16

Duo point of View

Mark’s Point of View

(Game Day)

The bus hissed to a stop, and the door swung open with a loud clank.

I stepped off first, the weight of my jersey heavy on my shoulders, but not nearly as heavy as the thoughts spinning in my head.

My feet hit the ground, and I took a long look around.

Her school.

My sister’s school.

The one Mom dragged her to, hoping to keep her safe from all the mess we were born into.

The same mess I was now neck-deep in.

The crowd outside the gym was buzzing. Some people gave us disgusted looks  probably because they already knew who we were.

The reputation from our side of town followed us like shadows.

But some girls?

Yeah… they didn’t care about reputations.

They batted lashes, tugged at skirts, giggled too loud.

I didn’t care for any of that.

I was searching.

Searching for her.

My little M.

Missy.

"Yo, Mark, let's go," Dex called, throwing his arm around my neck as he stepped off the bus beside me.

He was all fire and adrenaline, ready to crush the game.

Me?

I was scanning every inch of that damn crowd.

I saw nothing.

Until—

No. Not her.

Just a girl with similar hair.

I kept walking, but my stomach felt weird like I’d swallowed a brick.

It was hard to believe she was somewhere inside this building, breathing the same air, completely unaware her twin brother was steps away.

We hadn’t talked. We hadn’t looked each other in the eyes.

That moment from the race her running like I was a ghost?

It haunted me.

“Yo, focus up, bro,” Karel said as we headed toward the locker rooms.

“You gotta crush tonight. Show her you’re still that big brother who could do anything.”

I smirked, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

“Hope she still believes in that version of me.”

Karel clapped my back. “Time to remind her.”

I nodded.

Tonight’s game wasn’t just a game.

It was a message.

I was still here.

Still fighting.

And still her brother.

Even if she hated me.

Even if she cried the second she saw me in uniform.

I’d take it all just to see her face again.

___

Missy’s Point of View

“Girl, it’s just makeup!” Sienna groaned dramatically, grabbing my face and yanking it toward the mirror.

I stared at my reflection, lips slightly parted as she smeared something glittery onto my eyelids.

Don’t get me wrong I loved makeup. But Sienna’s makeup style? It was... intense. Bold colors. Sharp wings. Glitter like it was going out of style.

I looked like I was about to step onto a runway. Or into a music video.

Not a high school gym for a simple basketball game.

“Sienna…” I mumbled, giving her a desperate look. “You sure I don’t look like a disco ball?”

She gave me a mock-offended gasp. “You look hot. That’s the goal.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t you want your boyfriend to be all distracted when he sees you?” she teased with a wink.

My cheeks flamed. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Yet,” she sang, spinning me in my chair to face her fully.

“And if he’s playing tonight, you better bet he’ll be looking up at you in the stands. So let’s give him a view.”

I groaned. “What if he loses because of me?”

She laughed, the sound bright and loud. “Girl, if he’s gonna lose focus over a pretty face, that’s on him.”

I laughed too, nerves still fluttering in my chest.

I didn’t know why I felt this tense. Maybe because this was the first game I was actually excited to watch. Because of Alexander.

And because of Nico. And maybe, a tiny part of me hoped to see him.

My brother.

Shaking the thought away, I took a deep breath as Sienna passed me a pair of earrings.

“Now let’s go,” she said, already grabbing her keys. “Time to make some boys sweat.”

The gym was already buzzing by the time we got there sneakers squeaking on polished floors, cheerleaders stretching near the bleachers, people screaming, laughing, tossing popcorn like it was a concert.

Sienna was glowing. Literally. Her highlighter caught every gym light and she walked like she owned the place.

Meanwhile, I felt like I had glitter in my eye and my jeans were suddenly way too tight.

“Come on!” she yelled over the music, tugging me up the bleachers toward the student section.

My heart thudded harder with every step.

And then I saw them.

Nico in his jersey, bouncing the ball and talking with someone from the other team.

Alex standing off to the side, looking quiet and calm, scanning the crowd until his eyes found mine.

He smiled. Just a little. But it was enough to make my stomach flip.

“Eyes locked already,” Sienna whispered behind me, smirking as she nudged my shoulder.

But then my gaze drifted past Alex to the other team.

My breath hitched.

There he was.

Mark.

Wearing a different jersey now. Looking sharper. Confident.

Laughing with a teammate. Completely unaware of me. Or maybe pretending to be.

I sat down quickly, hands trembling in my lap.

He didn’t look like a ghost. He looked real. Alive. Breathing.

This was the second time I was seeing him since that night at the race. Since I ran away.

I didn’t even know what I’d say if he came over.

Why did you lie? Why did you leave me? Why didn’t you tell me you were alive?

I forced my eyes away, trying to focus on anything else.

Like the fact that Alexander had just walked onto the court, smirking like the cockiest boy alive.

I couldn’t help it. I smiled.

Sienna leaned closer. “Girl, you're blushing.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

The announcer called the names, the crowd cheered, and just like that, the game started.

And I sat there in a gym full of shouting people, knees bouncing, caught between the boy who gave me roses last night, the one who always made me laugh quietly and the twin brother who wasn’t supposed to be alive.

This night was going to wreck me.