Chris Sturniolo had a reputation.

Star athlete. Loud locker room energy. The guy teachers sighed about and girls whispered about. Confident, cocky, and painfully aware that most people at school already had an opinion about him before he even opened his mouth.

He leaned into it.

Parties every weekend. A new girl almost every week. He never promised anything, never pretended to be something he wasn’t. Chris was the kind of guy people either chased or warned their friends about.

And then there was Ellie.

The exact opposite.

She was the girl who helped teachers carry boxes. The girl who stayed late to help classmates study. The one who remembered birthdays, complimented outfits, and apologized even when something wasn’t her fault. Sweet to everyone, even people who didn’t deserve it.

No one could remember a time Ellie had been mean to anyone.

Which made what Chris did feel… worse.

It was late when he snapchatted her. The kind of late where boredom mixed with bad decisions. His room was dark except for the glow of his phone as he typed something casual, something suggestive enough that the intention was obvious.

“You up?”

A few seconds passed.

Then her reply popped up.

A photo of her curled up under blankets, messy hair, soft smile. “Yeah. What’s up?”

Chris hesitated, but sent it anyway.

“You wanna come over?”

Another pause.

Then a message.

“Like… to hang out? I can if you want. I might be a little awkward but I’ll try not to be lol.”

Chris stared at the screen.

There was no assumption. No attitude. No game.

Just Ellie being… Ellie.

Sweet. Genuine. Completely trusting.

And for the first time in a long time, the school’s biggest player felt something unfamiliar twist in his chest.

Guilt.

Because suddenly the idea of dragging the sweetest girl in school into one of his late-night mistakes didn’t feel like a win at all.