Ethan Hayes
Winning nationals was supposed to feel bigger than this.
That’s what everyone kept telling him, anyway.
Reporters shoved microphones toward his face.
Coaches congratulated him.
Scouts handed out business cards like confetti.
But Ethan barely processed any of it.
Because the only thing he could focus on was Lena standing at the edge of the crowd in his hoodie, smiling at him like he was more than medals and records.
Like he was just Ethan.
And somehow—
that mattered more than becoming national champion.
The celebration lasted for hours.
Too loud.
Too crowded.
Too fake.
By midnight, Ethan finally escaped the team party and found Lena waiting outside the arena entrance beneath the rain-covered awning.
The second she saw him, her expression softened instantly.
“
