Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 51 - MAKING AMENDS

Maybe I'd never be the same boy she loved. But I could become the man she deserved.

And that... That started now.

Afternoon the next day, the sun was dipping low, casting orange light over the court where everything used to feel simple, just hoops, jokes, sweat, and trash talk. Now, it felt like a courtroom. Tim, Drake, and Corey sat on the edge of the bleachers. Inez stood apart, arms folded, sunglasses pushed up in her hair like armor. She hadn't said a word since she got here. I held the basketball in my hands but didn't bounce it. Didn't move. Just stood there, heart pounding like I was about to lose another game I couldn't afford to.

"I'm not gonna make a speech," I said. "And I'm not gonna beg."

Tim leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Good. You suck at speeches."

A laugh snuck out of Corey. Drake grinned, but didn't say anything. I exhaled through my nose. "I messed up. I betrayed her trust. Yours too. I know that."

Tim nodded slowly. "Yeah. You did. But... we've all been reckless before. Not like that, maybe, but, we've screwed up."

"I was angry," I said, "but that doesn't make it right. I knew what I was doing. I knew it would destroy her."

Drake finally spoke. "At least you're not pretending you tripped and fell into Olive's bed."

"Drake," Corey muttered, elbowing him.

"No, it's okay," I said. "He's right."

Drake shrugged. "I hated you for a while. Still kinda do. But I can't act like I've been perfect either. So if you're actually trying? I'll be here. Just... don't be a dumbass again."

Tim gave me a half-smile. "It's weird, man. I hated what you did. But I also see it. You're different now."

Corey nodded. "You're showing up. That counts for something."

My chest tightened. Not with relief, not yet, but with something close. Like the first inhale after drowning. And then there was Inez.

I turned to her.

She was still standing apart, jaw tight, expression unreadable. Her silence wasn't passive. It was full. Angry. Protective.

"Inez," I said quietly, "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I just need you to know... I never stopped loving her."

Her eyes snapped to mine. "Don't you dare say that like it's a justification."

The court went silent.

"You think love excuses betrayal?" she continued, stepping forward. "You think it makes the nightmares go away? The silence in her voice? The fact that she flinches when your name comes up in a sentence?"

"I don't..." I started, but she cut me off.

"You broke her," she snapped. "You took a girl who was already grieving, already trying to hold her dad together, already barely breathing... and you cut her deeper. And now what? You show up here with your sad little redemption story and hope we clap?"

Her voice was trembling now. "Do you even know what it cost her to love you, James? Do you even know how hard she fought for you when no one else would?"

I swallowed hard, throat dry. "Yes," I said. "I do now."

I stepped closer. She didn't back down.

"I'm not asking you to clap. I'm not asking you to trust me. I just want you to know... I'm not going anywhere. I'll wait. I'll work. Even if she never takes me back. Even if all I ever get is a glance. Because she deserves that."

Inez's eyes shone with anger. Or maybe grief. Or both.

"You want to prove you've changed?" she said, her voice lower now. "Then don't fight for her like a thief trying to reclaim what he stole. Fight like a man who knows he lost something important."

Then she turned her back.

Tim stood and clapped me on the shoulder.

"She'll come around," he said quietly. "Maybe. Maybe not. But I think she'd be glad you're trying."

Drake bumped my fist. "Still a dumbass. But at least you're our dumbass again."

Corey gave me a nod.

"Let's go shoot around sometime. Like old days." Tim noted.

I watched as they all started to drift away. Inez paused at the edge of the court. She looked back, not at me, but at the sky. Then she said, almost too soft to hear:

"Don't break her again, James. If you do... I'll break you."

Then she was gone. And somehow, the court didn't feel so empty anymore.