Page 70 of Playing Dirty

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He knew it.

I knew he knew it.

But he just nodded once.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’ll come.”

Then he walked past me down the hallway.

And this time—

I didn’t know why it felt like I was the one being left behind.

Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

MASON

I noticed she wasn’t there before I admitted I was looking for her.

That was the problem.

Practice hadn’t even started properly yet, and my eyes had already drifted to the media section out of habit.

Empty seat.

Same row she usually sat in.

No notebook. No camera bag. No quiet presence pretending she wasn’t watching everything.

Nothing.

I looked away immediately.

Too fast.

“Reed,” Coach barked. “Feet moving. You’re late on reads again.”

“I’m fine.”

I wasn’t.

I ran the drill again.

Wrong timing. Half step off.

That never happens.

Ball back in.

I drive. Pass should’ve been clean. It’s not.

Coach whistle cuts sharp through the gym.

“Stop.”

Silence hits harder than noise.

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