Page 391 of Playing Dirty

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“You need to talk to her less,” he said.

I frowned. “Why?”

“Because everything you say is now part of something else.”

“That’s not how communication works.”

“Right now it is,” he said.

That annoyed me.

But I couldn’t fully argue it.

Because every conversation lately felt like it was being interpreted by someone else.

Coach joined us briefly.

“Reed,” he said. “Focus stays inside the court.”

I nodded.

But even I knew that was impossible now.

My phone buzzed.

Rowan.

Rowan:

I think they’re trying to turn us into a storyline.

I stared at that.

Then replied:

Mason:

They already did.

ROWAN

Serena was pacing again.

That meant she was building a theory.

“I think this is intentional,” she said.

“Everything is intentional in your mind.”

“No,” she said. “I mean structured pressure.”

I looked at her.

“What does that mean?”

“It means someone benefits from the narrative.”

I paused.

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