All Chapters of Falling for the Bad Boy Athlete: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

KaiThe roar of the crowd is usually the only thing I need. It’s a physical weight, a wall of sound that hits you when you step onto the court. Tonight, after the final whistle blew and the championship trophy was hoisted into the air, that sound should have been everything. My teammates are screaming, throwing jerseys, and acting like we just conquered the world. And we did. But for the first time in my life, the victory feels hollow because the one person who actually knows the man behind the jersey isn't standing next to me.I scan the bleachers. The sea of blue and gold is a blur of faces. Everyone wants a piece of the star athlete. They want the "Bad Boy" who led them to a title. Do they care about the guy who stayed up late studying the history of literature because he didn't want to let his tutor down? No. They want the highlight reel."Kai! Look at the camera, man!" The coach yells, pulling me toward the center of the court.I'm moving, but I'm not really there. My heart is th

AvaThe air in the university ballroom felt thick, smelling of expensive perfume and the suffocating weight of my parents' expectations. I looked at my mother, whose smile didn't reach her eyes. She was busy talking to a dean about my "future internship" as if I weren't standing right there."You look beautiful, Ava," my father said, though he spent more time checking his watch than looking at me. "This is a big night. Don't let that athlete's distraction ruin it."By distraction, he meant Kai. The man who had spent the last hour across the room, wearing a suit like he was born for it but looking like he wanted to bolt. He kept catching my eye, offering a small, supportive nod whenever my mother’s voice got too shrill."He isn't a distraction, Dad," I said. My voice was steady. That was new. A few months ago, I would have just nodded and swallowed my tongue."He’s a risk to your scholarship," Mom chimed in, turning away from the dean. "We didn't sacrifice everything for you to throw i

KaiThe gym smelled like sweat, expensive floor wax, and the kind of victory that usually makes a man feel like a god. The championship trophy sat on a pedestal under the bright rafters. People were screaming my name. My teammates were jumping around like idiots, drenching each other in Gatorade. This was the moment I’d spent three years chasing. It was the "Game On" I’d lived for.So, why did I feel like I was looking for something else?I scanned the sea of faces in the bleachers. I didn't care about the scouts or the boosters. I was looking for a girl who usually tried to blend into the back row with a textbook in her lap.There she was. Ava.She stood near the exit, looking like she was ready to bolt. She always did that. She’d show up for me, but she never wanted the spotlight. She looked beautiful and completely out of place in her Crestwood hoodie. My heart did that stupid double-thump it only does for her. It was better than any buzzer-beater."Kai! Get over here for the photo

KaiThe locker room smells like the same old cocktail of sweat, expensive body spray, and victory. It’s a scent that used to be my entire world. Usually, after a win like this, I’d be the loudest one here. I’d be standing on a bench, shouting over the music, basking in the glory of another trophy. But today, the noise feels distant. My ears are still ringing with the roar of the crowd, but my heart is beating a different rhythm.I sat on the wooden bench, my jersey damp against my skin. My lungs were burning. We won. Crestwood University finally took the championship. I should be ecstatic, right? By the way, I am. But it’s not because of the scoreboard. It’s because of the girl who was standing in the front row, wearing my jersey and screaming like her life depended on it."Yo, Kai! Big moves out there, man!"I looked up. My teammates were high-fiving, shoving each other, and planning the after-party. A few months ago, I would have been the first one out the door to find the nearest k

AvaThe gym is loud. It’s a physical weight, a wall of sound that vibrates in my chest. Crestwood University hasn't seen a win like this in a decade. The air smells like sweat, popcorn, and that electric charge of a crowd that just witnessed a miracle.On the court, Kai is the center of the universe. He’s breathless, his jersey clinging to his skin, hair a tangled mess of dark curls. He looks alive. Really alive. The trophy is in his hands, but his eyes are scouring the bleachers. He’s looking for me.I’m standing near the exit, my heart doing gymnastics. For months, I’ve been the girl in the shadows. The scholarship student who stayed within the lines. The girl who followed every rule because the stakes were too high to lose. But looking at him now, I realize the biggest risk isn't losing my funding. It’s losing the person who taught me how to breathe.“Go to him,” Sarah nudges me, her voice barely audible over the chanting. She’s grinning, that wild, supportive look in her eyes. “St