The locker room wasn’t loud with laughter or celebration the way it usually was after a game. It was quiet.

Amelia sat hunched over on the wooden bench, her face buried in her hands. Her body shook, not with exhaustion, but with something deeper, heavier. Her breath came in broken gasps, uneven, like someone trying to hold back tears but losing the fight.

Maya stood nearby, frozen. She could feel the moment about to crack open. She had seen Amelia struggle for weeks, maybe months, but she ...