Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 157

hapter 157

Chapter 157

Caleb’s POV

Two hours into the drive, Coach Miller pulled the van into a gravel resting area off the highway.

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The spot was surrounded by thick pine trees, a quiet stretch of woods running along the shoulder of the road.

“Alright, twenty–minute leg–stretch!” Coach announced, unlocking the doors with a heavy clack. “Restroom building is down the path to the left. Don’t wander off into the woods and get eaten by a bear. I don’t want to do the paperwork.”

The van doors slid open, and everyone began piling out into the shadowed forest air.

I stepped onto the gravel, hands shoved deep into the pockets of my hoodie.

My right hand closed around the hard, metallic edge of the small folding penknife I’d tossed in before leaving the house.

My thumb traced the cold ridge of the brass casing over and over, a mindless, restless compulsion.

A few yards away, Elijah was holding the passenger door open for Victoria.

He reached out, catching her by the waist to help her down from the high step of the van.

When her feet hit the ground, she didn’t step back. She leaned right into him, laughing at something he whispered into her ear, her hand resting comfortably against his chest.

My jaw clenched so tight my back teeth ached. It should be me.

My eyes followed Elijah as he bent to pick up a water bottle someone had dropped.

A terrible, dark thought crept into my mind.

One shove.

He’d lose his footing. Roll down the embankment. Maybe break an ankle.

My grip tightened around the penknife in my pocket until the edge dug into my palm.

Dammit, Caleb.

I squeezed my eyes shut and drew in a slow breath, the cool tang of pine filling my lungs.

What the hell is wrong with you?

I wasn’t a violent person. I wasn’t a killer.

And I had no right to resent Elijah.

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10:39 Mon, Aug 3

Chapter 157

He hadn’t taken Victoria from me. I was the one who handed her over on a silver platter.

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Still, none of that logic stopped the poisonous jealousy rotting through my chest as I watched Victoria smile up at him.

For years, I had held her in the palm of my hand. She had loved me since we were seven years old. Seven.

She had looked at me like I held the sun in my hands for more than a decade, and instead of treating that with any sort of respect, I preyed on it.

I used her childhood crush as an ego cushion. She was my best friend, but more than that, she was my safety

net.

I kept her close enough to feel worshiped, but far enough that I could run around campus, play with other girls, and mess up without consequences.

I genuinely believed she would always be waiting for me when I was done playing games.

I never expected her to wake up. I never expected her to walk away and find someone who actually treated her like she mattered.

And now, history was repeating itself in the worst possible way with Nova.

Unlike Victoria, Nova hadn’t grown up with me. We weren’t kids, and this wasn’t some innocent childhood crush.

I turned to find Nova standing a few feet away. Her hands were tucked into her sweater pockets, and she wore that same expression she always seemed to have whenever she looked at me–as though she was waiting for me to let her in.

10:39 Mon, Aug 3

Victoria was laughing, her hand tucked into Elijah’s back pocket.

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Nova’s mouth tightened into a thin, fragile line. A look of quiet, unmistakable hurt passed over her face before she forced her features still.

When Nova looked back at me, there it was. The disappointment.

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