Chapter 13: Assessing Teams

Dawn’s Point of View

My eyes shook as I stared up at his outstretched hands, and they passed by his jawline, sharp enough to grate cheese on them. He raised his eyebrows, some strands of his blond hair falling over his beautiful blue eyes, which regarded me kindly. The soft outline of his plump lips spread as he smacked his gum.

And he effortlessly made it seem like chewing gum was the hottest thing a guy could do, a strangled breath escaped my parted lips, and I felt heat curl inside me.

But there was something about him that threw me off.

His name.

Jasper Royals?

Sounds very familiar, like it’s something I hear often, but I suddenly don’t remember where I heard that name from. And then it hit me, my eyes widened as I jolted backwards, what the hell is Jasper Royals doing here?

He is the captain of the Dominion White Bears, and the team that we are supposed to play against in the competition.

“Chill out, girl.” He grabbed hold of me, and he yanked me up almost immediately. My cheeks flushed when his eccentric blue eyes sized me up. “I was only trying to help you.”

“T-Thank you.” I stuttered, stepping out of his grip. I felt my skin scorched from where he touched me, and my eyes flickered away from him, trying to hide the blush that lingered on my cheeks.

“We have quite the audience. Do you want to go somewhere private?” He offered, slipping both his hands into his pocket and blowing out his gum.

I shut my eyes, shook my head, trying to force back the dirty thoughts that threatened to surface.

“O-Okay.”

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Dorothy growled as she ran after us. She grabbed Jasper by the arm, and he just stared down at her. “You can’t just grab me like that and leave. Do you know who I am?”

“Clearly.” He mused, leaning forward. “I would play with you for a while, but I have a girlfriend, and she is horribly jealous.”

He winked and then proceeded walking. I followed him, my legs struggling not to stumble.

“Do they do that all the time?” He asked suddenly as we reached the hallway.

“What?” I asked curiously.

“Bully you.” He glanced at me with those sinful blue eyes of his, and once more I looked away from him, my chest tightening. “And the other students are just a bunch of cowards who just allow that to happen?”

I shrugged, letting out an uneasy smile.

“What can I say?” I pulled some strands of my hair behind my ears, feeling warmth rise in my face. “I’m used to it.”

“For someone who is the sports committee president, you have quite a lacking public relationship.” He tuts. “I’m quite disappointed.”

“Why are you here?” I asked curiously. “The competition is less than a month away. Are you scared?”

The corner of his lips lifted at first, and then he just burst out laughing.

“No, I’m not.” He said, glancing at me again, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. Fuck, why was my body acting so weird around him? I was unable to meet his eyes, and when he looked at me, I felt something flutter in my chest.

This was the same feeling I had before Felix, and I began dating.

No… No… Dawn, get your acts right.

“Then why are you here?” I asked, trying to sound assertive.

“Truthfully, I wonder why a lot of people have so many expectations for the Easton Ice Wolves, and the rumored beast on the rink, the quarterback, Logan Ashton. I became curious about this A-list player.”

“You want me to tell you about my A-List player?” I asked in disbelief. “And why would I do that?”

I asked, and almost immediately, my eyes narrowed. I think I understand why he is here.

“I heard the relationship between the president and this A-List player is horrible, and with a few nudges, you would be willing to throw him under the bus.”

I scoffed.

“You can’t be serious,” I muttered.

“Try me.”

“No,” I shook my head vehemently. “I’m not going to throw Logan under the bus.”

“Even after everything he is doing to you? Don’t you want some revenge or something?” He leaned in, pulling some strands of his hair away from his face.

“Of course I do,” I answered.

“So, tell me what other way is the best way to ruin the boy who wants to ruin you?” Jasper queried, and I won’t lie, the offer sounds very promising, but I remembered being assertive, and I shook my head.

“No,” I told him sternly. “I keep my personal life strictly away from my professional life.”

“Okay.” He grinned, and he blew on his gum again, the pink gum smacking against his lips, and, unintentionally, I bit down on my own lips.

Wondering what the worst that could happen, if I removed the gum for him with my mouth.

“I want to offer a preliminary match between the teams.”

“You want to assess my players, don’t you?” I asked again, and he shrugged.

“It’s also an opportunity for your players to assess my team, and we can practice properly before the day of the competition.” He muttered, and I sighed because he wasn’t wrong, yet I felt some negativity from this offer. “And then the best team wins.”

What if they are targeting Logan, trying to injure him before the real competition date?

“No.” I shook my head. “For security reasons, I cannot let you do that.”

“You’re more difficult than they described.” He sighed, and we both just stood in the silence, the playful smirk remaining plastered on his very handsome face. “Do you mind giving me your number?”

My heart stopped in my chest at his request, and before I could stop my head from nodding, my fingers slipped into my pockets in search of my phone.

He took it out of my hands and punched his numbers in.

“See you around.” Waving, he turned on his heels and waltzed off towards the exit of the building.