Chapter 4

The next day was the high school basketball championship. The court was packed.

I went to watch Ethan play.

Holding the doll, I found a quiet corner in the bleachers.

Ethan looked incredibly hot on the court.

Sweat dripped down his sharp jawline, his jersey clinging to his back, outlining his muscular frame.

When he jumped to shoot, his arm muscles tensed, and the ball traced a perfect arc through the air—

Swish. Nothing but net.

The crowd erupted.

The buzzer sounded. Game over. Ethan’s team won.

He bent over, hands on his knees, catching his breath. He was drenched in sweat, radiating pure heat.

Just then, a figure pushed past me.

Brooke was running toward him with a cold bottle of water.

"Ethan! Drink some water!"

She ran so fast that right before she reached him, she tripped over nothing—

And fell straight toward his chest.

[Ugh, this cliché b*tch again!]

[That fake fall was so obvious, oh my god!]

[Did he catch her? Please tell me he didn't!]

[Chloe, what are you doing? Go mark your territory!]

My heart jumped into my throat.

But—

Ethan took a swift step aside, completely dodging her.

Brooke hit empty air, stumbling a few steps before catching her balance. Her face was a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Ethan! I almost fell, and you didn't even catch me?"

Ethan stood up straight and looked at her coldly.

"You seem to be standing just fine."

Brooke bit her lip and offered the water again. "Just take the water. You must be thirsty."

"No thanks, I brought my own."

He walked over to the bench, picked up his own hydro flask, and took a swig.

Brooke stood there frozen, her hand holding the bottle mid-air.

A few students nearby started snickering.

[HAHAHAHA, I'm dead!]

[Good job, Ethan!]

[Her face turned literally green!]

[Chloe, your turn! Go!]

I took a deep breath, held the doll, and walked over to him.

"Ethan."

He turned, blinking in surprise. "Chloe? What are you doing here?"

I lifted the doll and tapped his arm with it.

"Brought you some water."

He looked down, a small smile finally breaking on his face.

"Water? Where is it?"

I pulled a bottle of room-temperature water from my bag.

"Here."

Without a second thought, he snatched it, opened it, and drank half of it.

Brooke's expression grew even uglier.

"Ethan, didn't you say you brought your own water?"

Ethan capped the bottle and said indifferently:

"My sister brought this. It's different."

[Ahhhhh, I'm screaming!]

[He knows exactly what to say!]

[Chloe wins this round!]

[Brooke's face must be burning so hard right now, lmao!]

My cheeks felt hot. I quickly looked down to organize my bag.

Ethan reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Let's go. I'll buy you dinner."

"Oh... okay."

I followed him. As we passed Brooke, she glared at me like she wanted to kill me.

I just flashed her a sweet smile.

Sorry, sweetie. I won this round.