Beyond The Court

16. Unspoken Rule

The morning light filters through my bedroom window, casting soft shadows across the room. Today is the first day back at school since Kesley and I really started talking again. After years of distance, this day feels heavier than the others. There's still so much unresolved between us—years of missed conversations, the widening gap that formed when we stopped being best friends. But after that night at her house, when we talked for real, when she convinced me to come inside and sit with her family, something shifted. It wasn't like before, but there was this silent promise that we would get there again, someday.

It's strange, being this close to someone who once felt like home, yet still so far from how things used to be.

Tonight's a big game—our biggest rival, the kind of matchup that packs the stands—but my mind keeps wandering back to her. To Kesley. She's supposed to come, sit in her old spot in the bleachers. The thought of her being there, watching me like she always used to, pushes a knot into my stomach. She's been to all my games, even when we weren't talking. Her mom let that slip. It shocked me, but it shouldn't have. Kesley always had a way of staying close, even when she wasn't right by my side.

Basketball's the only thing that's kept me going the past few years, the only constant. But now... maybe Kesley can be that too.

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As I walk through the school's crowded halls, my thoughts keep drifting back to last night. The surprise in her eyes when I agreed to come inside, the way her mom hugged me like I hadn't been missing for years, like nothing had changed. Her little brother, He'd grown up so much, and in that moment, I realized just how long Kesley and I had been apart.

And then, there was the slip. Her mom casually mentioning that Kesley had been to all my games. The shock must have been all over my face. Kesley tried to play it off, but it meant something. It meant a lot. She never stopped watching, even when I had built walls so high that no one else could see through them. No one but her.

Now, as I head to the cafeteria for lunch, I brace myself. It's the same old table, the same teammates. Mack, seirra , and the rest of the basketball team are already sitting down, laughing and joking like they always do. They're my people, my support, but they don't know the real me. Not the way Kesley does.

And then, I see her.

Across the cafeteria, Kesley stands up from her usual table with those fake friends—the ones who know nothing about her. She looks around, her eyes finding mine from across the room. My heart skips, and for a second, I'm frozen. What is she doing? But then, she walks toward me, her steps confident, and the noise of the cafeteria seems to fade into the background.

She reaches our table and looks right at me. Her voice is soft but steady. "Mind if I sit with you guys today?"

The chatter at our table dies down immediately. Mack looks at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised. No one's used to this—Kesley, walking over like she belongs here. And I can feel all of them looking at me, waiting for my reaction.

I clear my throat, nodding. "Yeah, sure."

Kesley slides into the seat next to me, and I swear, the tension in the air is palpable. Mack's staring at me like I've grown a second head. For years, I've kept everyone at arm's length—no touching, no real connections, nothing beyond basketball. But now, Kesley's here, sitting beside me, like no time has passed at all. And what happens next sends everyone into even more shock.

Kesley's hand brushes against mine, a light touch, but enough to make my heart race. I glance at her, and she gives me a small smile—one that says everything without saying anything at all. It's different with her. It always has been.