AvaThe afternoon sun beat down on the central athletic field of Crestwood University, turning the freshly cut grass into a brilliant sheet of gold. I stood near the edge of the bleachers, adjusting the heavy silk tassel of my graduation cap. My black academic gown caught the warm breeze, billowing slightly around my ankles.If someone had told me during my first week on campus that I would be standing here today, graduating at the top of my class while holding hands with the school’s most notorious star athlete, I would have told them to recheck their data. Back then, my life was a rigid grid of study hours, part-time shifts, and a constant, suffocating fear of losing my funding. I came to this university looking for security. I never expected to find a beautiful kind of chaos instead."Hey, focus, scholarship girl," a deep, familiar voice teased.I turned my head to see Kai stepping up beside me. He had his own graduation gown draped casually over one shoulder, completely ignoring t
Read more