Chapter 3

My father pushed the door open. He walked in, patted my shoulder, and said with a smile, "Emily has always been a top student. She is Ivy League material—changing schools won't change that. It's just a different place for her to shine.

"Next week, I'll handle your transfer. Forget about Ryan. We're done with him. With how outstanding you are, you'll have no trouble finding someone better.

"It's perfect, really. The three of us can start fresh somewhere new."

My father knew everything about me and Ryan. My mother was always so indecisive, so I only ever told my father about the stuff between me and Ryan.

My mother let out a sigh. "You two were so close growing up. How did it end up like this?"

My father wrapped one arm around her and the other around me and said proudly, "Well, not every man out there can love one woman for a lifetime like your dad does."

My mother shot him a look. "Listen to you brag."

My father burst out laughing, and honestly, it lifted my spirits a lot.

*****

The weekend flew by. Monday was the school's annual winter sports meet, and I'd planned to say goodbye to my classmates that morning.

But as soon as I reached the classroom door, a few girls from the basketball team who'd been waiting ages for me grabbed me and dragged me away.

There was a game that morning. It was our school team versus the training team. It was also the opening match for the sports meet, and the captain of the training team was Jessica.

During warm-ups, Ryan showed up early with two bottles of water.

A teammate nudged me and teased, "The game hasn't even started, and Ryan's already here with water for you."

I let out a small laugh. "As if I'd be that lucky."

After all, we hadn't spoken in a month.

Even though I said that, deep down, I still couldn't help but hope. We'd grown up together and shared so many years. If he bought two bottles, surely one of them was meant for me.

Ryan didn't stop in front of me. He walked right past without even glancing my way.

He headed straight for Jessica, smiling as he handed her both bottles of water. "These are for you. Drink one before the game to warm up your throat, and the other after you win."

A few of my teammates and basically everyone around who knew me—all turned to look at me.

Everyone knew Ryan and I had grown up together. And since I ranked first in the whole school and he was second, even the homeroom teacher never bothered getting involved in whatever was going on between us, as long as it didn't affect our grades.

But now, seeing Ryan being all thoughtful with another girl, acting all sweet and close with her, everyone looked at me with a mix of pity and nosy curiosity.

At this moment, I felt like the biggest joke in the room.

I steadied myself and took a long breath.

It didn't matter anymore. This was going to be my last game here anyway. Once my father finished the transfer process, I'd be gone. None of this would have anything to do with me.

The game started.

Even though I'd improved a lot in the past three years, Jessica had been playing basketball since she was a kid. Her athletic ability was practically on par with the boys.

Both teams kept scoring, staying close the whole time.

Soon it was the final quarter. We were two points behind Jessica's team, and there were only three seconds left on the clock.

My teammates knew I had the best long-range shot on the team, so they passed the ball to me.

I caught it, found my angle, and got ready to shoot.

But Jessica jumped up on purpose and slammed her knee into mine.

A sharp pain shot through my leg. The ball flew off-target, and I hit the floor hard.