Page 79 of Penalized Love

Click. Click. Click.

The rapid-fire shots capture the hawk's graceful descent.

"Got it?" Willow asks, peering over my shoulder.

I lower the camera and check the display. The sequence shows the hawk diving through patches of sunlight, wings pulled tight against its body. It’s not perfect because the last shot's a bit blurry. But I’m proud of the shots I got.

"Here, look at this one," I say, zooming in on the second shot. The hawk's silhouette is crisp against the morning sky. Its wings catch the light just right, making it look even more majestic.

"That's incredible," Willow says, already reaching for her journal. "The way the light hits the wings?—"

"If you two are done with your artistic bonding," Selene cuts in, "some of us are starving."

My stomach growls in response, informing our group that Selene isn’t wrong.

"Told you we should've eaten before we started climbing," Selene says, already shrugging off her backpack. I shake my head as she unzips her bookbag and digs through what she's dubbed her 'adventure preparedness kit.'

"You're the smart one here," Hailey admits, sitting down on a nearby rock. "I completely forgot breakfast."

"Which is exactly why I came prepared." Selene pulls out an impressive array of trail mix, protein bars, and fruit. "Hiking takes energy, and I've got us covered."

"Is she always this organized?" Willow asks, gratefully accepting an apple.

"You should have seen her during our last month of high school," I say. "Color-coded study guides, backup USB drives, emergency coffee supplies. She's basically the reason why I survived and made it to NYU alive."

I shove away the small pang of longing that I have for the life I had to leave behind. After putting my camera away, I grab some trail mix and lean against a tree trunk. After a few minutes of peaceful snacking, Selene starts fidgeting with her phone.

Uh oh.

"Okay, but seriously," Selene says, already queuing up another song on her phone. "Who's ready for the descent playlist?"

"No one," we all say in unison, but we're laughing, because of course she would say that. I swear we all continue laughing the entire way back down to where I parked my car.

And at least for this short period of time, I've forgotten how nervous I am for my first overnight away game with the Crestwood Red Wolves.

31

ISLA

With a small groan, I shift my body to get comfortable in this hard-ass seat. But nothing can calm the jittery nerves bouncing around in my stomach. This is my first time traveling with the team for an away game, and it’s exciting but also nerve-wracking. I glance out the bus window as the sun sets in the sky. The longest I’ve ever spent with the team is a few hours. But now I’m trapped in close quarters with them for an entire weekend.

Not even the true-crime podcast I’m listening to right now can take my mind off this.

My eyes land on Asher, who is only sitting a few rows ahead. He’s chatting with Levi, unaware I’m staring at him. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I force myself to look away before anyone notices.

I dig into my camera bag and come up with the only thing that can make me feel better: a bag of Skittles that Asher snuck into my bag at some point, and I only discovered about an hour ago.

I stare at the bright colors of the Skittles as I pour a few out, though they’re somewhat dimmed because of the lack of lighton the bus. This is all just another subtle reminder of Asher’s thoughtfulness. I toss the candy in my mouth and let it melt on my tongue. The sweet flavors serve as a momentary distraction from my nerves as I listen to how a serial killer avoided being caught for the last twenty years.

When I look up again, I catch Asher’s gaze as he’s now turned in his seat, talking to Blaise. A smile appears on his face, and I know who it is for because his eyes haven’t left me. I pull the bright red candy wrapper out of my camera bag and mouth‘thank you’to him. He winks at me before returning his attention to what Blaise is saying.

I tuck the wrapper back into my bag and turn away. There is another moment we’ve shared that is ours alone. Just how we need it to be, at least for now.

A few minutes later, laughter loud enough that I can hear it over the podcast I’m listening to pulls me from my thoughts, and I look toward the front of the bus. Levi is leaning over the back of his seat, showing Knox something on his phone. Wildertosses a crumpled piece of paper toward the aisle, and his grin widens when it lands near Blaise’s feet. I stop myself from checking to see what Asher’s doing, but the guys are relaxed. That’s great, as they are preparing for a big game tomorrow.

A few rows ahead of Asher, my gaze lands on Dad, who is busy talking to Darryl. It wouldn’t surprise me if they are going over game plans for tomorrow. I shrink a little lower in my seat, hoping he doesn’t notice the quick glances I keep stealing at Asher.

The team continues talking and every so often, I catch a phrase or two—something about tomorrow’s game or an inside joke or two—but it’s not enough for me to be engaged in what they are talking about.

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