Chapter 15

The days went by peacefully. Anna was immersed in the basketball team's preparations for the Winter Schools Championship. She loved the game, and although she couldn't play, she decided to join the team as a coaching assistant. Anna prepared the team's training schedule, ensured all team members attended, and even provided performance notes. This role led her to spend more time at school, which distracted her from Alex's constant absence. On the other hand, it meant more time with Allen, who was secretly the main reason behind her joining the team. Their relationship became more friendly and spontaneous. They rarely fought, which felt good for both of them, though it seemed odd to the rest of the team. It was late afternoon training. Anna was sitting on the bench, watching the team practice, when a teammate approached her."So, tell me something, kid," one of Allen's team members, Don, asked. Anna, shifting her gaze from the playground to him, replied, "What is it that you want to know, Don?" He looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "How come Allen talks so much with you? Do you know what we call him around here?" Anna shrugged and turned back to the game, trying to ignore him. Yet he kept talking, "We call him 'the silent man' because he barely talks to any of us. Yes, he's one of the best players on the team, but when it comes to socializing, he's a loser."Anna stared at him angrily. She didn't know why, but she hated the way Don spoke about Allen. Her voice rising in anger, she asked, "What do you want, Don?" Don backed off, raising his hands dramatically, "Easy, kid, we're just chatting." Anna was about to retort when a shadow loomed over them. She looked up to see Allen standing there, his expression frozen, arms crossed."Is there something wrong here?" Allen's voice cut through the gym noise, silencing it. All eyes turned to the bench, curiosity piqued. Allen, usually so withdrawn, was a mystery to everyone. His wealth, handsome features, and cold demeanor made him the subject of many crushes, yet he was different around Anna. She was the first to make him smile. His almost nonexistent interaction with the team turned into real conversations and smiles with her. Not even Jad, his supposed best friend, was that close. Don's question and Allen's reaction suddenly seemed more important than the upcoming game. Anna, whose chocolate brown eyes met Allen's questioning green ones, couldn't shake the feeling that there was something hidden in their sudden warm friendship, something that both Alex and Allen were keeping from her. She was neither stupid nor blind; she could see how cold and sometimes even rude Allen could be with everyone, Alex included. Yet, with her, he was different. There he was, standing next to her, worried and ready to defend her. She could only wonder, "Why?"Allen's cold, impatient voice brought her back to reality when he questioned once more, "What's wrong?" She cleared her throat and replied, "Nothing serious. Don wanted to join the game." She turned to Don, who nodded, saying, "Yeah, I was a bit excited to join you guys." Allen looked at him, raising an eyebrow in clear disbelief. Preventing things from taking a wrong turn, Anna called out to everyone, "Why are you wasting time? Come on, keep the game going." She looked back at Allen and continued, "That includes you too, move!"At the end of the day, Anna was standing at the school gate, searching for her phone in her messy bag when Allen joined her and handed it to her, complaining, "You were given a brain to use, kid." Anna pouted, snatched her phone from his hand, and started walking. He laughed at her childish reaction, which made a few team members leaving the school turn and look at him. Allen regained his composure and followed Anna. He walked by her side silently until she finally questioned, "Where do you think you're going, Allen?" He looked at her, confused, and stated the obvious, "Walking you home." Anna stopped, faced him, slammed her foot in anger, and shouted, "Who asked you to do so? What am I, two?" He coldly shrugged and kept walking. Anna took a deep breath in despair and walked again, clearly angry. She couldn't help but think about the secret between Allen and Alex. She would bet that Alex was behind Allen's mysterious, protective, and mostly nice and cool attitude towards her.