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rnament, ever

personal win. It meant points for the finals, a leg up

ing through replays of the m

me. The mo

said, "Nice game." Like

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energy. Someone had posted clips from the tourn

r phone. "You're tren

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t a re

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worth s

her eyes. "

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at you like you c

aking this into something it isn

changed

arship, the sooner I could stop worrying about boys wi

ely held together-one cup of soup, a mountain of r

ared out of nowhere and pl

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. "Do I k

with a grin that

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"Denzel Ramos.

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what, e

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him. "Is t

at?

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t need dares to talk to smart girls. I just

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ost l

mo

he wi

t boys who wink. Esp

TI'

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" Luke replied. "We w

d caught it. "I tried. She stonewalled

d throug

he more I realized I couldn't r

rried herself. Like she owed no one anything. Like she'd see

the crowd. She playe

The look in her eyes. Cold.

again. "I think I'm

ou want,"

idea of him getting her t

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e team. Our coach was out, so the room felt e

pieces. "Want to d

ur

k he'll c

ho

as

d. "Why w

guys like that don't chase

ot a p

ou were. But

d sat w

a

e same curiosity people had when they poke

lickered. Tricycles zipped past. My pho

attention. I w

you crave clarity, the

ht, the ridd

st