Except I did.
Caleb leaned slightly closer to say something to her.
She laughed once.
Small.
Quick.
Not performative.
Real.
That was worse than anything else.
Because I knew that version of her now.
And it wasn’t for me.
Jace nudged me lightly with his elbow. “You’re staring.”
“I’m not.”
“You are absolutely staring.”
I forced myself to move.
Ran the drill again.
Missed timing by half a beat.
Coach whistle cut instantly.
“Reed!”
I exhaled once.
Reset.
But my eyes still drifted back.
Even when I didn’t want them to.
After practice, I stayed on court longer than I needed to.
Everyone else left.
Noise faded.
Shoes gone. Voices gone. Just echo and empty space.
I kept shooting anyway.
Because I didn’t want to think about anything else.
But she was already there anyway.
In the background of everything.
