Chapter 4- Stonecold Prep tryouts

Carter Pov:

This morning, I arrived at school at seven am this morning tired as **** because my parent woke me up early and told me that I had tryout for sports today.

I dreaded being at this school, as everyone seemed to be conceited and absorbed in themselves, and I missed my old friends.

My father forced me to try out for basketball, believing it might help me increase in height. Although I enjoy playing the game, I had no intention of joining the team. My parents insisted that I attempt to get on at least three different sports teams due to the fact that my cousin Colt was a celebrated athlete and it was a family tradition.

My dad had attended Stonecold Prep, and his father- the mayor- had gone there as well. This meant my uncle, Colt's father, had also gone there. Colt had been captain of the Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, and Tennis teams. It would be tough to make it onto any team.

I entered the tryout area and spotted Colt, putting on an act as if he owned the place. He was dressed in his soccer jersey and shorts, surrounded by girls he was trying to flirt with, and the twins who both had tennis rackets. It seemed apparent that they were trying out for tennis due to their admiration for him.

Colt was an incredibly popular guy- attractive, an A student, and captain of many sports teams. He had tanned skin, light brown eyes, and jet black hair and he was quite muscular. While at school he was a bully, but at home with his family, he acted differently. He was a momma's boy, and his father had strict expectations for him, particularly when it came to grades in Math.

I tried my best to avoid Colt, but he noticed me immediately. ""Well, look who it is. What's up, Cuz- still no girlfriend, I see, Still missing your Riley?" he said smugly.

"Go away, Colt," I mumbled. "Poor Carty! Still missing your Riley poo?" he continued, attempting to irritate me. "Whatever, Colt, I'm not in the mood," I replied, walking away.

After I managed to make it onto all of the sports teams I had tried out for, I went home exhausted. I decided to take my mind off things by running a hot bath full of bubbles. I spent a good hour in the tub, thinking about Riley and what she could be doing right now. I wished I could protect her from all her issues and the people who caused her pain. I daydreamed about the future we might have had- a big house and six kids.

Suddenly I was aware that I had lost track of time. As I was about to leave, my dad walked in. "Carter, are you okay? You've been gone for an hour!" he asked. "Yes, dad, I'm fine- just give me a minute, okay?" I replied lamely. "Your younger brother needs to pee," he informed me. Annoyed, I replied, "Why does he need to use my bathroom? Can't he use one of the others?" Dad simply replied, "He's three and this is his favorite bathroom."

"I can't get any privacy in this house," I grumbled under my breath.

I made my way to my room, changed clothes, and decided to take a quick nap. An hour later, I woke up just in time for dinner.

After dinner, I did my homework, brushed my teeth, and got changed into some pajamas before heading back to bed.

The next morning, I showered, brushed my teeth again, and changed into something suitable for the day. I had basketball practice later and remembered to pack my jersey and a new pair of sneakers.

Colt texted me saying after practice, the team was going to the Moonshine diner across town. I shot him a quick text letting him know I'd meet them there later.

On my way to school, I ran into Colt and his baby mama in an argument. She accused him of cheating, and it quickly escalated from arguing to fighting. At one point, Colt threatened to leave her, and she stomped off in tears.

I headed in the other direction when Colt noticed me."Hey, Carty! What's going on?" He shouted. I replied nonchalantly, "Nothing much, what about you?" I asked.

He replied "Just Cynthia giving me trouble apparently someone told the dumb *****, I was snogging the twin girls in her class, I only kissed them and we did a quicky in the prefect lounge that's it" he said ranting

i replied "uh yeah sure Colt... Um anyway I'm off to homeroom" i said walking away.

I started to walk away, but before I left, I smiled and winked at him.

In my homeroom class, I overheard two girls talking about me. Laya said, "Omg, Carter is so hot. Do you think he has a girlfriend?" Angela answered, "Of course not. He's single and all mine." Laya snapped back, "Aww, look at my baby. He's sitting alone." Angela confidently declared, "Your baby? He's mine. Hands off."

I walked away and left the classroom but before I left, I smiled and winked at him.

In P.E, there was this girl who kept staring at me and biting her lip. She was tall with fair skin. Even though I was still in love with Riley, I considered finding a girlfriend since I had a few in elementary school.

Suddenly, I was disappointed when I thought about Riley and wondered what she could be doing right now. Before I got too lost in thought, my friend Adrian approached me.

"Hey Carter what's up dude, what you thinking about?" He asked.

"Nothing important, just thinking about the tons of homework we received today" I said.

He shake his head. "Your lying Carter, Dude I know when something is up." He said.

I replied "fine I can't lie you got me I'm just thinking about this girl, I went to elementary school with" I said.

He smiled and replied "You mean Riley, the girl Colt always tease you about" he said Chuckling. "Yes her, I swear I'm going to kill Colt that Blabber mouth" i said playfully. "I hope you two end up together someday" he said laughing.

"We will, I can guarantee it." I said with a smirk. "I'll be your best man." Adrian joked. "I'm counting on it." I said.

"So I heard the soccer team, is hanging out the new diner after-school, who knows you just might just bump into Riley." Adrian joked.

"Nah, I doubt it she's lives in the other side of town, the chances of us seeing each other is if she's on the girls soccer team at her school and theyre playing against Stonecold Prep." I said.

"Who knows besides we have a tennis match against her school tomorrow." Adrian said. "Okay, I bet you five bucks, that she won't be at the diner later." I said.

"Okay make it twenty, put your money where your mouth is." Adrian said. "Ok deal." I said smirking.

Riley Pov:

I couldn't believe my luck. After a grueling soccer match against the tough middle school team, our coach decided to treat us to a celebratory meal at the new diner in town. Little did I know that this seemingly harmless outing would bring back memories I had long buried.

As we entered the diner, my eyes immediately fell on a familiar face. It was Carter, the boy I used to have a crush on back in elementary school. He was sitting at a booth with his group of rich friends, including his cousin Colt, who was known for being a player and father at a young age. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly averted my gaze, hoping he wouldn't notice me.

My teammates, being the typical teenage girls, couldn't help but swoon over the boys. Lola, always the forward one, pointed at Carter and said, "Those boys must be from well-off families. That one is cute!" I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness at the mention of Carter's name.

"That's Carter, he's from my old elementary school," I admitted, my voice barely audible. Lola's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, so that's Carter, the boy who broke your heart? Omg, he's so cute! You should go say hi!" she urged, nudging me playfully.

"No!" I blurted out, my face turning red. "He hates me." The memory of the day he and his friends had hazed me on the last day of school came rushing back. It was a painful reminder of how heartless he could be.

Rachel, always the confident one, chimed in, "He's way too cute for you anyways. He's definitely my type." Her words stung, but I tried to brush it off. I couldn't let myself get hurt again.

Just then, Colt, Carter's cousin, walked over to our table, holding a parfait in his hands. He handed it to Rachel and said, "My cousin thinks you're cute." I felt a pang of jealousy as I watched them interact. It was as if time had stopped, and all the old memories flooded back, threatening to bring tears to my eyes.

Colt then turned to us and said, "How would you girls like to join us?" My heart sank as I watched my teammates eagerly accept the invitation, leaving me behind. Without a second thought, I decided it was best to leave.

As I walked out of the diner, raindrops started to fall from the darkened sky. I didn't have an umbrella, but I didn't care. The tears mixed with the rain as I walked home, feeling a mix of sadness and anger.

As the rain poured down, I walked through the empty streets, tears mixing with raindrops on my cheeks. Why did I have to bump into Carter at the diner? All those memories came flooding back, reminding me of how he broke my heart in elementary school.

I arrived at my house, locked the door behind me, and slid down to the floor, letting out my frustrations and uncontrollably sobbing. I had been trying so hard to move past the memories of him and now he was right here again.

As I walked to my room. The familiar sight of my abusive mother awaited me. The events of the day seemed trivial compared to the harsh reality I faced at home. I wiped away my tears and put on a brave face, promising myself that one day, things would be different.

Carter Pov:

As I exited the soccer field, sweat pouring down my forehead, I couldn't help but feel the exhilaration that came with a successful practice. The familiar faces of my teammates and friends surrounded me, and with them, my older cousin Colt. We approached the entrance of the diner, without which I didn't know what to expect.

As we stepped in, I noticed a group of girls at one of the booths dressed in soccer uniforms, and my heart dropped in excitement. My heart raced faster when I realized that one of the girls was Riley, the girl I had grown up with but then left me behind in elementary school. 

I had massive crush on Riley, but had covered it up throughout elementary school by bullying her instead. No matter how hard I tried to stop, I could never get rid of the flame that licked my heart all those years ago.

My best friend Adrian noticed my reaction and said, “I guess you owe me twenty bucks, I told you she'd be here”. I heard them all talking in the booth and soon my name was mentioned. Colt who had noticed the expression on my face, even though I had tried to hide it, got up and undertook the steps that changed the course of my life.

He ordered a parfait and walked up to Riley's booth and declared to another girl, “My cousin thinks you're cute.” I wanted to die in a hole for the embarrassment I felt, but worse than that, I saw the sadness in Riley's eyes. Colt offered an olive branch by inviting them to join us, and they accepted, much to my shock.

Just as I mustered the courage to go talk to her, she ran away before I could and left me standing there aimlessly. I was angry at Colt for making her cry, but he just looked at me and said, “Looks like she still has feels for you”.

I left the diner deep in thought as my driver came to pick me up. The only thing I could think of was Riley, the girl I had not seen for all these years and had almost forgotten about until now.

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