Page 16 of Brutal Reign
He flicks me a glance over his shoulder. “Wasn’t it before?”
No.
I won’t tellhimthat, because the stubborn asshole still thinks we did the right thing by cutting her out of our lives three years ago. His reaction now only proves that solution was the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. This time, I’m not sure how we’re going to stop the bleed.
I grunt in response, following Seb into the lounge where a couple of other recruits are already hanging out. One look from him has them scrambling away from the sofas in front of the TV, and he flops down onto the one in the middle, reaching forward to snatch the gaming controllers off the glass-top coffee table and tossing one toward me.
I sink down onto the opposite side of the couch, kicking my legs out in front of me and getting comfortable as Seb queues up a familiar racing game on the Playstation. We don’t game as much as we used to anymore, but we’ve played this particular one so many times that it’s easy to fall back into. As soon as we choose our cars and the first race starts, muscle memory kicks in, my fingers working the buttons of the controller effortlessly.
Beau and Eli find their way up to the lounge when we’re a few races in, but Seb and I are too in the zone to pay them much attention. Then River and her friends wander in. The moment they do, our focus goes out the window, both of us instantly distracted by her presence alone.
It shouldn’t affect me as much as it does. I’ve seen Riv plenty of times since our friendship ended, and ignoring her got a little easier each time. At one point I even convinced myself I was over my stupid crush. It’s been a while, though, and somehow, she’s even more beautiful now than I remember.
I burned every sketch of her, but I never quite forgot.
“You play?” I hear one of the guys with River ask her, and I swear I can hear the smile on her face as she replies, “sometimes”.
That’s an understatement. Back in the day, the three of us spent countless rainy afternoons perched on Seb’s bed playing this exact game. She wasn’t half bad at the time, but I doubt she’s played much since.
“I’ll show you a thing or two if those guys ever stop hogging the console,” River adds loudly, and I dart Seb a sideways glance just in time to see the vein in the side of his neck protruding, his jaw tightening.
“If you wanna play, you’ve gotta beat the winner,” he snaps, still staring at the TV screen as he mashes the buttons of his controller. “Think you can do that?”
“I know I can,” River scoffs, the soft pad of her footsteps advancing closer behind us.
Seb uses my obvious distraction to seize the lead in our race, narrowly passing me on the last curve of the track before crossing the finish line.
He doesn’t even spare a second to gloat about his victory, instead turning his stony glare on me. “Give her your controller and let’s see what she’s got,” he directs, and a ripple of understanding passes between us.
She won’t do it. She’s never been able to beat Seb in a race, especially if he picks the track he always does.
I turn to glance over the back of the couch, finding River standing there with her arms folded and her brow cocked. My lips slide into a smirk. “Dare you,” I tease, dangling the controller in the air between us.
She lunges forward to snatch it out of my hand, hopping over the back of the couch to plop down in the space between me and Seb. We simultaneously stiffen on either side of her as she settles in. The moment her thigh brushes mine, I edge away, pressing in closer against the arm of the sofa.
As expected, Seb queues up the track that’s always been River’s kryptonite, grinning to himself as the countdown begins.He’s expecting a reaction out of her, but he doesn’t get it. She doesn’t back out, either. River just clutches the controller in her hands, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and focusing on the screen.
For a second, I wonder if we miscalculated. Then the countdown ends, and they both mash the buttons of their respective controllers, peeling away from the starting line and taking off down the track.
We used to poke fun at River for sliding off the track on the first curve every time, but it quickly becomes apparent that she’s gotten better at this game. She glides around it seamlessly, staying right on Seb’s bumper as they navigate the digital Tokyo cityscape.
Fuck. She’s good.
Not even I can keep up with Seb on this track, but she’s giving him a run for his money. As the race goes on, he gets more and more irritated, making a series of dumb mistakes that allow her to slide into the lead. By the final lap, he’s practically got steam pouring from his ears.
River squeals in victory when she crosses the finish line, and Seb immediately shoots to his feet, tossing his controller down onto the coffee table with a loud clatter. “We were done anyways,” he grumbles, pushing a hand through his hair. “Once a nerd, always a nerd, right Ace?”
“Right,” I agree, snorting a laugh as I rise to stand.
The look in her eyes makes me feel like a complete tool, but Seb’s right. It’s better for her to hate us.
If she doesn’t, we’ll only wind up hating each other.
6
Iseriously question the sanity of anyone who runs for fun. Runningsucks, but it’s also the one thing that’s been holding me back at training camp, so here I am, voluntarily suffering through it. Not forfun, but because I know I need to work on my conditioning. That’s the sole reason I’m out here sweating my ass off and wheezing for breath. People who run for fun must be goddamn masochists.
I wasn’t the only squad recruit who woke up early to take on the forest trails beyond the walls of the squad complex. I heard Bailey’s alarm go off shortly after mine, but I rushed out of the barracks before she could see me and suggest we buddy up for our morning run. I’ve heard she puts in ten miles every morningfor fun, so clearly, she’s not only fit as fuck, but also a crazy person.