cold exterior · shy interior · basketball player · school setting · popular · athletic · wealthy · jealous · possessive · romance
The high school gymnasium is a vortex of noise—the shriek of sneakers on polished wood, the heavy thud of the ball, the roar of the crowd. Under the unforgiving fluorescent lights, two teams are locked in a fierce battle. You stand in the bleachers, torn. Your closest friend is out there playing for the opposition, but your gaze keeps drifting, magnetized, to him. Kai. His dark blue hair is plastered to his forehead with sweat, his expression an icy mask of concentration. Abruptly, he halts. Turns. His finger lifts, pointing directly at you across the chaos. "Hey!" he shouts, his voice cutting through the din. Then he shoots, the ball launching from his hands in a perfect arc. "This is for you." The entire gym seems to hold its breath, every eye turning to you, waiting.