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diettwistup · 12 days

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HALF OF YOU

PAIRINGS: tashi duncan x f!oc, art donaldson x f!oc, patrick zweig x f!oc

SUMMARY: No matter how bright Tashi Duncan shined, her best friend, Milan Mikaelson, wasn’t far behind. Though seeming second best, Milan would never let that define her career. Holding as much fame as Tashi, Milan encountered Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson. Would this encounter change the trajectory of her life, and would it completely alter her relationship with Tashi Duncan?

WARNINGS: challengers spoilers, reader is milan mikaelson, sexual situations, language, angst, plot alterations.

NOTES: hello lovely people! so excited to be back n finally posting this next chapter. i really hope you guys enjoy this, as it’s a little bit of a filler chapter to get ready for the juicy stuff. also i was a little lazy and didn't edit much, so mind any errors! hope you enjoy kisses n hugs xx 💋

WC: 4.3K

READ BEFORE THIS: INTRO, ONE, and TWO

CHAPTER 3: CRACK ME AND I’LL CRACK YOU

STANFORD DINING HALL , 2007 1:00 PM

My eyes scanned the dining hall and all the students grabbing late lunches. Taking out my phone, I looked down to read a text from Art.

“I’ve got a table by the window.”

Looking up, I almost immediately saw his backward cap and blonde curls facing me as he looked out the window, hands bridged.

Softly inhaling, I walked over to where he was, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“Hi…” I softly spoke, making him turn around and flash me his signature lopsided grin.

“Hey,” He started as I sat down across from him. “Such a beautiful day. I just had to get a window seat.” He nodded his head towards the view we had.

Following his eyes, I saw our beautiful campus basking in the hot California sun.

“It really is beautiful if you have the time to stop and stare.” I sighed as I stole a glance at Art’s side profile.

I felt my breath catch in my throat solely from his features. They really were perfect, and that’s saying something.

“Ready to eat?” He snapped his eyes back to me as I tried my best to play off staring at him, grabbing a piece of my hair.

“Yeah!” I spurted out, too eager for my liking, as I quickly stood up, student ID in hand. “Let’s go…” I finished calmer as I brushed my hair out of my face.

I heard him softly chuckle as we went to go get our food.

Returning to the table, I sat my tray down, looked at my food, and grabbed a piece of my hair to play with.

Again.

“So, I wanna hear everything about how your semester went.” I smiled and crossed my legs under the table.

Shooting me a soft smile while opening his water bottle, Art locked his eyes onto mine.

“It’s been rough. Lots of hard practices and tough classes, but like we said the other day, it’s all gonna be worth it.” He explained before taking a bite of his food.

Picking up my fork and poking my salad, I tilted my head. “Have you and Pat been keeping in contact?” I questioned as I took a bite of my food.

Nodding as he chewed, Art put his fork down. “Yeah, we talk all the time, and he’s visited a bunch,” he responded.

I knew about the visits since Tashi always told me when she needed…alone time.

“That’s fun,” I continued to eat my food before looking out the window. “Tashi said he’s coming for her match next week. We should all do something.”

“I like that idea.” I could feel him smiling at me as my cheeks heated up.

A comfortable silence befell us as we ate our food. Surprisingly, it was very enjoyable. I liked this.

I liked Art.

When we finished our food and returned our trays, Art shoved his hands in his pocket and looked at me, letting his eyes ask, "What's next."

Smiling at him, I bit my bottom lip and parted my lips. “Since we didn’t talk much, I wondered if you wanted to return to my dorm. I have a single, so we wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing my roommate.” I spoke as I played with my fingers.

I could practically feel the happiness radiating off of his smile as he simply nodded.

“Lead the way.” He responded and extended his hand out for me to take.

Softly laughing, I grabbed his hand and walked us to my dorm building.

His hand feels good in mine.

Reaching my dorm, I turned to Art as I unlocked the door.

“She may be messy, don’t judge.” I playfully scolded as I opened the door.

“Don’t worry, if yours is bad, mine is worse.” He laughed and followed me into my room.

I closed the door behind us and put my keys down on my desk as I watched Art look around my room.

Sitting down on my bed, I took off my shoes and moved my legs up to sit with them crossed.

“This is cute,” Art said as he turned around and showed that he was holding a framed photo of Tashi and me from third grade.

Tashi and I were standing back to back with our arms crossed, both making the silliest faces we could muster. Tennis rackets were in our hands, which you swear were bigger than us. We had just won our first of many doubles matches.

Softly laughing, I stood up and took the photo from him, staring at it with a fond smile.

“We were so young…” I whispered softly as I studied the photo. Art’s head was right above my shoulder, and I was looking down at the photo as well.

“You never told Patrick and me about how you and Tashi met,” he said in my ear as I placed the photo back on my desk.

Sitting back down on my bed, I patted the area next to me with a smile. “Come sit, and I’ll spill my guts.” I chuckled as he moved to sit next to me, taking his hat off and handing it to me to place on my desk.

“Do I need to sell my soul for this information?” He joked and ran a hand through his hair while I rolled my eyes and gently hit his knee.

“Shut up…” I chuckled before moving my hair behind my shoulder.

“Tashi and I have known each other all our lives, really.” I started smiling at the memory of young Tashi and me. “Our mothers were friends, so we were bound to be just like them.” I laughed to myself, looking down at my hands.

“I feel like we’ve been playing tennis since we were both able to walk,” I smirked as I looked at Art, who was hanging onto every word I spoke.

He simply nodded to show that he was listening, a smirk widening at every new fact.

“We were doubles partners for years before we decided to play singles for better recruitment chances, and here we are.” I shrugged at this, looking at the photo on my desk while a lazy smile played on my features.

All Art did for a moment was stare at me with a slight smile.

I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that.

Quickly running a hand through his hair, he laughed softly before looking back at me.

“I can’t say I’m shocked.” He smiles before flickering his eyes back to the picture of Tashi and me on my desk. “You two have something special.” He finishes and looks back at me.

“Look who's talking,” I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and responded. “You and Patrick have one of the most genuine friendships I’ve ever seen.” I smiled as Art adjusted himself, our knees now touching.

“Please,” He laughed and shook his head. “Patrick and I are more brothers than friends.” He smirked.

“Exactly!” I exclaimed and subconsciously moved closer to Art. “That’s what I love about you two. I can tell you really care about him.” I tilted my head with a gentle smile as I placed my hand on his thigh.

Art glanced down at my hand as my face instantly turned red.

“I’m sorry-“ I began as I retracted my hand, but Art stopped me by grabbing my wrist and staring right into my eyes.

“No, it’s okay.” He spoke, eyes piercing into my entire being: soul, body, and all. As he held my wrists, his thumb softly caressed the sensitive skin of my palm.

Biting my bottom lip softly, I turned my head to look out the window as my stomach churned.

“So,” I began as I bit the inside of my cheek. “I’m glad you texted me…” I softly spoke, refusing to make eye contact.

“Wow,” He started and shook his head slowly with a smirk.

Tilting my head, I furrowed my brows and looked at him through my eyelashes.

“What…?” I asked as I gnawed my bottom lip, and my face heated up.

He threw his hands up in defense and let out a chuckle as he stared at me.

“Never did I ever think that Milan Mikaelson would express any sort of feeling without having an attitude.” He laughed as my mouth dropped, and I chuckled before leaning in and smacking his arm.

“You’re such an asshole!” I laughed, not realizing how close our faces were.

He shrugged with a smirk before moving his hand to play with the sleeve of my hoodie.

I watched him do this, eyes trained on his fingers before flickering to the roughness of his calloused hands. Sure, I had them, too, but for some reason, seeing him made me smile at all his hard work and dedication to tennis.

“I told Pat about this.” He chimed and snapped me out of my thoughts, pointing between the two of us to signify that there was now an us.

“I think he’s more happy than I am about this.” He laughed and rolled his eyes.

I turned my head to look back out at the window as I softly laughed.

“Yeah, I told Tash,” I responded before looking back at him, his smile growing wider. “She was surprisingly chill about it.” I laughed as I thought of Tashi’s stubborn nature.

Moving his hand from my sweatshirt to my thigh, Art smirked even wider at me.

That damn smirk.

“See, I told you they wouldn’t give a fuck.” He chuckled and patted my thigh.

Rolling my eyes, I clicked my tongue and looked back at him.

“Hey, I was just playing it safe!” I explained in defense as I leaned my head closer to his to counteract his smug expression.

“When is playing safe ever fun?” he replied and leaned in, grinning from ear to ear.

My mind trailed back to the hotel as I remembered the harsh eye contact between us when Tashi and I first arrived. This moment seems to be teleporting me back in time.

Returning to my senses, I noticed that Art’s hand had moved from my thigh to my waist, and our noses were almost touching.

“Art…” I whispered, almost warning him about what we were about to do.

He only learned more until his lips ghosted mine.

“There’s nothing to worry about…they’re fine with it, remember?” He reassured me and moved a hand to cup my cheek, rubbing it with his thumb out of comfort.

He was right. We can do whatever we want…I know we both wanted this.

Softly laughing and smiling widely at this realization, I quickly pressed my lips to his and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He, of course, kissed back instantly as his hands moved to the base of my neck.

I could practically taste his smirk against my lips as I parted my lips to give him access.

Swiping my tongue across his, I laced my fingers into his hair and gently tugged the blonde tuffs. All he could do was softly groan into my mouth before pushing me back gently on the bed to let me lay on my pillow.

I smiled at this as I moved my leg to wrap around his torso and push my heel into his back to push him further down, whining at the slight friction below.

I was almost totally lost in the kiss before Art pulled away after biting my bottom lip to catch his breath.

Panting softly, I raised a hand to brush a piece out of his face, softly humming to myself.

“I really want to get lost in you, but I’m refraining myself because I want to show you that I’m all in. I don’t want a one-time thing.” He spoke breathlessly as he leaned down to press a kiss to my cheek and gently pick me up so that I lay on his chest.

“I want us to happen. I need us to happen.” He continued into my hair as he gripped me closer, hands under my shirt, tracing shapes on my bare stomach.

Smiling and closing my eyes, I moved my hands to play with his.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard something more perfect.” I laughed and buried my head more into his chest before continuing, voice quiet.

“This is exactly what I want. Everything I need.”

NEXT WEEK- STANFORD DORMS 2007, 10:00 AM

“Are you excited?” I smirked as I sat with my head dangling off of Tashi’s bed, hands resting on my stomach.

“Excited? Yeah, excited to beat that Pepperdine bitch.” Tashi finished as she sat at her desk and did her skincare.

Scoffing, I turned my body around to sit upright on her bed.

“Um, I was talking about Patrick coming…” I laughed with a subtle eye roll as I rested my chin on my palm.

“Oh,” Was all she said as she looked at her skin closely in her mirror.

I fell back on her bed with a chuckle as I stared at her ceiling.

“What about Art? How’s that going?” She chimed, grin so wide I could practically hear it.

I blushed at the mention of his name and turned my head to face her, hair falling into my face.

“It’s been good,” I smiled like a child as I thought about last week with Art.

We’d been taking it slow to really get to know each other. Finding time in our hectic schedules was definitely a challenge, but we were both up for it.

All I heard was Tashi snorting before standing up from her desk and moving to sit next to me on the bed.

“I’m happy for you,” She smiled and draped her body over mine as I let out a laugh with protests for her to get off of me.

Times like this made me wish that Tashi and I didn’t have to worry about the future. We could perpetually live in certain moments where we would only show certain sides of ourselves to each other. It was refreshing, really.

Laying next to her, I grinned and brushed my hair out of my face.

“The four of us should do something after your match. Maybe grab dinner off campus or something.” I thought out loud as I grabbed one of Tashi’s stuffed animals to lie with.

Shrugging, Tashi sat up next to my head and pulled a blanket over herself.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” she nodded before letting a smirk break out. Just think, this will be the first time the four of us have been together since the hotel.” I saw her eyes flicker with mischief.

Sitting up quickly, I gently pushed her off the bed as we both burst into laughter.

“That night was fucked!” I laughed as I crawled to the edge of the bed to see her sprawled out beneath me, clutching her stomach as she continued to laugh.

“Hey, but it brought both of us two attractive men who play the same sport as us!” She quipped before grabbing my arm and pulling me off the bed, laughing through her words.

She does have a point.

As we continued to laugh momentarily, I softly sighed and sat up, brushing my shirt off.

“Well, I should get going. I want to grab something to eat before I go to study before your match,” I said as I stood up and walked to my backpack and shoes. Plus, I know you’ll want to have some alone time with Pat.” I smirked and raised my eyebrows at her as I bent down to put my shoes on.

“Fuck off.” She laughed and kicked my foot as I cursed her out and threw one of her stuffed animals at her.

“You’re being defensive because you know I’m right.” I stuck my tongue out at her before quickly putting on my shoes, fixing my outfit, and slinging my backpack over my shoulder so Tashi couldn’t throw anything back at me.

“Love you!” I yelled as I ran out the door, only catching a glimpse of her shooting me the middle finger.

Smiling to myself, I quickly made my way to the dining hall, not wanting to waste any time so I could get ample studying in before Tashi’s match.

Reaching a hand up to my mouth, I bit my nails as I entered the dining hall, looking around to see if I knew anyone.

Shockingly enough, Art and Patrick were sitting by the window, eating churros and talking about something.

I decided to get my food before heading over, just in case I got caught in a long conversation.

It’s happened with them before, who said it wouldn't happen again?

Grabbing my food quickly, might I add, I walked over to the boys with a small smile.

Patrick was the first to spot me, expression turning to a wide smile as he waved.

This caused Art to look at who his friend was waving to, and his face immediately lit up when he saw me.

How sweet.

“Mila!” Patrick exclaimed as he got up from his stool and hugged me. “How’ve been?” He asked while I hugged back, laughing softly.

“Awe, Pat, good to see ya,” I smiled before letting go of the hug. “I’ve been decent, pushing through.” I laughed and placed my food next to Art.

“Hi,” I whispered to Art while he wrapped an arm around my waist below my backpack and smiled at me.

“Hi,” He responded with a lopsided grin and whispered softly. “You look good today,” He patted my waist while I gently chuckled.

“How about you, Pat? How's the tour?” I angled my attention back to Patrick, who looked between Art and me with a knowing grin.

“It's been great. I've learned a lot of things and am getting better every day.” He nodded and crossed his arms with his signature smirk.

I smiled at this, genuinely happy for his success. I never really took much time to get to know Patrick, but I knew he was a good guy. He and Tashi made a good couple, and I know he was treating her right, which is all I cared about.

“Well,” I began, patting Art’s arm, then grabbing my food. I have a huge test to study for, and I want to get a lot done before Tashi’s match, so I’ll see you two there?” I pointed between them, already knowing the answer.

“You know it,” Patrick smirked before sitting back down on his stool and shot Art a very large smirk.

“Yup, I’ll text you.” Art smiled and moved in to press a small peck on my cheek, making my face heat up.

Well, that’s new.

Laughing softly, I waved to both of the boys as I yelled, “Let's get dinner tonight with Tashi!” before making my way to the library.

Something tells me that today is gonna be a great day.

STANFORD TENNIS COURTS - 2007, 1:00 PM

The walk from the library to the tennis courts was never something that I had never done before and was never something that I would do again.

My legs were about to give out any moment, and you would think they would be strong from years of training, but when you’re carrying a backpack with textbooks, notebooks, multiple papers, and more, your abilities are truly tested.

As I reached the bleachers, I walked up and sat near the middle, discarding my backpack and letting out a groan.

“Tashi Duncan, you’re glad I love you,” I told myself as I pulled my phone out to text Art that I had seats for him and Patrick.

After a bit of waiting and looking over my notes to get a little extra studying in, Art showed up, startling me as he pulled my notes out of my lap.

“Hey, give that back,” I protested, staring at him through my lashes.

“Hm,” he started before sitting next to me and skimming my notes, pretending to know what he was looking at.

“The importance of oxygen in oxidative phosphorylation? Who wouldn’t know that?” He pointed to my section in the notes as I laughed and took them before putting them in my backpack.

“The day you can explain cellular respiration, you can put a ring on it.” I joked as I zipped up my backpack.

“Well, I guess there will be no marriage anytime soon.” He pretended to sound extremely disappointed before looking at the court.

Rolling my eyes, I stared at him in confusion as I realized his partner in crime was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Pat?” I asked as I rested my chin on my hand.

All Art did was shrug and look back at me. “He went to Tashi’s dorm a bit after you left and told me he would meet me here.” He explained and ran a hand through his hair.

“Hm, I see.” I slowly spoke as Tashi exited the locker rooms, the crowd cheering. Maybe you should send him a text,” I added as I looked back at Art.

“Yeah, let’s see.” He responded as he pulled out his phone and quickly texted Patrick.

Not even a full ten seconds later, Patrick had responded.

“Well fuck,” Art said as he read the text. “He said they got into a big fight, and he’s not coming.” He sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket.

“Shit, that’s not good,” I spoke as I reached a hand up to my mouth and bit one of my nails. “Thank God Tashi knows how to lock in.” I continued and watched her stretch and warm up.

Humming in response, Art’s eyes were focused on Tashi just as mine had been.

I shook my head at the thought of Patrick and Tashi's fight. The match began, and Tashi started off perfectly, as usual.

The crowd roared as she continued to score over and over again, strides faultlessly, obviously not letting the fight with Patrick get to her.

When Tashi set the next ball, the volley with her opponent went down momentarily. I watched in awe as she strategically moved across the entire court, hitting the ball back with great force.

“Come on, Tash!” I yelled as the crowd roared with me.

“She’s really on point today,” I glanced at Art and spoke before my eyes locked back onto Tashi.

“I know, she’s so-“

CRACK

“Oh my god…” I gasped and stood up as I covered my mouth in horror while Art shot up, eyes wide.

Tashi was on the ground, thrashing and crying out in pain. Her screams wracked throughout the stadium as she gripped her knee.

“Fuck, Art, we gotta go,” I exclaimed and, without hesitation, sprinted down the bleachers, jumping over the fence and net with Art over to Tashi.

“Tash, hey, it’s gonna be okay…” I calmly spoke as I moved her head into my lap. Art grabbed her hand and rubbed it soothingly.

Moving her hair out of her face, I whispered softly down at her. All she did was cry and squirm back and forth, blubbering about her knee and how badly it hurt.

“Shh, it’s gonna be okay, everything is gonna be okay,” I whispered as I wiped her tears away before glancing at Art, who was looking at me with a worried expression.

Biting my lip out of anxiety, I looked back down at Tashi as she cried and turned her head to hide her face in my thigh.

Shit.

STANFORD INFIRMARY - 2007, 2:00 PM

Complete and utter silence filled our end of the infirmary as Tashi sat on a stretcher between Art and me.

No one dared open their mouths while we listened to the physicians and tennis coach speak hushedly.

I knew this was going to break Tashi. She would never let anyone know that even me, but an injury like this is something that could severely affect her future. I reached a hand up to my mouth to bite my nails in anticipation of her exact diagnosis.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” A rushed and exasperated voice sounded from the doorway. Looking up, my eyes locked with Patrick’s as Tashi started to yell at him.

“Get out,” She warned before raising her voice to scream when he wouldn’t listen. “GET OUT!” She spat and threw her entire body to point at him to get out.

Patrick continued to protest, wanting to explain himself and apologize as his eyes darted between us, looking for some forgiveness.

“Patrick, get the fuck out!” Art yelled when Patrick went to step closer to us while I closed my eyes, shook my head, and furrowed my brows.

Why the fuck was HE yelling?

Crossing my arms and biting my lip, I sadly looked up at Patrick as I spoke softly.

“Pat, I think you should leave.” I softly whispered, his eyes burning into my being.

If Tashi wants him gone, he should go.

All I was met with was his defeated eyes, pleading for this not to be serious. I turned my head away from him, and he finally nodded in disappointment and left.

Sucking in a breath, I turned my body back to Tashi and moved to grab her hand, softly gripping it while she did the same back, her gaze pointing forward.

Looking back up at Art, he only stared into space with a piercing expression.

Sighing softly, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall.

So much for today being a great day.

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diettwistup · 12 days

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hello my loves! i’ve just got back from vacation n have wifi again! (sob but yay) i’ll be posting the next chapter for Half of You soon but pls lmk if there’s anything else you would wanna see! i’m gonna start taking one shot requests but with my schedule idk how many i can do, but still message and lmk! kisses n hugs xx 💋

#art donaldson #art donaldson x reader #best friend relationship #challengers #challengers 2024 #challengers fanfic #challengers movie #fanfic #josh o'connor #mike faist #zendaya #oneshot #update soon #patrick zweig x oc #patrick zweig x reader #tashi duncan x oc #tashi duncan x reader

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diettwistup · 22 days

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HALF OF YOU

PAIRINGS: tashi duncan x f!oc, art donaldson x f!oc, patrick zweig x f!oc

WARNINGS: challengers spoilers, reader is milan mikaelson, sexual situations, language, angst, plot alterations.

WC: 5.1K

NOTES: hiiii!!! hope y’all enjoy this next chapter cuz it’s not my fave thing ever LOL. was also too lazy to proofread so sorry if there's errors. i’m also gonna be going on vacation with no internet for a little over a week so next update will be after that! thanks for reading luv u 💋

READ BEFORE THIS: INTRO and ONE

CHAPTER 2: DOUBLE TROUBLE

CHALLENGERS TOURNAMENT, NEW ROCHELLE - 2019, 1:00 PM

Gnawing on my bottom lip, I gripped my dress as Tashi got up and cursed before walking off, disappointed with Art’s performance.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going.” I shot and grabbed her wrist, eyeing her up as I took my sunglasses off.

Shaking my grasp off of her, she bent down and spoke dangerously close to my face.

“If he’s not gonna play tennis, then I don’t wanna see shit.” She seethed and walked off, brushing off her dress with each stride.

As I watched her go, I could feel a pair of eyes on me. Darting my attention back to the match, Art was already looking my way.

Shooting him a sad expression, I put my sunglasses back on, huffed, and sat back in my seat.

All he did was shake his head and rub the sweat off his face while Patrick smirked proudly.

He sure seems to love this.

Sighing, I raised one hand to my mouth to bite my nails, the nerves of the match taking over my entire being.

At the next serve, I carefully watched the strategic movements behind the boy’s every motion. They have always been outstanding players, and I furrowed my brows as I thought back to the first time I saw them play against each other.

The stupidity of Tashi and I, dumb enough to pin two best friends against each other. We should have never stepped foot in that godforsaken hotel room.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. The crowd's roar echoed around me as I thought back to the night that started it all.

The night that ruined it all.

THE BOY’S HOTEL- 2006, 12:00 AM

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!” I exclaimed to Tashi as we made our way to the boy's hotel room. “Why the fuck would you let them come down when you knew I was there?” I shot at her as I smacked her arm.

Tashi smacked me right back, making me let out a hiss and shoot a cold glare at her.

“I don’t know why you're acting like you don’t have a game. You’re the best at playing hard to get.” Tashi responded and shrugged as if it was as simple as adding two plus two.

“You’re a bitch.” I muttered and rolled my eyes as the hotel came into view. “What do you even plan on doing with these two.” I raised my brow at her and studied her expression to gauge what was going through her mind.

“What we usually do,” she responded, smiling at me. Hypnotize them with our charm and have a good time, of course,” She said proudly as if this was second nature for us.

I won’t say that Tash and I haven’t had our fair share of fun with boys, but something like this, with two boys who knew their way around the game themselves, was certainly daunting.

“Fine, but you should have heard how they talked about us at your match. It was disgusting.” I pretended to gag and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Perfect, we already have them locked in then.” She nudged my arm before leading the way to the room.

Rolling my eyes, I smacked her again before following behind her.

On the way to the room, I got lost in my thoughts. How did we get ourselves into such a situation? I hope Tashi doesn’t expect us to have a foursome of any sort because I don’t have the patience to deal with a whole ordeal like that.

Approaching the door, Tashi stopped to let me walk ahead of her.

“Perfect, Mila, you can see your ass poking out of your shorts.” She smirked and gently patted it until I swatted at her hand with a laugh.

“Fuck off, let’s go,” I scolded, waiting for her to catch up, as she knew which room to go to.

Once we reached the door, Tashi knocked and softly bit her lip. Scuffling was immediately heard behind the door, signifying that the boys were startled by our appearance.

I moved to press my ear to the door with a slight smirk which Tashi returned as she did the same.

“They’re crazy…” I whispered to Tashi, to which she responded with a nod and a soft hum.

When we removed our ears from the door, it swung open so quickly I couldn’t make out the motion.

The boys stood at the door, looking extremely disheveled. Patrick wore boxers and an unbuttoned linen shirt that looked like it had been shoved in his tennis bag and forgotten. Also wearing boxers, Art wore a beater t-shirt that looked like it had never been in the wash and dryer a day in his life. Both of their hair was ruffled and unkempt, making it look like they had just gotten out of bed.

Raising an eyebrow, I was the first to speak. “What, did you two just get done fucking?” I questioned as I looked between them and placed my hands on my hips.

Patrick just burst out into laughter while Art spoke up.

“No…fuck no…” He muttered with a laugh as he patted Patrick on the back.

Drunk as sailors.

I nodded at this before resting my eyes and glancing at Tashi, who smiled fondly at the two, but I knew she was plotting.

“So, hi,” Tashi spoke calmly with a smile that immediately brought the boys back to Earth as they moved aside to let us in the room.

I had to stop myself from covering my nose as we entered the room.

Reeks of beer and cigarettes…typical boys.

Two beds pushed together were messily made. Beer cans, cigarette buds, and clothes were everywhere, though it looked like someone had tried to tidy up a bit.

That explains all the noise.

Patrick mindlessly spoke to Tashi as I continued to scan the room, not noticing that Art was eyeing me up. Turning my head, I caught his stare, which didn’t make him falter. He only continued to stare before coming up to me and handing me a beer.

“Didn’t know you were gonna come.” He spoke as he looked down at me through lidded eyes. Tipsy eyes. And, of course, he had a smirk, but it spoke I’m glad you came, really.

I continued to study his expression as I let my guard down a pinch. I shrugged nonchalantly as I took a long swig of the beer, knowing I would need it to get through the night.

“Had nothing else to do. Figured why not.” I spoke calmly as I let my eyes rake over his entire figure, drinking up his messy look which he really really pulled off. Never would I ever admit that for him to hear.

Or me.

“Well, glad you’re here.” Art said as he took the beer can from my lips and sipped it while he stared into my eyes, flickering to my lips for a moment.

I kept my eyes trained on his as I refused to back down in this staredown, showing that I couldn’t be swayed that quickly just because he was extremely attractive.

“You two, come sit,” Patrick spoke up from the ground by the bed where he sat with Tashi.

Nodding at this, I waited for Art to take his eyes off mine before I made any movement to sit. After a few seconds, he nodded and placed a hand on my lower back to walk me to where everyone was sitting.

I shivered slightly at this as I softly bit my bottom lip, hiding this motion from him, but I knew Tashi saw it by her smug little smile that said I told you so.

We haven’t even done anything, and I suddenly feel like I’m in the trenches.

The next couple minutes were used to discuss how Patrick and Art met each other and how Patrick, predictable enough, taught Art how to masturbate, all while we all took sips from the beer can that Art had given me when we first got here.

“Y’all are weird as fuck.” I snorted, a bit tipsy, wiping my mouth from my last gulp as I looked between the two boys who had red cheeks from a mix of alcohol and embarrassment, and can’t forget, two big smirks.

“No, Mila. I think it's a cute story.” Tashi nodded with a smile in an attempt to reassure the boys jokingly—a tactic she used to fully reel them in.

I rolled my eyes at this and fake glared at Tashi. “Only if you’re fucked in the head!” I laughed again while the rest of them laughed with me.

“Don’t tell me you two haven’t done anything weird like that,” Patrick said, making me whip my head to him before glancing back at Tashi.

“Yeah, you two have known each other since the womb. There’s no way you haven’t done nothing.” Art added and took a long swig of the beer can before passing it to Patrick, eyes trained on me for longer than I would have liked.

I shook my head with a small laugh before looking back to Tashi, who gave me an eyebrow in return, signaling something.

You ready?

…

I’m ready.

We nodded at each other before standing up and looking down at the boys.

“You guys aren’t leaving-“ Patrick started but stopped when he saw the two of us moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

My eyes locked with both of them briefly as I flashed the most innocent smile I could muster.

Here we go.

“Patrick, come sit by me…” Tashi spoke and patted the space to her left.

You didn’t have to tell him twice. He sprung up so fast he spilled the beer can everywhere on the carpet, but he couldn’t give a fuck.

As he sat down next to Tashi, my eyes locked onto Art’s. I did not need any words to tell him to sit by me.

He took the hint immediately, got up almost as fast as his best friend, and sat beside me, thigh already touching mine.

I turned to face him with lidded eyes and a small smile. I could hear his breath hitch as Adam’s apple bobbed, signifying that he took a small gulp. I softened my eyes to let him know it was okay to relax and that he could be comfortable around me.

Even though Tashi wanted to play with these boys like putty, I felt a little different about the situation.

As I tilted my head at Art slowly, I saw his face contort into a grin that radiated his comfort and need.

Leaning in slightly, I placed my hand on Art’s chest, noting how firm it felt through his thin shirt. Art mirrored my leaning in but instead placed a hand on my thigh. As I neared his lips, I teasingly pulled away as I felt Tashi pat my back. I smirked slightly at this and turned around as my lips met hers instead of Art’s.

It was an innocent kiss, a tactic to get these boys right where we wanted them. This action certainly answered their questions about us, and I hope it was worthwhile.

Once again, I could feel Art’s eyes piercing the back of my head, so I moved my hair off my shoulder and tapped the side of my neck so he would know what to do.

Almost immediately, his lips were latched onto my neck. I wondered for a moment if he was a vampire because of the way he was sucking on my neck. I figured he was searching for a blood vessel. Poor baby must have been deprived of any female touch, but the way his lips sucked profusely on my pulse point, I could tell this wasn’t his first rodeo.

Tashi and I pulled away from our innocent kiss and shot each other small smirks when we noticed that Patrick and Art were too lost in our necks to give a damn.

I tapped Art’s thigh so he would know to stop, which he reluctantly did. His lips were a bit swollen, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off them. Biting my lip, I reached up and brushed a finger across his bottom lip. As I did this, Art grabbed my hand and studied it before gently kissing my finger where my nail had broken. My eyes widened at this as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest.

Keep. your. composure.

Shaking out of my daze at his action, I smiled softly once again and leaned in slowly to connect our lips, hands on the back of his neck, threatening to tangle in his blonde curls.

Pillows. His lips feel like pillows.

The kiss was soft until his hand moved from my thigh to my waist. He pushed forward a bit until my back fully hit Tashi and tried to part my lips by biting my bottom one, but I pulled away before he could get that far.

Too easy.

Licking my lips to taste him, I turned back to Tashi, who placed her hand on my cheek to kiss me lightly again. As her lips melded with mine, I gingerly placed a hand on the base of Art’s jaw and slowly pulled him towards Tashi and me’s kiss. Immediately, I could feel Art’s lips meld with Tashi's, mine, and then Patrick’s, knowing that Tashi had done the same with him.

Now, the four of us were all kissing, making me slightly clench my thighs. Only slightly.

After about five seconds, I felt Tashi tap my back to signal me to pull away slowly.

As we both pulled away, Art and Patrick were full-on making out, not noticing that the two of us had abandoned the kiss. I glanced at Tashi with a smirk as she watched them in satisfaction.

It took everything in me not to giggle as I watched the two continue to eat each other's faces fervently.

Specifically Art.

After a beat, Tashi spoke up.

“Okay.” She said, which made the boys freeze and pull away from each other.

Immediately, they both looked at us in shock.

Got ‘em.

I tilted my head at Art as I gently reached my hand out to trace shapes on his thigh while he looked down at me like I had three heads.

“That was cute…” I mouthed to him with a soft smile as he continued to eye me up in shock mixed with a bit of awe.

“Well, we should get going before our parents freak out and wonder where we are,” Tashi says. I sit up as I follow suit, cutting any tension in the room.

Standing up from the bed, I chuckled to myself as I brushed off my clothes and fixed my hair. “It’s been fun,” I said, aiming my comment at Art. Thank you for having us,” I finished with a small, innocent smile as Tashi and I left.

“Wait!” Patrick said which stopped us in our tracks.

Turning around, Tashi and I shared matching grins that we quickly hid when we faced the boys.

Art spoke up next as he looked right at me. “What about your numbers?” He asked as he stared at me like a puppy deprived of dinner.

I crossed my arms and shrugged. “If you win tomorrow, I’ll give you my number,” I said plainly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“And I’ll give you my number if you win tomorrow,” Tashi said to Patrick just as plainly as I did.

Both boys shot each other smirks before nodding in agreement.

Tashi and I said our goodbyes before leaving the hotel room. When we were out of earshot, we both started laughing.

“We have them wrapped around our pretty little fingers!” Tashi exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

I laughed at this and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I really hope Art wins,” I said in a dreamy tone of voice as I thought back to his face, lips, chest, everything, really.

Tashi shook me back and forth with a smile as she exclaimed, “I’m just ready to watch some good fucking tennis!” She laughed, knowing that the two boys were really going to battle it out with this new prize put into motion.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY - 2007 5:00 PM

As I slowly trudged from the tennis court to the dining hall, I felt my arms giving out.

“Fuck this damn bag,” I whined and went to a nearby bench to take a breather and bask in the California sun.

Today’s practice was by far the worst of the semester. I worked with my coach on my serve to prepare for my upcoming match, where I would face an opponent ranked decently high in the state.

Closing my eyes and throwing my head back to catch the rays of the warm sun, I let out a groan. I probably looked like a corpse to every passerby, but just like Tashi, they knew me, so hopefully, they would just smile and wave.

“Rough practice?” An extremely familiar and captivating voice snapped me back to reality.

Opening my eyes, I was met with my favorite pair of light blue eyes—something he would never know. Of course, a smirk adorned his features, and his blonde curls were tucked into a backward red cap, most certainly saying “Stanford” on the flip side.

“Art…” I spoke almost breathlessly as I sat up, brushed a piece of hair out of my face, and used my other hand to block the sun that Art’s head almost blocked.

“Hey, can I sit?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, and nodded to where my bag was on the bench.

Quickly moving it to sit in front of my feet, I patted the empty seat next to me. “Sure.” I smiled at him and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

Over the summer, I would never allow myself to be so forward with Art Donaldson. I couldn’t speak for my present self, though. Since Patrick won the match, he and Tashi started dating after he scored her number. I, of course, was too upset to act like I didn’t give a damn about not being able to give Art my number. Tashi insisted that to keep their passion and drive for tennis alive, I keep up my end of the deal and don’t give Art my number. Hesitantly, I agreed as I knew how easily a stimulus like that can create great results. Since the match, Art and I have never spoken except for the occasional hello when passing by each other on the tennis court or dining hall. This moment was the first time I could speak with him since everything, and since I may have developed a slight…crush.

“So,” He started and turned his body on the bench to face me fully. “How have you been?” He tilted his head and tapped the back of the bench while studying my face.

Inhaling a sharp breath, I turned my body to face him fully, bringing one leg up and letting the other drape off the side of the bench.

“Do you want an honest answer?” I chuckled softly as I moved my hands to remove my hair from its braids.

In turn, Art laughed gently while smirking at me. His stare narrowed as he studied my face, acting like I was an old friend he had known for years.

“Well, if the honest answer is terrible and cruel, then I’m not so sure.” He responded and immediately matched my energy.

Damn you, Donaldson.

“Hey.” I softly laughed as I moved my dangling leg to kick his gently while I finished taking my hair out.

I wondered for a beat how I wanted to summarize months of memories, feelings, and experiences into one sentence, and this made me sigh.

“It’s been rough. Majoring in biology and the grueling tennis schedule makes me wanna rip my hair out.” I spoke in a low tone as I ironically and subconsciously began to play with a strand of my hair.

“I feel smothered.” I finished and silently cursed myself for acting so vulnerable.

That was three sentences, Milan. Not one.

As I stared at Art almost helplessly, his eyes softened.

“I feel the same way, trust me.” He chuckled softly before removing his hat and running a hand through his hair. “It really sucks, but it’s gonna be worth it,” He ended his thought before putting his hat back on.

“Fuck, and I thought I was the only one. Quite naive of me.” I laughed before looking back up at the sun. “It’s whatever, though. You’re right, and everything will come into place and be worth it.” I continued as I looked anywhere but at Art’s piercing stare.

Silence. He didn’t respond. He didn’t laugh. He did nothing except stare. Stare in a heavy silence that brought me back to the night in that damn hotel room.

After a few beats, I returned to my senses, slowly stood up from the bench, and brushed my skirt off.

“Well, I didn’t mean to stay here for long, so I’m gonna head off.” I went to pick up my bag as I spoke disappointedly.

I couldn’t allow myself to fall into the trenches. I needed to focus on my studies and tennis. Hard work makes everything worthwhile, and a boy isn’t part of that everything right now.

“Wait, Milan,” Art spoke up and grabbed my wrist, his grip as firm as it would be if he held his racket.

This made me freeze in my tracks. What the hell did he think he was doing?

My eyes slowly met Art’s as I parted my lips to speak, but nothing came out, so he spoke for me.

“It’s been months, Milan,” he started, his grip on my wrist still firm, his eyes scanning my face for any hints of discomfort.

“I know we only really talked with each other that one night and had no time to get to know each other, but I would like to get to know you better.” He didn’t falter. Not once. I don’t even think he blinked.

My lips had gone dry, and my voice, for some reason, grew hoarse.

“Art…” I slowly began as I looked down at his hand, gripping my wrists. “The four of us had a deal…” I made sure to tread lightly with a severe tone.

Two feet and ten toes on the ground. Don’t falter. Don’t give in.

“They’re a happy fucking couple, Milan. I doubt they give two shits.” He stated matter-of-factly as I felt his thumb rub up and down on my wrist.

How naive.

Biting my lip in thought, I began an internal battle with myself. I wanted this so bad. And I could tell Art wanted it just as bad as I did—possibly more.

I deserve a win other than tennis.

Sighing, I removed my arm from his grasp and moved to my tennis bag to look for a piece of paper. Instead, I found a piece of muscle tape and a small pencil. Quickly scribbling down my number, I could feel Art trying to see what I was doing.

“Here,” I said with slightly red cheeks as I stood back up and handed him the piece of muscle tape. “Don’t go blowing up my phone now,” I playfully scolded before picking up my bag and walking past him, glancing at the triumphant smile playing on his perfect features.

Perfect? …yeah.

Before I began my trek to the dining hall, I touched Art’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“I didn’t want to admit it, but I really wanna get to know you more, too.”

NEXT DAY, STANFORD DORMS 11:00 AM

MEET ME IN THE DINING HALL FOR LUNCH?

My eyes stared at the text in utter disbelief. Art certainly didn’t take any time once he got what he’d been craving all summer.

“Why do you look so shocked?” Tashi laughed from the foot of my bed as she hit my leg.

Fuck.

My eyes looked to her as I shut my phone, put it next to me, and picked my computer back up to pretend to look at my study guide for an upcoming biology quiz.

“My mom sent me a weird text,” I laughed awkwardly before covering my face with my computer.

“Are you fucking with me?” Tashi laughed as I heard her moving up towards my side of the bed.

She shut my computer to look at my face, which was for sure red as a tomato.

“You’re lying,” she smirked before sitting on her knees and clapping her hands. What is it? A boy? A girl?” She persisted as she grabbed my leg and widely smiled at me.

I rolled my eyes at this before clicking my tongue. “Why are you so dead set on the fact that I was texting someone romantically?” I crossed my arms and bit the inside of my cheek, probably a dead giveaway.

Tashi’s face fell as her brows furrowed, and she crossed her arms, mimicking me.

“You’re joking, right?” She started before studying my stern expression. “We’ve known each other for what, eighteen fucking years?” She used this as a tactic to crack me. “I know your every expression and what it means. I could write a thesaurus on you if I wanted to.” She stated as she sucked on her teeth, brows still furrowed.

I stared at her sternly for a few beats before sighing and turning my head to look anywhere but at her.

“Fine, you got me…” I trailed before uncrossing my arms to fumble with my fingers. “but this is the first time I’ve received a text, so it’s not important.” I put my hands up and looked at her as an explanation as to why she shouldn’t ask questions.

I should know better.

Tashi’s annoyed face instantly turned into a happy one as she bounced on the bed and continuously hit my leg.

“Who is the lucky guy? or girl…” She tilted her head with a goofy smile, which she would only show me.

“It’s a boy…” I sighed before turning my head to look at my closest, as it suddenly looked very interesting.

No matter how long I had known Tashi, I couldn’t gauge how she would react to this. She’s a very pushy person who likes everything to go her way, but I’m hoping that since it’s me, she will react differently.

She shrieked and shook my legs back and forth with a giggle.

She’ll be so disappointed.

“Who is it? Is it that cute boy I caught you practicing with the other week? Or that one boy that you sometimes study with from your Chemistry class? Or maybe it's that random guy from the baseball team I saw you talking within the dining hall last week?” She fired off in a millisecond as I stared at her in utter disbelief.

“Okay, first of all, how did you know about all of those? And second of all, the first guy is gay, the second guy has a girlfriend, and the last one was giving my pencil back to me after using it for a quiz we took in statistics.” I responded as I rolled my eyes so hard I thought the whites of them would turn permanent.

“I’m your best friend. I know everything.” She spoke eerily with wide eyes before breaking into a smirk. “So, come on! Tell me who it is!” She bounced repeatedly on the bed and shook me back and forth until I finally had enough.

“Fine!” I exclaimed and threw my hands up in the air.

Fuck it.

“It was Art, alright.” I threw my hands up as I bit the bullet and came clean.

Tashi’s face dropped almost instantly as his name fell off my lips. She wasn’t happy. Not at all.

“What the fuck do you mean?” She laughed in disbelief as she shook her head and moved her hands from my legs.

I immediately sat up more and moved towards her.

“I saw him after practice yesterday, and we got to talk,” I explained as I bit the inside of my cheek in anticipation. “He asked for my number, and I figured since everything happened months ago, there would be no issue…” I trailed off and looked her straight in the eyes with a pleading expression.

Tashi just stared at me and shook her head slowly.

“We had a deal with them…” She stared at me with an accusatory face.

“Tash, I know,” I exclaimed and grabbed her hands. “But you knew I liked him more than what happened in that hotel room. Plus, you and Patrick are happy, so why should it matter?” I asked and shook my head as I gripped her hands.

She stared at me as if I kicked her puppy and gasped in her throat. “Um, to keep their passion alive? To ensure they both strive for better and strengthen their relationship with tennis?” She spoke as if it was plain as day.

Furrowing my brows, I slowly shook my head and parted my lips, shocked.

“Is tennis all you care about?”

I shouldn’t have said that.

My words echoed in my mind as I retracted my hands from Tashi’s and bit my lip, feeling defeated. Her stare pierced into my soul as she looked away from me and placed her hands on her thighs.

“If this is what you want, go ahead. I can’t and won’t stop you.” She spoke slowly before eyeing me.

Fuck, I messed up.

“But never think for a second that I care about tennis more than you.” She choked out as she looked at the picture of us in fifth grade sitting on my bedside table.

At this, my eyes widened, and I nodded slowly as a single tear slid down my cheek. Moving towards Tashi, I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her.

“Pinky promise?” I whispered into her neck while she returned the hug.

“Pinky promise.” She responded and grabbed my hand to interlock our pinkies.

331 notes · View notes

diettwistup · 24 days

Text

HALF OF YOU

PAIRINGS: tashi duncan x f!oc, art donaldson x f!oc, patrick zweig x f!oc

WARNINGS: challengers spoilers, reader is milan mikaelson, sexual situations, language, angst, plot alterations.

WC: 3.9K

NOTES: hey y’all!!! so excited to be posting the first chapter of this story. manifesting my edits are all good LOL. enjoy! 💋

READ BEFORE THIS: INTRO

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIONS AND EMBARRASSMENTS

US OPEN TOURNAMENT- 2006, 2:00 PM

Sitting down on the hot bleachers, I put my sunglasses on and adjusted the braids in my hair. Sucking on my teeth and brushing my fingers across the hem of my uniform skirt, I let my eyes gaze at the large crowd of people accumulating.

Damn Tashi, you always know how to make a bang.

Crossing my arms and softly laughing, I let my mind wander back to my match yesterday.

I had lost to the girl who would be playing Tashi for the championship. I really don’t know if that was a good or bad thing. On one hand, I lost from a bad call when I was so close to the end. On the other hand, I wouldn’t have to battle my best friend and get absolutely decimated, as she would say.

As I continued to lose myself in thought, two boys, blonde and brunette, moved through the growing crowd and sat in front of me.

You’re kidding me.

Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson—the “fire and ice” duo—had just won their doubles match, if I’m not mistaken. How could I be when their trophies were sitting right on their laps?

There's still a ton of seats open, and they choose to sit here?

Rolling my eyes and crossing my arms, I pushed my sunglasses up, waiting for Tashi to come out.

Staring at the door to the locker rooms, I clicked my tongue in boredom before grabbing the tournament pamphlet to look at everyone’s stats.

“Don’t you wanna meet Tashi Duncan?”

My ears perked at this as I put the pamphlet down and narrowed my eyes at the brunette boy.

Whoever said eavesdropping was a bad thing…

I had to hold in my laughter as they began to talk about Tashi and how she was the entire package. Telling her this later would be the highlight of my week.

“What about Mikaelson, you know her?” Patrick asked as he slung his arm around his companion.

I froze at this and tilted my sunglasses down to better see the two of them.

“Of course I know her. Have you seen her play? She’s fucking hot.” Art added with a smirk as he attempted to whisper, failing miserably.

My face heated up at this as my eyes narrowed at the boys.

Do they not realize the person they’re talking about is behind them?

“Agreed,” Patrick started as he pulled his friend closer. “She’s also got a fat ass.” He laughed as Art chuckled along with him.

Gag.

Closing my eyes and pretending I didn’t hear that, I heard cheers and claps from around, signaling that Tashi had come out of the locker room. The chair umpire immediately began to talk about her stats and how she was the best female player in our division.

I happily clapped as I beamed at my friend, her eyes scanning the crowd and locking with mine, a large smile playing on her features.

“Fuck, did you see that? Tashi Duncan just smiled at us…” Patrick exclaimed in awe as he pushed Art in the chest.

“Shit, I missed it.” Art complained before leaning back and adjusting himself in his seat.

I almost had to cover my mouth to hide the vomit that was about to let loose.

Dumbasses.

After a few minutes, Tashi’s match began, of course, in her favor. Everything was perfect: her serves, backhand, line receives, counterattacks, and every single step she took.

I smirked widely as I watched Tashi decimate the bitch who, unfortunately, decimated me.

Patrick and Art watched Tashi in awe for the first ten minutes of the match while commenting on how amazing a player she was.

I snorted at this, wondering how long it would take to notice who was sitting behind them.

On the next serve, Tashi’s opponent hit the ball out, but the line umpire declared it as in.

Standing up immediately, I pointed a finger and yelled at the top of my lungs.

“What?! Come on, Tash, don’t take that shit!”

Everyone else agreed with me as the crowd began to roar in protest of the shitty call.

Lost in the moment, I hadn’t realized that Patrick and Art had turned around and stared at me in horror and awe.

“Oh,” I started and took off my sunglasses. Did I yell in your ear?” I looked between them before looking back up at Tashi.

“Fuck, you’re-“ Patrick started in a slightly panicked state before I cut him off.

“Milan Mikaelson? Yeah, I’m guessing you two know me.” I spoke with sarcasm as I kept my eyes trained on Tashi and her opponent.

Caught.

“Shit, I’m real sorry for what I said, I-“ Art started before I placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him, eyes still not leaving the game.

“Don’t sweat it, was too focused on the game to give a damn.” I lied straight through my teeth as I pretended to act nonchalant.

I could feel both of their eyes staring long and hard at my hand lingering on Art’s shoulder before I took it away to throw my hands in the air and yell as Tashi locked in another point.

“Come on, Tash!” I yelled and clapped with the roaring crowd, boys still looking back at me.

Sighing, I crossed my arms and looked back down at them. “Take a picture, it will last longer,” I spoke in annoyance before sitting back down and putting on my sunglasses.

All I could hear were muffled whispers and attempts to counteract my statement before they turned back around and shared we’re fucked looks.

Stifling my laughs, I angled my eyes back to the match.

As Tashi continued to hit the ball effortlessly for the rest of the match, her win came almost naturally.

Standing up and yelling, I quickly ran down the bleachers, feeling two pairs of eyes following me. I stood against the fence and clapped loudly while Tashi caught my eyes after her victory yell and smiled widely at me.

I jumped up and down with all the fans cheering with their signs and matching t-shirts.

Running around the court to thank everyone for coming, Tashi came over to me and grabbed my hands.

“Tashi! I’m so proud!” I yelled and bounced on my heels, extremely happy with my friend's success.

“My biggest fan.” She smiled and reached over to hug me before letting go and continuing to thank everyone.

Smiling proudly at her, I pushed my braids behind my back and took off my sunglasses. Turning around, I looked back at the sea of people cheering for Tashi before my eyes landed on two figures.

What a mystery those two are…

I smirked proudly at them as their eyes shifted between Tashi walking back to her locker room and myself standing by the fence.

Patrick leaned over to Art and whispered something as their eyes darted between us. I could only see Patrick's smirk and Art’s growing grin at his friend's words.

Snorting to myself, I turned around and put my sunglasses back on.

“Fucking morons…”

ADIDAS BRAND PARTY - 2006 8:00 PM

“Tashi!” I exclaimed as I weaved through a crowd of familiar and influential faces to ambush my best friend.

I could see her bright smile miles away as she turned to meet me at the edge of the dancefloor, engulfing her in a hug.

“Milan, I was wondering if you weren’t coming.” She laughed as she wrapped her arms around me and returned my hug.

Pulling away, I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “Tashi Duncan, my best friend, thought I would miss out on this?!” I questioned as I gestured to the bustling party. "You must be crazy if you think I would miss out on anything that concerned you and your tennis career,” I snapped at her with a knowing smirk.

“I’ll have you know I was late because my mother insisted on making me change ten times.” I rolled my eyes and tilted my head to where our moms were conversing. I stuck my nose up and closed my eyes, annoyed at the memory of how nagging my mother was when getting ready for the party.

Immediately, she raised her hands in defense and raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, Miss Mikaelson, didn’t mean to assume.” She laughed before crossing her arms.

I watched her expression change slightly as her eyes softened and lips parted.

“I watched your match yesterday,” she said, lightly treading. “I’m sorry about the loss.” She finished and brought a hand to my shoulder, rubbing it gently with a sad smile.

Flashes of my match fluttered back into my mind as a small pit formed in my stomach.

I shrugged this off and took up a carefree attitude, whereas my insides were screaming.

“It was a shitty call, what can I say? That bitch had and has nothing on me.” I smirked and made sure not to falter, but secretly, the loss had internally crushed me.

Tashi laughed, brought her other hand to my shoulder, and bent down to level our eyes. “Don't worry, I decimated her for you. Plus, at Stanford, the both of us will be fucking up bitches right and left.” She shot a cocky smirk at this as I gave her one back in turn.

Stanford. The next four years of my life with Tashi Duncan would be the ultimate dream.

Right?

I extended my pinky to Tashi with a slight wink. “Promise?” I bit my bottom lip and smirked at this familiar gesture between us.

As long as I can remember, Tashi and I have made over a hundred pinky promises. Our first one involved her letting me borrow her Barbie doll while we played house and my promise to return it. Since then, it’s been a norm between us.

I felt the confidence radiating from Tashi’s grin as she moved her right hand from my shoulder to interlock our pinkies.

“Promise.” She repeated and swung our interlocked pinkies back and forth.

I laughed like a child all over again before quickly raking my eyes across the entire party. As I scanned the crowd, I let go of Tashi’s pinky and leaned in to whisper.

“Lots of important people here, I see,” I whispered as Tashi’s eyes followed mine.

“And familiar faces too…” She responded in a lower tone, angling her eyes to an older man by the beverages.

“Shut up!” I gasped before looking back at Tashi. “Is that Mr. Reynolds?!” I asked in shock at seeing our fifth-grade English teacher.

“Yup,” Tashi responded, standing straight as she crossed her arms. She studied the older man as he scanned the beverages offered. “He was always my favorite,” she quipped, not needing a huge explanation for why he was here.

At this, I burst out into laughter, as did she.

“I thought he died years ago.” I clutched my stomach before placing a hand over my mouth and muffling my small laughs. “Wait, that’s not nice. I mean, I thought he passed on peacefully years ago.” I corrected in a serious tone as I watched the older man before glancing at Tashi and bursting into laughter again.

As I laughed with Tashi, I felt a burning feeling on the back of my head.

Was someone staring?

Wiping my eyes carefully to avoid messing up my makeup, I slowly turned around and almost froze as I locked eyes with the person, or should I say persons, staring at Tashi and me.

Oh, hell no. Is that who I think it is?

Quickly, I turned back around and whispered to Tashi in a hurried tone.

“Tash, is that Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson?” I looked her in the eye as they narrowed at the mention of the “fire and ice” duo’s presence at the party.

“Oh yeah, they’ve been staring all night.” She smirked and looked between the two of us. “Frankly, I don’t blame them.” Her smirk grows even wider, mirroring the Cheshire Cat.

Biting my lip, I remembered my earlier encounter with the two tennis players. I shuddered as I remembered their smirks and remarks about Tashi and me.

“Tash…” I said warningly, pointing my perfectly manicured finger in her face. “Please tell me you don’t have one of your ideas in mind.” I slightly scolded her, studying her face to see what she was thinking. “Those two are complete and utter idiots.” I continued as I shook my head.

She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and whispered back as she lowered my finger and sucked on her teeth. “Do you really need to ask this?” She questioned with an air that spoke obviously, are you stupid?

“And believe me,” She started and moved to fix the straps of my dress. “I know exactly how they are…teenage boys.” She snickered wider at this as I rolled my eyes.

I huffed loudly before grabbing a piece of my hair to fiddle while I groaned. “But Tash, it’s our summer before we go to college. No boys.” I retorted as the music in the background got a little louder.

Grabbing my hands, Tashi dragged us to the middle of the dance floor and forced me to dance. “First of all,” She started as she twirled me around, “This was never a pinky promise.” She spoke, wrapped her arms around my neck, and swayed us to the music.

Fuck, she got me there.

“Second of all,” She continued before touching my neck to untangle my necklaces while swaying with me. “I know you’re internally drooling over Art Donaldson. He’s exactly your type, and he’s going to Stanford.” She laughed to herself as she worked on my necklaces.

Fuck x2 can’t deny that.

I rolled my eyes and turned away, knowing I couldn’t argue either of those statements.

“You’re crazy…” Was all I could protest.

Untangling my necklaces, Tashi clapped and smiled brightly at me before putting her hands back on my shoulders. “This is gonna be a great start to the summer.” She grinned like a mad woman as we kept dancing across the floor.

After dancing, mingling, and trying not to focus on the two hard stares hitting Tashi's and my head for the entire night, I decided to go to the beach.

“Hey, Tash, I’m going to the beach for a quick breather. If my mom asks, I’ll be down there. Come down if you need anything or if I miss something interesting.” I smile gently at her while I take my heels off.

“Got it. Be safe.” She waved before going to get pictures with her family.

I smiled at her before walking to navigate the path to go down to the beach, pretending not to notice the two pairs of eyes following me.

10:00 PM

I wonder how long I had been down here listening to the sweet waves ripple against the hot sand. I almost feel as if the ocean is calling me.

Imagine the escape of living on a secluded island where nothing mattered. Not school, not tennis, and not the future.

Especially the future.

Staring at my newly manicured nails, I continued to get lost in my thoughts while the ocean rang in my ears.

Shit, I’m over everything.

I reached a hand up to my mouth and began to bite one of my nails.

Do I even wanna go to Stanford?

Practically gnawing at it, I can feel the acrylic wearing off.

Doesn’t matter because I’ll be with Tashi… right?

SNAP

“Fuck…” I muttered to myself as I broke off a nail, leaving a tiny bit of blood seeping from my nail bed.

Rolling my eyes, I held onto the broken nail and rested my head on my knee as I watched the ocean.

“We’re not interrupting, are we?” I heard a deep voice ask behind me, making me let out a small yelp and nearly fall off the rock.

Quickly turning around, I was met with two, unfortunately familiar, faces.

Why now?

Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson stood before me, shoes in one hand and cigarettes in the other. Frankly, I had no idea which one spoke, and I had no care to know at this rate. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, and they disturbed that.

“What the fuck,” I explained as I stood up from the rock and patted my dress down. “Do you know how rude it is to sneak up on someone?” I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes as I looked between the two boys sheepishly standing before me.

“Shit, really sorry, didn’t know you were here,” Patrick spoke up as his counterpart dropped his cigarette from his lips upon seeing me study his stature.

Bullshit.

“Hm, okay, well, I’ll be going then,” I exclaimed, irritated, as I bent down to grab my heels. “I hope you two have a grand time.” I sarcastically quipped as I went to walk past them and go back up the path to the party.

“Wait,” Art, almost panicked, stood before me with a lopsided grin as he flicked his cigarette bud beside him and treaded lightly as he motioned to the chairs near the rock I had just occupied. “We’d love it if you joined us, just for a chat.” He had a genuine smile on his face now.

Are they serious?

Before I could open my mouth, Patrick beat me to it as he walked to sit in one of the chairs Art motioned to.

“Yeah, just to talk. You're one of the best players in our age bracket, and it would be a real treat to get to know you as an apology for what happened earlier.” Patrick added and smirked so wide I could feel pure smitten radiating off it.

They are serious.

Both boys were now staring at me, gazes identical in pure amazement, awaiting my response.

Fuck this. Fuck me. Fuck x3.

Sighing softly and crossing my arms, I dropped my shoes, returned to the rock, and sat down.

“You get five minutes,” I spoke curtly as I looked between the boys, waiting for one of them to speak up.

Art took this chance to open his mouth, but before he could begin, I held a hand up to stop him.

“Oh, and there’s no need to introduce yourselves. Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig, the “fire and ice” duo.” I spoke unenthusiastically, keeping my eyes on Art for a little longer before angling my expression to Patrick.

Both boys stared at me with slight smirks as I adjusted my dress and grabbed a piece of hair to play with while they continued.

“Well, Milan Mikaelson,”

I inwardly shuddered as he spoke my full name.

“During your match, I thought that call was fucked.” Patrick spoke up and got right to the point. He laughed as if he remembered it as a fond childhood memory.

Almost instantly, Art chimed in to add to his friends' thoughts, a bit too eager for my liking. “I mean, that Anna girl could barely serve your entire match, and then that?” He stated as he shook his head, acting like he was scolding my opponent to her face like a coach.

My eyes lit up at this. They knew how to crack me. Bring up my pride and losses, and I’ll talk your ear off for hours.

“I think the official was blind because that bitch’s ball was totally past the line,” I explained matter-of-factly. “Did you see the way he hesitated before calling it? He probably had it in with her.” I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in annoyance at the memory of the loss.

“Still, you were fucking amazing out there. How did you get your backhand to be that powerful?” Art quickly added and leaned forward in his chair as if moving closer to me would allow him to understand my words better.

I let a slight smile adorn my features as I studied his position.

Fuck x4.

For the next four minutes, the three of us talked about tennis and our matches throughout the tournament. Though brief, I could quickly tell how these two relied on each other and their sport. It was definitely the glue for their friendship. I could also tell how they hung onto my every word, like a toddler waiting for his mother to let him out of the time-out-chair.

Checking my watch, I stood up and looked between the boys.

“Though this was fun, your five minutes is up.” I flashed my watch at them with a subtle smile before bending down to grab my shoes.

When I bent down, I could hear some rushed scuffles and whispers. Standing back up, I saw that both boys were also standing, very tense, might I add.

“How can we contact you to do this again?” Patrick asked with a smirk, which I presume was a signature for him.

Raising an eyebrow at him, I crossed my arms and looked between him and his blonde companion.

“Who said I wanted to do this again?” I asked as Patrick shoved his hands in his pockets with a defeated grin while Art let out a muffled chuckle.

“Come on, this was fun.” Art added and took a cautious step towards me. “Can we get your number?” He asked as he studied my face with the cheekiest grin he could muster.

I laughed at his question dryly before pointing my finger between the two boys. “We? You think I’m gonna get between this? Hell no.” I replied, walking past them to the stairs and back to the party.

Immediately, I could feel their eyes staring into the back of my head, and I wondered if they would beg or plead.

They better not.

“Come to our hotel,” Patrick yelled, making me whip my head around. “We have beer,” he grinned once he saw my interest somewhat piqued.

Fuck x5.

“It’s not far from here. We can talk more.” He gestured between the three of us and then pointed up to the party.

This made me look back to the party, about to question what he meant before Patrick chimed in.

“We talked to Tashi earlier and told her the same thing. Would be fun getting to know the beautiful golden tennis girl duo.” He chuckled as I watched his eyes flicker from my face to my lips.

This made my face heat up, but I would never reveal that. Teenage boys don’t deserve the satisfaction of knowing they have any sort of effect on me.

Clicking my tongue, I nodded at this new piece of information.

Tashi did say she had a plan in place. This could be fun.

“Maybe,” I replied as my eyes shifted between the boys.

You’re not easy, Milan Mikaleson. Remember that.

“Depends on my mood.” I finished and shot them small smirks before walking back up the stairs, not giving the boys a moment to retort.

As I walked back to the party, my eyes shut as I felt a headache coming on.

What the hell did I get myself into?

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