I was sitting on my porch, my feet tapping against the wood in irritation.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was almost five o'clock and I knew he probably just ended practice. The petty side of me didn't want to talk to him. The petty side wanted me to turn on my read receipts and let him know I read the message and didn't reply. But my fingers started tapping and I did.

But a part of me didn't turn off my phone off. I wanted to keep talking to him. I sighed. This was some type of Kevin effect. It always ends up with me telling myself I have something to do but I end up replying to him not even a second after my mental conflict.

My head shot up at the sound of footsteps and Kevin gave me a small smile walking over to me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his purple sweater.

I almost internally screamed. I didn't want to see him. I barely saw him today as it was. The times I did was when he was with Allison Tinto. Again. And Again.

Every single one of those times I turned myself in the other direction. And as much as I didn't pretended not to care I already knew why I was reacting this way.

"Hey. I wanted to check on how you were doing."

"You couldn't call?" Weeks of talking to this guy and he would call me at least once a day. The one day he doesn't call me, he ends up in front of my house.

He shrugged. "Sometimes it's better to stay off technology for a bit."

He took a seat next to me, leaning back on his hands. "What's up?"

"Nothing." I mumbled.

"I know your mad, S. I just want to know why. You've been looking bothered the whole day and I had a feeling you wouldn't tell me about it through the phone."

"Why do you care?"

The corner of his lip tugged up. "Why not?"

I might as well just tell him. "Well, during the day I got a test back in physics."

"Let me guess? It was really bad?"

"I got a 51." I said blandly. Usually when I said this to some other people they would tell me it wasn't that serious. To me it was pretty serious.

Kevin actually understood. "Jheeze."

"Yup."

"What about now? What's got you to sit out here? I know it definitely wasn't that test."

"It's my sister."

Kevin frowned. "Raina? What did she do now?"

"We just got into a huge fight."

"Over what?"

"Uh, I found weed in her room."

There was a moment of silence between us and any sign of a smile was completely wiped off Kevin's face. "Why were you in her room?"

"Because I was looking for my sweater and I knew she had it. I asked her where it was and she said to go look for it in the room. I found my sweater just along with a bag filled with weed."

"Was it just weed?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Wait, wait, there was more? Like, hard drugs-" I nodded before he could finish that sentence, looking up at his surprised face. "Let me guess. You told her and she started talking about how you can't tell her what to do or something?" I nodded silently. "Did your parents find out?"

"My mom just did."

"You told?"

"No, she came home and overheard us arguing," I sighed, feeling less mad and more worried for my sister. "I don't know what they're going to do with her now."

"She's fifteen isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"She'll most likely be on complete lockdown for the rest of this school year. Probably won't be able to go out."

"Yup." I rubbed my hands together, not helping myself by glancing at the door. God, when my dad got home she sure was going to get a mouthful.

An arm was slung around me and Kevin pulled me in towards his chest, his voice soft. "I think you should talk to her after. One on one you know?"

"Why?" I leaned further into his touch, my arms slipping beneath his sweater to lock my hands around his back.

"Because I think she could use someone to talk to through whatever she's going through. What's been happening. Plus, if I had a sibling I think I would do the same thing."

I stared at him as his fingers played with the bottom of the staircase. He was picking at the wood and I didn't even have the heart to scold him for it. His head turned towards me. "What are you thinking about?"

You.

"You," I blurred out my thoughts for once and Kevin looked surprised.

"Really?"

I tilted my head up. "Why wouldn't I think about you?"

And the usually confident Kevin failed to show. "I-I don't know. Why would you?"

I shrugged, leaning into his comfort, my eyes down on his fingers that stopped moving. "I don't know why but I feel way more comfortable talking to you instead of calling or texting you. Like face to face."

A small smile came to his face. "We should do this more often you know?"

We should do this more often you know?

I did want to do this more often.

I got up and out of his hold. "It's almost six...want to go to the plaza to get some food?"

"Your parents won't mind?"

"I kind of just want space from everything for a while and I'm really in the mood for fast food."

Kevin stood up and grabbed my hand. "Alright prom date. Let's go."

It took me a while to realize that I didn't let go of his hand once through that evening.

•••

"You went on a date with Kevin Reed, again?"

"Relax, I didn't."

"You did. You did."

"I didn't go out with him Lia. We just bought food for ourselves. We've done this before."

"When did you get home?"

"Before eight ish." I told her as we walked up the stairs towards my room.

"Did you just eat?"

"We walked around my block for a bit but that was just it."

"Why didn't you tell me this last night?" She said when we entered my room and she threw her backpack to the side even though the purpose of her being here was for us to do homework.

I guess not.

"Because going out with Kevin put me behind a bit on homework and I turned my phone off." That and my parents questioned me over Raina's situation after talking to her for the longest time, taking away what looks like everything she knows.

"I can't believe you're finally dating Kevin Reed."

"I'M NOT!"

"You practically are. Look at this," Amelia grabbed my phone out of my hand where the message log with Kevin was already open. She scrolled upward and made a face. "See! I had a great time tonight baby hope we can do it again. There's a red heart emoji. Gotta admit it I love it when he calls you baby, you get so embarrassed."

"And..." I trailed off, lying down on top of my comforter, my eyes on the ceiling.

"And you even replied with a smiley face. A SMILEY FACE."

"Lia, you're blowing this way out of proportion." But this girl wasn't even listening to me.

"You're even flirting with him here. Not to mention you tag each other in your photos with cute captions."

"It's just a tag, it doesn't mean anything."

"IN THIS DAY AND AGE IT MEANS SOMETHING." She exclaimed before pushed me over so she could lay down next to me.

She tossed my phone on the foot of the bed, crossing her legs over the other. She smiled at me weirdly and I cringed. "What?"

"Do you like him?"

"Kevin? No, no, no, no." I shook my head and laughed in disbelief. "Me actually liking Kevin Reed? C'mon Lia."

"Why not? You used to in grade nine?"

"That was grade nine! That time I thought high school would possibly have choreographed dances and everyone could find their soul mate. Back then I had a silver of hope that vampires were real. It was grade nine. Things change."

"What about Kevin Reed? What about your feelings for him?"

I kept my eyes on the ceiling. Kevin was Kevin. And he had way more adjectives than I would use to describe him back in grade nine.

He could be annoying. He could be stupid. He acted clingy even though I wasn't sure if that was a complete bad thing though.

On the other hand, he was cute, funny, generous, charming, determined, smart and actually knew how to listen and was there for you.

And then there was that night at Amelia's party. Where he was drunk but he wanted to kiss me. He could've been doing anything in his drunk state of mind but he was there with me.

I would've let him kiss me. I would have.

I could feel my heart beating in my chest at the mere thought of him.

Oh fuck.

"Lia?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I like Kevin."

"Again?"

"Again."