I'm never going out there ever again. I am officially done with basketball.
I look up, staring at the locker in front of me.
I'm sweating and, for once…for once, I feel tired.
I can't explain it. I really can't.
I don't know how it happened; it shouldn't have happened, at least not like that.
Oh god, my heart is racing so fast.
I took a deep breath.
And another.
And another.
That wasn't normal.
I have sucked life essences as a joke before, but it never…never felt like that.
I leaned my head to the side.
My horns felt so heavy, as if they were weighing me down.
Why did that happen?
I closed my eyes as I replayed in my mind for the millionth time.
When his eyes met mine, there was no fear, no nothing, and it's like something inside me just clicked.
Or shoved.
Or pulled.
And suddenly my heart was beating outside of my chest and in my head.
Oh god.
He should have been out of it for a second, just so I could steal the ball.
He shouldn't have fallen; that wasn't right. That's not what should have happened to him.
And why do I feel…almost full from it?
That's not the effect life essence should have. I mean, it gives you energy; it doesn't make you "full." That's not right; it can't be.
I heard the locker room door slam open, and I sat up, going to pick up the shirt that I had thrown halfway across the room.
I craned my neck to the side.
God, why do I still feel it? I still feel that pull.
"How are you feeling, loser? Why are you sitting in here with the lights off?" Vincent teased.
"Leave him alone," Jasper said, and I turned around as he slightly shoved Vincent.
I walked back over to my gym bag and shoved my shirt into the bag.
I sat back down on the bench, and Jasper sat right next to me. "Hey dude, it's fine," he said, slowly rubbing my back.
"You are soaked; that's disgusting," Jasper said, pulling his hand off my back.
"Sorry, I have been sweating so bad."
"You don't usually sweat this bad," Jasper said, teasing me.
I gave him a side eye.
Who even invited you?
"Baby," Jasper called out, but he got no response. "Where is he? Whatever. I don't know why you did that to Cassidy; he is a nice guy."
I rolled my eyes. "I didn't mean to…I was just trying to mess with him."
"By doing that?"
"I didn't know that was going to happen!" I yelled.
"Who the fuck are you yelling at?" I rolled my eyes. Here he comes.
I sighed. "No one."
I watched Vincent come around and stand in front of Jasper.
And NOW I am somehow third-wheeling my own problem.
Despite Vincent being my best friend since forever, he will still beat my ass if I even raise my voice at Jasper, which is crazy because Jasper's a big bitch.
He acts like Jasper's 3'8 and needs protecting. Bro, that is a full 6'2 man, who could take both of us down in a fight…at the same time.
"Like I did my research and I know he is human and humans react disoriented when they get their life essences drained, not like they are fucking dying," I mumbled.
"I didn't even know you could do that," Jasper said.
"I didn't know I could either; I think that is why I was scared."
"You're scared?" Vincent asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I know, it's crazy."
My eyes scanned the locker room.
I don't know if I should also tell them that my heart was racing when it happened, which also never happens.
"Do…does your…oh god, heart ever race?"
Vincent gave me a weird look. "Did you just ask if our hearts beat?"
"No fucker, I asked does your heart race?"
"Like when I work out?"
"NO! Fuck. Like whenever you suck life essence," I mumbled.
"No, that's weird."
I turned to Jasper. "Uh, no, I usually use the bag, and if it's on a human, my heart doesn't race, because I don't have feelings for them."
Feelings.
Gross.
"Okay, so when do both your hearts race?"
"When I see Jasper." Gross. "My dick races too." Double gross.
"I didn't need to know that extra part, but thank you," I said and turned to Jasper. "What about you?"
"When I see Vincent shirtless," Jasper said with a smile.
WHY AM I THIRD WHEELING MY OWN PROBLEM RIGHT NOW?!!?
I watched Vincent do that weird eyebrow raise at Jasper, and then his eyes changed colors, and his horns slightly grew.
"Okay, pack it up, buddy. I do not want to see that shit."
"So wait. If my heart was racing when I sucked Cassidy's life essence, what does that mean?"
"I am not sure, actually, because I have never seen a reaction like that before. Did you feel any other emotions?" Jasper asked.
"Not really emotions, more…more like this pulling.
"Pulling what?"
"Like, I don't know, like this tug, this pull. It's faint. It kind of feels like a small string, I don't know, man."
"String?" Jasper asked, looking confused, and then his face morphed into something I couldn't explain.
I turned to Vincent.
Oh my god, can we stop staring at Jasper for like five seconds?
"I think the pulling might be something you have to figure out internally," Jasper said, and I turned back to me.
"Internally?"
Jasper nodded slowly.
"I remember that feeling," Vincent mumbled.
I rolled my eyes
Now why is everyone being so ominous and vague, and WHY is Vincent stroking Jasper's face like that?
I watched Vincent pull Jasper to his feet.
There's something about two shirtless, buff, big-horned guys that's putting me all off right now.
"I remember the day too," Vincent added.
And here comes Aristotle with the shits.
"It was 2 years 8 months and 4 days ago," He stopped and looked at the clock. "And 4 minutes and 5, 6, 7 seconds."
Him and this crazy ass memory.
"I saw him sitting there with those friends, the same friends that despise me to the ends of the earth. Nate and I were walking together, and then I felt it. I felt that pull."
Oh. Oh fuck.
But I'm not…I'm not gay.
"I remember the conversation we were having and the one he and his friends were having too. We were talking about partners, funny enough, and I told you over and over, I'm not into bighorn girls because they kind of scare me, which was such a lie, but my way of trying to seem normal. Jasper and his friends were talking about what food they were having, because Jasper wanted to be a food blogger at the time. He also had a pretty good following with 6 posts on it. 2, 378 followers and following 10, those being your friends, your main, your alt, and your mom and sister. You're dad refused to get social media, so that's why you weren't following him."
Fuck, not the crazy tangent.
But I can't remember every single detail like him.
My heart shouldn't be racing; the pull shouldn't be pulling. I shouldn't be feeling this way. I really shouldn't.
"I didn't even see his face. The only thing I don't remember was what he was wearing. I didn't even see him but somehow heard that conversation. And I knew right off the bat who he was, but I kept walking. But I knew for sure; my heart was racing, my mind was going crazy, because he was my soulmate."
"A soulmate? Bitch are you Romeo and Juliet? What the fuck are you talking about right now?"
I watched Vincent kiss Jasper, and then watched Jasper and Vincent sit back down. "You know how he gets, just let him have this," Jasper said.
Right.
"My muscular big horned soulmate."
"That you keep secrets because you are worried about what other people think."
Oh my god. I think I just heard a pin drop.
But I guess that's the dream. Hiding the one you love to fit into a society that already hates you.
But is it the dream?
I mean, this isn't Romeo and Juliet. Soulmates aren't a real thing.
I think it's all in the heads of the delusional…like the ones next to me.
"You know I was carrying Cassidy."
I felt a pull.
Oh God, why is my heart racing again?
It's in my head again; it's fucking pounding.
"Why are you breathing so heavily?" Vincent asked, and then I watched as a scary smile emerged on his face. "It's just a name, isn't it? It's just one stupid name."
Oh fuck.
"Cassidy." Pull. "I wonder how Cassidy feels about you." Pull.
"He probably thinks you're another crazy big horn. Oh, but you don't care." I don't care. I don't care about him at all. "You will be in denial until you physically can't be anymore, even with your heart pounding in your chest about a guy you barely even know. Strange world, ain't it. But that's what a soulmate is, my friend. He's your soulmate," Vincent said.
Soulmates aren't real. It's literally 2026; they can't be.
He can't be.
He can't be my.
My.
Soulmate.