The Girl in the Rural Breeze

Seeker

I stood on the court, the ball in my hands, but my mind wasn’t on the game. It was somewhere else, far away, tangled up in thoughts of Lila. After all that had happened—those few brief moments of talking to her, the texts, the smile—it felt like something had shifted inside me. But today, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. She hadn’t shown up for practice, and Michelle hadn’t mentioned why.

I dribbled the ball, making random moves, but none of them felt right. My feet seemed heavy, my head clouded. I tried to push it aside, tried to focus on the game. Basketball had always been my escape, the one thing that helped me clear my mind. But today, the court felt like a cage, and the ball was just a weight in my hands.

Mark passed me the ball, but I didn’t take the shot. Instead, I glanced around, half-expecting to see her walk through the door, like she had on that day at practice. But there was nothing.

I tried to shake off the feeling, forcing myself to focus on the next play. But every time I dribbled, every time I passed the ball, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I knew she’d said she was fine, that she didn’t need any help. But I could still hear the way her voice faltered when she talked about it. Something about her seemed different, like she was holding back.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. This wasn’t like me. I had a game to focus on. But the truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about Lila, wondering why she hadn’t come to practice. Why she hadn’t texted me back.

I couldn’t shake the image of her from my mind—the way she smiled when we first met, the way she looked when she didn’t think I was paying attention. It was all there, all so vivid. But it wasn’t enough. I needed more. I wanted to know more about her.

Mark called me over to the sidelines, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Hey, man, what’s up? You’re off today. You're distracted."

I shrugged it off. "I’m fine. Just tired, I guess."

But Mark wasn’t buying it. He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, right. You’ve been distracted all practice. What's going on?"

I didn’t know how to explain it. How do you tell someone you're distracted because you’re worried about a girl you barely know? A girl who somehow had managed to sneak into your thoughts and make everything else seem unimportant?

"I’m good, Mark. Just... thinking about some stuff."

He gave me a look, but didn’t push it. He knew when I wasn’t in the mood to talk.

But as practice went on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. I was going through the motions, but my mind was somewhere else. Lila’s smile. The way she hesitated when I asked her about herself. It all felt like a puzzle I couldn’t solve, and it was eating at me.

When practice finally ended, I gathered my things and headed out, barely noticing Mark and the others talking behind me. My only thought was getting to the café, seeing if maybe Lila had gone there after missing practice. But as I walked, my heart pounded. The same nervous feeling I got when I thought about her overtook me again.

I pulled out my phone, hesitating for a moment before sending her a text. “Hey, you okay? You didn’t come to practice today. Just wanted to check in.”

I hit send and leaned against the wall, watching the message bubble as I waited. Nothing came through. I checked my phone again, just to be sure. Still nothing.

Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but something told me it wasn’t just that simple.

After a few more minutes, I pushed myself to move, deciding to stop by the café anyway. If she wasn’t there, maybe I could at least find some kind of answer.

But deep down, I had a feeling I wouldn’t find it so easily.

I sat at the same table in the café, absentmindedly stirring my coffee, my gaze drifting to the door every time it opened. There was no sign of her. It had been days since I’d last seen Lila. We exchanged messages a couple of times, but each time, I kept hoping today would be the day I’d get to see her again.

My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked down and saw a text from her:

Lila: "Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to practice yesterday. Something came up. Hope you’re doing okay!"

I smiled at the message but quickly noticed the knot forming in my stomach. Why didn’t she just tell me what was really going on? I had a sinking feeling that there was more to her sudden disappearance than she was letting on.

I stared at the message for a moment before putting my phone down, my fingers still resting on the screen. I wasn’t going to push her about it. I knew she was probably busy, or had her reasons. But I couldn’t ignore how much I wanted to see her again, to ask if she was really okay.

Just then, the door to the café opened again, and my heart skipped a beat. But it wasn’t her.

Instead, it was Michelle. She looked around the café before spotting me and waving. She walked over and took a seat across from me, offering a bright smile.

"Hey, Jake. I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by."

I nodded, forcing a smile in return, but the worry for Lila still lingered in my chest. "Hey, Michelle. Good to see you."

She leaned back in her seat, casually glancing around before turning her attention back to me. "So, how’s everything going? How was practice?"

"Uh, good, I guess." I fidgeted with my coffee cup. "But you know, I was expecting someone else today... Lila. She said she’d come by." I tried to keep my tone casual, but I knew Michelle would pick up on it.

Michelle raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a small grin. "Oh, Lila? Yeah, I messaged her this morning. She said she’d come, but... she didn’t show up."

I frowned, trying to hide the disappointment. "She told you she’d come?"

"Yeah," Michelle replied. "She didn’t say much, just that she was busy. I don’t know, Jake. Maybe she’ll show up next time. She’s probably just caught up with something."

I nodded, but inside, I felt unsettled. "Yeah, maybe."

We sat there in a comfortable silence for a moment, but my mind kept wandering back to Lila. Why wasn’t she here? Was she okay?

Michelle broke the silence, noticing the look on my face. "Hey, don’t stress too much, okay? She’ll be fine. You know how it is, sometimes life just gets in the way."

I forced a smile and nodded again. "Yeah, you’re probably right."

But as the conversation continued, my thoughts kept drifting back to Lila, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on with her.