As promised, Romeo saved seats for Andre and me. We took the two seats right at the end with me in the middle of them. From what I could tell, Romeo didn't have any issues with Andre. They immediately started talking about some Xbox game they played together the other night. Nia was wrong. Romeo and Andre were friends.

There were plenty of other reasons Romeo could've been acting weird. Maybe the rift between us was because I wasn't spending as much time with him. People used to joke about us being joined at the hip. And if he wasn't with me, that meant he was probably spending more time at home with Rashad. That perfectly explained his weirdness. I had to remember to ask him about it later.

My thoughts were so preoccupied with Romeo and Andre that I didn't notice Jason sitting on the other side of Romeo until he said something about Leo the Lion, Valle Vista High's mascot. Otherwise known as Keraun Hudson. Jason had a sign ready, a poorly drawn lion surrounded by the words "Go Leo!".

Keraun, or Leo, raced around the court, pumping his arms to get the crowd to cheer louder. It amazed me that the guy in the lion suit was the same boy I've hung out with since middle school. He was always so quiet when he was with us. You'd never tell by the way he acted when he became Leo.

Andre was very into the game once it started. With the way he talked about football, I'd assumed he didn't feel passionate about sports at all. I was wrong. Evident by the way he yelled at the ref after he called a foul on one of the Valle Vista girls. I was glad everyone on our side of the gym was booing and drowning him out. Some of what Andre said would've definitely gotten him in trouble.

"Is it just me," Romeo said from my other side, "Or is the squeaking of their shoes super loud?"

"Not just you," I said, noticing the small bag of pretzels in hand and stealing the last two.

His eyes narrowed at me as I popped them both into my mouth. I smiled back as sweetly as possible.

The rest of the game went on like that. Andre on my right, spewing basketball terminology I didn't understand. Romeo to my left, keeping count of how many boogers the little girl two rows down from us ate.

"She can't have more in there." The little girl had her finger up her nose again.

"Well, she determined to find something," I said, unable to look away.

"She's gonna find brain matter."

I snorted, laughing harder when the girl's mom caught her and snatched her hand out her nose.

"Hey." I turned to find Indy standing in the aisle. She was all smiles for Andre, but when her gaze flicked to me, her lips flattened into a thin line.

"What's up?" I said cautiously. "Aren't you performing soon?"

"Yeah, I just need Jerome's help with something," she said, waving for him to follow her.

Romeo and I shared a look. He knew as well as I did that Indy never asked him for favors. Indy didn't address him at all if she could help it. Still, he stood and followed her down the steps and out of the gym.

"What was that about?" Andre asked, sitting back in his seat.

I shrugged, glancing at the door as Romeo and Indy disappeared through it. What could she possibly want with him?

"You don't really like basketball, do you?"

I turned to Andre. Andre, the guy I was on a date with. The one I'd been ignoring all night. What was wrong with me?

"Sorry," I said. "Was it that obvious?"

"You just seemed...distracted."

He was talking about Romeo. Guilt flooded my stomach. "Sorry," I said again, weakly.

"No. I get it," he said, twisting a ring around his finger. "He's your friend. He knows you better. But I'm willing to learn."

His smile set a swarm of butterflies loose in my belly. How could he be so sweet and patient? He could have anyone at this school. Someone who was a little less complicated.

Before my over thinking ruined the moment, I slipped my hand in his. Our fingers locked together easily. "I don't like sports. But I do like supporting my friends. Even if I have no idea what they're doing."

He chuckled. "Well, right now, your girl is kicking the other team's ass."

I glanced down at the sidelines. The halftime show was about to start and Nia was tying her braids back into a ponytail while her teams patted her on the back. She had a huge grin on her face. I waved my emerald and gold pom-pom when she looked up at us.

She pointed to Romeo's empty seat. I glanced back at the door he and Indy left out of, turned back to her and shrugged. They'd been gone for a while. Where were they?

My question was partially answered when the dance team walked out on stage, getting into formation. An energetic remix of a song began and they started their routine. My sister was completely in her element. My chest swelled with pride and a snapped a pic on my phone. Just in case she ever doubted herself again.

Halftime ended and Romeo still hadn't returned. Indy took his seat instead, still dressed in her emerald and gold joggers and hoodie.

"Where's Romeo?"

She took a long sip from her water bottle. "He said something about his brother needing the car."

I hated that Romeo had to schedule his life around Rashad's, but I knew it was better than him trying to fight back.

Indy nudged me, staring pointedly at my hand which was still in Andre's, a smirk on her face. I felt myself blush as I turned back to the court.

Valle Vista won the game. All I saw was green and gold as our entire section got up and cheered--myself included. There was a party at one of the girl's houses to celebrate the win. But I had to babysit the next day and Andre had an early shift at the café.

We stopped at the café on the way home, buying two deliciously gooey chocolate chip cookies. We were sitting in his car, parked in front of my house, as we recapped the last half of the game. Basketball didn't seem as boring when someone as gorgeous as Andre Walker explained it to me.

It was kind of surreal being with him. Especially after our extremely awkward first encounter.

I shifted to face him as he finished off his cookie. "Why were you looking for me?" A dent formed between his eyebrows. "After the party."

"Oh." He folded the wax paper the cookie came in. "Honestly? I wanted to kiss you."

My heart stuttered. I stared at the side of his face, his eyes focused on the wrapper as he folded it smaller and smaller. He wanted to kiss me? I didn't know how to feel about that. Was it all he wanted? One kiss and he'd leave?

After so many years of thinking guys just weren't into me, it didn't seem real that he was. Andre Walker was arguably one of the most sought after guys in school. He had his pick of any number of girls. And he wanted me?

Even with his confession, I felt I shouldn't get too excited. This could all be an experiment to him. Just him and his curiosity stringing me along.

"Why?"

He looked up at me. "We were interrupted. Then I couldn't find you after. I was mildly obsessed."

"Obsessed? Really?" I teased even as heat filled my face.

He laughed. "A tiny bit. Where'd you go, anyway?"

I picked at the pink polish on my nails, debating how honest I should be with him. "I was hiding."

"I smelled that bad?"

A laugh bubbled out of me. "Yes. You did. But that wasn't the only reason. I haven't kissed anyone. Ever. And I don't know. I was glad it didn't happen in a closet while I was buzzed and blindfolded, but also a little disappointed it hadn't."

"Probably for the best," he agreed. "A bad first kiss could scar some people."

I perked up. "Speaking from experience?"

"Unfortunately." He laughed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "I was twelve and met this girl at the county fair. We kissed on the Tilt-A-Whirl."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"It wasn't," he said. "Until her brothers caught us. I never ran so fast in my life."

"Okay, that is bad." I said, fighting back a laugh. "Lucky for you, I don't have any brothers."

Before it fully hit me how suggestive that sounded, Andre was leaning over the center console and I was meeting him halfway. His mouth is warm, inviting. The kiss sent tingles under my skin.

I was completely out of my depth when his tongue swipes across my lip, asking for permission. I tried to follow his lead, taking him not pulling away in disgust as a good sign. His hands were on my face, mine gripped his shirt. I hated the divider between us.

When we broke apart, both a little breathless, all we could do was smile goofily at each other.

Then a pair of headlights reminded us we weren't alone on this planet. Indy's car pulled into my driveway, right next to my mom's car.

"I know you said I don't have to worry about brothers," Andre said. "But what about your sister?"

She'd throw us a wedding before trying to fight Andre. I didn't tell him that, though. "You'll be fine," I told him, watching Indy go into the house. "I'm the one she's going to bug for details."

He kissed me again, a little longer that time, like he was stocking up for the night. "Well, remember to tell her I wore deodorant."

I laughed and kissed him one last time, for my own cache. "Goodnight."

Indy sat cross-legged on my bed, scrolling through her phone, which she immediately tossed aside when I came in. "Talk," she demanded, patting the mattress.

"About what?" I said, playing dumb, even with the huge grin on my face.

I narrowly dodged the pillow she threw at my head. "Daya, you promised!"

"I know," I said, grabbing some pajama bottoms from the drawer. "And I'll tell you everything. I just want the moment all to myself for the night."

My sister pouted, but didn't push. "You like him." She sang.

I chewed at my still smiling lip. "I think I do."

Indy grinned. "You're gonna have your first boyfriend. I'm glad Jerome's dad called because he was cockblocking."

That sobered me up real quick. "I thought it was his brother?"

"Dad, brother, someone needed the car," she said, waving it off as she got up to grab a sleep shirt from my pajama drawer.

When she wouldn't look at me, I knew she was lying. "You said something to him, didn't you?"

She whipped around to face me. "You were on a date. I just pointed that out to him."

"Why would you do that?" My voice rose with each word. My face burned with anger. She had no right to interfere with my life.

"You were there with Andre," she spat, matching my volume. "Jerome was in the way."

"So I'm not allowed to talk to my friend?"

Indy let out a dry laugh. "From where I was, it looked like you were on a date with Jerome and Andre was some random sitting next to you."

"It was none of your business!" Mad wasn't a strong enough word. I was beyond that. She couldn't come into my life and rearrange things. Seeing her in my room with my pajamas clutched in her hands--it set something off in me. Did she think she could sleep in my bed, wear my clothes, and dictate who I talked to?

I snatched the sleep shirt from her hands. "Since you're so perceptive, why haven't you noticed that this is my room? My things? My life? You can't kick people out of it because you don't like them!"

Her expression blanked, like someone set her face to default mode. She didn't speak as she grabbed her phone and car keys. She stopped at my door, turning to face me with cold, dark eyes. "By the way, it was me."

My brows creased. "What was you?"

"Jerome's first kiss."

Every muscle in my body went stiff. "What?" My voice was thick.

Indy didn't answer me, leaving down the hall in silence. The front door shut a few seconds later.

And I was alone.