Chapter 9: The Forceful Tumble

A moment later, a crisp whistle sounded, announcing the official start of the game.

The instant the referee tossed the ball into the air, Parker leaped aggressively, reaching out to snatch it.

To his surprise, Killian had already moved with lightning speed, deftly intercepting the ball.

"Go, Killian! You can do it!"

Cheers and excitement erupted from the sidelines.

Parker glared resentfully at the tall young man who had stolen his spotlight, muttered a curse under his breath, and quickly moved to block him.

The intense confrontation ignited instantly, proceeding in full swing.

...

Twenty minutes later.

"Dammit, how is this pretty boy so good?" Brandon’s face had turned the color of pig liver from exhaustion, and he cursed under his breath in a mix of panting and frustration.

Parker remained silent. He watched the upright, effortless figure on the court and wiped his sweat with his jersey, his movements carrying a trace of suppressed fury.

Several players on the Law Department side, including himself, were on the university team; they had started the game brimming with confidence.

However, once the match began, the expected "rookie crushing" didn't happen.

Killian looked like a refined, noble heir who excelled in academics rather than athletics, yet on the court, he played with a lethal precision. Like a god of war, he completely ground the university team players into the dirt.

This unexpected, crushing dominance was like a slap to the faces of Brandon and Parker, who had just been implying that Killian wasn't much of a player.

It was a total humiliation.

Remembering something, Parker looked toward the stands with unease.

He saw the well-behaved, beautiful girl looking toward his side with a tense expression, shouting something.

He couldn't hear her—her voice was completely drowned out by the other cheers.

Even so, the irritation in Parker’s heart faded significantly, and a pleasant, faint smile touched his lips.

At least my girl is still on my side.

"What is that idiot Parker smiling at? There are only four minutes left in the first half, he’s being beaten to a pulp by Killian, and he can still smile?"

Josie critiqued him as if she were looking at a madman.

Tara said nothing, silently gripping the water and towel in her hands with nervous intensity.

Four minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The moment the referee’s whistle signaled the halftime break, Tara shot out like a little rocket.

"Go, Tara!"

Behind her, Josie and Cassie clenched their fists to encourage her.

In that moment, Tara felt she had reached the peak of her lifetime 50-meter sprint record.

Because she ran the fastest, she easily left behind the other girls who also wanted to give things to Killian.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

But as the saying goes:

If an accident is going to happen, it happens when things are going well.

"Thud!"

A heavy sound of impact reached everyone's ears.

Everyone followed the sound and was immediately struck dumb with shock.

Killian, the Campus King who had just been gallantly dominating the court, had been tackled and was now being pinned down firmly by a petite girl.

Thump-thump, thump-thump...

Rapid heartbeats were exceptionally clear in the inches of space where their breaths mingled.

Tara blinked, staring blankly at Killian’s distorted handsome face beneath her. She was stunned.

A sharp, piercing pain radiated from her back and elbows, but it didn't originate from her own body.

This was an unexpected turn of events—sudden and unavoidable.

It wasn't until a cold, magnetic voice spoke through gritted teeth that she snapped out of it. "Are you getting up or not?"

Tara suddenly regained her senses and hurriedly scrambled up, apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Kill me now. I ran too fast and couldn't brake; I actually tackled him!

(ಥ﹏ಥ)

Tara’s face instantly turned beet-red, the flush spreading rapidly to her ears and neck. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Killian again.

Because the accident was so sudden and Killian seemed to have injured his elbow during the fall, he was sent to the gym’s temporary infirmary for emergency treatment.

Josie and Cassie stood on the sidelines, needing several seconds to recover from their shock.

In the end, they said nothing, only silently giving Tara a thumb-up.

Legendary!

A direct tackle—it was fierce, it was aggressive. She was a heroine among women, a phoenix among men!

Forget a lonely iceberg; a whole ice island would be melted by this girl’s boldness!

A few meters away, Josie (the rival) glared resentfully at Tara’s face. After cursing under her breath, she hurled the crumpled towel in her hand to the ground.

From childhood to now, no one had ever dared to snatch something she liked so blatantly, time and time after again.

This time, she couldn't take it anymore and wanted to rush up and tear that shameless girl's face apart.

But before she could act...

"Tara, what do you think you're doing!"

Tara, standing there like a primary school student who had done something wrong, was trying to think of a way to salvage the situation when she was pulled back by this loud, angry voice.

An exceptionally familiar voice.

The moment she turned around, a figure had already stormed over and grabbed her slender wrist like a steel pincer.

Tara cried out in pain. She looked up and met Parker’s bloodshot, indignant eyes.

"Why is it you?" Her pretty brows knitted instantly.

"What do you mean 'why is it me'?" Parker’s expression was hideous.

"You fickle woman. I wondered why you were so determined to break up with me. It turns out you’ve had your eyes on this pretty boy Killian for a long time, haven't you?"

He let out a self-deprecating, cold laugh. "To think I actually thought you had a change of heart and came specifically to watch me play. I was so happy for so long..."

As he spoke, the grip on her wrist tightened with sudden rage.

Tara felt as if her hand was about to be crushed. She struggled in pain. "Let go! What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Stop acting!"

Parker roared with uncontrollable fury, losing all reason. He forcefully dragged her toward the exit.

Tara couldn't break free and was forced to be led away. "You bastard, what are you doing? Let go! Do you hear me? I said let go!"

This all happened in a matter of seconds. By the time the crowd reacted, Tara had been dragged out of sight by Parker.

Seeing this, Josie felt a sense of satisfaction, and a triumphant smile touched her lips.

Who would have thought that karma would come so quickly?

"Dammit, what does that scumbag Parker think he's doing? Where did he take Tara?"

Josie and Cassie, who had chased after them but failed to find anyone, were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

"Let’s split up," Josie decided decisively with a grim face. "Keep your phones on. If you find her, report the location to me immediately!"

With that, Josie turned back without hesitation and headed toward the gym’s temporary infirmary.

"Tsk, Killian, when did you become so fragile?"

Inside the infirmary, Parker (the friend) leaned back lazily in a chair, watching the doctor treat the wound on Killian’s arm. He teased him without a hint of shame.

"A delicate girl tackled you and put you in this state? Seems like you need to step up your training."

Killian looked up lazily, his voice very faint. "Do you want to die?"

Facing his dark, oppressive gaze, Parker shrugged and wisely shut his mouth.

Just then...

"Killian!"

A sharp voice rang out.

In the next second, Josie burst in, shouting anxiously, "Your good friend’s sister is in trouble! Are you going to help or not?"