Page 170 of Bad Prince

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Grounding.

On the field, they disappear into the tunnel.

Gone.

The game pauses.

The crowd buzzes.

People talk.

Speculate.

Record.

Post.

And I sit there?—

Perfect posture.

Sunglasses on.

Face calm.

Like nothing just cracked open inside me.

Because I chose this.

Didn’t I?

So why?—

Why does it feel like I just watched someone else walk away with something that was mine?

I don’t stay for the rest of the game.

I tell the girls I’ve got film to review.

No one questions it.

Back in my room, the silence is immediate.

I drop my bag by the door, kick off my sneakers.

Sit on the edge of my bed and just… stare. The walls feel too close.

The air feels too still. Like everything is waiting for me to feel something I don’t want to name.

My phone buzzes.

Mamá.

She always knows.

“Hola?”

There’s a pause on the other end.

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