The roar of the crowd still echoed faintly in your ears as you sat on the edge of the bleachers, wincing while inspecting the damage. Your ankle was already starting to swell, a bright and angry reminder of the spectacular fall you took in the middle of the relay race.

“You really had to go down in the most dramatic way possible, huh?” Ethan's voice cut through the empty stadium, carrying his usual smug tone as he approached.

You rolled your eyes, ready to snap back, but the quirk of his brow and the hint of concern in his gaze stopped you short. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be off celebrating your team’s win?”

He shrugged, dropping his gym bag to the ground beside you. “Couldn’t let you hobble home and ruin the rest of your illustrious athletic career.” There was a smirk, but it was softer than usual. “Plus, watching you get beat by me again doesn’t feel right when you’re sitting there like that.”

“Beat by you?” you shot back, bristling through the pain. “We were neck and neck before I tripped.”

“Details, details.” He crouched down and inspected your ankle, the sudden gentleness of his hands catching you off guard. “You need to ice this. And probably stay off it, which I’m sure you won’t actually do.”