Third shot: Swish. The ball kissed the front of the rim, rolled around the circumference once, then dropped through as gently as a needle through cloth.
“Hey,” Allie said.
Allie Adams stood frozen near the sideline. Her mouth opened, then closed. She felt something strange—not jealousy, not anger. Something sharper and sweeter. Relief. allie adams let me try
For three seconds, no one moved. Then the bench erupted. Coach Harris blinked twice, looked at his clipboard, then back at Mia, who was already jogging to the defensive end. Third shot: Swish
“Where’d that come from?”
The gym went quiet. Not the respectful quiet of a close game—the curious, sideways quiet of a dare. rolled around the circumference once