“Why do the referees keep stopping the game?” Rey asked.

“They’re calling fouls,” Lena said, not tearing her eyes from the players down on the court.

The rest of us were clearly on a different level. She shouted the whole time, booing when the ref called a foul on us and cheering when our team made a shot.

From our vantage point halfway up in the stands, we had a great view of the action. Even though the opposing team was obviously good, the score was tied. Thanks to Jesse, who was easily one of the top players.

He had already made a dozen baskets, and he also made great passes, somehow bouncing the ball in between two of the other team’s players to get it to his own teammate.

I glanced at the timer. Only a couple seconds left before halftime, but that didn’t stop one of Jesse’s teammates from shooting the ball toward the net from the other side of the court.

It went in, and screams from the crowd filled the gym. Lena stood up and screamed with everyone else.

Rey kept doodling in her notebook, absorbed in her own world, while Harper and I sat there, dumbfounded at the game.

After halftime, when the game continued, my eyes followed Jesse up and down the court. He moved quickly, confident in the way he communicated with his teammates as he dribbled the ball.

No matter how hard they tried, though, neither team could get ahead. It was like they were at war, and neither side would retreat.

The buzzer went off again, signaling the end of the third quarter.

“This is such a good game,” Lena said, exhaling like she was the one down there playing.

I watched Jesse walk off the court. He had been playing for most of the game, and sweat dripped down his forehead. He grabbed a water bottle and took a seat on the bench. His chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. I hadn’t realized how much basketball players sprinted back and forth the length of the gym. All of a sudden, I had a little more respect for the jocks in our school.

Jesse looked out to the crowd more than once while he drank from a green water bottle, and my heart palpitated at the thought that he was looking for me.

The whistle blew, bringing me back to the game, which got underway again at lightning speed.

Jesse made a bad pass and lost the ball. The other team quickly ran it down the court and sank it into the net. Their side of the stands erupted in cheers.

Then they did it again.

Jesse’s dad, the coach, immediately called a timeout.

I saw the way he looked at Jesse, only at Jesse. Disappointment. I felt bad for him, hoping his dad didn’t let that one mistake overshadow everything else he’d done for the team tonight.

I checked the scoreboard. The other team was six points ahead, and there were only a couple minutes left on the clock.

The buzzer went off again, and the players jogged back onto the court.

Jesse searched the crowd, hope etched onto his face. But he was looking in the wrong direction. Part of me wanted to wave at him, give him a smile, but I didn’t even meet his gaze as it traveled across the stands.

The referee blew the whistle, and the ball sailed through the air to Jesse. He jumped and grabbed it. He pushed through the other team to the basket and jumped again, tossing the ball into the air.

It hit the backboard and went in. Our side roared like crazy. I clapped, joining Lena’s screams.

“Yes!” Lena said, pumping her fist into the air.

The other team had the ball now, but then Jesse grabbed it out of the air mid-pass and ran in the opposite direction, straight to the basket.

Someone from the other team was waiting for him, though.

Jesse stopped just short of the defender and bent his knees. The ball left his hands, sailing in a perfect arc towards the net. The other player had his hand in the air in front of him, but it was too late.

The ball was long gone.

It went straight into the net.

Our side of the stands went crazy.

Lena looked at me, incredulous. “He’s going off!”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was too busy clapping. Even Rey put her notebook and pencil down and cheered with the rest of us.

He made one more shot before the other team called a timeout.

“That was crazy,” Lena said, laughing at the same time. “He’s really good.”

I nodded. “This is fun.”

Rey and Harper agreed, their cheeks flushed. It was exciting, following the ball up and down the court, watching it sink into the basket, seeing the players fight to get it back or keep it in their possession.

I understood a little why Jesse loved it. It was for the same reason I loved computers and coding and building websites and apps. Why Rey loved to write and draw. Why Lena loved having a soccer ball at her feet. Why Harper liked to volunteer and help people. It was all exhilarating in its own way.

At the sound of the whistle, the players jogged back into place. This time, the other team had the ball, and the game was tied again.

Harper pointed to the clock. “Only twelve seconds left.”

Lena stood up along with the rest of the crowd. “This should be interesting.”

Rey, Harper, and I stood up too.

The next twelve seconds would determine the winner, and the other team was already dribbling the ball towards their goal.

They passed, they ran, but they didn’t shoot. Jesse’s team had their hands up, and they kept up with them.

Finally, a shot at the basket.

“Three points,” Lena said to herself.

The ball bounced off the rim and into the air.

I sighed in relief.

Will leaped about five feet into the air and grabbed the ball.

A shrill whistle sounded throughout the gym. Another timeout, this time from Jesse.

“The suspense,” Rey said, mouth open. “How do they handle the pressure?”

Somehow, I knew what she’d be writing about later.

The whistle blew again, and the players ran back onto the court.

We looked at the clock.

Three seconds left.

What could they possibly do in three seconds?

I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

From the sidelines, Jesse’s teammate immediately flung the ball across the gym. Everyone ran in that direction, but Jesse and one other teammate were already there.

His teammate caught the ball and ran to the basket, but an opposing player was waiting. He dribbled and passed to Jesse, who was now open.

He caught the ball.

One second left.

Less.

He shot.

The sound of the buzzer filled the gym, but the ball was already in the air. It went in.

Everyone went wild, on both sides of the bleachers.

“That counted, right?” I demanded, looking at Lena.

Her eyes were on the referee. Mine too.

“It counted!” she cried, pointing to the scoreboard.

Our side cheered and jumped and yelled.

“That was awesome,” Harper said, clapping.

I nodded, and my gaze locked in on Jesse. He smiled and looked at the crowd again before he turned back to his team.

They pounded his back and yelled. His dad came up to him and lay a hand on his shoulder, a closed-lipped smile on his face.

Then Jesse reached behind the bench and walked to where the scorekeepers were and the guy who had introduced the teams at the beginning of the game.

I noticed something in his hand. Something purple and gold. I knew what it was.

He said something to the guy and grabbed the microphone. He turned back to our side of the bleachers.

“I just wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight,” he said, waving with his other hand, the one with the phone in it. My breath hitched. “And supporting the team.”

He handed the microphone back.

“You should totally go talk to him,” Lena said as the varsity basketball team made their way toward the boys’ locker room.

I bit my lip, watching Jesse and remembering his words the night of Homecoming.

She was right. Of course, she was right.

So I said okay. I would wait for him outside the locker room. And when Jesse came out, somehow, I’d tell him. I’d walk up to him and tell him it was me. I was TheRealCinderella.

Lena, Rey, and Harper said they’d wait in the gym lobby for me, whatever happened. They each gave me a hug for good luck. Harper’s was extra big. She was good at hugs, unlike me.

I carefully walked down the bleachers, down, down, down until I was on the basketball court. Students and family milled about.

The locker room was only a few feet away. I took a deep breath and told myself that this was it, even though a big part of me wanted to run back up those bleachers and go home. It was time to tell Jesse who I really was, no matter how much the thought took my breath away.

A few minutes later, varsity basketball players started coming out of the locker room. One went to his parents. His dad clapped him on the back, and they left.

Another went to his girlfriend, one of the cheerleaders.

Lindsay and Courtney weren’t too far off. They were waiting to congratulate the team, too, along with most of the cheerleaders, including Tori.

Lindsay threw her pom-poms on the floor and walked toward the locker room door, toward someone.

Jesse. My phone was still in his hand.

Lindsay strutted up to him. His eyes widened in surprise.

Oh no.

Lindsay had picked this moment to talk to Jesse?

No way could I go up to him now.

I backed away and turned my head, not wanting Lindsay or Courtney to see me.

Courtney had joined a small crowd of cheerleaders who were talking and laughing. She wasn’t paying attention.

Jesse walked this way, scanning the people around them, but Lindsay followed him as she talked.

They were coming right this way. I had to get out of here.

Jesse held up my phone to Lindsay.

A confused look came over her face.

Jesse said something, and she took the phone. She turned it on, the screensaver flashing.

No.

No, no, no.

I automatically took a few more steps back.

But Lindsay was already spinning around, searching.

Her eyes, black with fury, met mine for a split second before I looked away. But too late. She’d caught me.

I wanted to run far away, but before I could, my eyes went to him.

Jesse.

He was right behind her. He saw me.

There was no running now.

Lindsay walked right over and stopped two inches from my face.

“You? It was you?” she said, like she couldn’t form any more words due to the anger swirling around inside her like a tornado. She lowered her voice. “You’re going to pay for this, Ella, I swear.”

I couldn’t speak. My body froze like a deer in headlights. People were starting to look at us. I could see them in my peripheral vision. The gym fell silent with Lindsay’s outburst.

Jesse appeared beside her.

He didn’t look angry. He looked…confused.

Like this was another math problem that didn’t make sense. Except I also saw the hurt in his eyes.

“It was you?” he asked quietly, coming close.

I didn’t know what to say. Not with Lindsay right there. Looking like she wanted to eat me alive. Not with half the school looking at us, wondering if there would be a fight, an argument, something to share on social media.

Seconds grew into hours as he looked at me, and I pleaded with my eyes.

He held out his hand for my phone, which was still in Lindsay’s hand.

She glared at him, incredulous. “You can’t be serious, Jesse,” she started. “She’s—she’s not right for you. She’s a loser.”

He took my phone from her hand. She didn’t keep it out of his reach like I thought she would. Instead, she huffed and walked off. Up the stairs, past the bleachers.

A few feet away, Courtney broke ranks from the rest of the cheerleaders and went after Lindsay, throwing a look of disdain my way.

I turned back to Jesse, still not sure what I should say.

He held out my phone.

I took it, pressing my thumb down on the home button without thinking.

The phone recognized my thumb print and unlocked.

“It is you,” he said.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“But—you’re in my chemistry class. We were partners the other day. Why didn’t you say anything?” A hurt look swept over his face.

My eyes brimmed with tears. “Tell you what? That I was TheRealCinderella?”

Would he have believed me when he saw me without all the makeup and the dress?

“No,” he replied. “That you’re the girl I’ve been talking to for the past year.”

I blinked, not sure how to respond to that.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to answer. Yes, I wanted to shout. I was about to—

He started to walk away but spun to face me. “I trusted you. Why didn’t you trust me?”

“Jesse,” I tried, wanting to say so much more but not able to in front of everyone.

But he was already gone, walking across the gym and up the opposite side of the bleachers.

Everyone started talking and whispering, and I knew it was about me.

But all I could think about was Jesse, gym bag hung over his shoulder, as he left. The disappointed expression on his face seared itself into my memory, and I wished more than ever I had been brave enough to tell him the truth.