Lola POV
I would recognize that voice anywhere.
Even in a crowd. Even with my heart racing and my thoughts crashing into each other like waves in a storm.
The way he said my name—Sinclair—like it was both a question and a dare.
I turned around slowly, already knowing who it was.
Jace Reyes.
He stood there just inside the locker room door, the noise of the gym muffled behind him. The lights cast soft shadows on his face, his eyes darker than usual, his brows furrowed like he was worried.
Worried about me.
I tried to hold myself together, to keep my chin up, but the tears were already threatening to spill. My eyes were hot, my throat tight, my body too tense from all the emotions I’d been trying to bottle up since the first serve of the match.
Jace took two steps toward me.
And then, without warning, he reached out and cupped my face in his hands.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly, his voice low but urgent.
I flinched. My instinct was to push him away, to pull back into my cold shell, but I couldn’t. I just… froze.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, shrugging weakly, though the crack in my voice made it clear I was lying. “Just—just leave me alone.”
But he didn’t. He didn’t move. Didn’t let go. “No,” he said, his tone firmer now. “Are you really alright?”
Something about the way he said it—like he meant it, like he could see straight through me—made the ache in my chest snap wide open.
“Fuck it, Jace,” I whispered, swallowing hard. “Leave me alone.”
But I didn’t push him away. And that scared me more than anything. Because I didn’t know what I was feeling anymore.
The fact that he—Jace Reyes—cared about me? That he came after me? It messed with my head. It scared me. Because he wasn’t supposed to be that person.
My brother should’ve been the one running after me. My brother should be the one grabbing my face and asking if I’m okay. Asking if his little sister—his partner on court—is still holding it together.
But he didn’t.
He was somewhere with Darla, laughing like nothing mattered. And Jace… Jace was here. I looked up at him, his hands still warm on my face.
“You’ve been giving your all out there,” he said, quietly.
I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah, well… it’s not enough, is it? Not when my partner’s head is somewhere else.”
Jace didn’t interrupt. He just let me talk. Let me break.
“I mean, he’s there physically. He’s on the court. But mentally? Emotionally? He’s not with me. He’s not playing like he used to. He’s not fighting like he used to. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore, Jace.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, the tears slipping out now, hot against my skin. “He’s my brother. My teammate. My everything. And I’m out there alone.”
Jace’s voice came after a pause, quiet, deliberate. “Maybe… you need a new partner.”
That made me look up. Right into his eyes. And for a second, I forgot everything. The rivalry. The scholarship. The history. The rules we both swore to live by. There was just silence. And him.
And me.
And then… we kissed.
It was sudden and soft and filled with every unspoken word I’d never let myself say.
His lips were warm and tasted faintly like peppermint gum and adrenaline. His hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me steady as if I’d shatter if he let go.
And for a second—I didn’t feel angry. I didn’t feel broken. I didn’t feel alone.
I felt… wanted. Needed. Seen. But before I could even understand what was happening, voices echoed from the hallway.
Panic surged through me like a lightning bolt.
“Oh my god,” I gasped, pulling back sharply.
I shoved Jace backward—fast—his back hitting the wall beside the janitor’s closet.
“In here!” I whispered, heart racing, pushing him into the small, dark closet and slamming the door shut before he could even protest.
I turned around just as my teammates came rushing down the hallway.
“Lola!” Bree called. “Are you okay? We were looking everywhere for you.”
I blinked rapidly, my cheeks still flushed, lips still tingling. “Y-Yeah. I’m… I’m fine.”