"Oh my God! Mac!" I gasp, totally surprised by the boy standing in front of me.

His dark hair is shorter than I remember it, but his huge smile is just the same.

"Hey, Lexi! I knew I recognized you. I keep forgetting that you're still in high school," he says, pulling me in for a hug.

I grin, wrapping my arms around him in the embrace.

"And I totally forgot that you go here! Wow. I feel so stupid. I definitely would've texted you if I had remembered," I tell him, and he rests his hands on my shoulders, chuckling.

"Don't worry. I know that you're too busy focusing on your Juilliard dream to care about what I may be doing with my life," he says, and I give him a weak smile.

He then drops his hands to his sides, continuing by asking, "When do you hear back from Juilliard anyway? It must be soon, no?"

I sigh, shaking my head at him. "Not until April first. It really sucks because my chances of getting in are just so low," I start, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head.

"Oh, you shush. You sound like such a Christine right now. Your voice is magnificent. I'm certain you'll be accepted," he compliments, and I bite my lip.

"And you sound like such a Raoul right now," I smile.

I get a laugh from my him, and even though we haven't spoken in months, it all feels so natural.

I suddenly feel a hand on the small of my back, and when I turn around, I see Bryce hovering behind me with a quizzical expression on his face.

I can see that he's finally got a grip of himself and has stopped arguing with Jordan.

"Who is this?" Bryce asks, his grip around my waist tightening.

His eyes are wide as he waits for an answer, and I realize that all my friends are probably insanely confused right about now.

"Hi, I'm Malcolm," Malcolm smiles, holding out his hand for Bryce to shake.

At first I'm concerned that Bryce is going to react badly, but by some miracle he actually does shake Malcolm's hand.

"I'm Bryce. Nice to meet you," he says, and relief washes over me.

I lean into Bryce, enjoying the warmth from his body as he keeps his arm around me.

Malcolm crosses his arms, seeming to find this all amusing, before asking, "You're not going to ask why your girlfriend knows a college guy?"

Bryce snorts. "I was just about to get to that," he says, directed to Malcolm.

He then looks down at me, asking, "Explain?"

I give him a small smile. "You know the production of Phantom that I did over the summer? Malcolm played one of the leads too," I answer, and he nods at me, fitting the puzzle pieces together inside his mind.

We stare at each other quietly for a minute, and when I look back to Malcolm, he's regarding Bryce and I closely.

A thought then hits me, and I realize that Malcolm has gotten the impression that Bryce and I are in a relationship or something.

"Wait, Mac, he's not my boyfriend," I say, and Malcolm blinks at me in confusion.

He opens his mouth to say more, but another boy walks up behind him before he can.

"Hey Mac, we really need to rally up these kids and start this tour or else we're going to get whooped by administration," the boy says, before turning to me.

His eyes travel my body and I squirm a little, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

"This is that hot chick from that musical you were in over the summer, isn't it?" the boy asks, and Malcolm slaps him in the arm, hard.

"Gross, you sick freak. She's just a kid. She's like, seventeen; that's borderline illegal," Malcolm scolds, and the boy shrugs.

He doesn't look at all affected when he then comments, "And? Age of consent here is sixteen. It's legal."

My mouth drops open at his bluntness. Malcolm slaps him in the arm again, this time somehow harder. I feel extremely awkward in this situation but I don't have the guts to defend myself.

"Shut your freaking mouth, Kenneth. She's clearly not into it. You're being gross," Malcolm spits, and Kenneth sighs, visibly annoyed.

"You've kissed her, so why couldn't I?" Kenneth questions, and this encourages Bryce to finally jump in and say something.

"You've kissed this guy?" Bryce asks incredulously, taking a step away from me.

Damn, I hate my life, is my only thought as I bury my face into my hands. I can't believe that we've only been on this trip for a handful of hours, and I've already managed to get myself into some drama.

"It was for the show," Malcolm and I both say in unison, and when we realized what we just did, we both look to each other, grinning.

I'm recognizing how much I've missed him these few months more and more with every passing second, and we continue to smile like idiots until Bryce clears his throat.

I look to him to find that his eyes are following that Kenneth boy, who is now quietly sneaking away.

Bryce's eyes are narrowed and his jaw is clenched a little, only loosening when he says, "I'm going to fucking murder that guy."

"No you're not," I tell him, taking a hold of his hand. He steps back towards me, looking down at me with wide, sad eyes.

"But—" he starts, and I shake my head, cutting him off.

His eyes shut, and he lets out a heavy breath, gripping my hand tighter now.

"You managed to not murder Mateo all this time, so I think you'll manage," I say, attempting to crack a joke.

I instantly register that perhaps it wasn't the wisest thing to do, but to my surprise, Bryce actually smiles at me. It's a huge smile that actually shows his dimples, and I realize that there have been very few times in my life that I've seen him smile wide enough that it did show his dimples.

He's so adorable. But he's also so hot. It's really not fair to the rest of the population of the world that he's this flawless.

"Ken was right, though. I'm gonna get in trouble if I don't actually do my job," Malcolm groans before sticking one of his hands in his pockets, using the other to gesture for Bryce and I to follow him as he begins to walk away.

"Don't you have class?" I ask him as we head over towards where Ms. Johnson seems to be organizing groups. I wonder who put her in charge, but I don't question it.

I have to tug on Bryce's hand, dragging him along as we join the remaining students that haven't already left for their tour; Mateo, Ryan, Daniel, Jasmine, Charlie, Jordan, and a few other people that I don't recognize.

"I just got out of my last class of the day," he tells me, before he pats me on the back, then snaking his way through the group of high schoolers to get to the front.

He begins to introduce himself, before guiding us out of the courtyard and into a large, windowed building.

He's doing a great job at keeping everyone attention as he shows us around a massive theatre, taking us past a few classrooms that aren't currently in use, as well as through the cafeteria that we'll surely be eating at later tonight.

"How old is your little friend?" Bryce asks me as Malcolm guides the group back outdoors, past a huge football field.

"He's nineteen," I answer, and Bryce nods, something catching his eye for a minute before he looks back to me.

"So you really kissed him?" he quizzes, and I remain quiet for a moment to think.

"Yes, I did. It was for the show; he played Raoul. I don't see why it seems to bother you that I've kissed guys other than you, but it shouldn't. There's nothing you can do about it," I tell him, and he huffs, seeming like he wants to say something but can't quite find the right words to do so.

🌸🌸🌸

"I'm still not over the whole room situation. You may not end up waking up tomorrow morning, just a fair warning," Bryce says aggressively, twirling more strands of spaghetti around his fork before taking a bite.

Jordan kicks him under the table but Bryce doesn't flinch, instead ignoring him.

"What else are they forcing us to do tonight? Can't we just stay in our rooms?" Jasmine pouts, and Charlie shrugs at her.

"Technically, yeah. There's some music presentation in that theatre we toured earlier at seven o'clock, but it's optional," my brother answers, and she sighs, biting into a slice of garlic bread.

"I'm meeting up with Malcolm later so I won't be going," I tell Jasmine, seeing as she'll probably be wondering where I am if I'm not in our dorm, obviously.

The smirk she gives me is awfully suggestive, and I shake my head at her, seeing as it's never been like that between him and I.

Bryce sets his glass down on the table in an annoyed manner, and Mateo can't hide how displeased he looks by the disruption from where he's seated down the cafeteria table.

"You're going to meet him alone?" Bryce asks me, and I quirk an eyebrow up at him.

I don't see why he's so concerned by this. The two of us were at rehearsals together until painfully late at night for multiple weeks, and then performed together every night for a month; we're certainly not strangers.

"Is that an issue? We were together practically the whole summer," I retort, and Bryce seems to be having a mental battle with himself as he stares down at the food on his plate.

"What? You expect me to watch you go off and hang out with a grown adult whom you've kissed many times for your show and not have anything to say about it?" he questions in a low voice, and I have to scoot away from him on the bench to get a hold of my thoughts.

What is that even supposed to mean? Why should he care at all about whether or not I've kissed him?

"Yes. I do expect you to not have anything to say, seeing as you're not in a position to comment on any romantic relationships I may or may not have," I hiss, trying to keep quiet so that none of our friends hear the conversation.

Bryce blinks at me. He seems to think for a moment, unsure of what he should say next, and I continue to stare back at him.

I'm speaking the truth. Bryce isn't my boyfriend, so why should he care about who I've kissed?

Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, I stand up from the table, heading to the back of the cafeteria to dump my leftover food in the green bin. I then place my dishes on the dish rack, walking back over to our table to find Bryce staring blankly down at his plate.

"I'm heading out. I'll see you guys later," I say briskly with a wave of my hand.

Charlie nods at me, but Jasmine's eyes widen all of a sudden.

"Wait, I need your room key then. I never picked mine up," she tells me, and I sigh, digging into my pocket for my card.

I hand it to her and she gives me a thankful grin, waving to me as I turn and walk away.

I'm a little surprise that Bryce didn't bother coming after me.

I tried my best to memorize the way in and out of this building, but I don't at all have a photographic memory, so I failed miserable. It's by some miracle that I find myself outside of our dorm building a few minutes later, spotting Malcolm seated on a bench by the front door.

He's on his phone, so he doesn't see as I approach him. It isn't until I take a seat down beside him that he notices me, and he quickly tucks his phone away, giving me a huge smile.

"How have you been?" he asks me, and I accidentally groan, crossing my legs before leaning back in my seat.

He chuckles at my response, resting his hand on my knee and giving it a quick squeeze.

"Bryce was really mad that I'm out here with you right now. He must think you're a serial killer or something," I say, and Malcolm gives me an amused smile.

He cocks his head to the side in a mocking manner, and I cross my arms, pouting at him.

"He's just jealous," Malcolm tells me, and I roll my eyes; Bryce always seems to be jealous, and there's still no reason for it.

"I know. He was crazy jealous of this kid in our grade named Mateo for the longest time. They were never on great terms because of some family feuds, but Bryce took it above and beyond. I've already explained to him that there's nothing romantic between you and I, but it doesn't stop him," I explain, tilting my head back so that I can look up at the sky.

There isn't a single cloud in sight, and the sun is just beginning to set. There's barely any snow on the ground either, but the few piles that have remained sparkle in the light.

"But there could be something romantic between us," Malcolm trails off, and when I look up, I find him staring at me intently.

At first I think that he must be joking, but the look on his face is telling me otherwise.

I know my eyes are wide and my jaw has dropped open slightly, but Malcolm doesn't react as he continues to watch me.

"Mac, I didn't realize . . . But . . ." I start, but am then unable to finish my train of thought.

I shut my mouth, thinking for a moment, and then deciding that it's totally impossible that I missed him having feelings for me this whole time. There's no possible way that—

Malcolm bursts out laughing.

"You should see the look on your face! It's killing me!" he exclaims, his head falling back as he starts laughing even harder.

Realization dawns on me, and I hit him in the arm, screeching, "Malcolm! Seriously? Not funny!"

It takes him a few moments to calm himself down, but when he does, he leans forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I know, I know. Sorry. God, you were so confused. That's hilarious," he says, still breathing heavy.

I stand up to walk away from him, but he grabs my wrist, pulling me back down to the bench.

"I didn't come to spend time with you to be mocked," I whine and Malcolm rests his head on my shoulder, essentially forcing me to stay where I am.

"Yeah, yeah. I was going to suggest we go somewhere to do something fun but I guess you probably can't leave campus, huh?" he asks me, and I shake my head at him.

This makes him sigh, continuing by saying, "I really don't understand how you guys are staying in dorms. We've had schools come stay before but always after we're out for summer break. I don't know how that whole dorm building is empty right now."

I shrug to him. "I was wondering the same thing actually. Hey, do you live on campus or do you have an apartment somewhere else?" I ask, and he sits up to answer my question.

"I have a dorm here. I'd offer to take you there but it's all the way across the campus and I don't want to get you in trouble. My roommate is a real character. He's never actually in our room though because he's currently dating a chick nine years older than him so he's always staying at her house," Malcolm tells me, almost sounding annoyed by the thought.

"Nine years?" I ask, and Malcolm nods, before standing up from his seat.

He offers me his hand, pulling me up before beginning to walk away. I have to take long strides to keep up with him, but he notices this and slows down.

"Yeah, it's crazy. Love happens in weird places, I guess," Malcolm jokes, then questioning, "I'm assuming you and your boy toy are the same age, yeah?"

I laugh a little as we walk down a flight of stairs, ending on a landing that looks out over a sports field. People appear to be playing rugby, and I follow Malcolm to lean against the railing, looking out over the game.

There aren't many people in the stands so I'd assume that it's probably only a practice, and I know Malcolm and I both aren't interested in sports so we soon continue to walk.

"Bryce? Because yeah. He's only ten months older than me. But he's seriously not my boyfriend, Mac. We both think it's stupid to start a relationship in our senior year when I'm hoping to go to Juilliard and he's hoping to get into Columbia. Both are really tough schools," I say, and Malcolm wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me tight as we pass by a crowded cafe filled with students chatting and typing away on their laptops.

"You're both going to New York. What's the issue?" Malcolm asks me, sounding dead serious.

It makes me laugh a little but when I notice that he's not kidding, I explain myself, saying, "He's super smart. It's incredible, really. His grades are excellent and he's already done a lot for himself. I'm sure Columbia would love to have him but I'm not so sure about the Juilliard situation."

Malcolm scoffs. "Really? You'd rather ignore your feelings and live your whole life regretting not indulging in whatever relationship could have been grown rather than potentially have to deal with some temporary heartbreak? You could make something work long-distance if you really needed to," he comments, and I can't deny that his points are totally valid.

After giving myself a moment to think, I get a grasp on a solid response. "Yeah. I guess so. I suppose that I'm just scared that I could fall too deep and that the heartbreak wouldn't quite be temporary," I say quietly.

Malcolm stops walking. "You just confessed that you like him," he states, and I shake my head profusely.

"No, I didn't. That isn't what I said," I counter, and Malcolm shakes his head at me.

"But it's what you meant. We both know that. There's no point in lying to yourself, Lexi," he tells me.

I don't say anything in response. I don't think I could even if I wanted to.

Because, the truth is that I don't really know what I want anymore. My feelings seem to be a jumbled mess and I'm scared that I'm too young. I'm scared that I haven't fully figured myself out yet, and that I'm pushing too hard if I expect to be able to settle this young.

A garden a few meters ahead of us catches my eye and Malcolm notices because he takes my hand, guiding me over towards the gated collection of plants and flowers. We enjoy each other's company as we wander aimlessly around, talking about easy, mindless topics such as our show over the summer.

It feels like we've only been doing this for a little while, but time seems to have slip away from us because the sun has totally set, stars visible in the night sky.

Malcolm decides that I should probably get back to my room, and so he walks with me all the way back to the dorm building.

Since I don't have my key card, I can't get into the building. I asked Malcolm to try his key, but it of course didn't work, so I had to pull out my phone to call Jasmine.

I was greatly irritated when she didn't pick up seeing as she's the reason that I'm locked out, but I then call Jordan who picks up straight away.

"Hey. What's up?" he asks me, and when I explain my situation he promises that he'll be right down.

Sure enough, he appears at the door a minute or two later, and I turn around to give Malcolm a hug.

"When do you guys leave?" he asks into my ear as he gives me one final squeeze, then pulling away.

"We're here all-day tomorrow and then we leave early Wednesday morning," I answer him, as he nods at me.

"I'll text you tomorrow and we can see if we can meet up again. I'll see you around, okay?" he says, and I nod, smiling at him.

"Bye, Mac," I reply, and just like that he walks off into the distance.