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The sky had opened generously over the school's backyard, rain pouring heavily onto the concrete ground.
Its droplets scattered across their faces, making Lavinia's black hair glisten under the gray light, her eyes wide with shock.
— "W-w-what?!"
Her words came out broken, strangled, when she heard Rocky's confession.
He stepped closer, his face only a breath away from hers, his eyes shining with both seriousness and warmth at once:
— "Just like you heard, Lavinia… I want to date you."
She panicked, her eyebrows shooting up sharply, her voice stumbling out:
— "A-and… why?!"
He smiled shyly, a smile that looked oddly out of place on his usually serious face, and said in a low voice:
— "Because… I really like you."
Heat surged into her cheeks like burning coal, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would break through her chest.
She tried to look away, but his eyes were a magnet pulling her back.
— "L-like me? Since when?"
He lowered his head a little, then said with a hesitant smile:
— "For a long time. I never dared to say it… but I can't hold it in anymore. I want you to be my girlfriend."
His words struck her like lightning, making her tongue heavy with unspoken replies.
Inside her, chaos was roaring:
Why now? Why choose this moment? Why can't I reject him? Am I… am I attracted to him too?
She stood up quickly from where she sat, rain streaming down her face, hiding it with water but her heart betraying her confusion.
She looked at Rocky, still sitting on the ground waiting for her answer, then said in a hesitant voice:
— "I'll tell you later… my answer."
She turned abruptly and ran away, her hands over her face to hide the blush, her tears mixing with the rain.
She stopped after a short distance, placed a hand on her chest, breathing hard:
— "D-d-damn it… my heart is going to explode! But… why am I happy? Why?!"
As for Rocky, he remained in place, stunned, his eyes following her steps until she disappeared.
He turned to his left, noticing the trash bag she had left behind.
He exhaled softly and muttered to himself:
— "Even at a moment like this… she left everything and ran off. Should I throw this away for her?"
---
Second Half
On the field, tension was choking the players.
Mikel's team started the second half confused, performance dropping, passes stumbling, and the opponent growing stronger.
In a critical moment, his friend passed him the ball, but Mikel's focus was elsewhere, and it slipped from his hands, allowing the opposing team to score another point.
— "Oh no!" shouted one of the spectators.
— "What's wrong with Mikel today?!" whispered another girl.
The stands were packed with students, cheers fading and replaced by anxious murmurs.
Outside, Lavinia was running as fast as she could, her clothes soaked, her hair sticking to her face.
She finally reached the field, stopping at the entrance, panting, her eyes searching for Mikel.
But when she lifted her gaze to the scoreboard, she gasped:
— "Losing… by seven points?!"
Her eyes swept over the field and she spotted Mikel, whose performance looked unusually dull.
"Maybe it's not too late…"
She clenched her fists tightly, anger mixing with worry.
— "What's wrong with him?! This isn't his real level…"
She rushed toward the metal barrier, surprising the students who didn't expect her appearance.
She grabbed the bars with both hands and shouted at the top of her lungs, a voice cutting through the noise of the match:
— "Mikel, you idiot! Try harder! Show them your real level! And if you lose… I'll beat you up!"
The whole crowd turned toward her in shock. Murmurs, comments, overlapping voices:
— "It's Lavinia!"
— "What's with her? She's yelling at Mikel?!"
— "I wonder… what's their relationship?"
As for Mikel, he stopped for a moment, stared at her in shock, then smiled—
a smile she had never seen from him before…
A deep smile, filled with gratitude and love.
At that moment, everything changed.
---
Mikel began playing seriously again, returning to his old skills, gliding between players with agility, intercepting balls and scoring stunning goals.
The crowd's voices rose again, excitement burning anew in their hearts.
— "He's coming back!"
— "That's the Mikel we know!"
He scored a brilliant goal, followed by another from his teammate.
Only five minutes remained in the match, and the score was still a two-point lead for the opponents. But Mikel's determination didn't waver.
Until the very last seconds, he kept fighting, leading his team like a true captain.
And in the decisive moment, he broke through the defense, jumped, and threw the ball with confidence. It hit the net.
The final whistle echoed, and the field erupted in cheers:
— "They won! They qualified for the next round!"
His teammates hugged him tightly, shouting his name, and the crowd chanted:
— "Mikel! Mikel! You're the hero!"
In the stands, Lavinia stood stunned, her body trembling.
She whispered, barely audible:
— "H-how?! Yesterday, the images were clear… his team was losing. Did… did I really change the result? This is way too strange…"
---
After the match ended, the team's room overflowed with joy. The coach praised them enthusiastically:
— "You were amazing! You deserved the win! And now… dinner is on me, at the restaurant!"
The team erupted in applause and cheers, everyone delighted.
Mikel approached the coach and said:
— "I'm going home."
The coach smiled and patted his shoulder:
— "No, kid, you're the star of the night! You're coming with us. Without you, there's no point in celebrating."
He wanted to object, but the coach's and teammates' insistence pinned him down.
He sat among them, his body present, but his heart somewhere else… with her.
Outside, Lavinia was walking quickly back home.
The rain had stopped, but the ground was still soaked in mud. She didn't notice a large puddle, slipped, and fell with all her weight.
— "Ah!"
Her clothes were smeared with mud, her hands trembling, but she didn't stop.
She stood up and continued hurrying along her path, her breath uneven, until she reached her house.
When she opened the door, her mother screamed in shock upon seeing her covered in mud:
— "What is this?! Your clothes! What happened to you?!"
Lavinia lifted a faint smile and said:
— "I just… tripped, that's all."
Her mother approached with worry:
— "Is everything alright?"
Lavinia nodded, her smile forced:
— "Yes… I'm fine, Mom. I'll go shower right away."
She rushed up to her room, entered the bathroom, and hot water streamed down her trembling body.
She tried to wash off the mud, but her mind was in chaos: Rocky's confession, Mikel's victory, the altered photos… What was happening?
After a few minutes, she came out in clean clothes, sat on her bed, and her hand reached for the album.
She placed it on her lap, her heart pounding hard.
— "Alright… let's see. What changed?"
She opened the pages slowly, her hands shaking, her eyes widening with every picture revealed.
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