"Where's Alexander?" Ethan questioned, glancing over at me.

I swallowed all of the fries that were stuffed into my mouth and attempted to speak, but upon noticing my struggle, Nick beat me to it, "He's practicing all day today. Tomorrow is the football team selections and a month after that we have the championships. He really wants to make it."

"Damn," Ethan began, raising his brow at me. "I didn't know he would actually go with the deal."

"I didn't think he would either," I started. "But I saw him practicing late at night as well and-" I paused when the memory came floating back into my mind. The memory of us simply sitting on the bleachers in each other's arms for a good hour or so before the both of us had to go back home.

I felt my cheeks turning red and before they could question it, I immediately changed the topic, "And we're having the football championships so soon? I didn't know."

"Damn, what a crab," Austin commented.

"Crab?" I questioned curiously.

"They live under rocks," he stated. "And so do you. The whole school knows about the football championships."

"Fuck you, I don't keep up with sports," I scoffed.

"Hey, Kairo," Nick began, leaning back against his chair. "You've never told us about your love life before, have you?"

I tensed up immediately, "Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, Nick, haven't you heard?" Ethan began, giving me a teasing grin.

"No, don't you dare-" I warned, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Who needs a girlfriend when you have your.. soda can?" Ethan finished with a playful wink as the rest of the boys attempted to stifle their laughter. "Anyway, Austin. What's Hailey been up to these days? She doesn't hang out with us anymore."

"She's probably just hanging out with her girl squad," Austin shrugged.

Just as Ethan was about to respond, we heard a pair of footsteps hurriedly make their way over to our table. I looked up to see Alexander giving us a grin as he took his seat beside me, "Sorry I'm late. I was practicing."

"Look at you being all dedicated," I commented, a lopsided grin making its way onto my face at the sight of him.

"I wanted to ask you something actually," he said, pushing his hair back. "Will you help me practice tonight again?"

"Of course," I nodded. "But try not to be so fast. I'm pretty sure you'll end up kicking the ball at my face eventually."

"I-" he began, but he was interrupted by Ethan.

"Why can't you ask Austin? He actually knows how to play football."

"Oh shut up, at least I'm better at trigonometry," I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest.

A small grin crept onto Alexander's face at my response and he quickly cleared his throat in an attempt to play it off, "Anyway. What were you guys talking about?"

"Kairo's affair with a soda can," Austin shrugged.

"Shut up," I grumbled after which they thankfully changed the topic because I was seriously considering putting them up for sale on craigslist. Whilst they carried on with the conversation, I noticed Ethan attempting to sneakily snatch a few fries off my tray and I narrowed my eyes at him, unimpressed. Nevertheless, he did manage to steal a few and I was left with a near empty tray.

Alexander somehow noticed as well and he, like the gentleman I really wish he wasn't because it was giving me a hard time keeping him off my mind, he took a few fries from his tray and placed them on mine with a warm grin before reaching his arm out and ruffling my hair, "There."

As expected, I turned a deep shade of red from that simple gesture and inwardly smacked myself.

I'm not a simp. I'm not a simp. I'm not a simp. I'm not a simp.

"Here, you've got a little something on your face, let me get that for you," he added before swiping the pad of his thumb across my cheekbone swiftly. "There, that's better."

Shit, I'm a simp.