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Chapter 24 – Brotherly Love

Teagan groaned inwardly as she dashed across the senior parking lot, knowing she had only a few moments to spare. She hurriedly fished through her purse in search of her keys, unable to believe that the keys were lying in the bottom of a never-ending pit. Ever since Brian had taken her heart, Teagan felt as if she had lost her brain. Traditions seemed to die hard as her relationship deepened. She couldn't believe she had actually forgotten to grab money out of her car to get Sport's drinks for Oriana after practice. Now, she would be late for practice, again. "Freaking figures! Drum major late to practice when fresh blood is joining to learn all the ropes!"

She was halfway to the field and still looking in her purse as a truck slowly pulled in front of her. Not paying attention, Teagan was quickly stopped when she ran into the parked vehicle. "Damnit! Who the Hell parks like this?"

"Your best man," a voice snarled from within the truck. Teagan wrenched in utter surprise as a hand snapped forward from the open window, instantly clamping around her neck without any warning. He then applied enough pressure for utter discomfort, but not to bruise. Within their short abusive relationship, he had learned the tricks of the trade to conceal his demonic behavior. And his dark eyes glittered with appreciation as Teagan shifted uncomfortably, scratching at his hands. "What's the matter, Teagie?"

"Don't call me Teagie and let me go! You know you're not allowed on school property. Just get out of here Xander, before I scream and the security comes to haul your ass out of here like at the mall!" Teagan tried to get away, but he held a good grip on her neck.

"See, that's the thing, Teagie. What if I'm not here to see you?" Xander prompted, his eyes darting several yards away. Teagan's gaze flicked to see Oriana hurriedly running down the steps to the large football field, speaking excitedly with one of the football players. Her eyes immediately locked back on Xander's cold face with disgust. "No one ever said I couldn't have fun with Wild-Cherry..."

"You're not going near her, you sick bastard," Teagan hissed, digging her long nails as hard as she could into the soft spot between his knuckles.

"You bitch!" Xander howled, releasing his grasp from her neck. Teagan dropped, preparing to scramble away, but Xander flew out of the truck. He grabbed a fistful of her dark locks, painfully yanking her backward. "You know, I should have fucking cut your tongue out when I had the chance! Nothing but a smart-mouthed little bitch! I should punish you..."

"You almost fucking killed me! That wasn't enough punishment?" Teagan spat, trying to pull away from his grasp. She yelped in pain as her hair started to come out of the roots and stopped moving.

"No, because I didn't rip out your heart... But I think I finally figured out how to do that..." Xander snarled with a sinister smile as if he were planning something quite grand. “Unless you give me something I need.”

"What are you ranting about?"

"I'm bitching about some damn funds," Xander demanded, pushing Teagan sharply back against the truck. "Give me what I need and I'll leave you alone. Give me a little more and I promise to keep away from Wild-Cherry."

"H-How much?" Teagan stammered, feeling her back throb from the push into the truck.

"For leaving you alone? Or are we adding to the funds not to raping and killing Oriana while she sleeps then sending everything to you in a video?"
Teagan knew he was serious about his plans, causing her to swallow a hard whimper. "All of it together. Just don't hurt Oriana!"

"Why not, Teagie?" Xander cooed with enjoyment.

"Because she has nothing to do with us. Tell me how much you need, damnit!"

"Awe, us... Has such a beautiful ring to it, huh?" Xander dreamily replied with a sneer, leaning over to suckle on her neck.

"Don't touch me!" Teagan snapped, pushing him away from her neck. She felt violated and disgusting, his saliva still on her skin. "How much?"

"Two hundred for a cheap whore like you and... let's say, five hundred to keep Oriana's virginity and blood away from my hands."

Biting her words against the insults to her, she quickly pulled out her checkbook. "So you want seven hundred?"

"Make it an even thousand and I'll even think about disappearing from your life and not hassling Oriana at her little dance place... Maggie's House of Whores?"

"If I give you a thousand, you'll leave my life? You won't bother Oriana?" she clarified.

"Yeah, sounds like an even deal to me."

"Fine," she opened up to a clean check and quickly scribbled out everything. She tore it out and held it towards Xander.

"You're so generous, Teagie. I'm sure Wild-Cherry would be quite proud of you, saving her cunt from a good cock and all–"

"Get the Hell out of here. I gave you the damn money."

"You're quite frigid, Teagie–"

"Stop calling me Teagie and get out of here!"
Xander looked as if he were about to comment again, but finally released Teagan's locks. She groaned softly with appreciation, immediately slamming Xander sharply against the truck. He looked as if about to strike, so Teagan stepped back. Xander laughed, tucking the check into his pocket. "Just for that, consider the little added bonus of not harassing Wild-Cherry deleted."

"You fucking gave me your word!"

"You shouldn't have gotten rough. Now you're going to have to apologize to your little Wild-Cherry when I get her in my backseat. Shame, huh? Think you'll be able to look into her eyes when she says she hates you?" Xander gleefully replied, hopping back into his massive truck.

"You bastard!" Teagan wrenched the door open and dove at Xander, punching him squarely in the jaw. "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TOUCH HER!"

Xander fell back against the seat with surprising strength, immediately reaching to grab his aching jaw. He prepared to launch himself upward, but Teagan caught the door against his groin, causing him to fall back in agony yet again. "DAMNIT TEAGAN!"

"Aww, did your teeny dick get hit by the door? GOOD! Stay away from me and Oriana, you sick fuck! I'll call the cops on you if I even see the color of your truck anywhere near us!"

Xander screamed like an animal with rage as Teagan crossed the parking lot. She picked up her pace when she heard him loudly fire the engine, not wanting to get caught beneath the tires. She felt proud for finally standing up to him, but regretted her actions when she heard him yell, "PAYBACK IS SUCH THE BITCH, TEAGIE! JUST WAIT!"

*~*~*


"Oh, please, Luke! You think you're limber? Sweetheart, you can't even come close to limber till you can..." Oriana paused, drawing her long graceful leg far above her head. She grinned wryly as she rested it against Luke's tall shoulder, stretching every muscle within that leg for practice. The other boys on the team grimaced while others admired Oriana's limber body for other acts, never realizing that Howie was delivering them all death stares from above the bleachers.

"Please don't do that! It looks so painful!" Gabe groaned, feeling his leg ache just at the sight.
"But it doesn't hurt..." Oriana replied with a pout, placing her right leg to the ground. She then extended her left leg to rest on Luke's high shoulder, feeling all the muscles pull with exertion. It was a delighted burn to stretch out before practice. She wanted to be at the peak of her condition, knowing Brian was planning on making her look like a fool.

"But it hurts us!" half the team chorused with a grimace.

"Why?" she drawled with an impish grin, withdrawing her stretched leg. She stretched her back, actually bending backwards to tickle the grass with her palms.

"Because it does!" they objected before Coach Hansen blew his whistle to get their attention.
Everyone jumped, knowing it was their five minute warning. The equipment managers went rushing to the back of Coach Hanson's pick-up to lug over the various equipment while the team members started to strap on the bare minimum for a scrimmage play. Oriana followed beside Luke and Gabe, noticing Brian standing off to the side just to watch. She then glanced upward to see if Teagan was starting practice, frowning when she wasn't there. Oriana yelped at the sharp slap against her backside as she yanked up the padding for her lower waist, immediately glaring to Gabe.

"Just wanted to tell you that your husband is going to be one lucky son of a bitch," Gabe chuckled, offering her the shoulder pads from her duffle bag.

"Why?" Oriana drawled, sighing with relief as Teagan hurried down the steps to gather the entire band. She started to whistle, but could notice the frazzled look on Teagan's face even at a distance. It took Oriana only a moment to realize something terribly wrong had happened.

"Because you're limber as Hell and that'll be a nice change in the bedroom..."

"Thanks, Gabe..." Oriana groaned, pushing on his shoulder and extending her foot to make him fall.

"Thought it would be good to know!" Gabe yelped from the ground.

"For a hundred bucks, I'll make sure my husband makes a tape of our romantic acrobatics and sends you a copy," she offered with a roll of her eyes, still trained on Teagan's distress.

"Really?!"

"You're such a horny bastard sometimes," Oriana groaned, pushing down on Gabe's chest with her foot before walking away.

"WHO COULD BLAME ME WHEN YOU GOT A BODY LIKE---"

"Horny Bastard, go get your gear on," Luke groaned, kicking Gabe in the behind to get him started toward the bleachers.

Oriana mouthed a 'thank you' as she headed toward the boundaries of the football field, apprehensively folding her arms behind her back. She didn't know why exactly she felt the need to approach Brian, but realized it was for Teagan's sake. If she could possibly make some kind of peace in Teagan's life by swallowing her pride, then so be it. "Brian?"

"What? Warning me again that these are your boys and your team, so I don't have a chance? I think you told me that already," Brian scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Actually," Oriana stalled for a moment, finally swallowing the largest lump of sarcasm pooling in her throat. "I wanted to offer you some of my football gear in case you didn't bring yours—"

"I don't want any of your stuff. I always have my football stuff in my car, so nice try. What do you want, Riley?"

"I was hoping you'd pull your head out of your ass long enough to have a civil conversation..." Oriana groaned inwardly, realizing how bitter she sounded. She glanced down at the grass for a moment, drawing another sharp breath. "Look, can we come to some kind of peace? I mean, it's stupid to be fighting like this. I can't hurt Teagan anymore and I want someone to watch out for her when I can't be there—"

"Are you trying to say that I'm not protecting her? She's my girlfriend, I protect her just fine!" Brian snapped, feeling Oriana deliver a blow to his ego. He always made sure Teagan was safe from harm.

"Why the Hell are you on the 'D' all of a sudden? Damnit, Brian, I'm just saying—"

"I don't need your damn advice, so stay out of my business!"

"This involves my best friend and sister, so it does make it my business! I just want you to protect her!"

"Fuck you," Brian spat, reaching out to grasp Oriana's upper arm. She yelped softly in surprise as he drew her close. It looked to others as if they were sharing a private moment, but Brian's voice was icy cold. "You're nothing but a damn whore looking to interfere in my life. Get the fuck out of my face, because I don't want your nasty diseases to spread to me. You got me? Teags' is mine now! And the first thing I’m going to do is to tear you two apart, how about that shit? Because, frankly, that's protecting her!"

"Get the fuck off my arm!" Oriana yelped, yanking away from his grasp. She felt a sharp burn in her upper arm, but refused to give him the satisfaction. She glared sharply to Brian. "All I did was try to help you."

"I don't need help from a whore like you. Now get away from me before I catch something," Brian hissed.

Oriana really didn't know how to reply to his cold statements, figuring it was better to walk away. She quickly turned, walking back to the team. Luke seemed to tune into Oriana's emotions, meeting her halfway. She offered half of her usual smile. "I tried, Luke."

"That's the only thing you can do with an asshole like him," Luke replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Ready to kick his ass in front of everyone again?"

"You mean crush his testosterone-filled ego?" Oriana quipped excitedly, leaning into Luke's embrace. She squeezed him with a one-armed hug, barely listening to Coach Hanson spill out various directions. She already knew the basics and he would eventually divide the team and call captains for scrimmage, offering Brian a chance to see what he was made of.

"That's my Cherry-Bomb!" Luke laughed, kissing her cheek.

Though, Oriana seemed phased in her own world till Luke started to shake her roughly by the arm. She lurched in surprise as the team quickly divided in half. A portion quickly moved to the opposite side of the field with Ace and Brian, while another part lingered near her. She blinked for a moment as a ball was thrown into her chest. She arched her light brows in surprise. "Who's our Cap?"

"That'd be you, Cherry-Bomb!" Gabe laughed.

"Me?" Oriana breathed in shock, glancing back to Coach Hanson, who seemed to have a proud smile on his face

"Hurry and get your team together, Riley! Show us what you're made of as captain!" Coach Hanson called with a chuckle.

"You mean being better than you?" Oriana drawled with a smile, causing Coach Hanson to burst into a fit of laughter. Oriana grinned wryly, turning back to her team. She seemed to explode with excitement, knowing that Coach Hanson had a tremendous amount of faith in her. He had always stepped up to defend her and seemed to be the closest father-figure she could ever have. Though, she shifted her thoughts, glancing around her team. "Alright... I'm Captain... I'm QB, can we say freaking Hell yeah?"

"Hell yeah!" the boys hooted, smacking Oriana's backside. They were always excited when Oriana was captain. She had the best plays and they always dominated the other team at practice.

"Hell yeah," she concluded, glancing up for a moment. She seized up the other portion of the team, already knowing how each of them worked within the field. She offered a sweet smile to Ace, realizing he was quite determined to smash her into the ground to maintain his rank. She shrugged her padded shoulders, leaning down to the group. "Okay, we want to kick ass... So, we throw them things they'll never expect. Like, Luke's my right-hand man and the fastest on the team. So, Luke, dart straight up the field like you're looking for my pass. Then Jace swing right near the boundaries. I'll fake a pass to Luke down the end of the field, and then toss to you. Run like Hell and the rest block the way. Got it?"

"Got it!" Luke and Jace grinned. It was always a sweet victory when they could beat their actual captain with Oriana, who was by far better.

"We'll test the waters with that play and move from there..." Oriana decided, noticing the other team lining up. She grinned faintly when she realized Brian was dead in the center, already planning on tackling her before she could launch the ball. She playfully rolled her eyes, barking for the boys to take their positions.

Oriana inhaled a soft breath before rattling off the proper names to her coded messages, waiting for the snap of the football. She shifted her weight between her feet, popping up on the balls of her feet for energy. The ball was hiked backward and Oriana caught it with ease. She watched Luke immediately dart down the middle, taking half the opposite team with him. She then noticed Jace take his position just to the side of her as Brian charged forward. She waited for a moment to pitch the ball, letting Brian spring forward. She quickly stepped to the side as she pitched the ball, causing Brian to tumble into the dirt as Jace darted several yards down the field before getting tackled.

"Freaking sweet! Great job everyone!" Oriana hooted as the teams split into their own huddles for another play.

"Did I get enough yards?" Jace panted, reaching the group with a ragged breath. He had done his best to weave like Oriana had taught him, but sometimes he lost his footing.

"Perfect," Oriana enthused, knocking on Jace's helmet. She crouched down again, realizing Brian was glaring at her. She could hardly hide her smile as she glanced amongst her team. "Straight up the middle or another side play, boys?"

"Let's change it up. Shit like that always throws Ace off and from the looks of it, the new guy, too. Straight up will piss them off to no end," Logan enthused with a grin. A few others of the boys agreed, laughing as they looked at Brian all muddy before turning back to Oriana.

"Let's do a good old plow, then," Oriana mused, glancing amongst her boys. "John, Gabe, and Ty, you're the biggest pushers. Just take yourself like a plow right up the field on the snap. Luke, wait back and let them start, then I'll snap you the ball. You can weave through anything they leave in their wake, then the rest of you come in at the sides to break any chances they have of getting through. Good?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Then let's do it!"

Oriana exchanged a confident look with Luke as the codes were called. She waited with approval as the ball was quickly snapped back. She watched John, Gabe, and Ty immediately plow through the biggest portions of the other team as Brian rushed forward. Oriana waited for a moment, leaping over Brian as if he were a dancer. He stumbled forward as she landed and arched the ball to Luke. Her best friend caught it with great ease. Luke did his fancy footwork down the length of the field while the others plowed at the side, making several advances before finally being tackled.

"YES! COUPLE YARDS TO A TOUCH!"

"SCORE!" Luke cried from beneath a bundle of his fellow team-mates, hurrying back to Oriana with excitement. He picked her up into his arms and whirled her in a circle, causing her to chuckle. She laughed as he carried her back to their team. "Damnit, let's go all the way! We want a touchdown!"

"Hell yeah," Oriana enthused, feeling the pulsating excitement of crushing Brian. He deserved as much with all the cruelness he projected her way. She offered a devilish grin. "Let's go old-school. Rough and ready, simple play. Tackle what you see and get an open route for Lou. If we don't make it, we always got another down. Right?"

"Right!" they all agreed, knowing what each one had to do. "You better just run fast, Lou-Bird."

"You keep it open, I'll be going!" Lou replied with a laugh, stretching his legs real quick before Oriana broke the huddle and both teams went to the scrimmage line. "Let's get that touchdown!"

Oriana loosened her shoulders, already feeling the tension mount within her body. She knew Coach Hanson was counting on her to soar above Ace's expectations. She had always strived above and beyond the normal. And she had the talent to do wonders with the team if given the chance. Coach Hanson liked that Oriana pushed the limits and she loved getting the chance to do so. She wanted to make Coach Hanson proud.

She grinned with amusement as the ball was snapped and Brian took off with lightening, fiercely determined to tackle Oriana. She waited perfectly still for a moment, letting him think he had the opportunity. But it wasn't the case, Oriana bent down just as he reached her, launching him off her back with a powerful sweep. Brian screamed with frustration as she offered a long snap to Lou, grinning with triumph when he caught the ball. She watched Lou hurry down the field, dodging what he could as others quickly tackled. She knew they were in the open until Ace roughly caught Lou by the ankles, flipping the ball into the air.

"SHIT!" Oriana cursed as she watched the football bounce to the ground. She hurriedly launched herself into the top speeds that her body could handle, racing down the length of the field. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, but the ball was within her grasp. She dove quickly onto the ball to save her team from loosing their chance at scoring a touchdown.

Yet, she didn't anticipate for Brian to follow her down the field. He was filled with a burning rage as he charged, preparing to hurt her permanently for all the trouble she caused. He watched her dive for the ball as her right forearm pad snapped off. He grinned with delight as he noticed the weakness, diving cleats forward directly onto her arm. Without any cares, he made sure to push his full weight into the hit, causing them both to crash hard against the grass, pinning her beneath him. He heard the brittle crunch of bones slamming together as the cleats dug into the length of her flesh. Then all the other boys jumped into the large pile, forcing Brian's cleats harder into her already broken arm. He laughed hysterically as Oriana's screams were muffled by the beefy bodies.

And she only heard Brian call above the hysteria, "So much for your fourth MVP, Cherry Bomb!"