I glance over the ball at the pins set up down the alley. I inhale sharply as I walk towards the lane, eventually letting the bowling ball go. The sound of the heavy ball making contact with the tile floor is loud. I turn my back from the action, knowing I'd get a strike without having to look. Edwin shakes his head as he stands for his turn.

"Try not to embarrass yourself. I know you suck and you'll probably end up having to pay for dinner but just know I have faith in you" I joke as I pat his shoulder. The brunette flicks me off as he grabs his black and read bolling ball. "You're going to regret your words later" he hisses, walking towards the lane.

I chuckle and shake my head as I take a seat at the bench. This was nice. I was finally spending time with Edwin, just the two of us. No girlfriends or other friends in the way. And I really needed this especially after the Desire fiasco from Wednesday. I don't even know how I pushed through the week with her trying to get my attention so much.

And of course, Kathryn made sure to express her dislike for the girl every chance she got. Anytime she saw her in the hallways following after me, she glared at her. If looks could kill, Desire would be 6 feet under by now. Edwin takes a seat next to me and lets out a breath. "We're so close to graduation, I can't believe I went through 4 years of hell. And now I'm considering another 4 years" he groans.

I chuckle in agreement. "You get any acceptance letters yet?"

The boy nods his head, "Langston, UA, and Emerson. Not sure where I'm going yet, you?"

I smile, "UCB, UA, Emerson, Reed, USC, UCLA, Columbia Univer--" Edwin places his hand up to stop me. "Okay, I get it. You're smart and a lot of colleges want you. Do you have any idea where you're going or you just as clueless as me?"

"I was actually thinking UCB or UCLA. Anywhere in Cali, honestly." The boy nods his head, probably making UA one of the colleges he'd want to attend. When my stomach growls the boy glances at me before groaning. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. "What do you want? Nachos?" he questions standing to his feet.

I smile at the boy and nod my head before he walks away to the concession stand. I use the alone time to pull my phone from my pocket. I notice a message from my mom. I open it cautiously.

I bite down on my lip, unsure about the message. I never had a problem with church. It was Christianity I had a problem with. It was the bible I had a problem with. And to be quite frank, I did kind of miss Church to an extent. I hadn't been since I came out, mostly because I was in fear of being rejected.

But I'm 18 now, and I don't care about what they think.

I let out a breath and text my mom before I decide to text Cassandra to tell her about the situation. I quickly find out that mom also texted her, hoping for us all to go as a happy family.

A few minutes later Edwin appears on side of me with the nachos. He takes the seat on side of me and we begin eating in silence. After a few bites, he glances at me, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "Okay, I'm going to say something that will more than likely freak you out but hear me out" he chuckles.

I throw a chip in my mouth and wait for him to spit whatever he wanted to say out. Why would I freak out anyways? "If you and Kathryn weren't together..." he trails chopping down on a jalapeno, "I totally could see you and Emily together."

I choke on my food as I eye the boy in disgust. He chuckles and nods his head, "I know, it's weird but I don't know. I could totally see it."

I shake my head to disagree, "1. Emily is married. 2. She's not really my type. 3. You need glasses" I argue. The boy laughs, "No. Like it would be a funny plot twist. Like you and Kathryn are doing well then one day you and Emily are playing and joking around and then you guys kiss. And then you two realize that you guys do in fact have romantic feelings for each other" he spits.

I cringe at the thought of being romantically involved with anyone other than Kathryn. "I couldn't betray Ryn like that anyways. Emily is her best friend that would be worse than betrayal."

We continue eating and I speak up. "If you and Cassie weren't together I actually would 100% ship you with Jasmine though."

Edwin knits his brows together thinking it over. He shakes his head before speaking. "I can't even imagine it, mainly because of Duke. I can see those two actually managing to get married."

My brow raises, "Didn't they already try dating again? Didn't that fail again?"

Edwin shrugs, "I don't know. I think Duke still likes her, especially since he got over you. Which I'm surprised, to say the least. He's been crushing on you since 8th-grade year. I thought he'd never get over his little crush."

Nodding my head, I agree. "I'm glad he did though. I never expected us to be friends. I didn't exactly hate him but he was annoying as fuck. But surprisingly the more we hung out the more tolerable he became. Like I kind of think of those two as my other best friends."

Edwin places his hand over his chest. I punch his shoulder, "They'd never beat you though. You're like top-tier. I see you as a brother... brother-in-law since you and Cassandra are together."

The boy smiles at the thought of my sister and I gag. "How did you two end up liking each other anyways? I would not have guessed, honestly."

The brunette's smile widens. He sets his empty tray beside him and wipes his fingers on his pants. "It was Sophomore year. You dragged me along to that party at May Krown's house, remember? Anyways Cass and Diana were there and while you went to go party with Diana, Cass and I stuck around together drinking and talking. I guess I was feeling the alcohol a bit too much and I just went in for a kiss. And then from there, my crush on her grew until eventually, I asked her out."

"Just don't hurt her feelings, Edwin, I would seriously hate to kill you for hurting my sister" I tease.

He laughs before glancing at me. "What about you? When exactly did you realize you liked Kathryn? Because honestly, I don't remember you telling me about her until we saw you with Mr. Rossen that one day."

I inhale, thinking about it. "Honestly, I started liking her when she started working at the school. I thought the infatuation went away since I was sleeping around a lot. And then last year she moved in next door to me and that infatuation I had developed into a crush. We started talking and flirting and for once I wanted to actually be in a relationship."

I can't help but smile at the thought. Once I finish my nachos, Edwin throws our trays away. "Ready for me to beat your ass, again?" I laugh as he grabs a bowling ball. He raises a brow, "I was being nice earlier. Now it's time for you to lose."

I laugh and roll my eyes. Before I can continue to tease him, I feel someone grab ahold of my arm. I jump and glance over, my smile falling from my lips as I stare at the dark-haired woman. Edwin rolls his eyes, "Why are you here?" he questions.

Desire smirks as she eyes me, "Duke, Jasmine, and I was just coming in when I spotted Casey. I figured we could join you guys."

"Duke and Jasmine can join.... you can't" I hiss.

The girl laughs and slaps my arm lightly, thinking I was joking. I honestly didn't understand why she was still hanging around us. After she kissed me so unexpectedly Wednesday, Duke dumped her. Why she was still around? Honestly, I wanted to know the answer as well.

Duke and Jasmine come to our alley with somber expressions. I glare at Duke but he raises his hands up in a surrendering way. "Look, Jasmine and I just wanted to hang out and she tagged along. I told her that she couldn't and she wouldn't listen."

I raise my brow, ignoring the last part of his statement. "You and Jasmine were hanging out?" I wiggle my brows. Jasmine rolls her eyes, "As friends. Just because we dated doesn't mean we can't be friends."

I nod my head, not truly believing her answer. "So who's winning anyways?" Duke questions before moving to glance at the scoreboard. He stifles a laugh as he turns from Edwin to give me two big thumbs up. I laugh and high-five the boy. "I can see you two" Edwin hisses. Duke and I laugh harder and tease the loser.

"If we play a team game, I'm definitely on Casey's team" Duke laughs. Edwin flicks us off, "It's cool. I'll have Jasmine. I know with our brainpower, we can beat you guys."

Duke and I laugh harder, "Good luck."

Desire finally removes herself from me, feeling left out of the conversation. She takes a seat with a distant look on her face. And as much as I disliked her, I felt a bit bad. But she just wasn't really a part of our friend group.

Edwin and I finish our game and I laugh when he loses. "What were you two doing here anyway?" Jasmine questions.

"Oh, we were having a little best friend day until SOMEBODY decided to disrupt us" Edwin jokes glancing at the blonde and brunette. Duke shakes his head, "Excuse you. We are your best friends. Maybe not top-tier but we're definitely included in best friend day."

I laugh at the jealous blonde. We begin the next game and as planned before, Duke was on my team and Jasmine was on Edwin's team. I allow Duke and Edwin to go up against each other first. I take a seat next to Desire, startling her. "Let's play a game," I say. She eyes me in confusion. "Aren't you already doing your little match thing?"

I glance over to see Edwin was deciding to go first. I look back at Desire. "Or you could be lonely while we have fun. Do you want to play or not?" I question. She sighs and turns all her attention to me. "Okay, that's what I thought" I hiss.

I lick my lips before speaking up. "Kiss, Marry, Kill. Billie Eilish, Zendaya, and Beyonce" I throw at her.

"Case, it's your turn" I hear. I nod my head, "You think about your answer and I'll be right back" I say standing from my chair and heading to the lane. I grab my ball from the display. Placing my fingers into the three holes, I inhale deeply. Once I exhale I swing my arm before letting go of the ball and watching it roll down the lane. I smile successfully as it knocks down 8 or the 10 pins.

Once my turn is over I make my way back over to Desire.

"Kill Zendaya. Kiss Billie. And Definitely Marry Beyonce" she answers. I smile at her answer because it was similar to what I would have said. She pulls her leg underneath her and turns her body towards me with a smile. "Okay, Uh... Cara Delevingne, Erika Linder, and Brittenelle Fredericks."

I let out a breath as I think it over. All three women were insanely attractive and gay. This was a hard one and we were only just starting the game. Desire chuckles causing me to glance up at her. I smile at the girl and bite my lip in thought. When her eyes move down to my lips I release my bottom lip and clench my jaw.

"Okay, this is unfair. I gave you an easy one. I can't kill any of them" I pout.

The dark-haired girl shakes her head, "Answer the question Kings."

I let out a dramatic sigh, "Fine. Fine. Kiss Brittenelle... Marry... Cara and Kill Erika" I say with a pout. Desire laughs and nods her head, "I probably would've killed Cara honestly. Married Erika and kiss Britt. So we have one thing in common with that" she says.

I'm pulled away from the girl once again. "You got this Kings, I have high hopes for you. You're a prodigy child" Duke jokes as I grab the same bowling ball from before. I do my thing again, this time gaining a strike. Duke cheers me on as Jasmine and Edwin flick us off causing me to laugh at the losers.

I take my seat on side of Desire, resuming our game. "Alright. Duke, Jasmine, Edwin" I spit with a smirk.

Desire rolls her eyes, "Definitely killing Jasmine. Marry Edwin and kissing Duke."

I laugh at her answer, "Why are we definitely killing Jasmine? I mean I would totally get killing Duke."

The girl shakes her head, "Jasmine and I do not get along in the slightest sense. She's very hostile towards me and I'm pretty sure it's because I dated Duke. As a girl who knows what jealousy is, I can honestly say that she gets jealous at the thought of anyone being intimate with the blonde."

I chuckle. So not only did Edwin say Duke was still interested in Jasmine, Desire was now agreeing that Jasmine was still interested in the boy. It would be crazy if both of them were correct. "I guess," I say. Desire rolls her eyes. She scoots closer to me, placing her fingers on my chin. She guides my head towards Duke and Jasmine. "Just watch them. Watch how Jasmine looks at Duke like she wants nothing in the world but him. And Duke is totally showing off for her. I mean I don't understand why, because it's very obvious she already likes him."

I nod my head in agreement and move my head to glance at Desire. My breath is caught in my throat as I notice our proximity. Her green eyes land on me before travelling the length of my face and landing on my lips. I'm scared to move. With her hands still on my chin, I'm scared of the outcome of this encounter.

Desire glances back up, her eyes meeting mine. She smiles, "Kathryn Howard, Emily Evans, Desire McClain."

My heart stops beating for a few seconds as I glance at the girl. She just drove me straight into a corner. When I don't answer she leans into me, her lips just inches away from mine. She smirks and moves her lips. I'm relieved when I feel her lips on my cheek instead of my lips. She moves them to my ear. "Definitely Killing Desire. Kissing Emily. And Marrying Kathryn... sound about right doesn't it?" she questions.

She pulls away with a pained expression. It's not until she moves away that I realize my other friends trying to get my attention. I glance back to Desire only to find the seat empty. I turn back to my friends, "Duke play my turn. I'll be back."

I stand from my seat and head to the restroom. I don't find Desire so I quickly head outside. Almost immediately I spot the girl walking down the sidewalk. I make my way to her, grabbing her hands to stop her from going any further. It was honestly a lot chillier than it was earlier this evening.

"Why are you leaving?" I question noticing the chill bumps on her arms. I remove my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders. Her eyes land on me in confusion. "Casey, you don't have to."

I shake my head. She lets out a breath. "Honestly, anyone would be stupid not to see you as attractive. You're nice and smart and really pretty, so yeah a lot of people tend to find themselves having a crush on you. And I'm nothing compared to you," she mutters.

"I'm a piece of shit person. I never liked Duke but I wanted to get closer to you and I didn't know how so I acted like I was interested in him when I wasn't. And he was honestly a pretty great boyfriend but I immediately noticed Jasmine's hostility and I realized that he was just dating me to make her jealous to which she'll never admit."

Desire chuckles as she glances at me. "We've been in a few classes since freshman year and I noticed you in Mrs. Evans' class. And I developed a little crush. I always noticed you in a crowd. I notice everything. Like your attraction to Ms. Howard. How you skip classes just to go see her. And I'm not really in agreement with the relationship because in a way she took advantage of her authority over you. It's disgusting really but I never had any intentions of outting you two. I just thought a little threat would make you notice me. And you did, obviously not in a way I want you to though. I'm really sorry for kissing you I just wanted to see if my accusation was correct and of course it was. Even if Ms. Howard didn't visibly show it, I could see that the kiss hurt her a lot."

I open my mouth to speak but she stops me. "And even after I was such a dick to you, you're chasing me outside and wrapping me in your jacket because you noticed I was cold. Casey, you are too good for this world. And I would say too good for Ms. Howard but I don't know her enough to say that. I see the way she makes you unexplainably happy. And that's all that matters. And at least we're almost graduated so it makes your relationship with her less... disgusting."

The girl lets out a breath before smiling. "Please tell Kathryn I'm sorry and I never should've kissed you. I'm at least mature enough to know I was in the wrong. However, just because I'm apologizing doesn't mean I'm not going to stop hitting on you. I'm not really going anywhere so you're kind of stuck with me until graduation."

I can't help but smile. I take a step closer to the girl and wrap my arms around her. She's startled at first but she wraps her arms around me as well. "Thank you and I forgive you."

She pushes me away and rolls her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever."

I smile and nudge her shoulder, "And just for the record Des... I probably would rather kiss you over kissing Mrs. Evans. It's just weird if I kiss her." The girl smiles and shakes her head.

"Are you going to leave, or come back inside and hang out with us?" I question. She points behind her, "I actually do have to go. My dads are blowing up my phone. But I'll see you guys at school."

I nod my head and wave to the girl before going back into the building.