The familiar thud of basketballs echoed across the outdoor court as Bella approached, her sneakers scuffing against the cracked asphalt. Jake was already there, effortlessly sinking a three-pointer with that casual flick of the wrist he liked to pretend wasn't a flex. Keith was stretching near the sideline, dribbling lazily between his legs just to keep busy.
Bella jogged over and blew a strand of hair away from her face. "Hey, idiots."
Jake caught her eye and grinned, wiping sweat off his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. "Bella! Perfect timing. You're our referee now."
"Nah," Keith said, tossing the ball behind his back to no one in particular. "She's here for emotional support. Probably."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Actually I came to sit quietly and have an existential crisis in peace."
Jake paused, glancing at her more seriously for half a second. "You okay?"
She hesitated. "I needed a break. And maybe… a little advice."
Keith crouched and leaned his forearms on his knees. "About what? Basketball? Your non-existent stretch routine? Or..." he raised his eyebrows dramatically, "your love life."
Jake's grin turned smug. "Let me guess. The kiss?"
Keith made a cartoonish ooooh sound and elbowed him. "She finally talks and it's about Yunho. We called it."
Bella groaned and dropped onto the rickety metal bench by the court. "You two are literally the worst."
"Correction," Jake said, spinning the ball on his finger, "we are the best listeners you know."
"Okay, maybe not the best listeners," Keith coughed, "but definitely the most entertaining."
Jake threw Keith a look. "Semantics."
Bella pressed her palms to her face, muffled. "I hate this conversation already."
"So… was it fireworks or a courtesy kiss?" Keith asked with a straight face.
Keith's eyes lit up suddenly. "Speaking of which, have I told you guys about my latest kiss?"
Bella groaned. "Please don't."
That only fueled him. Keith crouched in front of the bench like he was about to deliver a secret operation debrief. "Bro. I swear on my life, behind the science block. This girl from 11G literally yanked me by the collar. She said, 'You smell like danger and you are so hot on the track.' Then she bit my lip so hard I tasted metal. I think that's when I fell in love."
Jake stared. "What is wrong with you."
But Keith wasn't even halfway done. He leaned in, whisper-shouting. "And then she said, listen to this, she said 'Your pain is my foreplay.' I didn't know if I should kiss her or do something more. I was so turned on."
Bella covered her face with both hands. "Stop. Right now."
Jake clutched his chest dramatically. "I feel spiritually unclean."
Keith spread his arms proudly. "I saw stars, man. Real stars. I thought I had ascended."
Bella tried to choke down a laugh. "You probably ascended because you were losing blood."
Jake finally tossed the ball at Keith's stomach just to shut him up, but he just caught it, grinning like someone who had zero shame left in his life.
"Anyway," he said with a satisfied sigh, "your turn, Bella. Make it spicy."
"Yeah," Jake added, eyes sparkling, "did he whisper sweet nothings or just burp by accident?"
Bella tried to glare but cracked, a smile breaking through. "Fine. Fine. Picture this: I was trying to stay all composed, and then out of nowhere I basically—" she paused, cheeks heating a bit, "felt him up."
Jake practically choked on air. "You WHAT?"
Keith doubled over laughing and pointed at her. "Bella. You menace."
Bella raised both hands defensively but couldn't stop laughing. "In my defense, I was trying to find something to hang onto. Like a seatbelt. A seatbelt made of abs."
Jake wheezed. "A seatbelt made of abs. I can't believe you just said that."
Keith wiped fake tears from his eye, grinning. "You're a quiet girl by day, abs grabber by night. You should have reached somewhere lower…" and guffawed to himself.
"Great," Bella muttered, burying her face in her hands. "This is my legacy."
Jake ignoring Keith, more serious now. "Okay, jokes aside though… what's going on with you?"
Bella's smile faded slowly. She stared ahead at the court, chewing at her lip. "I don't even know. After that day, he didn't text me. Not all weekend. Then at lunch today, he was laughing and hanging out like nothing happened."
Keith shrugged calmly. "Classic guy behaviour. Probably thinks 'we kissed' means everything's done."
Jake leaned forward, nodding. "And I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks you just magically know he likes you without doing anything else to prove it."
Bella twisted a loose thread on her sleeve. "That's just it. I like him. A lot, actually. But I'm scared I'm just one nice chapter in his busy life before he gets bored."
Jake sighed. "Okay, first of all, ouch."
Keith added, "Second of all, that's brutal but valid."
Bella couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "You guys aren't helping."
Jake nudged her shoulder. "Fine, real talk. You got two options: one, tell him how you feel and demand clarity. Two, pull back and make him realise he actually has to work a little."
Keith gave a lazy nod. "Or three, kill him and eat his heart to absorb his power."
Jake stared. "Please stop talking to Emily. Something's wrong with you."
Bella laughed despite herself. "Honestly, option three is the most tempting."
Jake pointed at her. "Seriously though, what did you end up doing?"
Bella inhaled, then exhaled. "I told him to try harder."
Both boys flinched in unison.
Jake dragged a hand down his face. "Ouch. Direct hit."
Keith whistled. "He's either going to rise to the challenge or die under the pressure."
Bella shrugged, leaning back. "If he quits over that… then that's my answer, isn't it?"
Jake whistled, "Atta girl."
Keith tossed the ball toward her gently. "Now shoot something. Because that pep talk drained my soul."
Bella caught the ball with a small smile and stood. "Only if you rebound."
Jake looked between them, smirking. "Look at our girl. Emotional crisis and trash-talking. Balance."
The sun was starting to set behind the court fences as Bella dribbled once and took a shot. It bounced off the rim, but Jake caught it before it could roll away.
"One step at a time," he said with a shrug. "Next one goes in."
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