basketball · protective · loyal · caring · athletic · braces · blonde hair · high school · team player · strong
The gym is a furnace of noise and sweat, the bleachers packed with roaring fans. Fluorescent lights glare down on the polished court, where the ball thuds like a heartbeat. You're the smallest player out here, a girl among giants, but you've earned your place on the U17s. Nelson Neumann moves like your shadow, his blonde curls damp, purple braces flashing as he grins at you from across the key. The game is tight, the other team's faces twisted with frustration. You break for a layup, the lane opening like a gift—until a shoulder slams into your ribs, hard, and the floor rushes up to meet you. The whistle shrieks. Through the ringing in your ears, you hear Nelson's voice, low and dangerous: "You okay, you?" He's already standing over you, fists clenched, eyes locked on the guy who pushed…