Goddess Revenge: Goddess Series Book 4 (Young Adult / New Adult) (6 page)

“He lies,” she said softly.

Legacy had woken up the following morning thinking about this new dream. Since her mom had said, “
he
lies,” she’d obviously been talking about a man. There were only a couple of men in Legacy’s life. If the dream was about Adin, then she had no idea what the message meant. She knew Adin had kept things from her in the past, and she didn’t understand what he meant by having skills and things not being as they seemed, but she didn’t know if those things constituted as lies.

River, on the other hand, was a natural liar. The dream could have very easily been about him. It would have made more sense if she’d had that dream before she figured out he was a liar. If the dream was about him, then she got the feeling it referenced lies she wasn’t aware of, which provided another reason for her to get close to him.

Not wanting to lose the bet she had with River, Legacy got ready quickly for school, picking out another cute outfit. She ran down the stairs and jumped in her car. She was going to win this! Yeah, it might be silly on the whole grand scheme of things, but she was competitive. She quickly made her way to the campus and she actually squealed when she didn’t see his car in the parking lot. She parked her car and dashed to their regular picnic table, but as she rounded the corner, she saw River already sitting down, facing her direction.

She laughed out loud, shaking her head as she approached him.

“I won,” he said cheerfully.

“Where’s your car?”

“I parked on the other side of the gym. I figured it’d be more convenient when I get out of practice this afternoon. Plus, I wanted to see your face when you realized you’d lost,” he said, laughing.

“That’s not very nice,” she chided playfully. “You shouldn’t gloat like that.”

“I’m terribly sorry, baby,” he said, still chuckling.

She sat down in front of him and put her backpack on the bench beside her. “So what do you want?” she asked with a smile.

“Huh?” River’s eyes narrowed briefly. “What are you talking about?”

“You won. You have to get some kind of prize for winning.”

“Oh,” River said with a smile. “Well, what would you have asked for if you’d won?”

She hadn’t come up with a prize if she’d won. She figured she would just tell him she’d hold her prize in reserve until she came up with what she wanted. No way was she going to give him that idea, though. But since she hadn’t won, she could tell him something, in an effort to be flirtatious, that she never would’ve really picked. “A backrub,” she said softly, staring at him. The last thing she wanted was him rubbing his hands on her, but she needed him to visualize that action.

“Oh,” he breathed. “I’m sorry you lost.”

“Me too,” she whispered as she stared at him through her eyelashes. Then she shifted her position and looked at him fully. “So, what do you want?”

He got a devilish grin on his face while he quickly rubbed his hands back and forth. She kept her breathing even and braced herself for the worst. She had no idea what he’d ask for. If he were a gentleman, she wouldn’t have to worry about it, but he was a monster. There really was no telling what he’d come up with.

“I think…I’d like to give you a ride to school tomorrow.”

That was unexpected, so she laughed in relief. “You have practice in the afternoons. You want me to sit around until you get out? That’s not very—”

“No, silly. I wouldn’t make you wait around for me. I don’t have practice on Thursdays. Coach doesn’t want to work us too hard the day before a game.”

“Oh.” She smiled. “Okay.”

Calli walked up, and they all chatted until the bell rang. The first half of the day was much like yesterday. They were all busy in class, so they didn’t have time to talk. Lunchtime was again the highlight of the school day—or the darkest part of the school day, depending on how she wanted to look at it.

They all went to a local burger place for lunch. Calli drove this time since River’s car was parked by the gym, and he sat in back. Conversations circled around the upcoming game and Calli’s routine until they reached the restaurant. When they went inside, Thad, Seth, Ellen, and Kate were already seated. They got in line and placed orders before sitting in the three empty chairs.

Everything had been going smoothly. They’d all been chatting and laughed while eating. Then Ellen cleared her throat. “I heard you dumped Adin.”

Legacy dropped her chicken sandwich and stared at the heifer. “What’s it to you?”

“I just didn’t think you’d be that stupid.”

She grimaced while she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Ellen,” Thad whispered, and shook his head, seeming embarrassed at her tone.

Since they were seated at a round table, she could see River and Calli staring at her, both readying themselves to jump in.

“It really is none of your business, Ellen. I figured you’d be happy about it anyway.”

“Why?” she scoffed.

“Because he never liked you. He thought you were superficial.”

Calli let a short laugh slip, and Ellen’s eyes shot over to her and back at Legacy. “I-I don’t care what he thinks about me. He was obviously out of your league. You were a fool to let him go.”

She sighed, picking up her sandwich. “I’m a big girl, Ellen. I don’t need your concern,” she said as she took a bite. Everyone went back to eating, but the tension was still clearly noticeable.

On the ride back to school, Legacy didn’t say much. She just looked out the window. During summer, she’d had to get used to people finding out her and Adin dating. Now, she’d have to get used to people learning not only was she not dating him anymore, but she was the one to break it off.

When they got back to school, River walked her and Calli to English before heading to his class. Her thoughts were still heavily focused on lunch, though.

“Are you okay?” Calli asked once they took their seats.

She took a deep breath. “Yeah,” she said on an exhale.

“I’m sorry about how Ellen acted.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” she said, looking away.

“I know, but she hangs around us because she follows me around like a little lost puppy dog.”

“I know you mean well, Calli, but I’d really rather not talk about Ellen…or Adin.”

When the bell rang at the end of the period, River quickly caught up with her and walked her to her next class. He didn’t say anything about lunch. She knew he sensed she was still bothered by her encounter with Ellen.

Legacy sat in the only class she didn’t share with either Calli or River, but unfortunately, she shared it with Ellen. They didn’t talk. She had nothing to say to that bitch, and she was sure the feeling was mutual.

When she got to gym, Calli and River walked toward her, but River turned into the guys’ locker room as Legacy and Calli headed into theirs.

“River is freaking out about you,” Calli said.

“What? Why?”

“He asked me if you mentioned anything in English, and when I told him what you said, he seemed really worried—especially since you had calculus with Ellen.”

“I’m fine. We didn’t talk.”

“Yeah, but, Legacy, River was on edge throughout calculus. He didn’t pay attention to the teacher. He kept shifting in his seat like he was aching to get out of there to check on you.”

“I’ll talk to him after school. He mentioned me coming over to his house to learn how to play basketball. I’m not sure if he forgot about that, but I’ll use it as my reason to come over.”

“What about Medusa?” Calli asked, worried.

“He said she was out of town.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll give you his gate codes before we leave.”

“Thanks. How about we hang out at the mall after school?” Legacy could use the distraction.

“Sounds good,” Calli said with a smile.

They finished changing into their gym clothes and parted ways when they left the locker room. She saw River huddled with his team on the court, but his head shifted in her direction when she walked out. Their gazes held and she offered him a small smile before turning her attention to her own class.

After school, Calli followed Legacy home, so she could change into some yoga pants and a sweatshirt before heading to the mall. She wasn’t sure if her instructional lesson on basketball would include a hands-on approach to learning, so she figured she should be prepared.

They chatted at the mall, and by the time they left, Legacy actually started feeling a little better about her encounter with Ellen. She knew what kind of person she was, so that was probably the worst experience she’d have to endure about her breakup where her classmates were concerned. At least she could take comfort in the fact that
that
encounter was now over.

Legacy followed Calli into her neighborhood and used the codes her BFF had given her to get into River’s estate. His car was parked out front, so she parked beside him, leaving plenty of room to play at the basketball hoop.

She walked up to his front door and rang the doorbell. After several seconds, the door opened, and River stood with a confused expression on his face that slowly morphed into relief.

“Hi.”

River stepped toward her. “Hi. I’ve been so worried about you since lunch. I went by your house when I got out of practice, but you weren’t home.”

“Yeah, Calli and I went to the mall. That helped put the Ellen business behind me.”

River nodded, but it looked like he was deep in thought. She figured if she got right to the point of her visit, he’d let it go.

“Anyway, I’m here for my basketball lesson, coach.” She smiled.

River chuckled and stared at her briefly before stepping aside. “Come in. I need to change.”

She waited by the door while he ran upstairs and put on something more appropriate for a basketball lesson. While she stood in his foyer, she stared at all the paintings on the wall in the lavishly styled den off the main corridor. This art collection had to be worth millions just by itself. She saw a Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Jackson, and several exquisite pieces by lesser known artists.

She was so completely riveted that she hadn’t heard River walking back down the stairs.

“What are you looking at?”

Startled, she gasped and turned around as her hand flew up to her chest. River had on some athletic pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, carrying his tennis shoes. “Er, the paintings,” she said a little breathlessly.

“Did I scare you?”

“Er, I just didn’t hear you coming back down.” She shrugged.

He sat on the bottom step to put on his shoes. “What had caught your attention to the point that you hadn’t noticed this god of man walking in?” He winked at her as he tied his second shoe.

“Ha. Ha. The paintings, you self-righteous prick. They had to have cost a fortune.”

River feigned being shocked. “Me? I never said I was self-righteous…and they were.”

“I, er, used to paint when I was growing up,” she blurted out without thinking, though she didn’t miss he hadn’t corrected her on the prick comment. “I stopped when I got in high school. I just didn’t really have the time for it anymore.”

“I didn’t know that,” he said softly.

“Not many people do.” She shrugged, turning back around to gaze at the artwork again, wondering why it had been so easy to open up to him. Anger reminded her why she was here, and it wasn’t to gawk at paintings and blab about herself. She needed to get her act together.

Chapter Five

River jumped up and grabbed Legacy’s hand. “Let’s go.”

He led her outside and into his garage to get a basketball. Then he talked while he dribbled in front of the goal.

“The team with the ball is offense. The team without the ball is defense.”

“I’m not an idiot, River,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

He chuckled and held the ball. “I know, baby. But with basketball, possession changes extremely fast. You’d be surprised how often the cheerleaders get yelled at because they’re cheering for the wrong team.” He started dribbling again. “There are different types of baskets that can be made. This is a layup,” River said as he demonstrated. “You want to try?”

“I think I’m not coordinated enough to step into a throw like that. I’d rather start off trying baskets with my feet firmly planted on the ground.”

“Okay,” River said with a chuckle.

He proceeded to tell her, and show her, the difference between walking and traveling, why and how one would get to throw free throws, the various positions, and other throws.

“Right here is about where the free throw line would be.” River threw the ball in. “Nothing but net,” he said with a chuckle.

She gave him a quizzical look.

“It means that the ball didn’t hit the rim when it went in.”

“Oh.” She smiled.

“Your turn,” he said as he handed her the ball.

She squatted like she was going to throw the ball in.

“Wait.” River walked over to her and took the ball. “Spread your legs a little. Hold the ball like this.” He handed her the ball back and wrapped his arms around her. “Like this.”

She nodded as he stepped away. She threw the ball. Not only did it not make it in, but it didn’t even hit the hoop or the backboard.

“That’s what they call an air ball.”

She looked at him, and his lips twitched like he was fighting a smile.

She scooted closer.

“You’re not far enough back,” he chided playfully.

“So?” she said without looking at him, fixing her gaze on the goal. She tried again. This time, she actually hit the side of the rim.

“That’s a brick,” River said with a chuckle.

She shifted her position and tried again. This time, the ball hit the hoop, bounced off of the backboard, and made it through.

“Yea!” She jumped up and down while she clapped her hands.

River laughed while he retrieved the ball—the “rebound” as he called it earlier. “Let’s play one-on-one.”

“Huh?” Surely he was joking.

“We’ll play each other,” River said while he was rolling the ball off his fingers, into the air, and catching it.

“You can’t be serious. There’s no way I’d win.”

“It’s not about winning, Legacy. It’s to show you how to play.”