Never Be Enough
Like a melody yourself, where beauty belongs.
What songs drift behind those stormy green eyes?
We can rewrite the stars where the night meets the skies
I play the piano, trying to find your bright tune,
Each note searching for my sun to be with your moon.
Or I strum my guitar, chasing your grace,
But no chord can echo the look on your face.
The stars, oh dear, I see in your eyes
All the stars you steal from the night sky
Though I’d give you the world, sure it’ll be tough
But it will never be enough.
- Yours
“They have to be a football player.”
“What makes you think that?” Wanda inquired as she scanned the poem in her hand.
“ It’s the reason why I wake and play . That’s one of the lines from this one.” The table was covered with the poems Yelena had received, each piece of paper carefully spread out as they analyzed the lines one by one.
Earlier that morning, Yelena had confided in Wanda about her desire to uncover the identity of the poet. Without hesitation, the redhead had brought MJ into the fold, turning this into a full-blown investigation. Now, they were gathered around the table like detectives piecing together clues, each word on the page taking on new significance.
“This opens a bunch of doors, not just football. It could be someone that plays soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis—” Wanda began listing, her voice gaining momentum as she counted off on her fingers. MJ shot her an incredulous look.
“We don’t have a tennis team.”
“We don’t?” Wanda paused, frowning before she shook her head and continued, “But my point still stands. Why are we so sure they’re a football player?”
“We’re not sure,” MJ admitted. “I just think it’s more likely because we’re friends with Pietro and Kate. The team knows who Yelena is.” Wanda and Yelena nodded in understanding.
“Okay, so we won’t rule out other athletes, but we can focus on the football team for now,” Wanda suggested thoughtfully. “After all, Yelena does hang out at the bleachers during practices pretty often.”
“Do we still think Sam Mitchell is a possibility?” Yelena asked, holding up today’s poem.
“She’s a volleyball player.” MJ pointed out, and Wanda hummed in agreement.
“I know she can play the guitar,” Wanda added, as Yelena stored the information away before admitting to the two.
“I can’t even remember the last time I talked to her though.”
Suddenly, Wanda gasped, her eyes widening as she nudged Yelena hard, her gaze fixed on the poem in Yelena’s hand.
“I’m pretty sure Sam writes her own music,” Wanda said excitedly. “And she has a song about stars.”
"What, on SoundCloud?" MJ scoffed, earning a nudge from Wanda, even as she tried to stifle her own giggles.
“ We can rewrite the stars where the night meets the skies ,” Yelena read aloud, her voice softening as the words left her lips, warmth spreading across her cheeks.
“Imagine her singing that to you?” Wanda giggled, trying to keep her voice down as the librarian shot them a warning glare.
“Forget about Sam for a second. Dude, read that line again,” MJ interrupted, her tone serious as something seemed to click for her.
“We can rewrite the stars where the night meets the skies…,” Yelena repeated as MJ nodded her head to continue, “The stars, oh dear, I see in your eyes. All the stars you steal from the night sky.”
MJ looked expectantly at Yelena and Wanda, but they only stared back in confusion.
“Oh! The Greatest Showman. I love that film.” Yelena brightened up before she murmured, “Wait how would they know I like that?”
“You have an enamel pin for it on your backpack and anyone could hear you blasting the soundtrack whenever they pass you.” MJ put it bluntly only making the blonde pout.
“That’s a crazy detail to notice…,” Wanda whispered to herself but MJ was focused on what she wanted to initially prove. When the girls gave nothing but blank stares, she let out a deep sigh, “What are we doing tonight?”
“Using Peter’s telescope,” Wanda answered before her and Yelena simultaneously looked at each other with wide eyes, imaginary light bulbs above them and all.
“You don’t think it can be a coincidence?” Yelena’s voice tinged with hope, having to squash out any lingering thoughts of the quarterback.
“You got the poem today. We’re going to the same place as the football team. It’s not a coincidence.” MJ firmly said with her arms crossed in satisfaction.
Yelena pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she gnawed on it nervously.
“A football player. A football player is my secret admirer.” Yelena repeated, her foot started to tap restlessly at the thought, “Like who?”
“Why don’t you find out tonight?” Yelena took a deep breath, meeting MJ’s gaze.
“Alright, what’s the plan?”
➳ ⧗
They were sitting on a sunlit bench by the edge of the field, the quiet buzz of the afternoon creating a gentle backdrop. Kate lay sideways on the bench, wearing a maroon shirt with its sleeves cut off, paired with comfortable gray sweatpants. Her dark hair splayed out around her, catching the light as she spoke animatedly. Yelena, perched by Kate’s head, was dressed in black cargo shorts and an old band tee listening to the dark-haired girl. Yelena tried to focus on Kate’s animated expressions and the way her words flowed effortlessly, but the buzzing in her ears made it hard to concentrate.
“What’s her name?” Yelena asked, her voice betraying a hint of curiosity mixed with something more painful.
Kate’s face brightened further, a smile spreading across her lips as she responded, “Her name is Anna. She’s a cheerleader, but not from Westview. I actually met her through Laura—she’s on our cheer team.” There was a glow in Kate’s eyes that Yelena had seen before, but now it was sharper, more pronounced.
“A cheerleader, huh? I didn’t know that was your type,” Yelena commented with a weak chuckle, trying to mask the pang of jealousy in her voice. Kate shrugged lightly, the motion almost nonchalant.
“She approached me at a party,” Kate continued, her excitement palpable. “She caught me off guard with how bold she was—she’s witty, you’d really like her, Lena.”
As Kate rambled on, describing Anna’s charm and the spark that seemed to ignite whenever she talked about her, Yelena could feel her heart breaking a little more with each passing detail.
Kate’s excitement was a stark contrast to Yelena’s inner turmoil. The more she learned about Anna, the clearer it became that the cheerleader was everything Yelena was not. The way Kate spoke of Anna—her laughter, her confidence, the way she made Kate feel—painted a picture of someone who was the perfect match for the quarterback.
The quarterback and the cheerleader.
How stereotypical.
‘Alexa, play You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift’, Yelena thought to herself letting out a weak chuckle.
Yelena continued to listen, nodding and smiling at appropriate moments, but each word Kate said felt like a needle piercing her heart. She wasn’t sure when exactly her feelings turned into more during their friendship, but once she realized so, she realized she was screwed because of course she had to be someone who was in love with their best friend.
She had always known there was a reason they were only best friends, but hearing Kate’s rambling about her new girlfriend made the reality sting even more. The differences between her and Anna seemed to stretch wider, a chasm that she was powerless to bridge.
Yelena could never picture herself as a cheerleader—an arena reserved for her older sister Natasha, who was a year ahead on the Westview cheerleading team. Where Anna was bold and confident, Yelena was reserved, rarely taking the initiative in conversations and lacking the assertiveness that Anna so effortlessly displayed to get the girl.
They were worlds apart, and Kate would never be interested in someone like her, but she shouldn’t be thinking this anyways.
She should be happy for her best friend right now.
➳ ⧗
Turns out MJ’s plan wasn’t anything grand.
Her plan?
To talk to as many football players as she can, process of elimination if you will, until she could narrow it down to one.
That’s how Yelena found herself awkwardly nursing a coke with Wanda and MJ flanking her on either side, staring at the overwhelming amount of football players and cheerleaders around the area.
Kate had discovered a secluded spot nestled deep in the mountains, the perfect place to set up their telescope for stargazing. The area was surrounded by towering trees, their branches stretching out like a natural canopy overhead. The ground was a mix of packed dirt and patches of grass, with worn logs scattered around for seating. Groups of people huddled on these makeshift benches, chatting or vaping in the open spaces. The cool mountain air made the warmth of the central fire especially inviting, and Kate was busy feeding logs into the flames.
The fire crackled and popped, sending sparks into the air as people gathered closer, basking in its heat. The soft glow of the flames illuminated the clearing, casting long shadows that danced across the ground. Nearby, Peter stood next to the telescope, deep in conversation with Pietro, while a few of the cheerleaders took turns peering through the lens, their excited murmurs adding to the ambient noise of the night. The stars above were vivid and bright, their twinkling light reflecting in the eyes of everyone who paused to gaze upward. The soft melody coming from the small speaker Pietro had brought filled the air, creating a relaxing setting for tonight.
“This is nice.” Natasha popped up beside MJ as she sipped on a seltzer, “I’m glad Kate passed along the invite.”
Wanda nodded, “And Peter for letting us use his telescope.”
“Speaking of, you should speak to him.” Yelena nodded towards the boy who was pointing at the sky while chatting animatedly with Pietro and one of the newer football players, Matt.
“I’ll speak to him once you speak to your first victim.” MJ shot back as the blonde could only avoid meeting her gaze.
“First victim?” Natasha looked at Yelena as she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
“We believe her secret admirer is a football player,” Wanda added context for the cheerleader who raised her eyebrows.
“Oh really?”
“Yep. Yelena’s going to go find out if it’s true by talking to them tonight,” MJ emphasized as her eyes wandered to find the blonde’s first victim, “Start easy. Go with Pietro.”
“Ew. My brother? Really he’s our friend,” Wanda scrunched his nose in discomfort.
“More of a reason to rule him out now then,” MJ pushed as she added, “I’ll talk to Peter if you go talk to Pietro.”
Yelena just let out a resigned groan before following after MJ ignoring the harsh patting from her older sister, “Good luck, baby sis!”
“Peter, can I talk to you?” Yelena had to give it to Peter, he didn’t look caught off guard at his girlfriend approaching him and excused himself from the conversation with the boys before following MJ.
The blonde watched Pietro and Matt with mild amusement as Pietro excitedly pointed at the sky, while Matt, more reserved, silently peered through the telescope.
“Oh hey Yelena!” Pietro greeted as he gestured, “Do you want a turn?”
“Oh no, it’s okay.” Yelena smiled awkwardly at Matt who waved and stepped to the side for Pietro to have his turn.
“Hi Yelena, it’s nice to see you.” Matt said kindly, his hands tucked into his pockets.
“Are you a total nerd about astronomy like Pietro here?”
“Oh yeah, I was actually just talking to Peter about this but ever since I visited Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, I’ve been fascinated with them since,” Matt replied, his face lighting up, as he shrugged off his jacket to show the ink on his shoulder.
Yelena leaned in to look, her curiosity piqued. “I have a constellation of my zodiac sign and a few stars on my chest,” Matt explained, showing off the cool tattoos.
“The stars are close to his heart. They’re dedicated to Jen,” Pietro teased as they moved aside to let the next person in line go. Matt let out a small smile before shaking his head.
“Who’s Jen?” Yelena questioned curiously.
“My girlfriend.” Matt rubbed the back of his neck, “She doesn’t go here.”
“Oh,” Yelena nodded mentally crossing off Matt from her list. She didn’t think it could be him anyways, he transferred schools three months ago. She smiled slightly at him before looking at Pietro, her tone becoming more playful.
“How about you, Pietro?”
“What about me?”
“Where’s your girlfriend?”
“Lena you know I don’t have one,” Pietro practically whined as he crossed his arms, “You’re as much of an annoying sister as Wands is.”
Thankfully crossing out Pietro from the mental list at that, she left the boys to join Sam who was by the snacks on the ground, seeming to be thinking too much about what types of chips he could possibly want.
“Hey Sam.”
“Hello beautiful!” Sam’s head shot up as he smiled widely at the blonde.
“The Flaming Hot Funyuns are better than the regular in my opinion,” Yelena commented as she gestured to the two chips in his hand.
“Ah, I love a woman with incredible taste,” Sam smacked his lips as he didn’t waste any time opening the bag and shoving a mouthful in his mouth, “What’s up Belova?”
“I just wanted to come say hi,” Yelena shrugged as she joined Sam by the snack table, her gaze falling on the red vines among the assortment of treats. She silently thanked Kate for bringing her favorite candy and grabbed a handful, the familiar taste providing her comfort.
“Well hello, my dear.” Sam playfully saluted as he shoved more Funyuns in his mouth. Yelena froze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she processed the term of endearment. She studied Sam’s face closely, searching for any hint of indication that he knew what he was doing, but his face gave away nothing.
“What?”
“What?” Sam repeated obliviously as he continued to eat his chips without a care in the world.
Yelena shook her head slightly and forced a casual tone. “Hey, Sam. I know you hang out by the bleachers often after practice. Have you seen a pair of headphones there recently? I think I left them somewhere around.”
Sam pondered for a moment, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall. “The yellow ones you own?”
“They’re actually olive green.”
“Olive green?” Sam raised an eyebrow, a bemused expression crossing his face. “You could’ve just said green. But sure, I’ll keep an eye out for them and let you know if I spot them tomorrow.”
That crosses out Sam.
Yelena sighed deeply as she steeled herself with a smile, preparing to join Wanda and Steve’s conversation. The warmth of the fire flickered around them, casting a cozy glow, but she was still miles away before the night ended. She didn’t notice the blue eyes watching her intently as she made her way across the firelight.
Steve was sharing a story with Wanda, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “Yeah, I do love writing letters. Bucky teases me about it, calls me old school, which I guess I am.”
Yelena’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Who do you write for? Do you write poetry?”
“Poetry? Oh no,” Steve’s expression shifted to one of deep reflection, his gaze distant as if looking back in time. “I lost the love of my life in a car accident a few years ago. I know it’s crazy to say that we were children, but I felt it. We used to exchange notes during class—little messages to keep in touch. After she passed, I started writing letters for her. It’s like we’re still communicating, but you know..now it’s one-sided.”
The gravity of Steve’s words hung in the air. Yelena and Wanda exchanged glances, their faces softening with guilt for probing too far. They offered Steve sympathetic smiles, the warmth of the fire now feeling a bit more poignant.
“I’m really sorry, Steve,” Yelena said softly.
Well, that crosses out Steve.
Yelena was tired. She had been going around talking to the guys on the football team and with each conversation, her hope dwindled. She was beginning to doubt that her admirer was even on the team at all. As she sipped her second coke of the night, she let her gaze drift over the scattered groups around the campfire.
Steve and Sam were by the telescope, chatting Carol and Laura who were sitting nearby, sipping drinks and laughing at something out of earshot. Pietro and Wanda were goofing around with a kendama that Matt had brought along for fun.
The redhead eventually grew tired of the game, her playful energy guiding her over to where Yelena sat, lost in thought on a worn log near the fire. With a light hop, Wanda plopped down beside her before stealing the coke from her hand and taking a sip.
“How’s the plan going? Any leads?”
“Nothing. This is terrible. I think I have talked to most of the guys on the team.” Yelena sighed heavily, the frustration evident in her voice as she took back her drink and took a large gulp of soda, the fizz tickling her throat.
Wanda hummed sympathetically, her eyes scanning the crowd thoughtfully. “You said you talked to everyone on the team?”
Yelena nodded, her mind too tangled in thoughts to notice the shift in Wanda’s tone.
Wanda tilted her head, “Have you talked to Kate?”
Yelena’s heart stuttered at the mention of the quarterback, a wave of panic washing over her, “Why would I talk to Kate?”
“Well you can’t rule her out,” Wanda replied with a casual shrug, “You talked to Pietro right? Who’s to say it can’t be Kate?”
“Wands,” Yelena cracked slightly, “She’s my best friend.”
“Well if you’re so sure it’s not her. ” Wanda shrugged as the blonde was left with a weird, unsettling feeling in her stomach. Her eyes had a mind of its own as it sought for the quarterback, who she quickly found.
The quarterback was talking to one of the cheerleaders, a tall blonde who was leaning in just a little too close. Yelena’s heart sank as she watched Kate laugh at whatever the girl had said, the sound of her laughter sending a pang of jealousy through her. She forced herself to swallow down the surge of emotions, turning her attention back to her drink, wishing she could shake the disappointment that had settled in her chest.
“Hey, I’m going to head back to Pietro,” Wanda said, nudging Yelena lightly before she stood up, leaving the blonde alone on the log, her thoughts swirling.
Yelena almost flinched when she felt someone sit down beside her a couple minutes later. She turned to see who it was, trying to mask the turmoil bubbling beneath the surface.
“Hey.”
“James.” Yelena greeted, nodding in his direction as the long-haired boy raised his own Coke in a friendly salute.
“I’m glad someone here knows that coke will always be better than pepsi.” He tapped the side of his can lightly.
“Well I’m never wrong.”Yelena smirked, which made James chuckle.
“So what’s got you being such a social butterfly tonight? Doesn’t seem like you.”
“What?” Yelena asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
“I noticed that you’re walking around talking to everyone on the team. What are you planning, Belova?”
Yelena sighed heavily. “Trying to find out if these guys are capable of writing poetry.”
“Is this about the secret admirer?” James said in a casual tone.
“How do you know about that?”
“Heard Pietro and Kate talking about it,” James shrugged. Yelena frowned at that but didn’t comment.
“You know you can call me Bucky, right?” He offered with a slight smile.
“Alright Bucky,” Yelena emphasized his name, clapping her hands once. ”Make up a poem right now.”
Bucky’s eyes scanned the night sky, taking in the twinkling stars.
“In the quiet of the night, we stand,
Red hair glowing like embers in hand,
Your green eyes sparkle, like emeralds bright,
It’s truly a beautiful night”
Yelena stared at home in surprise, “You just thought of that.”
“I did.” Bucky nodded, “I dabble with poetry sometimes.”
“But you’re not my secret admirer.”
“Oh god no. Your sister would kill me” Bucky chuckled to himself making Yelena furrow her eyebrows.
“Why would my sister– red hair, green eyes– you! And, and my sister!” Yelena’s eyes widened in realization before Bucky quickly shushed her.
“Please pretend you didn’t hear anything. She’s going to kill me.” Bucky begged, looking genuinely scared
“Nevermind that, I’m going to kill her for not telling me before she can get to you!” Yelena wasn’t aware her bottom lip was jutting out, a pout forming at her older sister keeping this from her.
Damn, Wanda was going to be disappointed. She knows her friend harbored a small crush on her older sister.
As Yelena finished giving Bucky the protective little sister talk, she started rubbing her arms against the cold breeze that had settled in. At that moment, another presence sat down beside her in the now-empty spot.
“Lenaaaa, come look through the telescope with me.”
Yelena’s gaze met Kate’s, and she couldn’t ignore the pleading look in her eyes—the same look that could almost rival Lucky’s most heart-melting stare. She ignored the quarterback’s fidgety fingers that were tapping restlessly on her forearm before sending Bucky one last threatening look.
“Got that, James?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bucky held up his hands before Yelena stood up and headed to the vacant telescope with Kate happily trotting along behind her. Kate’s energy was infectious, but Yelena couldn’t shake the charged tension between them as they approached the telescope especially after her talk with Wanda. She tried her best to not let it affect her.
“You see that, Kate Bishop? Those are Jupiter’s moons,” Yelena said, pointing to the telescope’s view.
“No way! Those are moons?” Kate’s excitement was palpable as she peered through the lens.
“I see Saturn’s rings!” Kate exclaimed, her voice filled with wonder.
“Do you know what else has rings?” Yelena asked, a teasing glint in her eye.
“You?” Kate responded automatically, then quickly added, “Kidding! Kidding.”
“Jupiter.” Yelena ignored the silly comment, guiding Kate’s gaze back to the planet. She took a moment to savor the closeness of Kate’s body next to hers, the warmth she provided shielding Yelena from the biting cold.
The two continued to stand side by side, their conversation drifting to constellations and the mysteries of the night sky. After a while, Kate glanced over and noticed Yelena’s shivering.
“Are you cold?” Kate asked, her concern evident.
“A little.” Yelena admitted, shrugging as the goosebumps on her arms became more pronounced.
Without hesitation, Kate removed her letterman jacket and draped it over Yelena’s shoulders, her fingers lingering for a moment as she tapped the jacket to signal Yelena to put her arms in. Yelena tried to focus on the warmth of the jacket and the fact that she was wearing something with ‘Bishop’ and Kate’s number on the back, but the gesture was not lost on her.
The touch of the jacket, and the closeness to Kate, filled her with a bittersweet warmth that had nothing to do with the cold.
Yelena had just been pointing out a constellation to Kate, who was squinting up at the sky, trying to trace the elusive shape among the stars. The night was clear, and the air crisp, perfect for stargazing. The two were standing close, Yelena's voice low as she guided Kate's eyes to the faint cluster of stars. Just as Kate was about to exclaim that she finally saw it, a loud voice from the fire interrupted.
“Kate you gotta come here! Guess what Eli just bought? Marshmallows! S’mores dude!” PIetro shouted as he waved for the girl to come down.
Yelena jumped at the interruption, realizing she was completely going against what she'd promised herself the night before.
She was supposed to get over her feelings, find her poet, and let go of these unrequited feelings. But how could she do that when just being near Kate made her stomach flutter with butterflies? How could she forget when her mind kept replaying the moment she almost kissed Kate, wondering how her lips would’ve felt if she hadn’t pulled away?
Each shared glance, every touch, blurred the line she was desperately trying to maintain. Shaking her head to clear the chaotic thoughts, she forced herself to focus on what Kate was saying, trying not to stare too intently at her lips.
“I know you don’t like marshmallows but come with? It’s warmer over there,” Kate offered with hopeful eyes. Yelena noticed Natasha, Peter, and MJ among the group, and was about to agree, figuring she could distract herself by talking to them. But just as she opened her mouth to say yes, she felt someone else join them by the telescope.
“Do any of you guys know your stars and planets and can help a girl out?” Dani asked with her hands tucked inside her cheer sweater. She shot the pair an innocent smile as she gestured to the telescope, “I haven’t had a chance to look through it and I want to know what I’m looking at you know?”
"KATEEEE!" Pietro’s impatient yell echoed again, pulling Kate's attention back to the fire. Kate sighed deeply, torn between staying with Yelena and joining her friends by the fire.
“Go get your s’mores, Kate Bishop. I can help Dani here.” Yelena let out a small smile as she watched the quarterback grow reluctant, “Go before Pietro eats all the marshmallows.”
Kate hesitated for a moment longer, her gaze flicking between Yelena and the fire, before finally giving in. With one last look at Yelena, she nodded, before heading towards the group but not without looking over her shoulder a few times. Yelena watched her go, clutching the collar of Kate's letterman jacket that she was still wearing, the soft material warm against her skin. As Kate walked away, Yelena couldn’t help but feel the growing weight of unspoken words between them, a silent tension as both of them balanced on a tightrope.
“Thank you for volunteering, Yelena.” Dani fluttered her eyelashes, positioning herself ready to look through the telescope, “Let’s take a look, shall we?”
“I might’ve left my glasses at home but I’m pretty sure I put my contacts on before I left. It is blurry,” Dani huffed as she pulled away. Frowning, Yelena stepped forward to check it herself. It was blurry.
"Sometimes that happens. Let me just readjust it real quick," she said, her fingers deftly adjusting the optics on the telescope. "There, that should do it."
"My hero!" Dani grinned, peering through the telescope again. This time, the stars were sharp and clear. "So I don’t exactly know what I’m looking at."
They took turns looking through the telescope, Yelena pointing out which objects were planets and which were stars. "That one right there shines the brightest, which tells us it’s closer to us than the other little guys around it," Yelena explained as Dani touched her forearm, fingers lingering on the leather sleeve of Kate’s jacket in a flirtatious gesture.
"Did you know you can own a star?" Dani asked, her voice taking on a teasing tone. "I could buy that one right now and name it after you."
"What?" Yelena blinked, caught off guard.
"Cause you shine the brightest, my dear Yelena," Dani said with a sly smile, leaving Yelena almost choking on air at the unexpected comment.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Yelena stuttered, clearing her throat as her cheeks flushed red.
"I’m glad you came tonight, Belova," Dani stated after a moment of silence.
"What do you mean?"
"I haven’t had a real conversation with you in a while. You’re always with your green headphones on or focused on your little sketchbook when I see you," Dani observed, leaving Yelena staring at her in bewilderment.
"How do you know that?"
"You’re hard not to notice," Dani smirked, and Yelena couldn’t help but flush even more under the attention.
Yelena shifted uncomfortably in the heavy silence, the quiet stretching between them like an invisible wall. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her mind racing for something—anything—to break the tension. She didn’t know why she was so nervous around her. The pressure to fill the void gnawed at her, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Well actually, I’ve been wanting to get into painting more.” Yelena added at the mention of her sketchbook, feeling herself get excited at the thought of getting her hands dirty with fresh paint.
“Yeah?”
Yelena nodded, “I’m always telling Kate I want to turn the office at the house into my own painting studio but…school has just been in the way.” She felt her eyebrow twitch, internally cursing herself for being unable to get the quarterback off of her mind and mentioning her in conversation. Her mind drifted off to when she had rambled to Kate about how she would set up the office to turn it into her own personal art space before she froze at the cheerleader’s next words.
“You shouldn’t let school stop you. I mean go easy on yourself,” Dani commented, her tone almost coaxing as Yelena stared at Dani with her mouth slightly open. “Let yourself paint, Belova.”
Go easy on yourself, beautiful girl.
Yelena could only stare at Dani, the gears in her mind turning as she tried to piece everything together. As she mentally sifted through the list in her head, a brand new name found itself under the scratched-out names of the football players, a name highlighted in bright yellow.
Dani ?
➳ ⧗
“Fuck, shit!” Kate cursed under her breath as she blew on the marshmallow she’d accidentally burned in the flames. She pouted at the charred mess before shoving it into her mouth, ignoring Pietro’s laughter as he handed her another marshmallow.
“Tat whas a mishtake. ” Kate garbled, fanning her mouth as she chewed the hot, gooey mess.
“You’re so dumb,” MJ teased, shaking her head with a smile. Kate shrugged, jabbing a new marshmallow onto her stick, but her attention drifted away from the group.
Her eyes wandered back to where she’d left Yelena by the telescope with Dani. The sight that greeted her made her stomach twist. Dani stood too close, her eyes fluttering and her smile flirtatious as she spoke to Yelena. Kate couldn’t see Yelena’s reaction, only the back of her jacket, with ‘Bishop’ and ‘9’ emblazoned on it, as Yelena leaned in, their heads close together.
Now, don’t get her wrong—Kate was glad she’d given Yelena her jacket. She had seen the goosebumps forming on the blonde's arms and the way she shivered beside her. But damn, it felt like a cruel joke from the universe to see Yelena wearing that jacket with her last name on it.
Seeing Yelena wear it, so comfortably, so naturally, made Kate wish things could be different. Made her wish, just for a moment, that Yelena wasn’t wearing the jacket as a friend but as something more. And that thought—that impossible, aching thought—was what hurt the most.
Kate’s mind spiraled as she tried to focus on the chatter around the fire, but her eyes kept drifting back to Yelena. The irony stung—Yelena, so near, wrapped in her warmth, yet so impossibly distant. The jacket was a symbol of everything Kate wished she could say and do, a cruel reminder of the boundaries she had to maintain. And worse of all, Kate couldn’t shake the image of Dani leaning in, smiling, getting closer to Yelena while she stood helpless on the sidelines.
A sharp pang of sadness pierced through Kate as she remembered the night before—the way she’d almost kissed Yelena before the blonde jumped out of the way. They had been pretending like nothing had happened, and Kate was trying desperately to keep things normal between them. She had to. She couldn't afford to mess up what they had, not when it was so precious to her. The thought of losing Yelena—of making things awkward between them—was unbearable. It was why she had been so diligent about acting like nothing had changed, why she had buried her feelings deep inside and focused on the letters instead.
The letters were her only outlet, her way of expressing her feelings without risking their friendship. It was her way of keeping Yelena close without crossing the line, a compromise between what she wanted and what she could have.
She had to remind herself that it was enough, that it has to be.
Lost in her inner turmoil, she didn’t notice a pair of green eyes watching her with a knowing gaze from behind the fire’s flames.
All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough