Chapter 26 : Competitive Spark
STEPHEN’S POV:
I knew he was coming before he even said my name.
Hayden had this way of walking when he was pissed with heavy steps, shoulders tight, jaw locked like he was chewing on a fight before it even started. I was at my locker, pretending to scroll through my phone, when I felt him behind me.
“Stephen.”
There it was. I closed my locker slowly and turned around. “Hayden.”
His eyes were already blazing and it was not the usual competitive spark. This was personal like it had always been.
“What did you say to Lilian?” he demanded.
Straight to it, no small talk or pretense.
I shrugged, leaning back against the lockers like I didn’t have a care in the world. “Morning. How are you?”
“Don’t,” he snapped. “What did you say to her?”
I studied him for a second. He looked different, probably tense or defensive, like someone had taken something of his and he was ready to throw punches to get it back.
Interesting.
“I asked her if she was proud of herself,” I said calmly.
His fists clenched at his sides. “That’s not all.”
I tilted my head. “She told you that?”
“Yeah, she did.” He stepped closer. “You called her pathetic. You basically called her a hoe.”
“I didn’t say those exact words,” I replied evenly.
“But you meant it.”
I didn’t deny it.
The hallway noise faded into the background. Lockers slamming, people laughing—it all blurred. It was just him and me, like always. Like it’s been our whole lives. Two brothers circling each other.
“You don’t get to talk to her like that,” Hayden said through his teeth.
I let out a short laugh. “I don’t?”
“No.”
“She walked out of your room at six in the morning,” I said quietly. “In my house.”
His jaw flexed. “So?”
“So,” I pushed off the lockers and stepped toward him, “I get to have an opinion.”
“You don’t get to shame her, you are worse than her, sticking your dick into every man's hole you see. ”
“I didn’t shame her. I warned her.”
“Warned her about what?” he shot back.
“About you.”
That landed hard, as he blinked once, like he hadn’t expected that answer. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “you don’t think but you are quick to react. You chase whatever feels good in the moment and deal with the fallout later.”
“And that’s your problem because…?”
“Because I live with the fallout,” I snapped.
His expression hardened. “This isn’t about you.”
“It never is, right?” I laughed bitterly. “Not when you fucked my girlfriend.”
There it was. The air between us shifted. “That was a mistake,” he said quickly.
“Was it?” I asked. “Because from where I was standing, it didn’t look like one.”
He dragged a hand through his hair, frustrated. “You and Ella were already over.”
“We were on a break.”
He rolled his eyes, “You broke up with her.”
“For two days!” I snapped.
“Well, you don’t own her!” he countered.
“And you don’t own Lilian!” I fired back.
His silence told me I hit something.
For a second, neither of us moved. We were close enough now that I could see the anger and something else in his eyes.
“You don’t get to police my life and who I fuck,” he said finally. “Stay out of it.”
I laughed under my breath. “Stay out of it? You dragged yourself into my life the second you put your hands on Ella.”
“That was weeks ago.”
“And?”
“And it’s done, let it fucking go.”
I growled, “It’s not done for me.”
He looked tired for a split second. Then the anger returned. “This isn’t about Ella. This is about you trying to control everything.”
“No,” I said sharply. “This is about you being the dickhead that you have always been.”
He scoffed. “You think you’re better than me.”
“I think I see you clearly, so yes, I am better than you.”
“And what? I’m some reckless idiot who ruins girls?” Hayden flared, his fist clenching but I couldn't care less.
“When have you not?” I shot back.
His fist slammed against the locker beside my head and the metal rattled. The whole hallway froze, as people turned to watch us.
“Watch it,” he warned.
“Or what?” I stepped forward again, refusing to back down. “You’ll hit me? Go ahead.”
His breathing was uneven now. I could see it, the same temper that had gotten him benched before and the same pride that keeps him chasing captain like it’s oxygen.
“You humiliated her,” he said, voice lower now. “You made her feel like trash.”
“I didn’t make her feel anything,” I replied. “She walked into that situation knowing exactly what people would say.”
“You’re the fucking ‘people.’”
“And you’re my brother.” The words hung there.
That’s the part he never gets. I don’t care about Lilian, not really. I care about what he is doing. I care about the chaos that follows him like a shadow. And yeah…..Maybe I care that he keeps touching things that were mine.
“You think I’m doing this to get back at you,” he said.
“Aren’t you?”
“No.”
“But you don’t mind that it hurts me,” I said
He didn’t answer and that was enough.
“You took Ella,” I continued. “And now you expect me to just smile while you parade the next girl through the house?”
“I’m not parading anyone.”
“She left before sunrise, Hayden.”
“And how is that your business? That’s because you were there to see her when she left!”
“Exactly.”
We stood there breathing hard, years of rivalry bubbling up under the surface.
“You don’t get to decide who I sleep with,” he said.
“And you don’t get to pretend your actions don’t affect anyone else.”
He glared at “I told you to stay out of my life.”
“And I won’t.”
His eyes darkened. “Excuse me?”
“I won’t,” I repeated. “You don’t get to walk over me and expect me to be silent.”
“You think this is about walking over you?” He laughed harshly. “You’re unbelievable.”
“No, you are,” I shot back. “You think the world revolves around your ego. Captain this, star player that, and every girl falling at your feet. You don’t stop to think about who you’re stepping on.”
His face went still. “I didn’t step on you,” he said quietly.
“What? Dude, you fucked my girlfriend.”
“She wasn’t your girlfriend.”
“She was still mine, dummy.”
The hallway had gone quieter now and people were staring.
“Say it,” I pushed. “Say you didn’t enjoy it.”
His silence was answer enough. Something twisted in my chest. “You see?” I said. “That’s why I said what I said to Lilian because I know you.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” he snapped.
“I know you chase what you can’t have.”
“And what is Lilian?” he challenged.
I hesitated and that hesitation told him everything.
A slow smile curved his lips. “That’s what I thought.”
“Don’t,” I warned.
“You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“You are.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Because she chose me.”
The words hit harder than I expected. Before I could respond, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
“Stephen.”
It was Marcus.
I hadn’t even noticed him approaching. He grabbed my arm gently but firmly. “Walk away.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered.
“You’re not,” he said under his breath.
Hayden’s gaze flicked to him, then back to me. “Yeah. Go.”
Marcus tightened his grip slightly. “This isn’t worth it.”
I exhaled. He was right. I don't give a fuck about Hayden’s feeling so I wasn't going to stand here and entertain his nonsense. I hooked my arms around Marcus’s hands and walked out, leaving Hayden steaming with anger.