Page 160 of Bad Prince

---

If it doesn’t help me win, it doesn’t deserve my time.

That’s what I tell myself.

And for a while, it works.

Practice gets easier.

Not physically.

Mentally.

Because numb is useful.

I’m quicker in rotation.

Cleaner on serve receive.

Meaner at the net.

Coach notices.

She doesn’t compliment me much, but I catch it in the little things.

A longer look.

A short nod.

My jersey hanging in the first slot before road matches.

I’ve become reliable again.

Predictable.

A machine in spandex with a good GPA.

The girls who wanted my spot stop whispering so much once it’s obvious I’m not giving them anything to work with.

The rumor pages move on too.

Fresh scandals always arrive.

Fresh faces.

Fresh hookups.

Fresh athletes to chew up and spit out.

Campus resets faster than people think.

Kane resets too.

That one catches me off guard.

Not because I thought he’d pine.

Kane doesn’t pine. He pivots.

One week he’s eating alone with the team.

---