Chapter 03

Andrew's Pov

I sat in my office at the far end of the gym, the summer heat getting worse by each passing second. My clipboard was on the desk, the names of all the players carefully written on it.

I was supposed to be planning strategies for the team, setting rotations, but instead, my eyes kept drifting to her name Sage Davis.

There were unspoken rules, but as solid as concrete.

Rule one: you never get involved with anyone on the team. Your job is to teach, nothing more.

Rule two: you sure as hell don't let your eyes linger on your daughter's best friend.

But yet here I was, breaking all of them.

I'd heard so much about her from Pauline 

how Sage was the golden girl, the fast-rising star. But in only just a few seconds of glory, she blew everything with a selfish move.

Pauline cried so much, saying everyone had turned on Sage, and she disappeared, ghosting her for months.

But when I saw her, when I got to know the real her, she surprised me.

I could see she still carried the weight of her selfish actions, and the guilt is eating deeper and deeper into her.

She was scared.

But willing to come back after everything made her brave.

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a heavy breath. She was my daughter's best friend, my player, and also my responsibility. And yet that morning, when she nailed that shot, the way she smiled at me felt like an unexplainable pull.

~~~~

By the time afternoon practice began, I had my coach face back on, whistle around my neck, clipboard in hand.

Sage walked into the gym, she and Pauline laughing at something. The smile on her face was so real, and for that moment I couldn't see the worry.

I immediately started organizing drills. I couldn't afford to notice things like that. It wasn't right.

I separated the teams into pairs for defensive footwork. Rina rolled her eyes, annoyance clear on her face when I partnered her up with Sage, but she didn't say anything.

I kept them moving fast, eyes concentrated, body moving sharp with shuffle steps and pivot turns.

“Move those feet faster, Davis, let's go!"

She responded well to instructions, never complained for once. She needed sharpening and not pampering, and that's exactly what I'll do.

I could see the tension building between her and Rina. Rina looked for every opportunity to bump into Sage, but Sage didn't say a word. She clenched her fists while Rina had a smirk on her face.

Sage jogged off, sweat running down her face. She caught my eye for less than a second before she looked away.

Later, after all the players had left, I found myself standing in the empty court staring at nothing, old habits, I guess.

When you've been a basketball coach for as long as I have, the silence after practice becomes part of you.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps echo through the gym, hesitant and slow.

When I turned around, she was there, Sage.

She stood there, backpack strapped on her back, face a little pale.

"Everyone's gone," she said.

"I know... just needed a minute," I replied.

She gave a slight nod. I immediately turned my attention to the clipboard, pretending to take notes.

"Do you ever regret coaching again?"

I looked at her thoughtfully for a minute before answering. "Sometimes, but not for the reasons you'd think."

She slowly walked back into the court. Her hand grazed the court rack, but she didn't take any, just touched it lightly.

"I feel like I'm drowning half the time, like everyone is just waiting for me to mess up again," she said, her voice low.

"You are not alone in that."

I smiled faintly. “My career in the league ended earlier than I wanted. My marriage… well, you know.”

"I used to think I was invisible and unstoppable," she said, "but now I just want to disappear, to hide and pretend none of this is real."

"Sage, do you want to know the difference between a prodigy and a failure?"

"What?"

"Resilience."

"Think about it for a moment. You are still here after everything that happened. Yeah, you messed up, but you're trying to make amends. That's what matters, not the mistakes."

For a long moment, we just stared at each other without a word.

She was so close I could see the scar on her jaw, the shape of her mouth. I should have walked away, but I didn't. I stood there.

"I don't want to mess up again," she admitted.

I reached up, touching a loose hair behind her ear. Her lips parted. "You won't. I'll make sure of that. Go get some rest, Davis. You have a long season ahead."

She walked away. My heart pounding in my chest. I had just crossed a line I was never supposed to.

~~~~

That night, I couldn't sleep.

I tried everything: baking, music, late-night movies but nothing was working.

My phone buzzed around midnight.

Pauline: Dad, can you please come pick me up from Gabby's? Her car just died.

I immediately threw on a hoodie and grabbed my keys.

Within twenty minutes, I pulled into the driveway. Pauline hopped into the front seat, tossing her backpack to the back.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just tired. Gabby's mom talks way too much."

Pauline leaned her head back. "Sage has been off lately."

My grip on the wheel tightened.

"She must be going through a lot," I said.

"She's always going through a lot, but it feels different. She’s just been so distant."

I stayed quiet.

"Maybe she doesn't want to bother you with her problems," I finally said.

"She's my best friend, Dad. I don't care if she bothers me."

"She doesn't like to talk about what happened, but I know it's still hurting her."

Pauline looked so sad.

I glanced at my daughter. She had no idea how complicated things really were.

"She's still figuring things out," I said.

"Aren't we all?" she mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

When I pulled into the driveway, I didn’t move for a long time.

I sat in the car and stared at the steering wheel, knowing full well that I was headed into dangerous territory.

Because this wasn’t just a coach and player.

This wasn’t just an age gap.

This was my daughter’s best friend.

And whatever was growing between us it wasn’t slowing down.