He was right.
Quiet meant buildup.
Not peace.
I typed:
Rowan:
It’s not quiet.
Pause.
Rowan:
It’s waiting.
Sent.
And for the first time since everything started collapsing into itself—
that felt more accurate than anything else.
Fifty Nine
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
MASON
Coach didn’t let us leave after practice.
Nobody complained this time.
That was the weird part.
Even Andre stayed quiet.
We were all sitting in the locker room, gear still on, waiting like something had already been decided for us.
Coach finally walked in with his arms crossed.
“No more reacting,” he said.
That was it.
No buildup.
Just that.
Then he looked at me.
“You’re at the center of it now.”
I didn’t answer.
Because I knew what he meant.
He wasn’t talking aboutbasketball anymore.
