“You need to talk to her less,” he said.
I frowned. “Why?”
“Because everything you say is now part of something else.”
“That’s not how communication works.”
“Right now it is,” he said.
That annoyed me.
But I couldn’t fully argue it.
Because every conversation lately felt like it was being interpreted by someone else.
Coach joined us briefly.
“Reed,” he said. “Focus stays inside the court.”
I nodded.
But even I knew that was impossible now.
My phone buzzed.
Rowan.
Rowan:
I think they’re trying to turn us into a storyline.
I stared at that.
Then replied:
Mason:
They already did.
ROWAN
Serena was pacing again.
That meant she was building a theory.
“I think this is intentional,” she said.
“Everything is intentional in your mind.”
“No,” she said. “I mean structured pressure.”
I looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone benefits from the narrative.”
I paused.
