The air at morning practice felt heavier than usual. Maya had barely slept, her mind replaying Mateo walking away, Ethan's confession, Madison's threat. Agent Chen's text sat unanswered on her phone: Car arrives at 6 AM tomorrow. Be ready.
One more practice. One more day. Then I'm gone.
Even before the first whistle, Maya could sense it. The unspoken tension between Ethan and Mateo pressing down on the field like humidity before a storm.
They hadn't looked at each other once during warm-ups. Ethan stretched on one end of the field, jaw tight. Mateo stayed on the opposite side, movements sharp and angry.
The rest of the team felt it too. Tank kept glancing between them. Marcus and Tyler exchanged worried looks. Even Coach noticed, his expression darkening as he watched his captain and vice-captain avoid each other.
"Alright, scrimmage," Coach called. "Let's see some energy out there."