His girlfriend that wasn't.

Sitting on the bleachers, Sarah tracked every single movement he made with the ball, her eyes quietly tracing his steps across the polished floor of the court.

Blake being the star player hadn't just earned him titles, trophies, and campus renown, he had also quietly earned her entire heart.

“You fool….”

The sudden voice startled her. She snapped her head toward the speaker, rolling her eyes the exact moment she realized it was Bunny, her best friend.

“You just sit here like a complete fool, following a man up and down when he doesn't even know you exist, Sarah. Let's get the fuck out of here.”

“I'm not coming. And for your information... he knows I exist.”

“How on earth do you manage to stay at the top of our class with a brain like that?”

Sarah's face contorted in sheer disbelief as she glared at her friend. Exhaling a slow, exasperated breath, she turned her gaze back toward the court.

“We are leaving. Right now.”

Bunny reached down, snatched Sarah's wrist, and began dragging her forcefully toward the exit doors of the gymnasium.

“Let go of me, Bunny!”

“No fucking way!” Bunny yelled back, her raised voice instantly cutting through the noise and attracting attention from the players on the court. A few almost stopped dead in their tracks to see what the commotion was—including Blake.

Sarah's face flushed with violent heat. Desperate to escape the sudden humiliation, she yanked her wrist back from Bunny, who was momentarily caught off guard by the dozen pairs of staring eyes.

Without waiting another second, Sarah turned and bolted straight for the double doors.

Bunny hurried right after her, her sneakers squeaking as she ran to catch up. They both burst through the cafeteria entrance moments later, completely breathless.

“I'm starving,” Bunny complained, leaning against a table. “You just made me waste all the energy from the food I ate, all for some random guy.”

“Call him random one more time, and you're doing your own assignments for the next two weeks.”

An uneasy, sheepish smile broke out across Bunny's face as she reached out and gently patted Sarah's shoulder.

“Fear not, Sarah. Fear not. I wouldn't dare.”

She gave a slow, exaggerated nod, but Sarah simply averted her eyes, heading straight toward the counter to order her lunch. Bunny trailed right behind her like a shadow.

They grabbed their trays and found a quiet corner booth to sit down. Bunny raised a heavy hand toward Sarah, her mouth far too packed with food to actually form words.

Sarah answered the silent gesture by simply raising a single eyebrow. Bunny kept chewing, her jaw working furiously until at least half the food had been swallowed.

"Sarah, you can't keep chasing after this guy forever. He's the main reason you're still a virgin, you've never dated anyone, he is..."

Sarah slammed her open palm directly over Bunny's mouth, cutting off whatever explicit truth was about to spill out next into the crowded dining hall.

"Can we please not do this here?"

Bunny blinked rapidly and nodded, prompting Sarah to finally pull her hand back.

"All I'm trying to say is... just go talk to him."

Sarah slammed her face directly into her hands, groaning softly against her own palms.

"I thought you agreed we weren't going to talk about this today?" her voice came out muffled against her skin.

"Yes, but I never said I wouldn't say what's on my mind."

"Yeah, yeah. Right."

"Sarah, I dare you. Walk right up to him, introduce yourself, and ask for his number..."

"And what do I get out of it?"

"Nothing."

"Then I'm not doing it."

"Yeah, figures. I completely forgot you're just a coward, chickening out every single time you should stand up for yourself... Plain Sarah."

The jab sent a sudden surge of heat rushing straight through Sarah's chest. Her features twisted—not just from the sharp emotional prick, but from a sudden spike of real anger. She stood up abruptly from the bench and walked straight out of the cafeteria, a bite of lunch still tucked inside her cheek.

She made a beeline toward her lecture hall, but the moment her hand touched the doorframe, she froze. Looking further down the quiet hallway, her eyes landed on the heavy timber doors of the library. By now, practice would be over, and he would definitely be in there. Either catching up on sleep or buried deep in a textbook.

She exhaled a long, steadying breath, forcing her stubborn pride to try the worst.

She was going to prove to Bunny once and for all that she was not a coward. She would go in there, get atleast his autograph, and hand it over just to shut her friend up forever.

Stepping through the heavy library doors, a sudden chill ran straight through her ribs, sending her heart rate spiking ten times faster.

Forcing her legs forward, she walked down the quiet space of the library until she finally spotted him sitting at a secluded table in the back.

As usual, he was flanked by Nova.

Sarah immediately turned on her heel, every instinct screaming at her to make a run for the exit. Anything that required this much emotional stress simply wasn't worth it.

Blake's eyes caught her movement before she could vanish entirely.

"For fucking's sake, Nova, my ears are completely full. And her? That's my girlfriend."