She got to the hallway, but she didn't see anyone.The echo of sneakers squeaking against polished gym floors thundered before Aria even opened the double doors.

She pushed them apart and stumbled into the gym, her breath still uneven from running, her hair damp and clinging to her temples.

All eyes focused on her.

A wave of whispers rose instantly

“There she is.”

“Scholarship girl is late.”

Maybe her former school never taught her punctuality.”

“She was probably hiding in the bathroom, crying.”

Aria’s fingers dug into the hem of her borrowed uniform, fighting the urge to run out of the gym.

Coach Hernandez blew his whistle sharply. “New girl! What time do we start?”

Aria swallowed hard. “Two o’clock, sir.”

The coach waved his clipboard. “And what time is it now?”

“Two, I'm ten minutes late,” she whispered.

His mustache fluffed out in annoyance

“That’s not acceptable. First day or not, rules are rules. You cost your team ten minutes.”

The audience burst into laughter.

Jason cupped his hands around his mouth. “Yeah, Coach, maybe she thought we were on Lopez Standard Time.”

The room erupted with another round of laughter. Even Vanessa joined, her laughter was high pitched

The coach barked, “Enough.” His eyes narrowed on Aria, then he turned and scanned the teams lined up. “Fine. Lopez, you’re with Team A.”

The gym buzzed with hushed tones, making Aria's anxiety spike

Team A. That's Damian’s team.

Damian himself stood near the hoop, spinning a basketball in his palm lazily. His head lifted at the sound of his name, and his sharp eyes found her immediately.

He threw the ball, and he caught it with a small, triumphant smile flickered across his face.

Vanessa slid an arm through his, tilting her head toward Aria with a mock pout. “Oh no, poor thing. You’ll have to carry her, baby.”

Damian didn’t answer. He just kept staring, the ball balanced perfectly against his fingertips, the smirk on his face twisted into a sly grin

Aria forced her legs to move,the soft hum of gossip followed her across the gym

When she reached the team’s bench, Jason leaned close, his grin was edged with menace. “Better keep up, Lopez. If you drag us down”

He made a chopping motion with his hand.

The whistle blew.

“Warm up!” coach Hernandez barked.

The sound of sneakers on the tile filled the gym as the players spread out across the court. Damian dribbled lazily as usual. Jason tossed a ball from hand to hand, grinning as he jogged in circles around Aria.

Aria bent to stretch, hoping her hands would not shake. “Just keep your head down. Just keep moving.” She muttered to herself

But the moment she straightened up, Jason slammed his shoulder into hers.

She staggered sideways, she quickly leaned on the wall beside her.

“Watch it!” she snapped before she could stop herself.

Jason smirked, spinning his ball on one finger. “Relax, Lopez. I'm just warming up. I got to toughen you up if you’re gonna run with us.”

The others laughed.

One of the girls called out, “Careful Jason,she might break. Scholarship babies are fragile.”

Aria’s cheeks ignited with embarrassment. She jogged to her spot in the drill, forcing her legs to keep moving, and refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing her stop.

But Jason wasn’t finished. Each time the ball passed her way, he darted in close, clipping her arm or brushing her shoulder hard enough to throw her off balance.

“Oops,” he said lazily after knocking the ball from her hands. “It slipped right out. Oh my bad.”

People who saw what happened laughed. Even the coach, who was preoccupied with his clipboard, didn’t notice.

Aria gritted her teeth, she promised herself to keep control of the ball the next time it came her way. Her palms were slick with sweat; her chest tightened each time Jason leaned closer to her.

“Dead weight,” someone muttered from behind her.

“Charity case,” another added.

She refused to lose focus,and shortly the ball came her way. Jason got close to her. Her grip slipped and the ball rolled across the floor.

Snickers rippled through the team.

Jason bent down to snatch it up before she could reach it. He spun it in his hands, then looked at Damian with a grin. “Yo, man, remind me why we got stuck with her again?”

All eyes shifted to Damian.

He leaned against the hoop,his arms crossed, the basketball tucked under one arm. His gaze shifted to Aria slowly.

A sly smile spread from the corner of his mouth. “Because every team needs a weak link,” he said flatly.

His words stung her more than the pain from the impact Jason's shoulder hitting her.

Jason patted him on the back, cackling, “Exactly! She’s our handicap.”

Aria’s throat burned. Her fists tightened at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. But she said nothing.

From the audience, someone shifted in the seat. Aria noticed eyes on her.

The whistle shrilled.

“Play!” Coach barked, already back to pacing the sideline with his clipboard.

Jason moved faster towards her and pushed her, Aria lost balance and fell down amidst laughter from her classmates.

She looked around,no help was coming. She forced herself to stand up, her knees throbbing from the fall, her shoelaces loose and dragging now that she’d yanked them apart. She wiped her palms on her shorts, her throat felt tight.

Jason caught the inbound pass, dribbled twice, then flung the ball directly at her.

“Catch!” he shouted.

The pass wasn’t meant to be caught. It slammed into her stomach.

She gasped, breath knocked out of her. Gasping for air, she clutched her stomach as the ball rolled away.

Murmurs arose from corners of the gym.

“She can’t even hold the ball!”

“Scholarship baby’s got glass ribs!”

“She's too weak!”

Jason jogged past her, leaning in just close enough for only her to hear: “I told you, Lopez. Stay on the floor where you belong.”

Her eyes welled up with tears. She straightened up slowly, still catching her breath. For a moment, her body screamed run for the locker room and never look back.

“Stand up.” Damien said coldly.

His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear despite the noise. Everyone stopped talking and turned toward him.

Damian stepped forward, sweat glistening on his neck, with basketball still tucked under his arm. His expression was cold.

“You heard me,” he said, stopping in front of her. “Stand up straight. You’re on my team. Don’t make us look weak.”

The room buzzed, students whispering at the unexpected defense that wasn’t really a defense. His tone was more like a dare than an encouragement.

Aria lifted her head, meeting his eyes for half a second. The smirk there wasn’t cruel not this time. It was sharper, as though testing her, waiting to see if she’d fold.

Her legs trembled, but she squared her shoulders.

“Good,” Damian said, tossing the ball toward Jason. “Again.”

Jason smirked. “With pleasure,my Lord,” he bowed.

The game resumed, and the ball shot from hand to hand. Aria scrambled into position, her heart pounding. Just as Vanessa darted in for the loose ball, she slammed into Aria’s shoulder harder than necessary.

Aria staggered backward, her heel slipping on a slick surface.

She crashed into the benches with a loud thud.

The thud of Aria’s back against the benches echoed through the gym like a gunshot. For a moment, even the laughter quieted.

Coach Hernandez’s whistle shrieked, cutting the air in two. “What the hell is going on over there?”

Aria struggled to stand up, her breath came in short, quick pants. Pain shot through her shoulder blade, but worse than that was the humiliation, every pair of eyes focused on her.

With a fierce expression, the coach crossed the floor, clipboard held tightly, his mustache bristling with annoyance.“Lopez! Explain yourself.”

Aria opened her mouth to answer, someone else spoke.

“She slipped, Coach.”Vanessa’s voice cut in, honey-sweet.

She stepped forward, one hand brushing her ponytail back, her expression all innocent. “I saw it. Her shoes were untied. She lost her balance.”

A wave of stifled laughter rolled across the gym.

“Again?” Jason said loudly. “Someone get her sticky straps before she hurts herself.”

The laughter flared again.

Aria’s throat worked, but no sound came out. If she argues, it’ll only make it worse. If she stays quiet, she'll look weak.

Coach sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. “Lopez, pull yourself together. You’re wasting practice. If you can’t stay on your feet, maybe you don’t belong on the court.”

A sharp pang stabbed her chest at his words. She forced herself to nod, biting the inside of her cheek until the copper taste of blood filled her mouth.

Damian leaned casually against the hoop, his arms crossed. His eyes locked on her again,he just looked at her and said nothing.

And on the benches, Ethan’s pen hovered over his notebook but didn’t move. His hand tightened slightly, his knuckles became pale, before he turned a page in silence.

The coach blew his whistle again. “Back to your position! We’re wasting daylight.”

The players jogged past her, each smirk and snicker cut deeply into her like a blade dragged across skin. Aria bent, retied her shoes with stiff fingers, and forced herself back into line.

But her chest ached with a thought she couldn’t shake. No one here is ever going to give her a fair chance. No one is ever going to be friends with her.

Jason leans close to Damian and whispers loud enough for Aria to hear, "I bet she won’t last five minutes before crying.”

Damian’s smirk sharpens and his eyes darted back to Aria, “You’re being generous,” he murmured back, loud enough for Jason and half the front row to hear. “I say three.Let's see”.