The Homecoming game was a nail biter between the Bulldogs and the Titans. Tyler wasn't wrong when he said the Titans quarterback was talented or that it would be a tough game. Lucky for us though, Tyler and our Bulldogs came to fight. All of the nerves and anxiety I saw in Tyler before the Pep Rally left when he stepped under the lights. He looked totally in control. The Bulldogs played fiercely each quarter. Nothing seemed to rattle them. It was their best game day performance by far. Tyler led his teammates to victory with an epic run in touchdown during overtime. I couldn't be prouder of him. I mean I was proud of him before he made a single play and would still have been proud even if the Bulldogs had lost, but getting to have a front row seat to his success is something pretty incredible.

As expected, the entire town showed up for the Homecoming game and celebrated the Bulldog's victory long after the other team had gone home. Tyler, being the star of the night, was bombarded by a sea of people congratulating him. I never got the chance to see him after the game since the crowd never let up. It didn't feel like my place to interrupt his big moment. I felt silly and sort of selfish because part of me secretly wished Tyler was going to randomly notice me on the sidelines and come over. I don't blame him for not doing that, this was his big moment after all, so I understand completely. But even so, I couldn't help but feel a little sad when I packed up my bag to leave the stadium. I had an unexplainable hollow feeling in my heart.

"You coming with to the Dairy Barn?" Payton calls to me when I start walking out of the football stadium.

"I think I'm gonna pass tonight actually. I'm pretty beat. See you tomorrow though." I say back.

"Alright....I understand. I know this week was stressful for you. But hey, you did an awesome job!" Payton gives me a hug. "Make sure you get good sleep tonight, because tomorrow......you better be energized and ready to dance the night away!"

I laugh at Payton's ridiculous grin. "Deal."

"Around three o'clock sound good to come over? The limo comes at five."

"Sounds perfect, can't wait." I say with a tired grin. All us girls are getting ready at Payton's house before the dance.

Payton hired a limo bus to take our group of friends around town for pictures and out to dinner before the dance tomorrow. I've never been in a limo before but it should be really fun. The group of guys and girls I'm going with have become really close friends of mine. It almost made me forget I'm the only person in our group without a date. I'm a little bummed Tyler won't be going with our group since he's the person I tend to talk to when we all hang out, but it's probably for the best. I want to enjoy the night with my girlfriends and not pine after a guy that is only a friend.

I drive home from the game and immediately collapse into a hot bath. My brain and body are both exhausted from the week. After the water gets cold I change into my favorite oversized sweats and throw my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. I'm just crawling into my warm and cozy bed when my phone starts ringing. It's pretty late so I wasn't expecting any calls tonight.

"Hey! I'm surprised you actually picked up.....Is that you? My long lost sister!" Charlie greets me with his big goofy smile over the FaceTime call.

"Very funny...... I've missed you too, Charlie."

"You're a hard girl to get a hold of these days. I was starting to think you were too busy for your dear ole' brother...."

"I will never be too busy for you." I give Charlie a big cheesy grin with tired eyes, my head is laying on my pillow while we talk. It's true though, I haven't had much time to catch up with Charlie lately. We've only sent a few texts here and there the last couple weeks which isn't normal for us.

"So..... fill me in. How's life?"

I let out a deep sigh before I spill my guts to him.

"It's been a super busy few weeks leading into Homecoming which is tomorrow. We had the Pep Assembly today at school and the game tonight. Payton got hurt Tuesday which meant I had to fill in for her which was super stressful and scary but I think it turned out ok. Payton worked with me a bunch in extra practices and by some miracle I think we pulled it off.... thanks mostly to my stellar stunt group for doing all the heavy lifting. Then there's my big English project I've been trying to work on with Tyler since it's worth like half our grade this semester. No pressure right? I may be minorly freaking out about it....." I finally take a deep breath. The words were pouring out of my mouth so fast I forgot to breathe.

"Woah! Slow down. Take a breath!" Charlie laughs "Sounds like you have a full plate little sister. But I'm happy you are fitting in and getting adjusted...... Now go back to the part about some Tyler guy....Who's he and what is he doing with you??" Charlie raises his eyebrow at me in question.

Of course that was all he heard out of everything I just word vomited to him.

A small blush rushes to my cheeks before I can say anything.

"Are you blushing?! You better start talking...." Charlie keeps teasing me. He's laughing and light hearted but I don't miss the slight look of concern that lingers in his eyes. Once the overprotective brother, always the overprotective brother I guess.

"Stop Charlie. It's nothing. He's just a friend." I say unconvincingly.

"If you say so.....looks like you wish he was more than 'just a friend' to me."

"Whatever.....it doesn't matter." I reply, a little embarrassed. "It's not like Tyler see's me like that anyway. We're only English partners....don't read too much into it."

"Whatever little sis, this dude totally wants to be more than friends with you." Charlie scoffs.

"How could you possibly know that? You haven't even met him, you know nothing about him!" I laugh in disbelief.

"Because I'm a guy Lila! And believe me, no guy is asking to be your partner in school if he isn't into you. I used to pull crap like that all the time when I was in high school." Charlie states matter of factly.

Just then I hear some light tapping on my window coming from outside.

"Uh hold on Charlie." I throw my phone on my bed and walk over to my window. Standing down below in the dark is Tyler with a handful of pebbles. I crack my window open and whisper-yell down to him.

"What are you doing here?!"

"You weren't at the Dairy Barn after the game so I came to check on you. Payton said you went straight home. You ok?"

"Yeah, I was tired so I decided to call it a night.....hold on, I'll be down in a sec."

I close my window and run back to my bed.

"Uh sorry Charlie, gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow."

"What?! We just started talking....Who were you talking to? Is that boy there?! Lies, don't you dare hang--"

Click.

I end the video call. I'm sure I'll have to pay for that later but there's no time to dwell on it right now. I can't believe Tyler freaking Johnson is actually at my house, to check in on me. Deep breaths Lila.

I run down the stairs as quietly as possible. My parents are in the living room half asleep watching a movie on the couch. If they hear me I risk having my mom come out and embarrass me. After the way she acted the other day when Tyler picked me up, I don't want to take any chances.

I step out onto my front porch and close the door silently behind me. Tyler is leaning against the hood of his Jeep. He looks handsome and effortless in his hoodie and jeans; his hair is still a little damp from showering. The crispness in the air makes me shudder when I walk over- or maybe it wasn't just the air.

"Hey." Tyler smiles at me. My heart skips a beat involuntarily.

"Since I didn't get to tell you earlier, nice game. You played really well, but I think you already know that based off the hundred other people that already told you that tonight." I say sarcastically.

"Thanks. It's actually two hundred....but who's counting?" Tyler's arrogant smirk lights up his face even in the dark. "I looked for you after and couldn't find you."

"Yeah sorry, you seemed really busy....I didn't want to bother you and I got tired so I decided to come home."

"Don't be sorry....I get it, I know it's been a long week for you. The thing is, there was only one person I really wanted to talk to after the game and I couldn't find her....." Tyler's dimples peek out when he gives me his shy smile. It's one of my favorite smiles he has. I'm thankful we are standing in the dark so he can't see the blush that's forming in my cheeks.

"Is that so?"

"It is..... It didn't feel right celebrating our big win without seeing you after." Tyler's voice gets softer, more vulnerable. "I hope that's not weird." Tyler's eyes dart to my lips then back to my eyes looking for reassurance.

"No, it's not weird. Somehow it feels completely normal in fact....." I trail off.

My heart is beating like a hummingbird's fluttering wings. Am I imagining this or is Tyler thinking about kissing me?

In true Lila fashion though I panic. I've never been kissed and I definitely don't know how to handle myself in romantic situations. I break eye contact with Tyler and look anywhere but at him.

"So yeah...uh.... thanks for coming over. That was sweet of you to check in on me......but I'm pretty tired, I should probably be heading in." I start trying to exit the situation. The safety of my bedroom where I can analysis our conversation for the next three hours is calling my name.

"Oh....yeah. You're right. Sorry for keeping you. I'm glad you're good." Tyler straightens up.

"Yep all good here.....thanks again for checking.....I guess I'll see you tomorrow, all us girls are getting ready at your house before the dance."

Tyler laughs to himself. "I usually steer clear of my house on Homecoming day. Payton and her friends pretty much take over. It's easier to stay out of your guys' way."

"Oh....got it. Fair enough....Alright, well....maybe I'll see you at the dance then?" I'm slowly stepping backwards while I tug at my sweatshirt sleeve nervously. Just abort Lila, stop talking!

Tyler's face lights up as he gets into his front seat. "Oh I'm counting on it."

******

I could have kissed Lila tonight. When she snuck down to my Jeep in the dark wearing her sweats and messy bun she looked so cute it was hard to resist grabbing her right then and there. After I finally was able to leave the football stadium tonight I went to the Dairy Barn assuming Lila would be there with the rest of our friends. When I got there though, Payton told me she had gone straight home so I immediately got back into my Jeep and drove to her house. I had to see her. It didn't matter if it was late. My night felt incomplete without getting to talk to Lila. She doesn't know how much her advice at the Pep Assembly really helped to ground me during the game or how much she has come to mean to me.

Speaking of the game, playing the Titans was a battle. We had to execute every play perfectly to get the W. I trained myself to not look over at the sidelines in between plays so I wouldn't see Lila and lose focus. One glimpse of her long blonde hair or her perfect skin peeking out from her cheer uniform would send me into a tailspin. I had a job to do tonight and my teammates were counting on me to get it done. It was such a relief when I was able to run the last touchdown into the end zone to win us the game. I stood there all alone for a moment, relieved we had done it. Of course the first person I looked for in the crowd was Lila. I watched her jumping and cheering in celebration alongside her teammates. She looked so genuinely happy it was adorable. She has no clue her smile can light up an entire room, or in this case, an entire stadium. Seconds later my whole team rushed the field and dog-piled on top of me. The rest of the night was a blur of different faces and words of congratulations from everyone in town. Everyone besides the one person I wanted to see the most that is....which is what led me to tossing pebbles at her window praying she was still awake.

I've never met a girl as insanely beautiful inside and out as Lila Daniels. She's the only girl that doesn't constantly throw herself at me like everyone else does. Most girls are shallow and only want me because of my status. Not Lila though, she sees me as a whole person and not just the star quarterback. She gets me without having to try. There's an indescribable feeling of comfort and safety when I'm around her. Basically she makes everything better. Lila is like a drug to me, I can't get enough of her. Every time I'm with her I learn a new side to her. She can be sarcastic, brave, humble, smart, awkward, strong, pure and so many more things I'm still discovering. Lila also challenges me in all the right ways. I want to be a better person because of her. It's crazy we have only known each other a few weeks because she has easily become one of the most important people in my life.

That's why I'm kicking myself for not asking Lila to be my date to the Homecoming dance. I wanted to ask her a million times the last two weeks. (Probably since the day she crashed into me in the hallway if I'm being really honest; Lila has captivated me since the first moment we met.) I was finally going to ask her the night I took her to my favorite spot but I chickened out at the last minute. I have this nagging voice in my head that keeps saying I don't need any distractions. It's my senior year and I've worked incredibly hard to get recruited by a D1 school and I'm finally really close to that dream. I've had half a dozen coaches interested in me since last year and the number is quickly climbing. Coach B has been riding my butt lately about being unfocused at practices and I know exactly why he's saying it, I am. Lila is constantly on my mind. I know our football season is short, and if we have any chance of making it to the playoffs I need to buckle down and keep my eye on the ball (literally and figuratively). It's proving to be way harder than I ever thought possible. I don't know how much longer I will be able to remain 'just friends' with the blonde girl that is the first person I think about when I wake up and the last person I have on my mind before going to bed. I so badly want to tell her how I feel but I haven't found the right words to say. Lila is way out of my league and I don't want to mess up my chances with her, so it needs to be perfect. On the other hand, I also want to follow the advice of my Coach and stay focused on the goals I've set for myself in football. The internal battle I have daily is driving me insane. All I know is, I've never felt this way about a girl before and it's terrifying and thrilling all at once.

***

The next day.

It doesn't matter what school I'm at, all Homecoming dances are generally the same. Everybody gets dressed up, takes cheesy pictures with their friends, all the girls ditch their high heels five seconds after getting to the school and it turns into a sweaty, jumbled cluster of bodies dancing all up on each other inside a dark gym.

Payton is still on crutches but that hasn't stopped her from having a good time. Jake, being the sweet boyfriend that he is, let's Payton ride piggyback whenever she's tired of hopping around on one foot. It's so ridiculous watching her "dance" with only her top half on Jake's back that it's actually completely adorable. Payton is probably the only person I know that can pull it off without everyone making fun of her. One of my favorite qualities about Payton is how she owns whatever she does, she's fearless like that.

We're several songs into the dance now, still no sign of Tyler yet. *cough cough- not that I've been looking around for him-cough cough* Rachel, Claire, Kelly, Payton and I have been dancing and singing our hearts out to every deafeningly loud tune. But then it happens. Inevitably a slow song comes on and that's my cue to exit. I watch as all my best friends partner up with their dates and begin to sway slowly together. Now seems like the perfect time to check out the girls bathroom. I'm slowly wading through the crowd of lovebirds (and plenty of awkward freshman pairs) when someone grabs my wrist.

"Let's dance." Tanner pulls me in close to him and grabs my waist.

"Uh actually...I was just heading to the restroom."

"Come on Lila! Let's put the past behind us, we can be friends." He keeps holding me tight. Do I smell booze on Tanner's breath? He does seem a little more disoriented and sloppy then normal.

"Really, I'm good. Maybe some other time." I try to dislodge my arm from his grasp but Tanner is relentless.

"You look so hot in your dress." Tanner looks me up and down which sends a chill up my spine. Now I'm mad.

"Tanner, I said no. Let me go!" I try shoving him harder.

"I like a girl who is a little fiesty!" Tanner holds onto me tighter and starts slipping his hand down my lower back reaching for my butt.

Suddenly Tanner is ripped off of me; Tyler punches him in the face with a right hook. Tanner stumbles backwards holding his jaw. The dance floor breaks into a huddle surrounding the three of us. Everyone is waiting to see what happens next. Tyler turns to me with a wild fire in his eyes.

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

"No, no...I'm ok."

"I swear, if he did ANYTHING to you...." Tyler looks like he's thinking of a hundred different ways to rip off Tanner's head.

"Tyler! Look at me..... He's not worth it. He's drunk and you got here in time....I'm fine, I promise."

A small wave of relief washes over Tyler's face. He's still pulsing with adrenaline but the softness that I love about Tyler's eyes comes back into focus when he looks at me.

"Let's get out of here." Tyler grabs my hand and leads the two of us towards the door.