The squeak of sneakers against the polished gym floor mixed with the rhythmic sound of volleyballs being spiked over the net. Practice was in full swing, but the tension between Star and Zara was thick enough to cut with a knife. Star was even sloppy with catching and throwing the balls and trust, the team noticed. 

Kiara sat on the bleachers, observing the team. She wasn't supposed to be there, but she'd come to check in on Zara and Star, hoping for signs of reconciliation. Instead, what she got was an emotional powder keg waiting to explode.

"Zara," Star's voice rang out as the team paused to rotate positions. There was an edge to it that made everyone glance over.

Zara turned, her ponytail swishing as she adjusted her knee pads. "Yeah?"

"You going to pretend everything's fine like you always do?" Star crossed her arms, her glare sharp enough to pierce steel.

Zara frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Star's voice rose, the words spilling out like a dam had burst. "You're so gullible, Zara! You let everyone walk all over you, acting like this perfect little friend. But it's all for attention, isn't it? You want everyone to feel bad for you."

The gym went dead silent. All eyes were on the two girls now.

Zara's mouth opened, then closed. Her hands clenched at her sides. "That's not true!" she shouted back, her voice trembling.

"It is true!" Star snapped, stepping closer. "You can't stand not being the center of attention. And you know what? I'm sick of it!"

Zara's face turned red, her anger bubbling over. Without thinking, she grabbed the volleyball in her hands and threw it at Star.

The ball hit Star square in the shoulder, making her stumble back. Gasps echoed through the gym as everyone froze in shock.

The moment the ball left Zara's hand, regret crashed over her like a tidal wave. "Star!" she cried, rushing forward. "I didn't mean—"

Star's hand shot out, and the slap to Zara's face echoed in the stunned silence.

Zara stumbled back, her cheek stinging as tears welled up in her eyes. "Star, I—"

"I don't want your apology," Star spat, her voice trembling with anger. "You're just proving my point!"

Zara's face crumpled, and she let out a choked sob. The team gathered around her, murmuring words of comfort, but Zara didn't care about any of them. She didn't care about the practice, the game, or even the sting of Star's slap.

She just wanted her friend back.

Kiara, still on the bleachers, felt her stomach churn as she watched the scene unfold. Her mind raced, trying to process the depth of the rift between the two.

One of the teammates, a girl named Lila, put an arm around Zara. "Hey, it's okay. Just breathe."

But Zara pulled away, shaking her head. "No. It's not okay," she sobbed. "I cant understand this, or anything else, Star please" 

Star, who had turned her back to the group, paused at Zara's words. Her shoulders stiffened, but she didn't turn around.

Kiara decided to act, standing and walking over to Zara. She knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey," she said softly. "We'll figure this out. But right now, you need to take a break. Let me handle Star."

Zara looked up at her with tear-streaked cheeks. "You can't fix this, Kiara. No one can."

Kiara sighed, her heart aching for both girls. "I'm not giving up on you two. I'll do whatever it takes."

Star finally left the gym without a word, leaving an air of unresolved tension behind.

As Kiara helped Zara to her feet, she made a silent vow: no matter how messy things got, she wouldn't let this friendship crumble completely. But as she watched Zara walk off the court, still wiping her tears, Kiara knew she had to get the scoop on King and Kendricks's meet-up. She quickly pulled out her phone finding Prince's contact. 

The Janitor's Closet Incident

The dim lightbulb flickered overhead, casting shadows on the mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies crammed into the small janitor's closet. Kendrick crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, his jaw tight. King stood in the center of the cramped space, his fists clenched. Prince, of course, leaned casually against the door, grinning like he had just won the lottery.

"Why are we in here, Prince?" Kendrick asked, his voice sharp.

"Because," Prince said, his tone entirely too cheerful, "you two need to talk this out before one of you actually throws a punch."

Kendrick scowled. "You locked us in here?"

"Yep."

"You're insane."

"Some would say genius," Prince quipped, shrugging. "Kiara's going to let us out in, like, twenty minutes. Plenty of time for you two to hash things out."

King exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. "This is ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is you two acting like the world's about to end because of a girl" Prince shot back, his joking tone slipping into something more serious.

Kendrick didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the floor.

King finally broke the silence. "Fine. Let's talk then. Kendrick, why are we even fighting?"

Kendrick scoffed, his arms still crossed. "You tell me, King. You're the one who keeps blowing up over Star."

"Because you don't even know what you want!" King snapped, his voice rising. "You're stringing Star along, and at the same time, you can't let go of Zara!"

Kendrick's eyes narrowed. "That's not fair. I'm trying to figure things out."

King threw his hands up. "Figure things out? While playing with their feelings? Do you know how much that's messing them up? How much it's messing us up?"

"Zara's my friend just as much as Star Iv'e known the two of them since we were In diapers!"

"Why do you care so much, huh?" Kendrick shot back. "You've been acting like you're the only one who gets to have feelings in this whole mess!"

"I care because..." King's voice cracked, and he turned away, his shoulders trembling.

Prince stepped forward, his usual smirk gone. "Hey, hey, let's not—"

But it was too late. King spun back around, tears streaming down his face. "Because what happened to us, Kendrick?!" he shouted, his voice raw. "We used to be friends. Best friends. And now all we do is fight, and I hate it! I hate this!"

Kendrick blinked, his own anger faltering at the sight of King's tears. "King..."

"No, don't!" King interrupted, shaking his head as he tried to wipe his face. "I'm tired of pretending everything's fine, that I don't care. I care so much it's tearing me apart. And I can't—I can't do this anymore."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Kendrick shifted uncomfortably, his usual confidence replaced by uncertainty. "I don't know what happened, King," he admitted quietly. "I really don't. But you're not the only one hurting here."

King sniffed, his back still turned.

Prince, desperate to break the tension, raised a hand like he was about to crack a joke but stopped himself. Instead, he said softly, "You guys are killing me, you know that? Watching you both tear each other apart is like watching my family fall apart. And yeah, I know I joke around a lot, but it's just 'cause I don't know what else to do."

King turned slightly, his tear-streaked face softening.

"I just want us to go back to being us," Prince continued, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "We're a team, right? So can we please stop acting like enemies for two seconds and remember that?"

Kendrick exhaled slowly, some of the tension in his posture easing. "I don't know how to fix this," he admitted.

"Maybe we start by trying to understand each other," King said quietly, finally turning to face Kendrick. "I get it—you're dealing with a lot. But so am I. And I just want to feel like we're on the same side again."

Kendrick hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

"Look King, I know I don't know what I want, and I know you think I'm a jerk for liking two girls at once but trust me I don't want to hurt Zara or Star, I know you see Zara as a sister and I have a genuine connection with her but she has a connection with everybody which Is why I don't know If I like her or Star because at the same time, Star and I have this weird understanding that I just can't help but love, Me and those two girls are just friends at the moment and I think that I want to change that but I have to pick and Ill try to figure It out as soon as possible

"I understand I'm sorry I just don't want you hurting Zara, she's like my unbiological sister, and with Star...well you know how I feel about her."

Prince grinned, his usual playful energy returning. "Well, look at that! Progress! Now can we get out of this closet before I lose my mind?"

As if on cue, the door creaked open, and Kiara stood there, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "Twenty minutes," she said flatly. "Did you boys actually work anything out, or do I need to lock you back in?"

Prince clapped King and Kendrick on the back. "Oh, we're good. Mostly. Right, guys?"

Kendrick and King exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"For now," Kendrick said.

"Yeah," King agreed.

Kiara sighed. "Good. Because next time, I'm not playing referee."

As the four of them walked out of the janitor's closet, the weight of their unresolved issues lingered, but there was something new in the air: the faintest glimmer of hope. Finally a way out this mess.