Later that day during PE, the coach clapped his hands and shouted,
"Alright! Today we're doing mixed teams — boys and girls. Let's have some fun!"
The class buzzed with excitement... and nervousness.
And somehow, by the luck of the universe (or maybe fate messing around),
Brandston and Audrey Lawson ended up on the same team.
Joel, sitting injured on the sidelines with an ice pack (thanks to Allan last time), saw it and immediately started hyping it up — silently throwing imaginary confetti in the air like some overexcited fanboy.
"Let's gooooooo, lover boy!" Joel mouthed dramatically, making kissy faces.
Brandston just shook his head with a half-smirk, pretending not to notice Joel's madness.
He wasn't about to blow this moment acting weird.
The game started, and Brandston stayed calm.
No show-off moves.
No crazy dunks.
Just clean team play.
Every time he had the chance, he passed the ball to Audrey — not in a desperate way, but like he genuinely trusted her on the court.
Audrey?
She was good.
Not flashy, but smart.
Fast on her feet, clean passes, decent shot.
Not the best player out there, but she didn't care about looking good.
She just played because she liked it.
And that alone made her stand out even more.
Then it happened.
Midway through the game, Allan — obviously pissed that Brandston was getting attention again — decided he wasn't going to let things go smooth.
When Brandston passed the ball gently toward Audrey, Allan pretended to try to intercept it but "accidentally" slammed the ball right into Audrey's face.
Thwack!
The gym went dead silent for a second.
Audrey stumbled back, dropping the ball, rubbing her forehead.
Joel literally dropped his ice pack in horror.
Brandston's eyes widened — he was already moving toward her.
But guess who got there first?
Allan.
"Oh nooo, you okay?" Allan said, fake-concern plastered all over his face as he helped Audrey up like he was some kind of knight.
He even brushed imaginary dust off her shoulder, milking the moment like a soap opera actor.
Joel, from the sidelines, whispered loudly:
"Bro's tryna be a Disney prince right now."
Brandston almost rolled his eyes into another dimension.
Audrey, being Audrey, just gave Allan a flat look and said,
"I'm fine,"
in a tone so dry it could've started a desert.
She dusted herself off and walked right past Allan — straight to Brandston, who was standing awkwardly with the ball.
That's when it happened.
As she grabbed the ball from Brandston's hands, she looked at him for the first time — really looked at him — and said with a small, confident smirk,
"You're good. But don't think I need your help out there."
Her voice was calm, smooth, and sure of herself.
No fake sweetness.
Just realness.
Brandston blinked, caught off guard for once.
Then he smiled — a real one, the kind he rarely showed — and asked:
"What's your name, anyway?"
She paused for a second, wiping the sweat off her forehead with a towel.
Then she simply said:
"Audrey. Audrey Lawson."
Audrey.
The name dropped into his chest like a stone in still water — sending ripples everywhere.
As she jogged back onto the court, tossing the ball over her shoulder with ease, Brandston just stood there for a second, the name repeating over and over in his mind.
Joel, from the sidelines, called out:
"You alive, lover boy? Blink twice if you need help!"
while pretending to dial 911.
Brandston chuckled to himself and shook his head.
One thing was clear — this girl was different.
She wasn't falling for him like the others.
And somehow...
He was completely okay with that.
Maybe even a little excited.
Audrey Lawson.
Yeah...
She was going to change everything.