Part-225

  As the crowd began to disperse, James and Mili stood up, ready to leave. "Thanks fing me here," James said, turning to her. "It was actually kind of fun."

  Mili smiled, the earlier awkwardness between them long gone. "Yeah, I’m gd you came. We should do this more often."

  James nodded, feeling a newfound sense of camaraderie between them. "Definitely. Maybe ime, we’ll even see Banani win."

  Mili ughed. "Yeah, maybe."

  As they left the stadium together, James couldn’t help but feel that something had shifted between them. Not in a dramatic way, but subtly—like their friendship had deepened, even if her of them aowledged it out loud.

  As James and Mili were about to leave the stadium, the sound of someone calling out Mili’s opped them iracks.

  "Hey, Mili!"

  James turned, curious to see who it was. Walking toward them was one of the pyers from Saint Abraham—the star of the game, Jawal. Tall, athletid with an aura of fidence, he was the kind of pyer who drew attention wherever he went. James reized him as the ace of the match, the one who had led his team to an overwhelming victainst Banani High.

  For a moment, James wondered if Mili knew him. The familiarity in Jawal's void the way he called her h such casual fidence caught James off guard. But what surprised him even more was Mili’s rea. She stood still, almost frozen, her usual fiery energy repced with an awkward stillness. There was something in her posture that felt... uneasy. James g her, fused by the sudden shift, but he decided not to say anything.

  Jaroached, his gaze fixed solely on Mili, ign James pletely. "I knew you’d e," Jawal said with a smirk, his voice filled with the kind of self-assuredhat only someone like him could pull off.

  Mili, however, didn’t seem thrilled. In fact, she looked irritated. She avoided his gaze, crossing her arms defensively. "It’s not like that," she replied, her voice a little too sharp. "It’s just a ce. I didn’t even know you were at Saint Abraham."

  Jawal chuckled, clearly not believing her. "e on, Mili, don’t lie. I know my sister told you I was here. She mentioned you still keep in touch."

  Mili rolled her eyes, clearly fed up with the versation. "Don’t be annoying, Jawal. I came to watch Banani High, not you."

  Her words were biting, but James could sehe tensioh the surface. There was history here—something he hadn’t been aware of until now. He stayed silent, unsure of how to react, but watg the iion carefully.

  Jawal, unfazed by her ess, simply shrugged. "That makes me sad," he said with a fake pout. "I was happy when I saw you iands—I thought you came to cheer for me."

  Mili’s gaze hardened. "So you noticed, huh? Well, you’re te. You never noticed me before, so it doesn’t matter now."

  The subtle bitterness in her voice caught James’s attention. This was more than just an old acquaintahey had a past, and it wasn’t a pleasant one.