Harry Lane and Nightly Quinn chatted until midnight before ending the conversation. Their talk was mostly about everyday matters and trivialities.
When Harry woke up the next morning, he told his parents that Coach Ruby had agreed to come over for dinner and asked what time would be best.
His mother replied happily, "Anytime is fine, just let me know in advance."
Afterward, Harry went to the gym again and began practicing in a repetitive, almost boring cycle: hooking the ball, jumping, dribbling—over and over again.
Two hours passed. If Ruby Sutton hadn’t been standing there supervising him, Harry might have just turned around and walked out.
Ruby frowned as she watched him. Several times she looked like she wanted to scold him for being so out of sorts. Harry noticed her expression a
