All Chapters of Falling for the Bad Boy Athlete: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

POV: KaiThe gym smelled like floor wax and desperation. My knee throbbed with every step, a dull hum that reminded me I was one bad landing away from losing everything. I shouldn't even be on the court. My trainer would have a stroke if he saw me doing drills, but the coach was watching from the sidelines like a hawk. I had to look untouchable. I had to be the "Campus Heartthrob" everyone expected."Focus, Kai!" The coach yelled, his voice echoing off the rafters. "You’re trailing. Move those feet!"I grit my teeth and pushed off my left leg. A sharp spike of pain shot up my thigh. I ignored it. I’m the star. I’m the guy who doesn’t feel pain. That’s the lie I’ve told myself so many times it almost feels like the truth.Then I saw her.Ava was sitting in the third row of the bleachers, her nose buried in a textbook as usual. What was she even doing here? She was supposed to be my tutor, not my groupie. She looked so out of place in her neat cardigan and ponytail, a sharp contrast to

POV: Best FriendI’ve seen this movie before, and it always ends with a girl crying over a tub of melted rocky road. As Ava’s best friend, it’s my job to make sure she doesn’t become a cliché.We were sitting in our usual corner of the Student Union, the one with the shaky table and the faint smell of burnt espresso. Ava was pretending to highlight a textbook, but she hadn’t flipped the page in ten minutes. She was staring at her phone like it might grow legs and dance."He’s going to ruin you, you know," I said, popping a fry into my mouth. "And not in the fun, weekend-in-Vegas kind of way. In the 'there goes your scholarship' kind of way."Ava jumped, her highlighter streaking a neon yellow line right through a paragraph on macroeconomics. "Who? I don’t know who you’re talking about, Mia.""Oh, please. Kai Stone. The human equivalent of a 'Do Not Enter' sign." I leaned forward, lowering my voice so the nosey freshmen at the next table couldn't overhear. "He’s Sports Royalty, Ava. Pe

POV: AvaI'm staring at my Advanced Calculus textbook like it’s written in an alien language. Usually, numbers are my sanctuary. They’re logical. They don’t have messy emotions or bruised knees or smirks that make my stomach do a backflip. But today, the equations are just a blur of ink.Every time I close my eyes, I’m back in that crowded cafeteria. I can still feel the heat of the spotlight on us. I can still taste the lingering scent of vanilla and whatever expensive cologne Kai wears to pretend he isn't a sweating athlete. The kiss was supposed to be a transaction. A deal to keep him off the court and in the trainer's room.So why am I the one who feels like I lost the bet?"Ava? Earth to Ava," Chloe says, waving a highlighter in front of my face. We’re tucked into our usual corner of the library, the one behind the dusty economics journals where nobody bothers us."I'm fine," I say, way too quickly. I flip a page. I haven't read a single word on it."You've been staring at the sa

POV: AvaThe library smelled like old coffee and desperate ambition. I usually loved this scent. It felt like safety. But today, with Kai sitting across from me in a cramped wooden booth, it felt like a cage.Why did I agree to this?"You’re staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes, Ava," Kai said. He didn't look up from his notebook. He was actually drawing, not studying. "Is the history of economic theory gripping, or are you just thinking about how much you want to kiss me again?""I am not thinking about kissing you," I snapped. I lowered my voice when a freshman at the next table glared at us. "I'm thinking about how you're going to fail this midterm if you don't stop sketching skulls in your margins."He finally looked up. Those dark eyes were hooded, teasing. He looked entirely too relaxed for someone whose GPA was hanging by a literal thread. After the stunt he pulled yesterday—getting us nearly caught in the equipment shed—I expected him to be at least a little bit shake

POV: AvaThe cafeteria is a sea of noise. Plastic trays clatter. Hundreds of students are talking at once, the sound bouncing off the high ceilings like a physical weight. My heart is doing something erratic in my chest, a frantic drumming that makes it hard to breathe.I shouldn't be here. I should be in the library, finishing my ethics paper or organizing my flashcards. Instead, I’m walking through the double doors with Kai’s hand heavy on my shoulder.He’s limping. It’s subtle, but I can feel the hitch in his stride. Every time his weight shifts, I wince internally. He’s stubborn, arrogant, and currently using his injury as a weapon against my conscience."Everyone is looking," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd."That's the point, Ava," Kai muttered back.He leaned more of his weight on me. His scent—vanilla, sweat, and something metallic like the locker room—wrapped around me. It’s an intoxicating, dizzying mix. People are actually stopping mid-chew.