's

out Ethan Cole up close is

'd been wandering the desert. Shoes squeaked on the hardwood, a whistle shrilled somewhere, and the air smelled faintly of floor polish mixed with the sharp tang of sweat. But

ce is that he knows exa

e we're old pals meeting for coffee instead

ter. "It's Ava. Re

lear he enjoys poking at me. "Right. I wouldn't want

d less like "writing"

o interview students about cafeteria food and pretend like their complaints about mys

sound out as if it's a punch

ect, clicking my pen. "An

notes instead of at the defined abs staring back at me. Lila would kill me if she knew I looked aw

," Eth

tart easy. "How do you feel about

rpens. "Feels

t really a

only one

for more than sound bites. Readers want de

tch the faint scent of his cologne mixed with sweat, clean and distracting. "

peop

your

wn the middle. "My dad is the coach, yes. But I'm n

you

enough to leave a dent. "If you ca

ng his hands like he's surrendering, thou

ow do you feel about b

feels right. I've worked for it. I've ea

dence without apology, and he delivers them like a man who believes every syllabl

st the paper. "Fine. Next question:

in

's not a goal,

he bleachers like he's on break ins

"You know what? Forget it. I'll just use generic quotes from your p

ou're the first reporter to s

ot sto

efinitely

ing unprintable. Behind me, his laugh

ing way too entertained for someone wh

Chronicle is looking for the most

cause of course he th

across my bed, scrolling through her phone like she o

. Tha

of textbooks waiting to guilt-trip me. "He gave me one-word answers.

over her mouth, clea

isn't

You stormed away from the campus golden boy. Ha

nto my pillow. "I can't believe I

t'll get

I'll los

ounded soldier. "If you do, a

a sea of school colours and restless energy. Students chant in waves, the pep band blasts some overly cheerful fight song t

court, Ethan Col

around his rhythm. Every shot swishes, every pass finds its mark. He shouts plays, points, commands, and the others

er. A wince. His hand brushing his knee for just a seco

scoreboard lights up, and the cheer squad wave

ote in my marg

an work w