@jisoosturtler: Ren People assumed being on the varsity basketball team meant you were popular. It wasn't exactly true. People knew my name. They'd congratulate me after games, wave at me in the hallways, or ask how practice went. But most of them only knew Basketball Ren the loud one, the clumsy one, the girl who laughed a little too much. Honestly, I didn't mind. - "Ren." Coach's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "You planning to warm up today?" "I was thinking." Nico snorted beside me. "Dangerous." I tossed my towel at her, earning another laugh. Coach sighed. "Both of you. Move." - The next morning, the only empty seat in English was beside a girl from the journalism club. She already had her notebook open before class even started. She barely noticed anyone around her. When Mr. Salazar asked a question, she raised her hand without hesitation and answered so confidently that I found myself listening to her instead of the lesson. Nico leaned forward from behind me. "You're staring." "I'm listening." "To her." I rolled my eyes. "It's called paying attention." "Whatever helps you sleep at night." - I never learned her name. I only knew she always had a camera slung over one shoulder. Sometimes I'd pass the journalism room and she'd be editing photos. Sometimes she'd be buried in books at the library. Sometimes I'd hear her laugh quietly with her friends before disappearing into another classroom. She probably didn't even know I existed outside of being another basketball player. - A week later, the journalism club came to cover varsity practice. "They're taking pictures for the school paper," Coach explained. Nico nudged me. "Try not to embarrass yourself." "I never embarrass myself." Five minutes later, I missed an easy layup. The ball bounced off the rim. and smacked Nico right in the forehead. The gym fell silent for exactly one second before everyone burst into laughter. "You did that on purpose!" "I was aiming for the hoop!" "You've got terrible aim!" Even Coach looked like he was trying not to laugh. I couldn't stop laughing either. Then my eyes wandered toward the journalism students. The girl with the camera had lowered it. She pressed her lips together, trying so hard not to laugh. and failed. A soft laugh escaped her. For some reason, that only made me laugh harder. - Practice ended, and the journalism club began packing up. I wiped the sweat from my face while pretending not to look their way. "Ren." "Hm?" "Your towel's upside down." I looked down. "Oh." Nico grinned. "You've been 'not looking' over there for the past five minutes." "I've been observing." "Sure you have." Just before the journalism club disappeared into the hallway, the girl slowed down. She turned back. Only for a second. Her eyes landed somewhere on the court. On me? Before I could think about it "Cassia!" Someone called her name. She turned away and hurried after her friend. Cassia. So that was her name. - Cassia "You're awfully quiet." Mira adjusted the camera hanging from her shoulder. "I am?" "You've looked back at the gym twice already." Cassia blinked. "Maybe." She looked down at the photos she'd taken. Most of them were exactly what the article needed. Coach giving instructions. Players running drills. Layups. Defense. Then one photo made her stop. It wasn't the clearest picture. Number Eleven had just accidentally hit her teammate with the basketball and was laughing so hard she was practically doubled over. The photo was slightly blurry. The composition wasn't perfect. But somehow. It felt real. It made Cassia smile without thinking. "What's so funny?" Mira asked. Cassia quickly turned off the screen. "Nothing." "You sure?" She wasn't sure at all. She didn't know the basketball player's name. She only knew that the girl laughed at herself before anyone else could. That she somehow made the whole gym feel lighter. Cassia wasn't looking for her. She wasn't interested. She definitely wasn't curious. But somehow. Whenever they happened to be in the same place... Her eyes found her. Not intentionally. Not yet. Just. Almost. #jenlisa_story #jenlisa #jenlisaau #wlw #fyp

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Thursday 02 July 2026 12:31:49 GMT