Kicked by Celia Aaron Page A

boy shit. Someone needs to knock you down a peg, and I’m just the guy to do it.” He glanced up, and the stupid grin returned to his face. “Cordelia.”
    She jogged up behind me, her breaths coming faster from the run. “What does the brain damaged wildebeest want?”
    Ethan focused on her like a dog staring at a T-bone steak. He tried to sidestep me.
    I followed his movement and did my damnedest not to swing at him. The need to knock his teeth out was already insistent.
    He ignored me. “It’s not what I want, princess, it’s what I can give you.”
    “I’m allergic to idiots, so whatever you want to give me would just make me break out in hives and vomit. So, no thanks.” The sneer in her voice cheered my heart.
    He grabbed his crotch. “You’ll gag, for sure.” He stopped trying to get at her. Instead, he let his gaze travel the length of her body.
    She laughed. “We finally agree on something. Hurray.”
    I fisted my hands. I was ready to pummel him until he was unconscious. I didn’t give a shit if it got me kicked off the team—or out of school, for that matter.
    I felt a slight weight on my shoulder and saw movement from the corner of my eye.
    Cordy was flipping him off, her wrist resting on me. “Now get out of here. I’m busy.”
    “Going to make first-string, huh?” He glanced back at the goalpost. “Good luck.” He sneered. “You keep on splitting those uprights just like I’m going to split your legs.”
    That was it. He was going down. I started to raise my fists, but Cordy ran her hand down my right arm and held onto my wrist with a tight grip.
    I could have pulled away from her, could have launched myself at him. But she didn’t want me to, so I didn’t. All the same, she couldn’t stop my mouth. “I’m going to beat the ever-living shit out of—”
    “Thanks for the well wishes.” She talked over me. “Bye now. See ya. Go on. Get out of here and take your Axe body spray funk with you. Tell the other demented wildebeests I said hi.”
    Ethan stopped staring over my shoulder and glared at me instead. I burned to swing at him, to watch him go limp when I shattered his jaw. Cordy’s fingers kept me from doing any damage.
    He smirked at the rage in my eyes. “Later, princesses.” He turned and walked back toward campus with an unearned swagger.
    Once he was out of earshot, I pivoted around to Cordy. “What the hell was that? Has he touched you? And why did you stop me?”
    She raised her hand to her forehead and shielded her eyes from the sun. “He’s just an asshole. There’s no point fighting him. He’ll still be a douchebag when you’re done.”
    My blood stayed at a simmer. “You didn’t answer my question. Has he touched you?”
    “One time he… Look, it doesn’t matter—”
    I ate up the distance between us, my shadow falling across her to the point that she lowered her hand. “Tell me.”
    She nibbled her lip, but didn’t drop her eyes. “Before kickoff on Saturday, when we were in the tunnel, he…grabbed my ass.”
    “I’m going to rip him apart.” I turned and started in the direction he’d gone.
    “Trent!” Cordy ran beside me.
    “He can’t touch you like that.” I gained on his retreating figure.
    She wrapped her hands around my forearm and yanked. “Stop! Please. I need your help. Kicking help. Please?”
    I kept barreling forward. “He needs to respect you.”
    “You beating him to a pulp won’t earn me any respect!” She pulled again. “Please, Trent.”
    Fuck. Her begging did me in. I couldn’t say no to her. The one time I’d said no had gutted me for the past two years. I slowed my pace and stopped. She walked around to my front and raised a hand to my chest. She hovered it over my shirt, not touching me for a long moment. Then she rested her palm over my heart. I wanted to cover her hand with mine, but I didn’t move.
    She’d touched me, which was more than I’d hoped for so soon in our time together. I wouldn’t spook