"Yes!" I cry loudly, jumping out of my seat as I cheer. The game has just ended, the score in favor of Crestwood.

"We won!" Piper exclaims, shocked. "We actually won! Peter didn't ruin the game! We won!"

I laugh, looking out at the field where the team is gathering around Luke, patting him on the back. I don't know why I can't seem to tear my gaze away from him, but something about his expression catches my attention. His eyes are gleaming, his grin one of the widest I've ever seen him wear. In this moment, he is truly radiant. Happy, even. The brooding boy with that attitude I've known for months now is actually happy, and that is a small victory in itself.

However, I'm on my feet the second I spot Liam. I rush down the bleacher steps and through the field gates. I run up to my boyfriend, sporting an effortless grin. I jump into his arms, which wrap around me and lift me off of the ground. I don't think as I press my lips against his, my hands in his hair.

Reaching the ground, I cup Liam's face as I say, "Congratulations on your first win!"

Liam's dimples appear as he smiles, shaking his head slowly. "My first win was when you agreed to be my girlfriend," he murmurs.

"You're too sweet." I mean the words. Sometimes, I can't help comparing myself to him, wondering how I'll ever be as good to Liam as he is to me. I often feel as if I pare in comparison, and with every sweet word he says to me, the more my guilt grows.

In response, Liam leans down to kiss me tenderly, running his thumb over my cheekbone delicately. I hear the sounds of my friends' voices only a few feet away, and I turn to find Piper, Emma, Peter and Luke gathered together, talking animatedly. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, I take Liam's hand in mind and pull him after me, saying, "Let's go say hi."

The instant I join their circle and meet Luke's gaze, I begin to wonder why I thought approaching would be a good idea. Still, I withstand the torture, forcing a smile as I say to Peter and Luke, "Congratulations, guys! You were great!"

"Thanks," Luke and Peter say in unison, though Luke wears a troublesome smirk as he does so.

"But our win was all Liam here, anyway," Luke continues, patting my boyfriend's shoulder. I can't describe how uncomfortably Liam appears at the gesture, his gaze zeroing in on Luke's hand on his shoulder. "Did you see this guy tearing up the field? We totally would have lost if it weren't for our little Zippy."

Liam goes pale at Luke's comment. Piper struggles to stifle a laugh with her hand. Emma furrows her eyebrows in confusion as she studies Luke. Peter merely bites back a s smile. Luke only smirks in satisfaction, clearly up to no good.

"Zippy?" I question.

Luke nods, features lit with an impish expression. "Yeah. Zippy. Liam didn't tell you?"

I glance over at my boyfriend, who looks down at the ground, blushing.

"I guess not," Luke mutters. "Okay, then. I'll explain it to you. Coach gave us all nicknames, right? Mine is Spotlight, for obvious reasons"—Luke pauses to grin in satisfaction—"Peter's is Defense, because that's what he's best at. And Coach fondly calls Liam Zippy, cause he's such a fast runner."

Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Piper begins to cackle. Even Emma releases a small giggle, and she's normally able to control herself when it comes to Luke trying to meddle.

"Very funny, Luke," Liam grumbles, glaring at the blond boy standing before him. "I'm not going to validate that with a response."

Luke shoots Liam a confused glance. "Didn't you just respond, though?"

Piper lets loose another round of laughter, which only adds to the tension in the air.

For a moment, Liam and Luke merely stare at one another in silence. I watch in confusion as the two glare at one another, Luke's eyes dancing with amusement, wearing a flaunting smirk to match his gaze.

Emma's eyes flit from Liam to Luke to me. She seems to come to some sort of conclusion as she awkwardly clears her throat and reaches for Piper's hand, muttering, "Why don't we go check out the food stand?"

"But, I don't want—" Piper starts to say, only to be cut off by Emma as she yanks on her arm. "Okay," Piper agrees finally, pouting as she follows after Emma.

"You too, Peter!" Emma exclaims, grabbing his arm. "Anything to get away from World War Three," she adds under her breath, which I catch as she passes me on her way back to the field gate.

I watch my friends as they walk off, wishing they didn't leave me alone with the real life versions of Damon and Stefan Salvatore.

"Maybe we should—" I begin to say to Liam. However, before I'm able to finish my sentence, Luke cuts me off.

"You really do look great tonight, Jade," Luke interrupts. I turn to find him very evidently checking me out, right in front of my boyfriend.

"Black is definitely your color," Luke continues, eyes trailing my legs. "Don't you think so, Liam?" It is when Luke makes this last remark I finally understand what is going on here and why Emma was so quick to run off with Piper and Peter, not wanting to witness "World War Three".

In order for there to be a war, there has to be something for two sides to fight over. In this case, I seem to be that something.

I wonder if this is how Elena felt in The Vampire Diaries?

"Yeah," Liam agrees grudgingly, staring Luke down with a cold glare. "Although, Jade is a pretty girl. She looks good in anything."

Normally, the compliment would make me blush or smile. However, in this moment, I feel as if I'm only being used to prove a point. I know it isn't Liam making me feel this way, though.

It's Luke. It's always Luke.

"Thanks for the compliment." I cross my arms over my chest as I glance at Luke. "But you can stop now."

"Stop?" Luke questions. "The fun's only just starting!"

At this comment, my blood turns ice in my veins. So this is it, the "fun" Luke had been talking about in the hallway on Monday.

"Luke, please," I start, pleading. I don't like how desperate I sound, though I'd rather avoid a fight. "Just back off, okay?"

"I didn't know I was bothering anyone," Luke says, offering Liam a devilish grin. "Am I bothering you, Liam? Do you need me to walk away so that my presence is less threatening to you?"

Liam's jaw clenches tightly, and I know that Luke has finally gotten to him. From this point on, it will be a battle of who has the bigger ego. I begin to wonder if I should just run away now before the bloodshed, or if I should linger to try and stop the inevitable fight on its way.

"I'm not threatened by you, Luke," Liam mutters, voice stiff.

"Great!" Luke exclaims. I don't like the way his eyes are gleaming, or how his lip is curled into some sort of half-smirk, half-snarl. "Then what I'm about to tell you won't bother you!"

This remark piques my interest. I furrow my eyebrows as I shoot Luke a worried glance, wondering what he might say next. Luke merely glances at me dismissively, as if I'm not here at all.

"What?" Liam questions. He clearly doesn't understand how venomous one of Luke's bites can be. And I know exactly what Luke is about to do: strike. "Are you going to gloat about your winning score, or something?"

My heart races as I begin to feel lightheaded. I almost with Luke and Liam were fighting physically, as then I'd be able to understand what's going on and put a stop to it. Only, Luke's specialty isn't the power of a punch. Luke specializes in mind games, the kind that leave a wound much worse than a bruise.

"Something like that," Luke agrees with a slow nod.

"Luke," I start, taking a tentative step forward. "What are you doing?"

"It's okay, Clumsy." Luke's use of his nickname for me has Liam stiffening at my side, his gaze drifting between Luke and I. "I'm sure your boyfriend will be able to handle the truth."

I feel sick. My head pounds to the rhythm of my ever-quickening heartbeat. I think I know what it is Luke is about to tell Liam. He's going to explain his pathetic plan about how he was going to become lacrosse captain—going to tell my boyfriend the one thing that could make him leave me in an instant. Once upon a time, I was part of a plan to deceive him. That I had been willing to trick him into liking me just to help Luke get what he wanted. And if Liam knew that . . .

He'd never forgive me.

Of course, Luke knows this. In his mind, I'm sure its's the perfect way for him to get Liam and I to break up. However, he's too smart to think I would run into his outstretched arms after doing something of the sort. Maybe none of this is about Luke wanting to be with me. Maybe Luke just can't stand losing me to Liam, so he's going to the extremes to make sure if he can't have me, no one can.

Like I'm nothing but a disposable piece in Luke's little game.

"I'm sorry." Liam sounds impatient, and his voice makes me see all I am about to lose if Luke continues with this. I'll never receive another of Liam's sweet compliments, have him plant a tender kiss on my cheek, or admire his dimples while he grins at me. It is in this moment I realize just how good Liam is to me, and how much I have taken him for granted.

"I don't think I'm following," Liam continues. I should speak up. Beg him not to listen to whatever Luke says next. Or beg Luke not to do this to me. Only, I feel like I did earlier by the bleachers, when Luke almost kissed me. Stuck. Frozen in time.

"Allow me to clear things up for you, Wellington." Luke's expression is no longer amused, but instead downright murderous. "Who got the higher score on the P-SAT this year? Who won class president? Which of us is captain of the lacrosse team?"

Liam's gaze becomes guarded as Luke reminds him of everything he has lost to Luke himself, as if Luke is rubbing salt in the wound.

"Are you following the pattern?" Luke draws on in a particularly nasty tone. "No matter what, you always come second best to me. Always."

Liam's eyes narrow has his hands form fists at his sides. "What's your point, Bradford?"

"My point," Luke says slowly, "is that—since you're always a step behind me—it only makes sense that you'd end up with my seconds for a girlfriend."

I'm hardly able to process what Luke has just said. Liam's expression appears dumbfounded, as if he can't believe what he has heard, either. My boyfriend glances from my shocked face to Luke's cold glare, his features hardening.

"What?" Liam finally blurts, sounding as confused as I feel.

Luke pretends to be surprised, glancing over at me momentarily. "Jade didn't tell you?"

"Luke," I warn at the same time Liam asks, "Tell me what?"

"Well, don't let me stop you!" Luke exclaims, gesturing for me to speak. "Go on, Jade. Tell Liam what happened."

"What are you talking about, Luke?" I snap. Suddenly, I'm not longer frozen in place. The ice that had been blocking me from being able to function melts the second the fire in my veins begins to spread, growing with my increasing anger and confusion.

"You don't remember?" Luke taunts, clearly enjoying himself. "Then let me refresh your memory. I believe this was a few days after your first date with Wellington . . . we were both in your room. One thing led to another, and then we were kissing. If your sister hadn't walked in, we probably would have—"

"Luke!" I cry loudly to stop him short, my face flaming. "Stop it!"

Liam looks crushed. His gaze drifts from mine to Luke's and then back to mine again, as if he's having trouble processing what Luke is insinuating. When the words seem to click in his mind, he becomes crestfallen. He glances down at me with a broken look, as if he's not looking at me, but rather someone else entirely. I'm sure it must suck to lose everything you work hard for to someone else—especially when that someone is Luke. And now Liam has learned that before him, I was with Luke—in a way. I know this hurts him.

"It wasn't like that," I try to explain to Liam, searching for a lame excuse to make things right. I grab his arm, wrapping my grasp around him and holding on tightly. Liam gazes down at me, though I am unable to decipher the emotion in his irises. This startles me, as for a moment it feels like I'm looking at . . . Luke.

"Then what was is like?" Liam's voice comes out raspy, his question drifting into the air between us. I know I should try to explain myself, except I can't deny what Luke has just said. I'd be lying.

"Liam." My voice breaks. "Luke and I were never . . . it wasn't . . . you're the one I want to be with."

I must have said something wrong, because Liam's gaze hardens. "I'm the one you want to be with now, right?" Liam asks, tone nothing short of hurt and angered. "Because you've already tried things with Crestwood's Golden Boy. Why not go for the Underdog too?"

I'm not only stunned by Liam's words, but hurt. I have to understand that the pain and jealousy he's feeling is doing his talking for him, just as the desperation and fear I have of losing Liam is doing the talking for me now.

"That isn't true," I mutter weakly, pleading with him to listen to me.

"You know what, Jade?" Liam barks, tearing his arm from my grasp and taking a slow step away from me. "I don't want to be some sort of consolation prize."

"Liam!" I cry after him, my voice hoarse. "You aren't a consolation prize to me! I care about you! Are you even hearing yourself right now?"

Liam releases a bitter laugh, the sound so unlike him it sends a shiver down my spine. The cruel laugh matches the expression Liam shoots Luke, his gaze soon falling on me.

"Yeah, you care about me," Liam mumbles, shaking his head. "Just like you care about Bradford, right?"

My blood turns to ice in my veins, feeling as if Liam has just slapped me in the face.

I want to defend myself, yet I can't. It's like I've lost the ability to form words and a coherent train of thought. My vision is soon blurring with tears, and I try hard to keep myself together. I hate the vulnerability shown when one cries, hate how weak the act makes me feel.

However, in this moment, I can't seem to contain myself. My bottom lip trembles, and I know that the tears welling in my eyes are going to fall down my cheeks, whether I like it or not.

Unexpectedly, Luke steps forward until his body blocks mine. "Cut it out man," he says to Liam, as if to stand up for me. And it's terribly ironic of Luke to do so, considering he was the one to set all of this in motion.

It is funny how something as simple as a word can be so destructive. The power of words is more than that of a punch, a stab, or even a bullet wound. Unlike a physical blow, words don't go away. They can be forgiven, though never forgotten. Words are ghosts, haunting one for eternity.

Words. The best weapon to use if you really want to hurt someone.

"I think you should go," Luke continues, as if he is helping me. My very own knight in shining armor—the same boy to light my world on fire and watch as it all comes crashing down.

"Finally," Liam grumbles, "something we can agree on." I watch helplessly as he turns his back before wandering off down the field, walking away without another word. As if he's just . . . done.

What does it mean? When he stops fighting for you?

What does it mean when I stop fighting for him?

I stand still for a moment, numb. Is it really over? Just like that? All the months we spent together, the memories we shared, everything Liam and I have learned about each other? Can hours of our lives spent together really mean nothing compared to one moment where we fought? And if it is over, was any of it even worth the effort? It's like our relationship was a house we spent so much of our time building and putting together, only to watch it give way to the first storm that rolled by.

Once Liam has disappeared, Luke turns to face me. His expression is oddly gently, appraising me carefully as if trying to decide how much damage control needs to be done.

"I get it now," I say weakly, hardly able to speak over the lump forming in my throat. "The fun you were talking about having tonight."

Luke wears a poker face as he shakes his head. "Jade," he starts, stepping toward me.

My face crumples as I glance up at him, finally able to say that I am done with Luke. Our relationship is a roller-coaster ride that never seems to end, and I just want the ride to be over. I'm ready to step off of this ride, even if it means jumping from the highest point to the ground.

"I'm glad you had your fun," I hiss, a lone tear trailing down my cheek.

"Jade," Luke tries again, his blue eyes full of sadness and mystery. Mysteries I no longer care to solve.

"I hope you're happy, Luke," I manage to choke out as another tear traces a wet, jagged path down my cheek. "At least one of us is."

I leave him with that. I turn around and walk off, wanting nothing more than to be alone. As I make my way from the field to the parking lot, I don't look back. Not once.

And though Luke hurt me, even though I might have just lost my boyfriend because of him, part of me wants to glance at him over my shoulder. And, for some reason, this is what hurts me worst of all.

»»----- -----««

"Please don't slam the door in my face," is the first thing Luke says to me a week after the lacrosse game fiasco, when he shows up at my doorstep uninvited.

Just one look into his frosty blue eyes is enough to send my anger reeling, remembering everything from that horrid night where it felt as if my life was falling to pieces at my feet, all thanks to the boy before me now.

I slam the door in Luke's face.

At least, that had been my intention. Unfortunately for me, Luke seems to have expected as much, which I should have realized when Luke asked me not to close the door on him. The door refuses to shut, however, as Luke's foot is wedged by the crack. I notice his features contort into a wince, probably due to the force the door hit his foot with in my attempt to close it.

"What do you want, Luke?" I deadpan, opening the door slightly wider just to glare at him.

Luke meets my unfaltering stare and visibly swallows hard, though doesn't look away. "I wanted to . . . talk to you."

I snort, leaning against the door-frame. "Let me get this straight," I mutter. "You want to talk to me. After all the mind games you've played with me, the mean insults, trying to use the one time we kissed as leverage against my relationship, and the fact that you tried to destroy said relationship. After all of that, you think you have the right to talk to me?"

For a moment, there seems to be a crack in Luke's constantly guarded expression. Instead of emotionless, he looks guilty.

Swallowing his pride, Luke mumbles, "Yes."