Page 27 of His Starr Player

Oh no.

I looked down at my chest and didn’t see the heart-shaped pendant. My lucky charm was missing. My eyes watered as I swore out loud. I looked in my bag, in the showers, and around my locker. It was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t play the opening season game without my good luck charm.

I paced back and forth.

“What’s wrong?” Cinnamon asked as she watched me pace.

“My necklace is missing.”

“The one your grandmother gave you?” she asked.

I nodded. “I don’t know where it could be. I can’t play without it.”

“Don’t be dramatic?—”

“Cinnamon, you don’t understand. I’ve never played a game without my necklace. I don’t know how to play without it.” I began to hyperventilate.

My season was over before it started. Without the necklace, I was nobody. Without my grandmother’s spirit near, I wouldn’t be able to give my all to the game I loved so much.

I took a seat at my locker and tapped my foot incessantly on the floor. My mind raced as I tried to retrace my steps, but the emotions coursing through my body were too severe. Some people may have thought I was overreacting, but the necklace was special to me. It was the most special thing I had to remember my grandmother by. I refused to play without it.

I grabbed my phone and tapped theGo Livefeature on the app. When it loaded, I immediately had thousands of people joining every few seconds.

“Hey, y’all. It’s your favorite Viper. I’m only on here to get this announcement out as fast as I can. Ava Starr will not be playing in tonight’s game. The only way I’ll step out on that court is if I can find my necklace in time. Day one Galaxies know how important my heart necklace is. Without it, I’m not me. I love y’all, and I trust the team to get the dub with or without me.” I blew a kiss to the camera and ended the live.

When I put my phone down, twelve pairs of eyes stared at me in confusion.

“Starr, what do you mean you’re not playing in the game today?” Coach asked with tight lips. She wanted to curse and scream but had to hold her composure.

“Exactly what I said, Coach. I can’t do this?—”

“This is bullshit, Starr, and you know it. All the handwork we’ve put into practice, and you want to let your team down? You want to throw away an easy win over a necklace?” She had a point, but I didn’t care.

“Yes.”

Chatter broke out as the girls tossed out several insults toward me. They were pissed at me, but I didn’t give a fuck. I had never stepped foot on a court without my necklace, and tonight wouldn’t be any different.

The soundof SportsCenter played in the background as I cleaned up the cabin. I tossed all our trash into bags and stripped the beds of the linen. The host strictly instructed how they wanted the cabin to look for checkout. I didn’t mind coming back after I dropped Ava off. I had more than enough time to clean up and still make it in time for tip-off.

“It’s just in. Superstar Ava Starr says she’s not playing in tonight’s game,” Markela, the sports reporter, stated.

My ears perked up at the announcement. “Excuse me? What did she just say?” I gave the television my undivided attention.

Markela and Justin were the current SportsCenter anchors for the pregame show. They began the show with stats andprojections for the season. Now, the breaking news had caught everyone, including myself, off guard.

“This was so unexpected. We are told Ava Starr went live on social media just a few minutes ago. Luckily for our viewers who missed the live, we have the full clip. We will play the footage now.”

I watched intently as they switched to Ava’s live video. She spoke for only a few minutes, but her words were clear and concise. She left no room for confusion.

“Hey, y’all. It’s your favorite Viper. I’m only on here to get this announcement out as fast as I can. Ava Starr will not be playing in tonight’s game. The only way I’ll step out on that court is if I can find my necklace in time. Day one Galaxies know how important my heart necklace is. Without it, I’m not me. I love y’all, and I trust the team to get the dub with or without me.”

My eyes widened at the conclusion of the video. She lost her necklace. Could it be here?

“I think it’s irresponsible for her to throw such an asinine tantrum. It’s just a necklace.” Justin commented on the video.

“I agree to an extent. Many people are superstitious about their rituals. If she’s never played without her necklace, then I get the apprehension of not wanting to start today.” Markela shrugged.

“As the daughter of Axel Starr, she has a huge responsibility to uphold. Ava is tarnishing her family name because of this.” Justin shook his head.

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