"A mistake repeated more than once is a decision."

Anthony's POV

I never expected Sydney to show up to the basketball game after everything she was dealing with. God, I had been such an ass. I usually came to the games, and though I invited her during our time together, she'd get bored so I stopped inviting her.

I had been watching varsity warm up when she flickered in my peripheral. My heart skipped a beat and I couldn't look away. She wasn't dressed up or anything. Her hair was pulled back the same way she wore it for practice, same black athletic pants, same baggy sweatshirt. Only it was her brother's and not the one she "stole" from me. She walked in, never acknowledging my presence, and went to sit with Kalinda, Halle, Dylan, and Nick. That stung a bit.

Only when the game started, was when I tore my gaze away. It was close. We were up by two with a little under a minute left on the clock when the other team scored a three. Shit. The visitor side erupted in cheers as the shooter celebrated on the court. We got the ball and called a time out. The team gathered in a circle aroud their coach as their faces grew deathly serious. When the time out ended, the team nodded and jogged onto the court. With seconds left, Marco threw in to Pat, who passed to Josh. In one last desperate attempt, Josh threw a Hail Mary shot from half court. The bleachers fell silent as our side was praying he made it. Time seemed to slow as the ball approached the basket.

Yanked back into reality, the ball flawlessly swished through the net as the buzzer went off. Our side exploded in cheers, and the student section began flodding the court. I looked over to where Sydney had been, but she was gone.

She wasn't at school the next. Or the day after that. Then she missed a week. And then another. Those weeks turned into months and soon freshman year ended. Her social media had been deactivated and she didn't respond to calls and texts. A few weeks after school ended, a package arrived for me with no return address. In it were all the sweatshirts, tee shirts, beanies, jackets, and the running watch I'd given Sydney. Everything had been washed too. None of it smelled like her.

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When Kalinda and I went to her house to ask, her parents informed us that she'd gone to stay with her aunt while they took care of Aaron. Syd wanted a fresh start and changed her number.

I can't believe the last time I saw her, I'd hurt her. And now I was never gonna see her again. Or so I thought.

Two and half years later, a girl rode in on a motorcycle. All eyes turned to stare. And if the bike wasn't enough of an entrance to attract everyone's attention, the bombshell getting off certainly was. She took off her black helmet and leather jacket before shaking out her hair. I immediately recognized the person in front of me.

Who did that to her? Who gave her those scars? My stomach clenched and fury burned through my veins. But she didn't try to hide them. She wore them as proudly and as boldly as the ink under her skin.

She lifted the seat to exchange her belongings for an athletic bag, all while wearing an impassive expression. Surveying the crowd of onlookers with cool ambivalence, our eyes met for a second and my heart lurched only for her to look away as if it never happened. She had the same tan skin and mischievous half smile that had curled onto her full lips. She was stunning then, it's just now everyone else finally noticed.