Two weeks after midterms, Dante got an email that changed everything.
A professional basketball scout wanted to meet with him. Potential early recruitment, contract discussion, possible career path.
He stared at the email on his phone for a full five minutes before showing it to Marcus, who immediately started celebrating like Dante had already signed a contract.
"This is huge!" Marcus kept saying. "This is everything you've worked for!"
But Dante felt sick to his stomach.
He waited until dinner to tell Adrian, sitting across from him at their usual table in the dining hall, trying to keep his voice carefully neutral.
"I got an email today," Dante started. "From a basketball scout."
Adrian looked up from his pasta. "Yeah? What'd they say?"
"They want to meet with me. Discuss potential early recruitment. Contract possibilities. Career path."
Adrian's face lit up immediately—genuine excitement with no trace of the fear Dante felt churning in his own gut.
