I had just entered the library and made myself comfortable at one of the desks when Noelle trudged inside. She was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, her hair still wet from showering and even curlier than usual.

“Hey,” she said as she set down the two mugs she had been carrying and slumped onto the chair next to me. “I figured we might need some caffeine if this is going to take longer. At least, I will.”

I grimaced as I took a few sips. Whereas Jasper’s coffee was basically just milk and sugar, hers was nearly black. Next to me, Noelle put her arms onto the table and rested her head on top of them.

“Rough practice?”

“Yeah,” she said, muffled by her arms. “It was hell today. If I have to tell one more stubborn white boy to pass to his teammates instead of trying to score himself, I’m going to scream.”

Chuckling, I reached out and massaged her shoulders, drawing a contented sigh out of her.

“Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself a bit too hard?” I murmured. “You’ve had practice every other day this week.”

She shook her head, hissing through her teeth when my fingers met an especially tender spot in her right shoulder.

“It’s necessary. We’re playing against Westbridge next weekend. Mrs. Whitworth told me that it’s been twenty years since Seven Hills last beat them. Twenty years.”

“You want to impress Mrs. Whitworth?” It was more of a gently put statement than a question.

“I guess,” Noelle muttered. “She’s given me so many chances. I want to show her that she was right to believe in me, you know?

And, aside from maths, it sure as hell isn’t going to happen through my marks, so this is my best shot.” She was silent for a moment, before she added, “Also, I hate their basketball team. I want to see those pretentious fuckers go down.”

“She adores you either way,” I said. “You know that, right?”

Noelle only hummed. Under my hands, the tension in her neck and shoulders slowly melted away, her eyes slipping closed.

Like most afternoons, there was no one else in the library, so for a few seconds, the only sounds were the quiet humming of the old radiators and the clicking of the tree branches against the windows. The sun was already starting to set, spilling light the color of honey onto the wooden floor and our desk.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Noelle said,

“Hey . . . when we have away games, there are usually a few free seats on the bus. Would you maybe like to come with?”

“I would love that,” I whispered and, seeing as no one was around, dropped a short kiss onto her shoulder. Then, I let go of her and pulled Miss Pepperman’s worksheet closer to us. “Come on, let’s do this. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”

Noelle only groaned, her head still resting against the table.