The Player

Chapter 22

Brielle

6:55 AM

"Are you excited for the showcase Saturday?" I asked Christopher as he parked the car in the overfilled

parking lot.

"Yup," he said popping the P. "We've got this in the bag."

I was happy that Christopher had this much faith in us, but I wasn't as certain. Christopher and I had

been practicing every day, and goofing off while doing so, but I still couldn't shake my anxiety. If I didn't

impress the Joffrey School of Ballet scouts in the audience, then I could kiss my dream of attending

their ballet school in New York goodbye.

He must have sensed my nervousness because he reached for my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Don't be worried, we've been practicing like crazy and you're going to do amazing. There's no way that

you don't get into Joffrey."

I gave him a forced smile, appreciating his words of encouragement. But the truth is, there was no way

to know for sure, and it is highly competitive. I tucked my hair behind my ear and let out a deep sigh,

wanting to release the thoughts from my head.

We headed into school, and while the stares and whispering from yesterday had mostly died down, it

was still there. I don't think that I will ever get used to the attention.

By the time we reached my locker, I was surprised to find that Sam wasn't there waiting for me. She

was always early to school, while Christopher always had a habit of cutting it way too close to the bell.

When she finally appeared, my jaw nearly dropped. She was dressed in gray sweats and a stained

gray sweatshirt, which was very unlike her usual, put-together outfits. Her hair was tied up in a

haphazard bun, her eyes were dark with bags, and she wore a deep scowl on her face.

By the time she was at my locker, I didn't know whether to give her a hug or give her some distance.

"What happened to you?" I sputtered out, unable to hide my shock.

"I don't know, maybe you should ask your boyfriend?" she snapped, sending a death glare towards

Christopher.

I turned towards him, gauging his reaction. His eyes briefly grew wide before his face contorted into a

weird mix of confusion and anxiousness.

This is so bizarre.

"Sam, what are you talking about?" I prodded worriedly. "You're starting to freak me out."

Her eyes darted to mine, and her expression instantly softened. She seemed to begin to say something

before hesitating and growing quiet.

"You know me, I just forgot my coffee," she finally said, letting out a nervous laugh. "I just need some

caffeine, that's all."

My eyes squinted at her. Something was definitely wrong. While I wanted to question her further, I

decided against it and let it go. "Come on, let's go to first period before we're late."

I turned and planted a quick kiss on Christopher's lips. However, he quickly deepened the kiss, resting

his hands on my waist as he pressed his lips to mine. I intertwined my fingers into the nape of his hair,

pulling him impossibly closer to me.

By the time that we pulled away, we were both out of breath.

"I'm going to miss you," he mumbled, his lips almost pressed to mine.

I smiled. "We'll see each other in two hours."

"It's the longest two hours of my life."

I rolled my eyes, playfully pushing him away from me. "Okay, now I know you're lying."

He kissed me on my forehead before pulling away from me. His eyes stared into mine, suddenly

serious.

"I'd never lie to you."

I flashed him a smile. "You better not."

As I turned around to walk with Sam to our class, I felt giddy, still shocked that Christopher could have

that much of an effect on me. However, as I caught a glimpse of Sam throwing another deathly glare

Christopher's way, I felt my happiness begin to wear off.

What in the world is going on?

*****

Sam POV

I should kill him.

That was the only thought going through my mind from the time that I overheard his conversation to

Scott, to when I saw him this morning, hugging and kissing Brielle, and pretending that everything was

all right.

Brielle has been my best friend since we were kids, and if he thinks that I'm just going to sit around and

let him break her heart, he has another thing coming.

When I overheard him in the hallway, I couldn't believe it. I knew that for some secret reason him and

Scott were fighting, but I never knew that it was serious enough that he would date Brielle purely to get

under Scott's skin.

And now that Melanie knows...

I slumped in my desk, covering my face with my hands. It was only a matter of time before she would

tell Brielle, and if she did...

I shook off the idea, not even wanting to imagine it. Brielle would be absolutely heartbroken.

Last night, I stayed up tossing and turning just knowing how much this would hurt her. Ever since

Brielle's first relationship with her ex-boyfriend Derrick, and how badly it went, she was crushed. I was

convinced that she would be scarred forever. She doesn't even talk about it.

She put up walls where she acted like she didn't care about anything or anyone, but I knew it wasn't

true. But then she met Christopher, and she finally opened herself up again. She was even going to

parties! I was so happy for her, but then this happened.

I wanted to tell her so badly this morning, but I knew that the news would hurt the most if it didn't come

from Christopher himself. But when I saw him with her today, I wanted nothing more than to just tell her

the truth.

"I'd never lie to you."

My scowl deepened

That son of a-

The bell signaling the end of school broke my thoughts. I quickly packed up my books into my bag and

headed out the door, knowing exactly what I need to do. My eyes scanned the hallways with laser

focus. When my eyes finally found Christopher, I stomped over to him, grabbing him by the arm.

"We need to talk in private," I seethed, my tone icy. "Now."

He quickly complied, his eyes showing a flash of fear. Once we were safely in a deserted hallway, I

turned towards him, unable to control my anger. "What is wrong with you?"

His eyes remained impassive. "I don't know what you're talking about."

My eyes formed into slits, my anger now turning into full blown rage. "You know exactly what I'm talking

about you dipshit. I overheard you in the hallway yesterday." His eyes grew wide.

"Now I'll give you one last chance, what is wrong with you?" I poked my finger into his chest with each

word, emphasizing my point.

His impassive gaze suddenly dropped, replaced now with a torn expression on his face. "I didn't mean

anything that I said." He said, running both his hand through his hair anxiously. He leaned his back

against the lockers and slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

He covered his face with both his hands. "Whenever I get around Scott, I don't think logically."

His hands suddenly dropped from his face as his eyes locked onto mine with a serious intensity. "I

need you to know that I didn't mean any of it, whatsoever."

"It doesn't matter if you meant it or not, it just matters that you said it." I barked. "Was this all just some

game between you two, and Brielle was just some pawn?"

"No!" he responded immediately. "Well," he paused, "Yes, but only at first. But when I got to know her,

there was no way that I could do it. Every feeling that I've had for her is real."

"And how am I supposed to believe that. Or better yet how is Brielle!"

"I don't know," he said softly shaking his head. "I don't know."

I paused as I felt my anger start to subside. "Just tell me why you did it."

He began to fiddle with his hands. "Freshman year I was awarded quarter back when Scott thought

that he should have been. So, to get back at me, he broke up with my older sister Nicole, who he had

been dating for three years, right after our parents died."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that Scott would do that.

"It..." he stuttered. "It just really messed my sister up, and I felt awful that it was because of me. So,

when I dropped Brielle off at her house and saw Scott's reaction, I knew that it would be the perfect

revenge to do the same thing to him."

"And I know that none of that makes what I did to Brielle any less messed up but, I never wanted to

hurt Brielle, only Scott. But once I got to know Brielle I knew that there was no way that I could follow

through with my plan."

"Then why did you tell Scott otherwise yesterday?" I asked, my tone accusatory.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Because he gets under my skin, and whenever I see him I am

reminded of all of the hurt that he caused my sister and next thing I know, I can't see straight."

He looked pleadingly into my eyes. "Please just don't tell her. I promise I will, but I just want to wait until

after the showcase on Saturday. It's really important to her and I don't want her to be focused on us

instead of the dance."

I looked into the pain in his eyes. While I wanted to chop him up and feed him to the wolves right about

now, I couldn't help but believe that his feelings for Brielle are real.

"While I wish that you could wait until after the showcase to tell her, you have to tell her today

because," I took a deep breath in.

"Melanie knows."

His eyes grew wide from shock, confusion written all over her face.

"How," he sputtered. "Did you tell her?"

I recoiled back, offended at the accusation. "Why in the world would I tell your ex-girlfirend that? She

overheard you and Scott yesterday in the hallway."

I shot him a glare. "And you need to tell Brielle before she does, or else Brielle will be even more hurt."

"I know, I know," he said, hopping up from the ground and slinging his backpack over her shoulder.

He began to jog, well, jog for him and sprint for me, towards the direction of Brielle's locker. However,

before we reached the locker, we saw her leaving her last period class, alone. She began to walk

towards us. I let out a sigh of relief.

At least the wicked witch of high school hasn't told her yet.

The relief from Christopher and I, however, was short lived when Melanie walked out of the room that

Brielle was recently occupying, a smirk etched on her face. She waved a perfectly manicure hand

towards Christopher before sashaying away in the other direction.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

Oh no...

No.

Brielle approached us before stopping in front of us, her face now visible from up-close. Tears brimmed

her eyes as her face was twisted into an expression of despair.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Her eyes focused onto Christopher, the hurt in them evident. She remained silent, trying to fight back

her tears. After what felt like eternity, she finally choked out a single phrase, her voice cracking on the

final word.

"Is it true?"