Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother novel Chapter 43

Jasmine

I had no idea why I felt like Hardin had casted all his hatred on me with that single stare. He was angry, and it was obvious on his face, however I was unaware of the wrong that I had done to receive such a threatening glare from him.

He had no idea that I was there to support him, so I couldn't really blame him. After I had overheard his discussion with Sandro and Alex, I had been worried sick for him. I knew his love for lacrosse, though his performance had not been really great at recent times from what I heard

I had gained information from my eavesdropping that the captain of the lacrosse team would be selected through the feats and performances on the field, as well as academic performance too. It was obvious lacrosse practice wasn't going entirely well for Hardin, and with the decline in his academics, there was no way he was going to make captain.

After I had finished eavesdropping on his conversation that day, I had rushed towards the cafeteria to have a chat with Lorenzo. He was Hardin's competitor, and I had intended to convince him into leaving the spot for Hardin. My expectations hadn't gone as planned, Lorenzo seemed like an entirely different person during our conversation. He was nonchalant about my request, and wasn't even considering it at all.

He had said to me, "let the best man win," and honestly I had no idea about how to feel with those words. I was aware of the fact that Lorenzo and Hardin weren't the best of friends, they barely walked the same path. But Lorenzo's reply had been a bit absurd. I had thought he might consider my request after I had informed him or Hardin's academic situation, and the stress that was being imposed on him by our father.

Lorenzo was unwavering even after my words. He was adamant about being captain, and I realized soon enough that there was nothing my words could do to change his mind.

Throughout the rest of class I was completely drowned in my thoughts. I was thinking of a way to help Hardin, but there was nothing I could think of. My distracting thoughts had earned me two apprehensions from the teacher, and I was lucky to have escaped a third which would have inevitably warranted detention.

After classes, I had snuck into the training ground where the lacrosse game was currently being held. I wanted to see how well Hardin was fairing, and to offer my best supports. But my efforts had been neglected, and had even earned me a stern threatening stare. At that moment , I was just confused on what to do.

After the stare Hardin had given me, I was unsure if I should even offer my help to him anymore. He wasn't the kind that liked people meddling in his business, and I guessed he wouldn't take it lightly if I did everything for him.

I hung my head in disappointment and turned to leave the stadium, however a familiar voice called me back. It was Lorenzo.

"Came to watch me practice?" He asked with a confident smile on his face.

"Yeah, nice play out there" I commended with a fake smile on my face. I obviously couldn't tell him I had been here for Hardin and not him. I didn't want to stir up any sort of conflict between us, or him and Hardin.

I was already beginning to lose a bit of my trust and companionship with Lorenzo after our discussion at the cafeteria the other day. His reaction and replies were just things I wouldn't expect from someone like him, especially not to me.

"You seem to be leaving already, are you going somewhere?" Lorenzo inquired with an arched brow.

"Yeah, I got a lot of homework to take care of. I need to get home as soon as possible so I can get everything finished on time. You know me, straight A's or nothing" I said with a light chuckle, which Lorenzo returned.

"That's unfortunate, I was about to ask you to have lunch with me. But I guess another time" He revealed and I nodded in concurrence.

"See you later Lorenzo" I said my goodbyes and turned to leave, but he stopped me.

"About that afternoon, I'm sorry about how I reacted. I really don't want this issue to come in between our friendship" His words sounded genuine, but why did I find it so difficult to trust them. Perhaps I was still in shock from the afternoon's encounter. A part of me was telling me that the other side of him was the real Lorenzo, while a bigger part of me just wanted to forgive him and move on with life.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I totally understand" I replied before turning to leave. But once again Lorenzo had stopped me with an offer.

"Do you need a ride home? I could drive you."