither of us wanted to skip the senior trip. It was an annual trip organized by the school for seniors. But to students, it was basically a fuck fest weekend.

I wasn't sure Arielle would be attending, but I wasn't going to miss it if she ended up going.

“I think we're all clear.” Coach said and went to sit behind his desk in a clear dismissal.

Jack and I walked out of Coach's office and went our separate ways. I saw Arielle leaning against my car in the parking lot. She straightened when she saw me, her gaze sweeping over my body which I know was covered in bruises.

“You're hurt. You should go to the nurse's office.” She said.

“I'd rather go home.”

“I don't think Penny would love to see you like this.” She was right. I couldn't go home with cuts and bruises marring my skin. But there was somewhere else I could go to get myself treated. The beach house.

“I'm not going home. I'm going somewhere else. Would you like to go with me?” I asked, silently holding my breath while waiting for her response.

“What bet was Jack talking about earlier?”

Oh Fuck! I'd been so caught up in the fight that I hadn't realized I had blurted out the bet Jack and I made at Caleb's party.

But it was too late now. She'd probably already figured it out. I told her everything about the bet. From the expression on her face, I knew it didn't sit well with her.

“That's why you pushed me into the pool that day?” My silence was answer enough.

“Is that what these past few days have been about? Getting back at your ex best friend?”

“No, I–”

“Save it.” She seethed. “I think I'm gonna take the bus today.” She walked away before I could say anything.

And a piece of me broke.