Chapter 2: My meeting with Emma

(A few months before the events of Chapter 1)

I had arrived early that morning at school. The silence and calm that filled the halls gave me a sense of freedom, far from the usual stares and judgments. I felt light. Without hesitation, I headed toward the basketball court.

The gym had always been my refuge. It had witnessed my anger, my sadness, but also my moments of joy, hope, and determination. Surrounded by high bleachers and protected by a roof against the rain, it held at its center a court where everything could be decided. Sitting on a bench, I thought deeply about how I could contribute to the team.

I was part of the school’s basketball team, as a substitute. My place was never guaranteed, and a mistake I had made still haunted me.

It had happened during the High School Basketball League championship. Our team had made it to the quarterfinals. I was still on the bench, and with ten minutes left in the game, we were down by ten points. The pressure was enormous. The coach's strategy focused entirely on offense, but I chose to stay back, ready to intervene as a last resort.

One of my teammates, cornered by the defense, passed me the ball. It slipped through my fingers and rolled out of bounds. The ball was given to the opposing team. My heart froze. The disappointed looks from my teammates, the crowd, and the coach weighed down on me. Then the opposing team started scoring again and again, sealing our defeat.

That day, I deeply regretted being selected. Surely there were better players than me. I felt like a fraud, a mistake. Even my friends laughed at me. Since then, driven by shame and the need to redeem myself, I had come to train alone every morning, determined never to relive that humiliation.

It was during those quiet mornings that I noticed her for the first time. Emma. She also came early to train with the dance club. At first, we only exchanged shy, fleeting glances. But over time, our eyes met more frequently, for longer.

Her subtle, almost knowing smile seemed to lighten the weight I carried. There was a gentleness in her gaze I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Without realizing it, that was the beginning of something. A story 

I never saw coming.