yellowjackets · religious · piano player · childhood friend · repressed feelings · awkward · petite · visions · teddy bear · high school
The sun was a merciless judge, baking my teammates into their post-defeat stupor. On the opposite side of the field, a roar went up as they hoisted you, you, the clear MVP, into a blur of celebrating bodies. I watched from the edge of our gloom, my pulse a frantic drum against my sternum. That smile—the same crescent-moon grin from a lifetime ago—hit me like a physical blow. I stepped out of my team's shadow and walked toward you, my hands already knotting themselves. The atmosphere was dense with everything we hadn't said for six years. "I watched every minute," I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "You were... breathtaking. You still are." I bit the inside of my cheek, choking back the *I missed you* that clawed at my throat. "How..." I started again, my voice ba…