I FELL IN LOVE WITH MY SISTER’S EX
Episode 4 – The First Spark
The basketball gym buzzed with the sounds of squeaking sneakers, bouncing balls, and coaches shouting over the noise. I wasn’t usually here—sports were Maya’s world, not mine—but Janelle had dragged me along, insisting the team tryouts were the event of the week.
“Besides,” she whispered as we squeezed onto the bleachers, “you know exactly who’s trying out.”
I pretended to roll my eyes, but my pulse already gave me away. Adrian.
Sure enough, he walked onto the court like he’d been born there—confident, sharp, every movement fluid. The whispers around us swelled, girls leaning forward to watch him stretch, guys muttering about how he’d been the team’s star before transferring out.
When the scrimmage started, Adrian was a storm. Fast, ruthless, unpredictable. Every shot he made looked effortless, every pass clean. The coach kept nodding, impressed.
And I… I couldn’t look away.
“Clara.” Janelle jabbed me with her elbow. “You’re literally drooling.”
“I am not!” I whispered back, cheeks heating. But my denial fell flat the second Adrian looked up at the stands—directly at me.
Our eyes locked. His lips curled into the faintest smirk, like he knew exactly what effect he had on me. Then, without breaking eye contact, he sank a three-pointer from near half-court. The gym erupted in cheers.
I felt my heart thud so hard I thought people could hear it.
After practice, the crowd poured out of the gym, but Janelle and I lingered. She was fishing for gossip about one of the cheerleaders, and I was still trying to steady my heartbeat.
That’s when a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Didn’t think this was your scene.”
I spun, and there he was—Adrian, sweaty, towel slung around his neck, his grin lazy but eyes sharp. Up close, the energy he carried felt almost dangerous, like standing near a flame.
“I—I just came with Janelle,” I stammered, gesturing vaguely. “She wanted to watch.”
He tilted his head, amusement flickering. “But you stayed.”
My throat tightened. “Well, you were—um—you played well.”
His grin widened. “So you were watching.”
Before I could sputter a reply, Maya’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Clara. What are you doing here?”
My sister stood at the gym entrance, arms crossed, eyes narrowing at Adrian like he was a virus she was determined to kill.
“I came with Janelle,” I said quickly. “We were just leaving.”
Maya ignored me, stepping closer to Adrian. “Stay away from her. I mean it.”
Adrian’s jaw ticked, but his grin didn’t falter. “Relax, Princess. We were just talking.”
Maya’s glare sharpened. “You don’t talk to my sister. Ever.”
Something in the way she said my sister made my stomach twist. Like I was some fragile possession she had to protect—or control.
Adrian’s eyes flicked to me briefly, then back to Maya. His voice was calm, almost taunting. “Funny. She doesn’t look like she needs protecting.”
Before Maya could explode, Janelle grabbed my arm. “We should go,” she hissed.
I let her drag me out, my mind a storm. Adrian’s smirk. Maya’s warning. The way my chest felt like it was burning when he looked at me.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. My sketchbook lay open, and without meaning to, I found myself drawing the sharp curve of a grin, the messy strands of hair falling over dark eyes.
I snapped the book shut, pressing my hand against the cover like I could erase what I’d done.
But the truth was already clear—
Somewhere between that smirk and that three-pointer, something had sparked. And I wasn’t sure I could put it out.
To be continued....
Episode 4 – The First Spark
The basketball gym buzzed with the sounds of squeaking sneakers, bouncing balls, and coaches shouting over the noise. I wasn’t usually here—sports were Maya’s world, not mine—but Janelle had dragged me along, insisting the team tryouts were the event of the week.
“Besides,” she whispered as we squeezed onto the bleachers, “you know exactly who’s trying out.”
I pretended to roll my eyes, but my pulse already gave me away. Adrian.
Sure enough, he walked onto the court like he’d been born there—confident, sharp, every movement fluid. The whispers around us swelled, girls leaning forward to watch him stretch, guys muttering about how he’d been the team’s star before transferring out.
When the scrimmage started, Adrian was a storm. Fast, ruthless, unpredictable. Every shot he made looked effortless, every pass clean. The coach kept nodding, impressed.
And I… I couldn’t look away.
“Clara.” Janelle jabbed me with her elbow. “You’re literally drooling.”
“I am not!” I whispered back, cheeks heating. But my denial fell flat the second Adrian looked up at the stands—directly at me.
Our eyes locked. His lips curled into the faintest smirk, like he knew exactly what effect he had on me. Then, without breaking eye contact, he sank a three-pointer from near half-court. The gym erupted in cheers.
I felt my heart thud so hard I thought people could hear it.
After practice, the crowd poured out of the gym, but Janelle and I lingered. She was fishing for gossip about one of the cheerleaders, and I was still trying to steady my heartbeat.
That’s when a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Didn’t think this was your scene.”
I spun, and there he was—Adrian, sweaty, towel slung around his neck, his grin lazy but eyes sharp. Up close, the energy he carried felt almost dangerous, like standing near a flame.
“I—I just came with Janelle,” I stammered, gesturing vaguely. “She wanted to watch.”
He tilted his head, amusement flickering. “But you stayed.”
My throat tightened. “Well, you were—um—you played well.”
His grin widened. “So you were watching.”
Before I could sputter a reply, Maya’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Clara. What are you doing here?”
My sister stood at the gym entrance, arms crossed, eyes narrowing at Adrian like he was a virus she was determined to kill.
“I came with Janelle,” I said quickly. “We were just leaving.”
Maya ignored me, stepping closer to Adrian. “Stay away from her. I mean it.”
Adrian’s jaw ticked, but his grin didn’t falter. “Relax, Princess. We were just talking.”
Maya’s glare sharpened. “You don’t talk to my sister. Ever.”
Something in the way she said my sister made my stomach twist. Like I was some fragile possession she had to protect—or control.
Adrian’s eyes flicked to me briefly, then back to Maya. His voice was calm, almost taunting. “Funny. She doesn’t look like she needs protecting.”
Before Maya could explode, Janelle grabbed my arm. “We should go,” she hissed.
I let her drag me out, my mind a storm. Adrian’s smirk. Maya’s warning. The way my chest felt like it was burning when he looked at me.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. My sketchbook lay open, and without meaning to, I found myself drawing the sharp curve of a grin, the messy strands of hair falling over dark eyes.
I snapped the book shut, pressing my hand against the cover like I could erase what I’d done.
But the truth was already clear—
Somewhere between that smirk and that three-pointer, something had sparked. And I wasn’t sure I could put it out.
To be continued....
