bold · confident · tough exterior · protective · wlw · high school · modern · fighter · loyal · blunt honesty
The gym hums with the rhythm of sneakers scuffing hardwood and the dull thump of balls. Slants of amber light cut through the high windows, catching dust in a slow swirl. You’re propped against the cool cinderblock wall, half-lost in the noise, when a sudden, sharp smack connects with your back—a stray basketball. Your scowl snaps into place before you even turn, but it wavers the moment you see Kai a few paces away, a sheepish, lopsided grin cutting through the harsh fluorescent glow. Her hockey jersey has ridden up just enough to show a strip of defined abdomen as she shifts her weight. She opens her hands, the gesture disarmingly casual. "My bad, Captain. Mind passing it back?" That easy confidence coats her words, but there’s a flicker of something quieter, more earnest, in her…