"You came early, Bianca," I remarked, finally coming up to her.

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure I caught you before your practice," Bianca replied, adjusting the strap of her gym bag.

"It was pretty quiet without you on Friday," I confessed, hoping she'd notice the sincerity in my tone.

Bianca smiled softly. "I missed being with you too."

"We finished practice with the girls already. I let them off early to rest before the game."

I sighed. "Are you heading home?" The question came out with a hint of disappointment.

Bianca shook her head. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss your first practice for anything. Looks like your crew's coming here. Alisha stayed to. She and I would love to check out the action."

She brushed her bracelet against mine before heading over to the bench where Lamar's sister was waiting. Alisha waved at me enthusiastically.

"Damn, Ishani's here too," I grumbled under my breath.

I had a feeling she'd want to scope out Lamar, her latest crush, but I hoped she'd be up for hitting the mall instead, gearing up for Bianca's birthday bash.

A wave of sadness washed over me. Bianca still hadn't extended an invite. I get it, we're not exactly BFFs, and maybe her guest list was already maxed out, but I was holding out hope.

"What's with the long face?" Ishani asked, joining me with a grin. She'd clearly struck up a conversation with Lamar.

"Just pre-practice nerves," I replied with a forced smile.

Ishani shot a quick glance towards the bench where Alisha and Bianca were sitting.

"Yeah, could do without those cheerleaders," she muttered with a frown.

I tuned out Ishani's chatter as my attention was drawn to Bianca pulling my black jacket out of her gym bag and slipping it on. I totally forgot about my notorious jacket. A rush of warmth flooded my chest. The fact that she was wearing it made my heart flutter.

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