“Why don’t I save you the effort and kill you instead?” William shot back, the irritation he felt letting him run his mouth. When was the last time he acted like this? Normally he would have felt ashamed of his behavior. Now he didn’t even care. He could punch a hole through the wall and still feel like tearing something apart. “Clean up the mess you’ve made.”
Amber froze again at his first words, flinching visibly. When he continued, she nodded slowly, her eyes on the floor.
Jace frowned as William’s grip on his shirt loosened.
“Okay, that was uncalled for,” he said, rubbing his neck before he pulled Amber close to him. “We all know you’re an arsehole, William, but you don’t have to constantly act like one.”
Though Jace knew his comment would anger William, the latter’s glower still made him shrink back.
“You know what, Amber?” His voice trembled, though he couldn’t hide the anger he felt. “Let’s clean.”
Amber hummed, staying close to Jace. “Yeah, actually, cleaning sounds good right now,” she breathed squeakily.
William smiled again, sending shivers down Jace’s spine. “Wonderful. I’m glad we agree with little to no damage. Don’t you?”
His fists has tightened again, nails digging into his palms. He continuously took deep breaths—he couldn’t lose control. If he snapped, it would reach his father’s ears. And if he heard… it would be back in therapy for William.
(ouch……….)
“Yeah. No damage whatsoever,” Amber murmured sarcastically. There had been damage done, but not anything physical. No, the little trust he’d earned had just all but shattered…
William turned his back to them, shoving his hands into his pocket. The look in Amber’s eyes flashed into his mind, the way she flinched when he said those threatening words. Then he shook them out of his head.
What did it matter?
Once William was in his room, Jace released a breath before turning towards Amber.
“Are you okay?” He whispered, cupping her cheeks. “God, he’s such a… It was just a harmless thing. Nobody was even hurt… Can’t you ask someone if they’re willing to exchange with you?”
“It’s okay. I’m fine,” Amber assured him softly, reaching up to hold his hands where they were at her cheeks. She gave him a small smile and stretched up to her tiptoes to lightly peck his lips. “C’mon, let’s clean up our mess.”
Jace frowned, but heaved a sigh. If she said she was fine, there wasn’t anything he could say. If he kept pressuring her… she’d be annoyed.
“Okay,” he said softly. “I can clean up the soap. You take care of the dishes?”
“Sounds good,” Amber agreed with a final peck to his lips before she pulled away. She gave him a small smile, then made her way over to the sink.
When William was in the safe confinements of his room, he whirled around and punched a wall, hoping the pain would erase the anger he was feeling. It was so stupid. All they did was launch bubbles at him and he freaked like they cut off his arm.
He sighed loudly, cursing his frustration. Why was he the way he was?
[TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY]
William breathed heavily, basketballs littering the gym. His teammates had chosen to fall back on the gym, breathless. Jace, as usual, walked over to his girlfriend, who, of course, came to watch him.
Now that the hype had died down, the pain in his right hand brought him back to reality. If he hadn’t remembered the way he punched a wall, he would have been confused. Usually he didn’t remember what happened between his flashes of rage until it was too late.
Caroline was passing out water to everyone, coming over to William at last. She held out his water for him to take, his towel draped on her arm. When he tried uncapping it, he winced. He could play basketball with an injured hand, but could not open a bottle? Caroline noticed his difficulty and frowned, reaching out for his hand. She inspected it before frowning.
“You gave in to your rage again,” she said, and though her voice was soft, it was still accusing. “And you’ve been playing with this hand.” William merely shrugged in reply, and Caroline uncapped his bottle before giving it to him. He took it and drank a little with his left hand, his right currently being in her hold.
“I’m fine,” he said to her, reaching out to gently pat her cheek. If that was surprise in her eyes, it didn’t last long. “It’s just a small injury. It’ll get better.”
Amber grinned at Jace as she saw him coming towards her. Over his shoulder, she could just barely see William talking to the manager. He patted the woman’s cheek, and Amber caught herself before she frowned. What in the world was that about?
“Hey, Jace. Have fun?” she greeted him with a grin, reaching out to take his hands.
Jace squeezed her hands gently, showing off his teeth in a grin. “Extremely. I would hug you, but I’m sweaty, and I remember you find that gross.”
Caroline frowned.
“You should be more careful,” she told William sternly. “Don’t injure yourself too much.”
William let ou a chuckle, bending down until their foreheads were nearly touching.
“Are you worried about me, Caroline?” He questioned in amusement. “That pleases me. After all, which guy doesn’t want the girl he likes worrying about him?”
Caroline scowled at him, swatting him with his towel.
“Get yourself cleaned up, William,” she said.
Amber laughed lightly, reaching up to peck his lips quickly. “Thank you. It’s much appreciated. Now, go get cleaned up so I can hug you.”
Jace turned around to stand on her side, stretching a little.
“I will, I will,” he grumbled. “I remembered to bring a change of clothes today, so I’ll be showering in here. It’ll take me about ten minutes. Think you can wait?”
Amber chuckled softly, trying to ignore the sight of William and the other woman by turning to face her boyfriend. “I think I can handle myself. But, really, the sooner you finish, the sooner you can wrap me in your arms.”
Jace winked at her, oblivious to the reason she’d turned around to face him.
“Now that’s good encouragement,” he grinned. “You can wait with our manager. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
Amber nodded, keeping her smile up. "Sure, that sounds good. Come find me as soon as you're done, okay?"
Jace grinned before kissing her on the forehead. “I will,” he promised. “I’ll be here before you know it.”
"I'll be waiting~" Amber singsonged with a grin. She pressed her hands against his arm and shoved him gently, a light laugh escaping her lips. "Now, go."
Jace pouted before shaking his head, walking away while muttering incoherently under his breath.
On the side, Caroline narrowed her eyes at her childhood friend. “Go wash up,” she scrunched her nose. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
William looked rather surprised at her comment, though he didn’t seem to be disappointed. If anything, he was satisfied.
“Right,” he nodded, stepping away from her to head off to the boy’s locker room for the shower. “I’ll be right back, then.”
When the guys had left, Amber stood around awkwardly for a moment, watching the door they had disappeared through. After a little bit, she sighed, shook her head, as made her way over to the manager. She gave the slightly-older woman a small smile and nodded.
"Hi, I'm Amber, Jace's girlfriend. You're the manager, right?" she introduced herself, already knowing the answer to the question.
Caroline looked a little surprised at the girl before her expression softened a little.
“Yes,” she responded, her voice gentle as compared to when she dealt with the boys. “I’m Caroline. Second year. You are… Will’s dormmate, too, aren’t you?”