RYKER'S POV
Summer had a strange way of slowing life down.
For the first time in as long as I could remember, the frantic, non-stop wheel of my routine had ground to a halt. The blistering heat of July hung heavy in the air, wrapping the city in a slow, hazy midday lull.
There were no grueling, two-a-day team practices that left my lungs burning.
There were no aggressive media scrums with reporters shoving microphones into my face, asking the same loaded questions about the upcoming season.
There was no crushing weight of expectation pressing down on my chest from coaches, fans, and scouts.
Just...
Life.
It was an unfamiliar concept to me, this idea of just existing without a scoreboard tracking my every move. But I wasn't complaining. Not even a little bit. Because the sudden empt
