The atmosphere in the locker room was heavy.
Everyone stayed quiet, as if waiting for one of them to strike first, but...
Charles and the girl just kept staring at each other, neither looking away.
For those few seconds, all the murmurs vanished completely.
Only the faint hum of the ceiling lamps and distant footsteps from the stadium could be heard.
Charles was getting ready to defend himself until, finally, the girl made the first move.
"You're a Cole?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Charles tilted his head slightly, caught off guard by the question.
"Yeah… how'd you know?"
She pointed with her chin.
"Those blue eyes. You don't see many of those in the clan. Only the Coles have them."
Charles nodded slowly, giving a small smile.
"Then yeah. I'm Rian Cole."
That simple fact was enough to make the guys nearby flinch a bit.
"He's a Cole…?" one of them murmured.
