Chapter 122 I do not know what got into me.
Liam's POV
I know it is stupid to get worked up over something this small. But I can not stand Alex. He is all over Soph like some annoying fly that will not go away.
I watch them from across the court before the game starts. Sophie is talking to him and then they both laugh about something. Her smile is so bright and happy that I know she must have some kind of feelings for him too. If I had not made my move first, she would probably be with him right now.
I can not let that happen.
The game starts and I go all in. James told me that Alex is actually good at sports but there is no way I am losing to him.
At first it was just a regular game. Casual. Friendly. But I guess I wanted to win too bad and Alex picked up on it fast. He got serious right away. Next thing I know it is just me and him going at it like we are the only ones on the court.
Fifteen minutes later I score another point. Katherine throws the ball aside and drops to the ground. Sweat is pouring down her face.
"No. I am done. I wanted to burn some calories not kill myself. I need to sit down." She sounds done.
"You can watch if you want." I tell her. I do not need her help to win this.
"Can I stop too?" James is bent over with his hands on his knees breathing hard. "You probably forgot but sports are not really my thing."
"Hey." Eddie yells from the other side. "Can we take a break? I am dying over here."
I look over at them and see Soph sitting on the ground rubbing her foot. Did she twist her ankle?
Something grabs at my chest and I start to move toward her without thinking. But then Alex is right there next to her handing her a bottle of water. She takes it and smiles at him. He helps her up from the ground.
...Fuck.
I turn around stiff and walk back toward the chairs. James is yelling something behind me about a halftime break.
"Sure. Whatever." I snap.
I grab a bottle of water from the bucket and pour it over my head. The image of them looking at each other like that is burning in my head. I have not felt this out of control in a long time.
"Hey man." James comes up behind me. "What the hell was that?"
"What?" I ask but I am not really paying attention. Still thinking about Alex and Soph.
"The game. You. We were supposed to be having fun. It is not like we were playing for a gold medal."
"You did not seem like you were trying very hard." I say.
"Okay. Is this about Alex and Sophie?" James frowns at me. "Are you jealous of Alex? Tell me you are not because if you are then you have lost your mind."
I squeeze the bottle in my hand and do not say anything. My first thought was to deny it. But after a minute I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "Yeah. Maybe a little."
"What?" James almost yells but quiets down when I give him a look. "Are you fucking serious? This was supposed to be a game. You were supposed to dump her in front of everyone in less than two months. Remember? Do not tell me you actually fell for her."
"Shut up." I roll my eyes. "I know what I am doing. And I am not jealous of him. I just need him to back off. Like you said we still have two months. A lot can happen in two months. I can not have her changing her mind now."
"I thought you already slept with her." James shrugs. "No normal girl would pick him over you."
"Yeah right." I remind him. "He is her type. Remember? Do not forget about her ex."
If Sophie was one of those girls who go for bad boys and get impressed by money and fancy dinners then this would be easy. But she is not. Her type is student council president. Mr. Perfect.
Then something hits me and I turn fast to look at James. "You did not tell Alex about the plan did you?"
"What? No way." James jumps up. "But."
"But what?" I snap.
"But like you said he is smart. I can not promise he will not figure it out on his own."
I clench my jaw. Now that I think about it everyone else around us just sees me as her brother. But not Alex. He has always had this weird hostility toward me like he knows something.
"Fuck." I curse. "Why did you bring him to that party in the first place?"
"Hey you can not blame me for that. It was your party." James holds his hands up. "And if you are really worried about him there is something else you should know. I heard he is setting up an interview for Sophie this week."
I almost throw the bottle. I look around trying to find her but they are both gone.
Sophie's POV
"Thank you." I take the ice pack from him and put it on my ankle. It hurts. I hiss a little.
"You okay?" Alex sits next to me on the couch and looks down at my foot. "It is a little swollen."
"I will be fine." I smile. "I just need a break from whatever that was back there."
He sighs and looks sorry. "I do not know what got into me."
"Do not apologize. It is not your fault I twisted it." I shrug. "If anyone was being crazy out there it was Liam. Not you."
Honestly I am a little annoyed at Liam. He was so wrapped up in the game he did not even notice I got hurt. Alex was the one who walked me back to the house and found ice for me.
"Hey Soph?" Alex moves closer.
"Yeah?"
I look up and his face is serious. Really serious. He frowns and takes a breath like he is trying to figure out how to say something.
"I need to talk to you about something. About Liam."