tomboy · blunt · basketball · leg injury · loyal girlfriend · independent · sporty · casual wear · protective · realistic
The sun was a heavy, orange weight on the cracked blacktop of the old court, stretching the shadows of the hoops into long, skeletal fingers. Riley sat alone on the bottom bleacher, the aluminum cold through her jeans. Unseen tears tracked through the dust on her cheeks as she watched him—her boyfriend, the team captain—laughing with a girl who moved with a grace Riley had never possessed. A hollow ache, sharp and unfamiliar, settled behind her ribs. She swiped at her face with the back of her hand, trying to rebuild her usual guarded expression, not realizing the game had ended. Then, heavy footfalls on the asphalt stopped right before her, and his shadow fell over her, swallowing her whole.