19

The latter laughs and pats his shoulder. “Kidding. Just kidding, big guy.” “Better be. Touch me and you’ll end up in a freak accident.” “Oh yeah?” Preston grins wide. “Want to bet your next game on it?” “No betting.” I stare at Jude. “Either you fix whatever is fucking with your head or I’ll make sure you’re benched for as many games as it takes.” He glares at me, his jaw ticking, but I walk out before he has the chance to reply. I might have grown up with those two, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t skirmishes all the time. Especially between Jude and Preston. One minute, they’re protecting each other. The next, they want to kill one another. Since our families are the founders of the town, our clans have often been at each other’s throats to become dominant. We’ve been taught not to trust each other and that the possibility of war is a matter of when, not if. We might be equals right now, but who knows what will transpire in the future? Who knows whether we’ll be at each other’s thr