Chapter 3

My roommate dragged me over to look after her brother, Connor Rivers, at the basketball game the next day. He had just started college and was competing for the first time, so his hands were shaking from nervousness.

I bought drinks and stayed on the sidelines to help.

As soon as the whistle blew, I looked up without thinking and saw Zach dribbling past someone. Amy stood outside the line, holding a towel and a bottle of water.

Every time he scored, she clapped and shouted, "Nice!"

Whenever he paused to catch his breath, she handed him water and intimately wiped his sweat. The students around me whispered, "They really do look good with each other."

Another student said, "Zach can play the whole game without getting tired. Amy probably deserves some credit for that!"

I forced a faint smile and turned my attention back to Connor.

At the end of the third quarter, Zach came off the court to have a drink, and Amy draped the towel over the back of his neck. I lowered my head to unscrew a bottle cap, but I saw Zach walk over out of the corner of my eye.

He glanced at the neat row of bottles at my feet and frowned. "Amy already prepared mine. You don't need to bother."

After a pause, he added, "If you have time, you should study more and focus on studying."

I gripped the water bottle and said nothing.

He went on. "Look at Amy. She's first in her major classes, and she has also won competitions. Her schedule is packed and well-organized. You really should learn from her."

I suddenly found the entire exchange ridiculous. I looked straight at him for the first time and said, "Whether or not I learn anything from her has nothing to do with you."

He was stunned. Then, his brows furrowed. "Megan, what's with that attitude? College really is different from high school to the point you've even lost your ambition. If your mindset can't keep up, in the future, how will you-"

"Future?"

I interrupted him, my eyes red. "We have no future."

He opened his mouth, then fell silent. He reached for the water by my feet, but another hand snatched it away before his fingers could touch the bottle.

Connor unscrewed the cap and took a long drink, then grinned at me. "Megan, yours always tastes the best."

Then, he stepped sideways and blocked the space between Zach and me.

Zach's hand hung in the air in front of him awkwardly before he pulled it back. He glanced at me. When he saw me lower my eyes and stay silent, his expression darkened.

Amy looked between us and said lazily, "Megan, you came just to watch Connor? No wonder you brought so many drinks."

She paused and smiled with pressed lips. "I was wondering why you didn't even look Zach's way."

Before I could speak, Zach's face darkened.

I smiled and said, "Amy, you watch me so closely that people who don't know any better might think you and Connor are a couple."

"Megan!" Zach cut me off sharply, his voice was low and angry. "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't you know that Amy has said so many nice things about you? Can you stop thinking in such a filthy way?"

Before I could answer, he rushed on. "Every time I ran into trouble or got stuck on a hard question, who was the one beside me? Amy. When I studied until dawn and couldn't keep going, who sat beside me? Amy. When I had a fever and went to the infirmary, who stayed with me all night?"

His eyes were red as his voice shook. "You ask why I didn't reply to your messages? Think about it yourself. When I needed you, where were you?"

The area around us fell silent as several students looked over.

Amy lowered her eyes and tugged at his jersey, as if to calm him and show how upset she was.

But all I could feel was how that spring inside of me that had been strained for four years finally snapped.