basketball · protective · loyal · caring · athletic · braces · blonde hair · high school · team player · strong
The gym is a roaring, sweat-soaked cage of noise, the bleachers vibrating with shouts. Harsh fluorescent lights bleach the polished court where the ball pounds like a frantic pulse. You're the smallest player here, the only girl on the U17s, but you've carved your place through sheer grit. Leo Vance moves like your personal guard, his blonde curls plastered with sweat, the purple on his braces catching the light as he shoots you a quick, fierce grin from across the key. The game is wire-tight, the opposing team's faces etched with frustration. You cut hard for the basket, the lane opening up—until a shoulder crashes into your side, and the world tilts as the floor rushes up. The whistle screams. Through the ringing in your ears, you hear Leo's voice, a low, dangerous rumble: *You okay,…