Chapter 8

PAT’s POV:

Raven University slowly became a place I knew.

Not the place I feared when I first arrived.

Not the unfamiliar campus where everyone seemed to have their own world.

It became somewhere I belonged.

I learned which hallway was the fastest way to class.

I learned which coffee shop was open before morning training.

I learned which teammates I could trust.

I learned how to be Patricia Dela Cruz without always looking back at San Juan.

Almost.

Because there was still one thing that never changed.

Every time something happened…

I wanted to tell Kat.

—

“You’re staring at your phone again.”

I looked up from my seat.

My teammate was already smiling.

“You’re obsessed.”

I frowned.

“With what?”

She pointed at my phone.

“Whoever keeps making you smile.”

I immediately locked my screen.

“I wasn’t smiling.”

She laughed.

“You literally were.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Mind your business.”

She only laughed harder.

Because everyone at Raven already knew.

There was someone.

Someone I talked about without realizing.

Someone whose name appeared on my phone more than anyone else’s.

Katherine Reyes.

—

The men’s basketball team usually trained after us.

Which meant I saw them often.

I didn’t really pay attention.

Not until one person started making himself noticeable.

Matthew Villanueva

Mat.

He was loud.

Annoyingly cheerful.

The kind of person who could talk to anyone.

Even people who clearly didn’t want to talk.

Especially me.

“You’re always serious.”

I looked up from my water bottle.

“What?”

Mat shrugged.

“You look like you’re thinking about something even when you’re just sitting.”

I stared at him.

“And you always talk too much.”

He smiled.

“See? We’re getting somewhere.”

I rolled my eyes.

But I couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped.

—

I didn’t expect to become friends with him.

Actually…

I didn’t expect to let anyone get close.

Not because I hated people.

But because my life already had someone.

Kat.

She was the person I was used to.

The person who knew everything.

The person who had been there before anyone else.

But Mat was different.

He didn’t try to replace anyone.

He just existed.

And somehow…

That was easy.

—

“You know, you’re different when you play.”

Mat said one afternoon after training.

I looked at him.

“What does that mean?”

He smiled.

“Off the court, you’re quiet.”

“And?”

“But when you’re playing…”

He paused.

“You look free.”

I didn’t answer.

Because I never thought someone noticed things like that.

Kat noticed everything about me.

But she had years.

Mat had only known me for a short time.

And somehow…

He still saw parts of me.

—

A few days later, Kat visited Raven.

She said she had free time after class.

But I knew her.

She didn’t come all this way just because she had free time.

She came because she missed me.

And maybe…

I missed her too much to admit it.

“Pat!”

The moment I heard her voice, I turned around.

And there she was.

Still Kat.

Still the person who could make everything feel familiar.

“Hi.”

She smiled.

“That’s all?”

I laughed.

“What do you want me to say?”

“I traveled here.”

“Congratulations?”

She rolled her eyes.

And for a second…

Everything felt normal.

Like nothing changed.

Like we were still kids walking home.

—

Then Mat appeared.

“Pat.”

I turned.

“Oh, hey.”

Kat looked at him.

I saw the small change in her expression.

The one she tried to hide.

“Kat, this is Matthew.”

Mat smiled.

“The famous Kat?”

She blinked.

“Famous?”

He looked at me.

“She talks about you.”

My face immediately changed.

“Mat.”

“What?”

He looked confused.

“I’m just saying.”

Kat looked at me.

And suddenly…

I felt nervous.

Something I never felt with her before.

—

Later, while walking around campus, Kat was unusually quiet.

I noticed.

Of course I noticed.

“You’re quiet.”

She looked at me.

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

She looked away.

“I’m just tired.”

I almost smiled.

Because that was my line.

“You’re lying.”

She laughed softly.

“Maybe I learned from you.”

The smile disappeared when I realized what she meant.

We were too similar.

We hid the same things.

—

“He’s nice.”

She suddenly said.

I looked at her.

“Who?”

“Mat.”

“Oh.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, he is.”

A pause.

Then:

“You like him?”

I stopped walking.

“What?”

Kat immediately shook her head.

“Nothing. I’m just asking.”

But she wasn’t.

And I knew it.

For years, I wondered if I was imagining things.

The looks.

The hesitation.

The way she cared.

But standing there…

I saw something.

A feeling I recognized.

Because it was the same feeling I had whenever someone else got close to her.

—

Before I could answer, my phone rang.

Coach.

Practice schedule.

The upcoming game.

The women’s team had a big match.

A game we needed to win.

“I have to go.”

Kat smiled.

“Of course.”

That smile.

The one that said she understood.

Even when she didn’t.

—

The game day came.

And we lost.

Not because we didn’t try.

Not because we weren’t good enough.

Sometimes…

The other team was simply better.

The final buzzer rang.

And the disappointment hit harder than expected.

Everyone walked away slowly.

Quiet.

Broken.

I stayed behind.

Looking at the court.

At the place where I always felt strongest.

And suddenly…

I felt tired.

Not physically.

Something deeper.

“Pat.”

I looked up.

Mat.

Again.

“You okay?”

I wanted to say yes.

Because that was what I always said.

But I couldn’t.

Not this time.

“We lost.”

He nodded.

“I know.”

“I hate losing.”

“Everyone does.”

He sat beside me.

“But losing doesn’t erase everything you did before it.”

I stayed quiet.

Because somehow…

A person I barely knew was saying things I needed to hear.

—

Later that night, my phone lit up.

Kat.

**Kat: I’m proud of you. Even if you lost.**

I stared at the message.

And my chest hurt.

Because there were two people now.

Two people who stayed.

One who had been there for years.

And one who was just starting to understand me.

And for the first time…

I was afraid.

Not of losing a game.

But of realizing that someone new had entered a space I thought only one person could occupy.

✦ Author’s Note ✦

Introducing: Mat. 👀

Reader: “A new character??”

Me: yes.

Reader: “Love triangle?”

Me: 👀

HAHAHA.

Kidding aside, Mat is here to shake things up.

Because sometimes you don’t realize how much someone means to you…

until someone else starts standing beside them.

Kat, are you feeling that?

That little thing called jealousy? 🤨

Pat, are you noticing?

Because everyone is noticing except you two. 😭

Anyway, welcome Mat. 🤍

– tatine ♡