The gym smelled like sweat and popcorn, the air humming with shouts and whistles. My pulse kept time with the game, but I wasn’t just playing for the win—I was playing because he was here.

I saw him oasis in the stands the second I stepped onto the court. His girlfriend Aubri was right beside him, laughing with her friends, waving her arms dramatically whenever the cheerleaders tried to hype up the crowd. She wasn’t even watching the game. But he was. Always. His gaze stuck to me like glue.

Every serve, every point, he clapped just a little too long. Subtle enough that nobody else noticed—except her. Halfway through the second set, I caught it: the quick shift of her eyes, the way her hand tightened around his arm when he leaned forward as I served.

I slammed the ball over the net, scoring clean. My teammates shouted, running to high-five me, but all I saw was him—smiling, quick and secret. And then her, following his line of sight. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I knew she knew.

The game ended in a blur of cheers and sweaty hugs. My team rushed to the locker room, but I lingered, my chest still burning from that look. When I stepped into the hallway, he was there, leaning against the wall like he’d been waiting for me. His girlfriend was ahead of him, distracted, scrolling her phone while her friends chattered.

“You were amazing,” Oasis said under his breath as I passed.

I froze. My throat went dry. “You shouldn’t say that.”

His lips curved, half a smile, half a dare. “But it’s true.”

And then Aubris voice cut through the noise. “What are you doing?” she snapped, suddenly right there, her eyes darting between us.

He straightened quickly, like he’d been caught. I opened my mouth to say something, anything—but the words stuck in my throat.

Her glare could have burned through me. “Funny,” she said tightly, “you didn’t clap that hard when I won my soccer game last week.”

The silence stretched, heavy and sharp. He looked at me, then back at her, trapped in a moment none of us could take back.

And that’s when I realized: this wasn’t just a game anymore.