Chapter 12

PAT‘s POV:

I used to think losing was only something that happened on the court.

A missed shot.

A failed play.

A score that wasn’t enough.

But I learned something after coming to Raven University.

Sometimes…

You lose without anyone keeping score.

—

Everyone saw me as someone strong.

The athlete.

The girl who pushed through every training.

The girl who stayed late after practice.

The girl who never complained.

But nobody saw the moments after.

The moments where I questioned if I was actually enough.

—

And lately…

The reason was always the same.

Matthew Villanueva.

Not because I hated him.

Not because he did something wrong.

Actually…

That was the problem.

He was kind.

He was patient.

He was everything people expected someone like him to be.

Rich.

Confident.

Good-looking.

The kind of person who seemed like he already had everything figured out.

He was the type of person people looked at and thought:

“Of course he will succeed.”

—

And then there was me.

Patricia Dela Cruz.

A student trying to survive.

An athlete trying to prove herself.

Someone who had to balance classes, training, and everything in between.

I wasn’t born with everything.

I had to work for every small thing I had.

Every achievement.

Every opportunity.

Every step forward.

—

Sometimes I wondered…

If Kat and Mat ended up together…

Would it even make sense?

Because from the outside?

They looked perfect.

Two people who seemed to fit.

Two people who had bright futures.

Two people who belonged in the same world.

And me?

I was just…

Me.

The girl still trying to figure everything out.

—

The worst part?

I knew Mat liked her.

I wasn’t blind.

The way he asked about Kat.

The way he remembered small things.

The way his face changed whenever her name was mentioned.

I noticed.

Because I always noticed things about people I cared about.

Especially Kat.

—

But I couldn’t be angry.

How could I?

There was nothing between me and Kat.

Nothing official.

Nothing that gave me the right to stop anyone.

And there was nothing between me and Mat either.

He was my friend.

A good friend.

Someone who helped me when Raven felt too overwhelming.

Someone who stayed after my losses.

Someone who reminded me I was more than just my performance.

—

Maybe that’s why it hurt.

Because I couldn’t hate him.

He didn’t deserve it.

—

“Pat.”

I looked up.

Mat was sitting beside me after training.

I sighed.

“What?”

He smiled.

“Nothing.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You always say that before asking something.”

He laughed.

“Okay, fine.”

A pause.

“How is Kat?”

There it was.

Again.

I looked away.

Because somehow…

That question hurt more than it should.

“She’s okay.”

I answered.

He smiled.

“Good.”

And I hated how obvious it was.

He cared.

—

“You really like her.”

I said quietly.

He looked surprised.

“What?”

“Kat.”

The smile disappeared.

For a moment, he didn’t deny it.

And that told me enough.

“I do.”

Simple.

Honest.

No hesitation.

And somehow…

I respected him more for it.

Because Mat had the courage to admit something I couldn’t.

—

“She’s lucky.”

I said.

He looked at me.

“Why?”

I shrugged.

“Because someone likes her enough to say it.”

He stared.

Like he understood something I didn’t want him to.

“Pat…”

I stood up.

“We have training tomorrow.”

I walked away before he could ask.

Because I didn’t want him to see.

I didn’t want anyone to see.

—

There was another thing about Mat.

Something small.

Something that probably meant nothing to him.

But meant something to me.

He called me Pat.

At first, I told him to stop.

Everyone here called me Tricia.

My teammates.

My coaches.

Everyone who knew me in Raven.

But he kept doing it.

And somehow…

I let him.

Not because it was just a nickname.

But because Mat became someone I trusted.

And because I knew…

He understood that name came from somewhere.

—

“Why do you let me call you Pat?”

He asked once.

I looked at him.

“Because you already do.”

He laughed.

“That’s not an answer.”

I stayed quiet.

Then said:

“Because not everyone gets to.”

He looked confused.

But he didn’t ask more.

—

The truth was…

Pat wasn’t just a nickname.

It belonged to a childhood.

A promise.

A person.

Katherine Reyes.

She was the first person who ever called me that.

The only person who made it feel like home.

—

But lately…

Everything felt too complicated.

So I made a decision.

With the money I saved from basketball.

With the support my aunt sent me from another country.

I found a small apartment.

Somewhere quieter.

Somewhere away from campus.

Somewhere away from constant reminders.

—

I didn’t tell many people.

Not even Mat.

Especially not Mat.

Because I couldn’t keep hearing about Kat.

Not because I hated him.

Not because I wanted him gone.

But because every time he asked about her…

I remembered something.

A truth I was trying to ignore.

—

I loved her.

I had loved her for years.

And I was watching someone else slowly discover the same thing I had known all along.

—

The apartment was small.

Nothing fancy.

But it was mine.

For the first time in a while…

I had a place where I didn’t have to be the strong athlete.

I didn’t have to be the person everyone expected.

I could just be Pat.

The girl who was scared.

The girl who was tired.

The girl who loved someone who might never know.

—

That night, my phone lit up.

A message from Kat.

**Kat: Did you eat?**

I smiled.

Because even when everything felt confusing…

Some things never changed.

I typed back.

**Pat: Yes.**

Then another message came.

**Kat: Promise?**

I stared at the screen.

And smiled.

Because maybe…

Some names belonged to certain people.

And maybe some promises did too.

**Pat: Promise.**