Chapter 1 The Wrong Twin

• Juliet Morgan's POV
• I hated basketball.
• That was probably a crime in Harrison University.
• On this campus, basketball wasn't a sport. It was a religion, and Charles Harrison was its god.
• Unfortunately for me, my twin sister was one of his most devoted worshippers.
• "You're coming."
• "No."
• Julia slammed my bedroom door open without bothering to knock.
• I looked up from my anatomy textbook and sighed.
• The girl was impossible.
• "We've had this conversation three times already," I said. "My answer is still no."
• "And I've ignored your answer three times already."
• She flashed me a bright smile before dropping onto my bed.
• I rolled my eyes.
• Being identical twins was the biggest scam in history.
• People looked at us and saw the same face.
• The same golden-brown skin.
• The same dark hair.
• The same height.
• The same smile.
• But that was where the similarities ended.
• Julia loved attention.
• I avoided it.
• Julia loved parties.
• I loved libraries.
• Julia could make friends with a wall.
• I barely survived small talk.
• And right now, Julia was trying to drag me to the opening game of the university basketball season.
• "I don't even understand why you're obsessed with him," I muttered.
• Her eyes widened.
• "Obsessed?"
• "Yes."
• "I'm not obsessed."
• I stared at her.
• She stared back.
• We both burst out laughing.
• "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe a little."
• "A little?"
• "Fine. A lot."
• I shook my head.
• "You realize Charles Harrison doesn't even know you exist."
• Julia clutched her chest dramatically.
• "Juliet Morgan, future doctor and current destroyer of dreams."
• "The truth hurts."
• "You're evil."
• "And you're delusional."
• She threw a pillow at me.
• I caught it and laughed.
• For a moment, the room filled with the easy comfort that came from sharing nineteen years of life with someone.
• Then Julia's expression softened.
• "Please come with me."
• I frowned.
• "What?"
• "To the game."
• "Julia—"
• "Please."
• I immediately became suspicious.
• Julia never begged.
• She negotiated.
• Manipulated.
• Bribed.
• But she never begged.
• "What do you want?"
• Her smile turned sheepish.
• "I may have told my friends you'd be coming."
• I groaned.
• "There it is."
• "Come on."
• "No."
• "Please."
• "Nope.
• "I'll buy dinner."
• "Hmm... Still no."
• "I'll do your laundry for a month."
• I nearly folded.
• Nearly.
• But anatomy was waiting for me.
• And unlike basketball stars, anatomy actually cared about my future.
• "I have exams."
• "The game is three hours."
• "I have studying."
• "You've been studying all week."
• "I like studying."
• "You're sick."
• I smiled.
• "Thank you."
• Julia grabbed my arm.
• "Juliet."
• I ignored her.
• "Juliet."
• She wheedled harder.
• "Jules."
• That got my attention.
• She only called me that when she was serious.
• I looked up.
• Her eyes were hopeful.
• Excited.
• Nervous.
• And suddenly I understood.
• This wasn't really about basketball.
• This was about her.
• She wanted to see Charles Harrison.
• She wanted to cheer for him.
• She wanted someone familiar beside her.
• I sighed.
• Julia immediately sat up.
• "That's not a yes."
• "It's not a no either."
• Her grin exploded.
• "You'll come."
• "I didn't say that."
• "You sighed."
• "So?"
• "You only sigh like that when you're losing an argument."
• I hated how well she knew me.
• Five minutes later, she was helping me choose clothes.
• By helping, I mean rejecting everything I owned.
• "Too boring."
• "This is a sweater."
• "Exactly."
• She tossed it aside.
• "What about this?"
• "It's another sweater."
• "Juliet."
• "Julia."
• She groaned.
• I laughed.
• Eventually, we settled on a simple outfit that wouldn't embarrass her in front of her friends.
• By six o'clock, we were walking into the university arena.
• And suddenly, I understood the hype.
• The place was packed.
• Thousands of students filled the seats.
• Music blasted from giant speakers.
• Lights flashed across the court.
• People screamed and waved banners.
• The energy hit me like a physical force.
• "See?" Julia shouted over the noise.
• "It's not that bad."
• I looked around.
• "No. It's terrifying."
• She laughed.
• We found our seats halfway up the stands.
• The court gleamed under the lights below.
• Students packed every section.
• Somebody started chanting.
• The entire arena joined in.
• The sound vibrated through my chest.
• Then the lights went out.
• The crowd erupted.
• A spotlight appeared at the entrance tunnel.
• One player emerged.
• The arena exploded.
• I nearly jumped out of my skin.
• "WHO'S THAT?" I shouted.
• Julia looked horrified.
• "Who do you think?"
• The answer became obvious immediately.
• Tall.
• Ridiculously tall.
• Dark hair.
• Broad shoulders.
• Black jersey.
• Number 19.
• Charles Harrison.
• The crowd roared his name.
• Girls screamed.
• Phones appeared everywhere.
• Even from a distance, he carried himself differently.
• Like he knew every eye in the building was on him.
• Because they were.
• The team jogged onto the court.
• The noise somehow became louder.
• "He's beautiful," Julia whispered.
• I looked at her.
• Then at the court.
• Then back at her.
• "You need help."
• She ignored me completely.
• The game began moments later.
• I tried paying attention.
• Really.
• I did.
• For almost ten minutes.
• Then my attention drifted.
• To my phone.
• To the crowd.
• To literally anything else.
• Until something strange happened.
• The arena suddenly grew louder.
• I looked up.
• Charles had just scored.
• The crowd went insane.
• He jogged backward across the court.
• And for some reason, he glanced toward our section.
• My stomach tightened.
• Not because of him.
• Because of the intensity in his expression.
• Focused.
• Confident.
• Dangerously self-assured.
• His gaze moved across the crowd.
• Past dozens of faces.
• Hundreds.
• Then stopped.
• For one second.
• Two.
• Three.
• My breath caught.
• It felt impossible.
• Ridiculous.
• But it looked like he was staring directly at me.
• Then someone bumped into him.
• The moment broke.
• He turned away and rejoined the game.
• I immediately looked at Julia.
• She was too busy cheering to notice.
• Good.
• Because explaining why my heart had suddenly skipped a beat would have been impossible.
• I wasn't a basketball fan.
• I didn't care about Charles Harrison.
• And yet, for the rest of the game, I couldn't stop wondering why it felt like the university's biggest star had just looked straight at me.
• And why I wanted him to do it again.