Broken Beautiful Hearts(55)

I turn the combination on the lock, watching them.

April gives me an icy stare, her long auburn hair pulled up in a tight ponytail with the front hair-sprayed halfway to heaven. It’s getting colder outside, and they’ve swapped their jean skirts for skintight jeans. They look like they escaped from a Barbie Dreamhouse.

I pop the lock and open my locker.

The door flies open, and suddenly everything is falling out. I cover my head. Objects just keep falling and falling. I don’t even have that much stuff in my locker. I try to back up and I stumble.

I hit the floor and my butt breaks my fall.

Suddenly, I realize what’s tumbling out of my locker, and the familiar shapes and the sound they make when they bounce on the floor.

Soccer balls.

At least a dozen of them, rolling and bouncing across the scuffed floor of the hallway. Brand-new soccer balls. Someone spent a lot of money to embarrass me.

I sit up, determined to hold on to what little self-respect I have left. April and Madison, along with some of their friends, dissolve into hysterical laughter. They don’t even try to hide it.

Bitches.

Getting up from the floor without putting too much weight on my knee is tricky. I’m still trying to get back on my feet when I feel a strong arm encircle my waist.

“Are you all right?” Owen whispers in my ear. He’s behind me. He pulls me up, then circles around so he’s standing in front of me.

“I’m fine.”

But I’m not. I’m furious and humiliated.

It’s such a juvenile prank, and instead of just laughing it off, I ended up falling on my ass. I want to pick up every single ball and chuck them at April’s head.

I catch a glimpse of Christian charging down the hall, and he looks pissed off. He’s heading straight for us.

“What the hell is going on?” he demands.

“April put a bunch of soccer balls in Peyton’s locker,” Owen says.

Christian picks up a soccer ball and walks over to April. “If you think screwing with Peyton is gonna get me to come back, you’re wrong.”

She knocks the ball out of his hand. “No one wants you back, and I’m not the one who did this.”

Madison moves closer to April and crosses her arms. “She was with me in class the entire time. We have more important things to do than make a fool of your cousin.”

Christian slaps his forehead. “Oh, well, if you say April was with you, that changes everything. Because you’d never lie for her.”

I slip past Owen and push Christian out of the way so that I’m nose-to-nose with April. “Your little prank was funny. I would’ve done something like that in sixth or seventh grade.”

April narrows her eyes. “Then you should tell the person who did it, because it wasn’t me.”

I square my shoulders. “I hope not, because I won’t be in this brace forever. And I’m pretty sure I could still kick your ass with it on.”

“Are you threatening me?” April sounds shocked. If what I have witnessed over the past week is any indication, I’m probably the first girl who has ever stood up to her.

“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.” I snatch the soccer ball out of Christian’s hand and tap on the side of it. “These are a lot harder than they look. I’ve seen a couple of girls get their noses broken when they’ve taken a ball to the face.”

April shrinks back. “If you throw that at me, you’ll get expelled.”

“Don’t worry. I’d never come after you on campus.” I smile at her, and it’s a real smile. Then I chuck the ball at the locker behind her. It smacks against the metal, inches from April’s ear, and she yelps.

People in the hallway laugh.

“Are you crazy?” she screams at me. “You could’ve hit me with that thing!”

“Exactly.” I turn and walk away, knowing Christian is still standing between the two of us. I wouldn’t put it past April to pick up a ball and chuck it at me when I’m not looking. Everything about her says sore loser.

The drama has attracted a small crowd, and a few people give me a thumbs-up while others laugh at April. It doesn’t make the situation any less embarrassing, and the black-and-white balls rolling around the hallway are a cruel reminder of how long it’s been since I’ve played.

I slam my locker shut as I pass it, kicking aside some soccer balls.

“I don’t know why you’re blaming me,” I hear April say. “I’m glad I’m not with Christian anymore. I traded up.” April looks over Christian’s shoulder and waves to someone behind him.

A good-looking guy with dark hair rushes to April’s side and puts his arm around her. “What’s going on?” He’s wearing a Warriors basketball hoodie, and he’s at least a foot taller than everyone else nearby.

“Christian’s bothering her again,” Madison tells him.

The basketball player tightens his hold on April protectively and turns to Christian. “What’s the deal? Are you bothering my girl?”

“Your girl?” Christian laughs.

“Yeah,” the basketball player says. “You got a problem with that?”

“Seems like you’re the one with the problem now,” Christian says. “She’s all yours.”