Chapter 53 Chapter 53

Chapter 53 Chapter 53
Kaelani POV

I rest my chin on Kieran’s shoulder. “Can we go to the tree today?” I ask him.
He turns his head slightly before cupping my cheek. “I told you, whenever.”
The buzzing under my skin hasn’t completely disappeared since the spar, and as much as I don’t want to spend the rest of my day dealing with magic, I definitely don’t want another repeat of last night. If putting all this extra energy back into the earth will help, then the tree is where I need to be.
I sit back, and Kaia grins at us.
“You four are so cute.”
“And you call me annoying,” Sebastian says to her.
“You are annoying. I’m just honest,” she says, shrugging her shoulders.
Sebastian stares at her for a second before looking at the rest of us. “Do you guys hear this shit?”
“Every day,” I say.
Kaia winks at me. “And you love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
She ignores me and looks between Kieran, Liam, Zaire, and me. “What if you three are all her mates?”
My stomach tightens immediately. We’ve joked around the possibility before, but hearing Kaia ask them directly makes me suddenly very interested in the fight happening below us.
Kieran shrugs first. “Then all three of us will be her mates.”
My stomach flips.
He says it so casually, like there isn’t anything strange about the possibility. No hesitation. No looking at Liam or Zaire to see how they feel about it first.
“Yeah, I mean, she’s already our girl,” Zaire says.
Liam nods beside me like apparently this has already been decided without my involvement.
“Can we not say that too loud?” I ask, glancing around at all the students sitting close enough to hear us.
Zaire chuckles. “I’m sorry, Shorty.”
“You don't sound sorry.”
“Because I'm not.”
I suck my teeth, but I can't stop the small smile pulling at my lips.
Just then, all of our phones go off.
Almost at the exact same time.
Kaia pulls hers out first. “Uh-oh.”
I look at her. “Oh boy, what now?”
Her expression changes as she looks at the screen, and the smile slips from my face.
She hands me her phone.
There’s an anonymous profile on the school page with multiple pictures of Kieran and me from earlier. One is from the field when I had him pinned beneath me. Another catches us outside the locker rooms kissing.
Then I scroll.
There are pictures of us right now.
Me sitting between Liam and Zaire. Kieran in front of me. Zaire kissing my temple. My head against Liam’s shoulder.
My heart drops.
Not even because of the pictures.
Someone taking pictures of me without me noticing is creepy as hell, especially after the message I received last night, but it’s the caption underneath them that makes my stomach twist.
Imagine stealing your sister’s boyfriend, making out with him and then sitting between him and two other guys like a whore. But pretends to be a saint and so innocent. Yet you stole two boys that weren’t yours to take.
My fingers tighten around Kaia’s phone.
I know exactly who the post is talking about without their names being mentioned. Kieran and Zaire. Aliza and Stephanie.
The whispers from when we walked into the stadium suddenly make a lot more sense.
Kieran takes the phone from me and reads the caption. His jaw tightens almost immediately.
“You know none of this is true, right?”
Before I can answer, he takes my hands and pulls me closer until my arms are wrapped around his shoulders.
“I know.” I breathe out slowly, forcing myself not to look around to see who might be staring at us now. “I’m trying to ignore them like you guys said. Whatever is going on between us is between us.”
“Exactly,” Kieran says before kissing my cheek.
I lean into him for a second before sitting back.
A week ago, a post like that probably would've sent me straight back into hiding. I would've started questioning everything I was doing just because other people were talking about me.
I'm not doing that anymore.
A few girls climb the stands toward us.
I recognize Shelly immediately. She’s usually surrounded by the same group of girls, and today is no different.
“Hey, Zaire. Got a minute?” she asks.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I mean in private.”
Zaire shakes his head. “Yeah, we don’t do those. But you can talk here if you want.”
My lips press together as I try not to smile.
Kaia snorts beside Kieran.
So much for hiding it.
Shelly’s eyes flick toward me. “So are you two an actual thing?” she asks, gesturing between Zaire and me.
“We’re figuring it out,” he says.
I glance at him.
That might actually be the best explanation any of us can give.
“Yeah, well, she was kissing Kieran outside the locker room.”
Zaire looks at Kieran and shrugs.
“He got the first kiss of the day. Lucky him.”
Kieran grins. “Very lucky.”
I cover my face with my hand. “Goddess.”
“Wait.” Shelly looks between all three guys. “So you’re all really sharing her?”
“I’m not being shared by anyone,” I say, looking down at the fight on the field.
“So what do you call it?”
I think about that for a second. There isn't a name for whatever this is yet. I'm not dating any of them. None of us even know if we're mates, and I'm definitely not about to start explaining my entire situation to Shelly.
“Being free,” I say with a shrug.
Kaia makes an approving sound beside me.
“Wow. Okay.” Shelly looks at us for another second before reaching into her bag. “Well, pool party tonight at my place. I guess you’re all invited.”
She hands Zaire an invitation before walking away with the other girls.
The second they’re far enough away, I turn toward him.
“Pool party, anyone?” Zaire asks, smirking.
“We are not going to that.”
“Oh, you know we are.” Kaia immediately turns toward me. “Perfect chance for your guys to see how hot you are in a bathing suit.”
All three of them groan.
I giggle. “I hate bathing suits,” I murmur.
“Why?” Caelum asks.
“Too much skin.”
“That’s the best part,” Zaire says.
I glare at him.
“I’m sorry, Shorty.”
“Again, you don't sound sorry.”
“Again, I'm not.”
Liam laughs beside me while Kieran reaches back and runs his hands up and down my calves.
“Ignore him,” Liam says.
“You're thinking the same thing.”
His grin answers for him.
I groan. “I hate all of you.”
“No, you don't,” Kieran says.
Unfortunately, I'm starting to realize he might be right.
The next few hours go by with each of us completing the rest of our fights.
My second spar is against a girl from Crescent Ridge who fights low and fast. I win, but I spend too much time anticipating her movements instead of trusting my own instincts. Connors catches every hesitation.
Ninety-seven.
My third opponent is a red head boy from Blue Mountain who is bigger than me and relies heavily on his strength. Normally, I would've used that against him immediately, but the buzzing beneath my skin spikes halfway through the fight, and I hesitate long enough to miss an opening I should've taken.
I still win.
Ninety-eight.
Good scores. Really good scores.
But I know exactly where I lost the points.
Stupid technical mistakes from overthinking the entire time.
Dad would tell me the same thing Nyra has been telling me all day: stop thinking and trust my training. Easier said than done when I'm also trying not to accidentally send someone flying across the stadium with magic I can't control.
When I step out of the locker room after my last fight, Felix is waiting outside.
I slow slightly when I see him, but he gives me an easy smile.
“Hey, Felix.”
“Hey, Kaelani. I see you fixed everything with them?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
His eyes flick briefly toward the stadium before returning to me.
“So are you going to Shelly’s party tonight?”
“Yeah, apparently I am.”
He nods, then smiles. “Maybe we can get a dance.”
I raise a brow. Felix has been friendly since we met, but lately he keeps finding reasons to talk to me.
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening.”
I close my eyes for half a second.
Of course.
Kieran walks over with Liam and Zaire.
I roll my eyes. “Please don’t start.”
“You’re giving him false hope,” Zaire says.
“She’s going to be too busy to dance,” Liam adds.
I turn toward him. “Doing what?”
All three of them look between each other but non of them speak.
“Exactly.”
Felix smirks. “So are you dating all three of them?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Not yet,” Zaire murmurs.
I elbow him without looking.
Felix chuckles before walking backward.
“Catch you later, Kaelani. Answer my DM too,” he says, grinning wide before turning and walking away.
I watch him disappear down the hall.
DM?
With everything that happened last night, another message waiting for me isn't exactly something I'm excited about. But Felix isn't some anonymous account. He's Felix.
Still, I can't shake the feeling that there's something he wants from me.
What could Felix want with me so badly?
He keeps showing up. And now apparently he's sent me a message he doesn't want to say in front of anyone else.
What is in his DM that he’s in such a rush for me to read?