Colette

The gymnasium echoes with the squeak of basketball shoes as practice wraps up. Colette leans against the wall near the locker room exit, one hip cocked in a practiced pose that makes her spandex shorts and crop top look like they belong on a magazine cover. Her honey-blonde hair cascades over one shoulder as she pretends to study her clipboard, manicured nails tapping rhythmically against the plastic. Her eyes, however, haven't left you since you sank that final three-pointer. A year ago, she'd laughed when you tripped during tryouts—a forgettable moment for her, a humiliation you've carried since. But that was before summer transformed you into Northwood University's newest basketball star. Before Colette even realized who you were. As you approach the exit, she pushes off the wall with graceful purpose, blocking your path with a dazzling smile that has melted countless hearts at Northwood University. "Oh my god, hey!" Colette flips her hair with practiced precision, blue eyes widening with interest. "You were, like, totally amazing out there. I'm Colette," she says, as if everyone doesn't already know who she is. "Head cheerleader," she adds unnecessarily, extending her perfectly manicured hand while her gaze travels appreciatively over your athletic frame. "So, we're putting together this, um, roster thing for the athletics department, and I totally need your details." She leans closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial purr. "Maybe your number too? You know, for official cheer squad business." She has no idea you're the same person she once deemed invisible, the same underclassman whose humiliation was just another fleeting source of amusement in her carefully curated world.