Months before my parents split my dad and mom were fighting often, to the point where he'd decided to sleep in a separate room, after he moved out, that separate room was changed into the room i'd used for painting, and now I still used it as my art room.

We had three rooms upstairs, two bathrooms upstairs, a kitchen and lounge downstair as well as the small backyard, and that was our house.

It wasn't anything fancy, but it wasn't much of a scrap either because my father had to pay for us to stay here as my mother was unable to take care of us this way, so he was obligated to and thats how I knew he was still alive, because we still had her medical care and we still had the house and water, just that I had to pay for extras, like food, college and nonna's care.

Karsen and I had painted in there after i'd stopped silently crying against him, and we'd barely spoke but I think it was because he knew I needed more time to actually let everything sink in.

I didn't want to jump into a friendship now. I wanted ease into it, one step at a time and thankfully he got that especially after I cried on him, which I had never even done in front of my own mother.

Except that now after a shift at the library that i'd left early from and went to the café then back here, I began to regret the vulnerability i'd shown him the night before, I give him a part of me no one else saw and I had no idea if it was a bad idea to open up, or something really good.

My one hand was holding onto my bags strap over my shoulder and the other was holding that stupid coffee he liked even thought he shouldn't be drinking it, but it was better than smoking so I got it for him now anyway.

I walked to the football field, counting every step because I had nothing else to do, and if I didn't do this i'd probably continue being embarrassed over what happened yesterday and I didn't want to be.

I wanted to think about something else. Anything else. But when I start to think about Karsen and how sweet he was, I shake my head.

An arm was looped through with mine and I looked over to the person beside me, smirking over at Summer as she fanned herself with a small electric fan that was on top of her water bottle.

"Its so hot lately." She says dramatically as she breathes out before she looks to me, turning the fan to face me and surprisingly, it was kind of refreshing, barely, but still better than nothing.

"Yeah, so you just carry that water bottle everywhere or?" I trail off with a raise of my brow and she shrugs as she alternates, fanning the both of us, "Depending on the day."

I look to the bag on her shoulder, down to her brown Uggs on and her ballerina outfit. "Did you have fun?"

"Very much, just exhausted and kinda starving." She grins wickedly, "Wanna go get pizza?" She definitely has a pizza obsession.

"I would if we didn't have to do that project, we only got a few of the art pieces done and painted." And we still had a few more pieces to do before we put it all together.

"Ya'll should pull an all nighter once a while, it helps, not the healthiest but its college so..." She says and to be honest, she's right. Somedays called for an all nighter.

But that meant one of us staying over at one another's houses and I'm not sure if i'd want to leave my mom alone overnight, nor am I sure i'd be okay with him staying over at my place.

"Maybe." I reply, a simple answer as we get down the stairs, passing the never ending bleachers and down to the football field, to the front, where the cheerleaders were standing and putting away their stuff since practice was over.

A girl called out to Summer beside me and she let go of my arm, but nudged her head for me to follow as she greets the girl.

I put my other hand on the side of the coffee cup, holding it in two hands and I felt a little shitty that it was kinda cold again.

Maybe I just wasn't made for good deeds.

"Hi." The redhead says as she studies me almost a little too blatantly that it grows awkward, I look to her with a raise of my brow, trying not to come across as rude or anything, I was just confused as to why she was eyeing me up from head to toe.

"Hello."

She looks to my face, "Im Cherry."

"Adrienne." I tell her and when she only nods, no response in return, I look away to the football field for Karsen, but the guys were no longer there and were definitely in the locker room changing.

I just hope today wasn't one of his self love days, self love, as in sex with one of the cheerleaders day. Because i'd definitely leave, and he knows for a fact that I do not bluff.

"I haven't seen you here before, are you dating one of the football players?" She asks me and I blink, looking over to her once again, I shake my head, "No, no im not."

"She's Karsen and I's friend." Summer explains and the girl smiles but I have no idea if it was genuine or not, she was kinda hard to read to be honest, "Really?"

I shrug, "We're just art partners." I add, I didn't know this girl, and had no idea if she was one of those people who would talk about me to her friends for absolutely no reason, one of those people who needed something to gossip about whether it was even gossip or just a measly very unentertaining occurrence.

When she clicked her tongue in acknowledgment with a nod before one of her other cheer friends spoke I actually felt kinda relieved, just because this conversation was over.

"Well, see you." Summer says before she takes my arm and turns us around without even so much as actually saying goodbye to Cherry but it didn't seem like Cherry was offended or anything, she just nodded and walked away.

As we walk over the field to the locker room, Summer looks to the coffee cup in hand and pokes it. "You're drinking coffee in this heat?"

I shake my head, "Its not for me, it's for Karsen."

She raises a brow and her lips twitch up at the ends, "You went all the way off campus, then came all the way back, just to get Karsen a coffee?"

I shrug as I circle the lid with the pad of my finger, "He has been stressed for the game, I just wanted to do something nice for him." Plus, it's just a coffee.

She hums and suddenly whatever though she had before diminishes, "Cute."

We finally get across and stand near the locker room, leaning on the wall as she fans herself, "You coming for the game?"

I shake my head and she nudges my shoulder with her hand making me look to her and away from the lid, "Uh huh?"

"You should come, well with me since im going and have no one else, for years i've just been going alone and meeting people there." She tells me.

My lips twitch up, Summer was a popular loner almost, people loved her but not enough to have a stable friendship and thats probably why she had so many acquaintances but no proper friends.

It made me want to frown because she was one of the most genuine people I've ever met. She deserved real friends, a lot of them too.

I shrug, "If you want me too."

"Yes, please." She drags on the please and I nod, "Okay, i'll come."

Her grin is a practically a beam which makes me smile a small smile back.

The doors open and guys start flooding out, all tall and they all greet Summer, some eyeing me making me raise a brow back till someone pokes my side and I look up to the man beside me who's looking at the coffee cup.

"Is that for me?" He asks.

"No." I deadpan.

He rolls his eyes and takes it, leaning down and kissing the side of my head like he'd done when I was crying, it was a chaste kiss, just a thank you kiss and I knew it was.

I moved away from him and in front of Matt who was sending me a smile in acknowledgment as he left to look for his boyfriend probably, and Chance kisses Summer before he looks to me.

"Adrienne."

"Chance."

He smiles and sends a nod over at Karsen before Summer waves her fingers at me, pointing at me a moment after, "Remember, you promised."

"Yes, I won't bail on you."

She nods, blows me a quick kiss before she turns back and they walk away.

"Promised her what?" Karsen asks as he sets his bag on his shoulder and we walk back to the parking lot as I pick beneath my nails, "That i'd come to the game to keep her company."

He hums, "Not because you wanted to see me play?"

I roll my eyes, "I see you enough Krist."

"Enough isn't enough."

I almost snort, "That was a very stupid analogy."

"I know, im rethinking it right now."

I smirk, looking up to him, "You're an idiot."

His tongue runs over the inside of his cheek before he smiles back down at me, dimple deepening in his cheek but before I can reach out and poke it someone interrupts.

"Hi Kar."

We look away from one another and to the girl, "Hey Megan."

She smiles at him, "Could we talk for a moment?"

I blink when she looks to me and I move away from his side, sending her a smile she doesn't return and I almost roll my eyes as I walk away without so much as a, meet you at the car, since she was practically glaring at me.

I hold my bag straps and walk away, wondering if he'd be long.

===

When I get to the parking lot I get in my car and lay in the backseat, playing my pool game and alternate between texting my grandmother who is actually quite hilarious because she keeps sending me random pictures without meaning to.

It was almost twenty minutes now, and I knew what was happening with Krist and Megan but tried not to think about it.

Maybe I should've just went home.

Sometime through that a knock comes from my door and I look up, opening it as I put my phone beneath my palms and flat on the seat and raise a brow at him.

"You're a hard man to make time with Krist."

"You're hilarious." He mumbles as he gets down to eye lever with me, bending his knees and thats when I noticed whats between his fingers.

A cigarette.

He was smoking.

I look to him, "You know, if you can't stop doing something its an addiction." I tell him softly as he brings it to his lips and turns away to blow out the smoke instead of in my face.

"Its not that serious."

"It is, its just so normalized."

"Because its normal." He argues his point but his voice voice is passive, firm and I know he's getting annoyed even if he tries to hide it.

"That's bullshit."

He shrugs, "Are we gonna work at my place?"

"Karsen."

"You've never been so persistent before, are you worried about me?" He asks, cocking his head to the side a little and that stupid sexy smirk graces his lips.

"Is flirting your only defense mechanism Krist?" I ask and he rolls his eyes, before muttering a soft maybe making my own lips quirk up.

I rub at his head like his a dog, his hair damp and wavy over his forehead before I sigh.

"Yeah, your place is fine."

He hums, "My car?"

"I can drive myself, thanks." I reply quickly and he hums, just hums, eyeing my face slowly and melodically, as if he was searching for something, "I was just talking to her, you know?"

I eye him back, "I don't really want to know about your sexual life-"

"Theres no sex or anything like that Addy, there hasn't been in a really long time." He cuts me off gently, leaning in and quickly kissing the side of my forehead again before he stands up, not letting me get a word in when he says, "Let's go to my place."