Book 2 Chapter 1: Space

‘I love you, Charlie, and you’ll always have a special place in my heart, but I need space. Let’s break up,’ Luke’s words the other night rang in Charlie’s head. ‘I need to focus on my studies and basketball. Scouts will be in town this year, and this might be my only chance to get into the NBA. I hope you understand, Charlie.’

He meant that basketball would be his life from that moment on, and she was nothing more than a distraction.

To think, Charlie was ready to introduce Luke to her family. Luke would have been overwhelmed, but sadly, he ended it before he could truly know the real Charlie Rae King. 

Charlie was watching the game between Luxford University’s The Atomic Heat and The Wall Street Warriors. Their school had four basketball teams, and each year, they competed for the chance to represent the school at the National College Basketball Association. 

Luke Sullivan was the captain of The Wall Street Warriors. They represented the business courses, whereas The Atomic Heat represented the school’s engineering department. 

On the court, Luke was dribbling the ball. The intensity of the game tousled his dark brown hair. His sharp jawline and focused expression added to his striking appearance. With each controlled dribble, his toned arms flexed, and his athletic stance showcased his strength.

‘He is handsome, smart, athletic, and has a good background,’ she said regretfully. ‘My parents would have loved him.’

‘It’s his loss! He won’t be part of my awesome family,’ Charlie concluded, but the more she stared at him, the more it hurt. After all, Luke was her first love, her boyfriend of two years. 

“Oh, my god, Luke has the ball!” Ashley, Charlie’s red-haired best friend, screamed. 

“He is aiming for a three-pointer. Go, Luke! You can do it! Go!” Charlie’s other best friend, Sofia, cheered. 

Then, the two ladies paused. They realized how their cheers were affecting Charlie. 

“You are not mad, are you, Charlie?” Ashley asked. 

Before Charlie could respond, Sofia groaned. “Oh, no! Taylor fucking West snatched the ball from Luke!”

The dismay on her friends’ faces was evident. Charlie was a business major, and The Wall Street Warriors represented their department, but she could not help but rejoice at how Luke lost the ball. She considered it her mini-revenge for breaking up with her the other night. 

“I swear, I just hate Taylor West!” Ashley screamed. 

“I hate him too!” Sofia echoed. She looked so frustrated; her brown eyes flickered with anger, and she ran her fingers through her brown hair. “He is so cocky!”

Taylor West was Luke’s number-one rival. For the past three years, their teams competed in the championship. Because of Luke, Charlie had declared Taylor an enemy too, but at that moment, she did not hate him at all. 

While her friends talk dirt about Taylor, Charlie said nothing. She returned her attention to the game. The Wall Street Warriors tried to recover, but no matter what they did, The Atomic Heat continued to lead the game. It was primarily thanks to their captain, Taylor West. 

Before they knew it, the game was over. The Atomic Heat won, which meant the Wall Street Warriors had to win against the other two basketball teams at Luxford University to qualify for the finals. 

“God! I can’t believe we lost to them!” Ashley groaned. 

“Things will turn around, you’ll see. The team has been working hard. Maybe Taylor got some steroids or something,” Sofia muttered while rolling her eyes. “They just got lucky this time.”

“Yeah, The Wall Street Warriors will definitely bounce back, and when the finals arrive, Taylor and his team will lose face!” Ashley declared. 

Then, they all turned to Charlie and asked, “Hey, you haven’t said a word. Whose side are you on? Don’t let your relationship with Luke affect you. At the end of the day, we still represent The Wall Street Warriors.”

Why were they so affected? This was because Luxford University had boosted the basketball tournaments. When Charlie started her first year in college, all the students raved about basketball as the ultimate obsession. Every basketball player, no matter which team became an instant celebrity. The same goes for whoever dated any basketball player. The competitiveness in each college department was over the top; students sometimes fought when cheering for their representatives. 

So, hearing her best friends question her loyalty, Charlie answered, “Of course. I’m with Wall Street Warriors all the way. I’m just… feeling a little down.”

“Aw,” Ashley said with her brows meeting. Her eyes flashed with concern as she hugged Charlie. “I’m sorry Luke broke up with you. I wish there were something we could do to make him reconsider.”

Sofia joined in the embrace and added, “Don’t worry. We are here for you. We’ll help you get over Luke. We are best of friends, after all.”

Sadly, in as much as Charlie wanted to believe that, Ashley and Sofia were girlfriends of Tom and Archie, both players of The Wall Street Warriors. It was customary for the team to celebrate a win or relieve their stress after a loss at The Nook & Brew Cafe. 

Their bestie huddle would end there and Charlie would be left alone. 

Everyone on the team was going there, including the girlfriends. Despite being best friends with Ashley and Sofia, Charlie no longer belonged in that circle. So, after they walked down the bleachers, Charlie willingly said, “I’ll head home.”

“Are you sure?” Sofia asked, looking guilty. “Don’t you want to go to the locker room and check on the guys?”

Obviously, she could not. She and Luke had already broken up. Charlie replied, “Nah, I’ll keep myself busy at home.”

“See you later. Remember, we love you, Charlie,” Ashley said while waving goodbye. “No matter what, we are best friends, and you have us!”

Forcing a smile, Charlie replied, “I’m glad I have you guys.”

***

Two hours later. 

Charlie sulked in the apartment she shared with Sofia and Ashley. Because she was not good at cooking, she made herself a bowl of instant noodles and sat on the couch to watch TV. 

Charlie met her best friends through Luke. They were all locals and knew each other beforehand. Only Charlie was new to Luxford. 

The three of them, as friends, were inseparable. The guys within the Wall Street Warriors called them ‘Champagne and Spice’ because of their hair colors. Ashley had red hair. Charlie was blonde, and Sofia had light brown hair. 

Two years ago, the three of them moved into a two-story apartment off campus, and it has been great since, but now, things are changing.

“Could things still be the same?” Charlie muttered before finishing the last of her noodles. 

After filling her stomach, Charlie decided to update her social media. She was no longer in a relationship, and she wanted to delete photos of Luke as well. However, Charlie recalled the happy times they spent as a couple. 

There were pictures of her and Luke having lunch on the school grounds, in each other’s arms during last year’s school dance, dinner dates, outings, Luke cooking lunch for her, and much more. 

Then, she saw the video of Luke’s birthday surprise for her. After taking her to dinner, Luke decorated the skies with fireworks before his friends. It was one of the sweetest things Luke had ever done for her. 

Charlie remembered her first year in college. Luke had chased her for a year before she agreed to be his girlfriend. Their relationship was not perfect, but she could say, she was happy - Luke made her happy, and they were in love. So, she couldn’t understand why he suddenly gave up on her. 

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her chest tightened from the pain. She wiped her face and convinced herself, “Maybe I need to talk to him again. I can still support him as his girlfriend while he chases his dreams.”

Charlie decided she would not give up that easily. It was not in her blood to be a quitter. She changed clothes and went to The Nook & Brew Cafe. She was nervous when she entered the establishment. 

In one corner of the cafe, she quickly found the basketball team. She sucked in a deep breath and braced herself. However, when she got a better view of the group, her heart sank. 

Charlie witnessed Luke kissing another girl, and her so-called friends cheered him on. 

“Go, Luke!” Ashley said in one corner. 

“You guys look so good together!” Sofia complimented while raising a bottle of beer. “Go, Regina. Make our captain happy!”

“Babe, I hope that makes you feel better,” the girl who kissed Luke said after pulling away. 

Luke planted another kiss on the girl named Regina. He said lovingly, “Thank you, Babe. I feel so much better already.”

Charlie did everything in her power to hold back her anger, but her heart was aching, and she could not help but react, “WHAT. THE HELL. IS GOING ON?” 

“Luke, why!”