Siya's POV

I hated this plan.

I truly did.

Because if someone had told me a week ago that I'd be standing outside the basketball court wearing Ryan Bosco's jersey, I would've laughed in their face.

Yet here I was.

Living my nightmare.

Or rather-

Ryan's idea of a perfect fake relationship.

I looked down at the jersey again.

His number - 43.

His surname- bosco-written in back of my current t shirt which was his jersey also .

Everything.

The thing was slightly oversized on me too.

Which somehow made it worse.

Much worse.

"Stop staring at it."

I looked up.

Kathy .

Cindy .

And Carlos were standing in front of me.

All three looking suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Carlos narrowed his eyes.

Then at the jersey.

Then at me.

Then back at the jersey.

"Nope."

"What?"

"Nope."

"What's nope?"

"This."

He pointed dramatically.

"The jersey."

I rolled my eyes.

"What about it?"

Carlos looked personally offended.

"What about it?"

He turned toward kathy

"She's wearing his jersey."

Kathy nodded.

"That is indeed Ryan's jersey-the original one that he don't let touch anyone ."

Cindy crossed his arms.

"Forget about the touching part siya you voluntarily wore it that's the most auspicious thing."

I regretted coming already.

---

The basketball court was packed.

Students filled the stands.

Cheering.

Talking.

Waiting for the match to start.

Meanwhile I was trying very hard not to die from embarrassment.

Carlos suddenly gasped.

"Oh my God."

"What now?"

"You're actually committed to this."

I groaned.

"Please stop talking carlos or I will shove popcorns from your basket in your mouth."

"Never but yeah that idea could work ."

Before I could threaten him further-

The players entered the court.

And immediately the entire stadium erupted.

Cheers echoed through the gym.

The crowd started chanting.

And right in the middle of it-

Ryan appeared.

Basketball in hand.

Sports Captain badge on his blazer before he removed it.

Looking annoyingly confident and handsome in his jersey .

As always.

His gaze swept across the crowd.

Then stopped.

Directly on me.

A slow smile appeared on his face.

And I instantly knew I was in trouble.

Because Ryan Bosco had spotted the jersey and now was looking at me infront of whole big crowd which came to see him .

---

Across the court Ryan raised an eyebrow.

As if asking:

You actually wore it?

I immediately glared.

As if answering:

Don't get used to it.

His smile widened.

Traitor.

Absolute traitor.

---

"OHHHHH."

Carlos nearly screamed beside me.

I closed my eyes.

"No."

"Oh he saw."

"Carlos."

"He definitely saw."

"CARLOS."

Kathy and Cindy were laughing now.

Completely useless.

---

The referee blew the whistle.

The match began.

And suddenly the atmosphere changed.

Ryan changed too.

The teasing smile disappeared.

The joking disappeared.

Everything disappeared.

Only the player remained.

Fast.

Focused.

Dangerous.

The Ryan everyone talked about.

The Ryan who was Sports Captain for a reason.

Within minutes he scored the first basket.

The crowd exploded.

Students jumped from their seats.

The cheering became deafening.

And somehow-

Ryan's first instinct after scoring was looking toward the stands.

Toward me.

I immediately pointed toward the game.

"PLAY."

Even from a distance I could see him laughing.

---

By halftime St. Eclat was leading comfortably.

The crowd was ecstatic.

Carlos was acting like he'd personally trained the team.

And I was beginning to understand why everyone loved watching Ryan play.

There was something beautiful about it.

The confidence.

The discipline.

The focus.

He wasn't the richest boy in school when he played.

He wasn't Archus Bosco's son.

He wasn't the Sports Captain.

He was simply Ryan.

Doing what he loved.

---

Then suddenly-

The crowd started chanting.

"RYAN!"

"RYAN!"

"RYAN!"

"Lucas marry me "

"oh my god james you are awesome"

"ryan be my boyfriend "

The noise echoed through the strands .

Ryan looked toward the stands.

Then toward me.

And before I could realize what was happening-

The idiot pointed at the jersey I was wearing.

The crowd immediately lost its mind.

My eyes widened.

Carlos stood up.

"Oh my God."

Cindy started laughing.

Kathy looked ready to record everything.

And I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

Because somewhere on the court-

Ryan Bosco was grinning like he'd just won the championship.

And the match wasn't even over yet.

Siya's POV

The halftime whistle echoed through the gym.

Students immediately rushed toward the snack counters while others crowded around the court discussing Ryan's performance.

I was sitting with Lucas, James, and Carlos when suddenly the gym doors opened.

A loud cheer erupted from one side of the stands.

I looked up.

And immediately understood why.

Clara Dawson had returned.

The swimming champion bully of St. Eclat.

The head cheerleader and supposedly girlfriend of Ryan which was not true because I never saw him talking to her or about her or maybe he was private about his relationships that even closed one didn't knew about it .

Well apart from being the mean filled with bully attitude clara was the vice sports captain and future sports captain too along with ryan
The girl whose photographs were practically displayed in every sports corridor of the school.

Fresh off her swimming championships.

She was still carrying her duffel bag.

Her blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail and she looked exhausted from traveling.

Yet somehow she still managed to look perfect.

"Well, the celebrity is back," carlos muttered.

Kathy nodded.

"National-level swimmer and she still made it in time for halftime."

---

Clara smiled and waved at a few students before making her way toward our section.

Then her eyes landed on Carlos.

"Oh great."

Carlos sighed dramatically.

"Oh so clingy clara is back and here I was thinking that we are finally free "

Clara gasped.

"Shut up monkey I am here to meet kathy and see Ryan's match after all i am his girlfriend ."

"I am not a monkey and their is a change you were his girlfriend now he is dating someone else ."

"Details"

Clara's eyes shifted toward me.

More specifically-

Toward the jersey I was wearing.

She froze.

For a moment her jaw literally dropped.

"Wait."

She pointed.

"WAIT."

Carlos immediately started grinning.

Which meant trouble.

---

Clara walked closer.

Then looked at the jersey.

Then at me.

Then at the jersey again.

"No."

I already knew where this was going.

---

"That's Ryan's actual jersey."

I smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah."

Clara blinked.

"THE actual jersey?"

Carlos answered before I could.

"She's the girlfriend."

I wanted to throw him into the swimming pool.

Immediately.

---

Clara stared at me.

Then suddenly laughed.

Not mockingly.

Genuinely.

"Well that explains a lot."

I frowned.

"What explains what?"

"The fact that Ryan has been smiling at his phone for weeks."

The boys immediately turned toward her.

"What?"

Carlos asked.

"What do you mean weeks?"

Clara shrugged.

"I ran into him before leaving for championships."

She pointed toward the court.

"That guy was smiling at messages."

Kathy looked horrified.

Ryan smiling at messages apparently sounded unnatural.

---

Then Clara looked back at me.

And instead of looking upset-

She smiled.

A real smile.

"You know what?"

I blinked.

"What?"

"I'm happy for you."

That wasn't what I expected.

At all.

Because everyone knew how much she liked ryan and even the rumour was that they both dated for a while which was now confirmed by Carlos statement that you were his girlfriend
---

Clara adjusted the strap of her duffel bag.

"Yeah let's see for how many days it lasts because ryan's taste changes alot ."

Everyone looked at her.

Carlos immediately pointed.

"There it is, i knew it how can the mean clara Dawson became a sainy one "

"Oh come on carlos you know your brother is destined to be with me . Don't you so Ms timepass let's see how long you last ?"

"hey clara that's mean" kathy said

"its truth kathy you know it too " she replied

"The weird Dawson obsession with Ryan." Carlos said

Clara rolled her eyes.

"That's my father technically , not me."

She folded her arms.

Clara continued.

"I like Ryan and it's true he is destined with me not with some one fatty disfunction figure like you ."

The boys immediately looked

"Still demeaning others clara?" aron said coming to us

"When did you came? Aron and why don't i know that the group has reunited "

"Maybe you were too busy obsessing over ryan " aron replied

Carlos pointed dramatically.

"I KNEW IT."

"You know nothing."

"I know everything."

"You once got lost in your own house."

Carlos looked betrayed.

---

Across the court, Ryan glanced toward the stands.

His eyes found our group immediately.

Then found me.

As usual.

The idiot smiled.

And Clara noticed.

---

She looked at me.

Then at Ryan.

Then back at me.

The glow on her face disappeaed as if she noticed something which i didn't .

Clara left after that .

i always wonder how does it feel to be clara Dawson I have seen her meaner bully version I have seen her proudy version but what I saw today was different as if it was pleasant more than hurt for her to know that ryan is dating me .

"Don't mind clara " aron said

"simple don't consider her existence " carlos interrupted

"carlos" aron clenched

"What"

"Shut up and focus on your popcorns "

"Makes sense"

He said literally shoving his mouth with handful of popcorns.

"siya on a serious note don't take clara seriously yeah she dated ryan but for a short span that too because his father forced her to be around him. he has built her whole world around her she is allowed to do things if she dates him so it is pretty obvious the way she acts yeah she is clingy sometimes but she is alot under water what you see above" carlos said shoving another batch of popcorn

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