Taylor's POV

The next morning, Taylor arrived at practice early, leaning against the dugout fence as the field sat quiet and empty. She went over her plan for the hundredth time, fine-tuning every detail in her mind. Step one had gone smoothly—planting the idea of "distraction" in Yuwen's head. But now it was time for steps two and three.

She'd need to drive a wedge between Yuwen and Y/N, make Y/N seem unreliable, and most importantly, make herself look like the one Yuwen could depend on. If she played her cards right, Yuwen wouldn't just lose interest in Y/N—he'd turn to her instead.

Taylor smirked, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction. This wasn't just about jealousy anymore. It was about winning.

Step 2: The Setup

Taylor didn't have to wait long for the team to show up. Y/N arrived first, their bag slung over their shoulder and a sunny smile on their face. Taylor resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, they'd show up all cheerful, completely oblivious to what was happening behind the scenes.

Yuwen arrived next, nodding at Taylor as he made his way to the dugout. He looked more serious than usual, his brow furrowed like he was still thinking about their conversation yesterday. Perfect.

Taylor watched as Y/N approached Yuwen, their smile faltering slightly when they saw the tension in his posture. Taylor couldn't hear what they were saying, but the way Y/N's expression shifted from happy to concerned told her everything she needed to know. The seeds of doubt were still growing.

It was time to water them.

"Hey, Yuwen!" Taylor called, striding over with her most casual smile. "You got a sec?"

Yuwen glanced at her, his expression softening a bit. "Yeah, what's up?"

Taylor glanced at Y/N, making sure they could hear her next words. "I just wanted to check in about the lineup for next week. You know, since you're always the one keeping everything running smoothly." She shot him a small, knowing smile. "You're the glue that holds this team together."

Yuwen raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "The glue, huh?"

"Absolutely," Taylor said, keeping her tone light but sincere. "I don't know what we'd do without you. I mean, not everyone can keep up with the pressure, right?"

She shot a quick glance at Y/N, just subtle enough to make them second-guess whether it was intentional.

Yuwen nodded thoughtfully, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Thanks, Taylor. I appreciate it."

"No problem," Taylor said, giving him a pat on the shoulder before walking away. As she passed Y/N, she gave them a quick, almost pitying smile.

Step 3: The Doubt

By the time practice ended, Taylor was ready to move on to the next phase of her plan. It wasn't enough to just compliment Yuwen—she needed to make Y/N's reliability crumble in his eyes.

The opportunity presented itself sooner than she'd expected.

As the team packed up their gear, Coach called out to the group. "Hey, Y/N! Don't forget—field cleanup tomorrow afternoon. You're on rotation this week!"

Y/N nodded, giving Coach a thumbs-up. "Got it!"

Taylor's mind whirred into motion. If Y/N missed their cleanup shift, it would be a small slip-up—nothing major, but enough to make Yuwen question whether they were as dependable as he thought. And with a little nudge in the right direction, Taylor could make sure that slip-up happened.

The Next Day

Taylor waited until late morning before sending Y/N a text. 'Hey! Big sale at SportsMart today. Tons of softball gear marked down—only for a few hours, though! Wanna check it out?'

She hit send and smiled. Y/N was always looking to improve their game, and the promise of discounted equipment was too good to pass up.

Sure enough, Y/N replied within minutes: 'Sounds great! What time?'

Taylor gave them a time that would overlap perfectly with their cleanup shift. By the time they realized their mistake, it would be too late.

Y/N's POV

You stood in the middle of SportsMart, a new glove in one hand and a set of batting gloves in the other. Taylor had been right—the sale was amazing, and you were grateful she'd let you know about it.

But as you checked the time on your phone, your stomach dropped.

"Oh no," you muttered, your heart sinking. You'd completely forgotten about your cleanup shift at the field.

You scrambled to send a quick text to Coach, apologizing profusely and promising to make it up later in the week. But the guilt gnawed at you as you left the store, wondering if this little mistake would hurt your standing with the team.

Taylor's POV

Taylor leaned casually against the bleachers that afternoon, watching as Yuwen arrived at the field for some extra practice. He glanced around, frowning when he noticed the field hadn't been cleaned up.

"Wasn't Y/N supposed to take care of this?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Taylor seized her chance. "Oh, yeah," she said, her voice tinged with feigned disappointment. "I think they forgot. They were pretty busy this morning."

Yuwen frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's not like them."

Taylor shrugged. "Everyone slips up sometimes, right? It's no big deal." She hesitated, then added, "I mean, as long as it doesn't become a pattern."

Yuwen didn't respond, but his frown deepened, and Taylor knew her words had hit their mark.

That Evening

Taylor sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone with a satisfied smile. Step two was complete, and step three was well underway. Yuwen's trust in Y/N was beginning to crack, and it wouldn't take much more to break it completely.

She'd have to be careful, though. If she pushed too hard, Yuwen might catch on, and her whole plan could backfire.

But for now, things were going exactly the way she wanted.