ino tells us during breakfast that Alyssa and Justin broke up. I keep my eyes on my cereal, but when I think he isn't looking, I frown. So I'd been right, they were still together when he visited her house.

Mom finishes washing up at the sink before turning to face us. "Is Alyssa that girl you keep mentioning? Your English partner?"

Kino while shoveling cereal in his mouth. For someone so skinny, the kid eats like he's one meal away from starvation. I look up from my cereal and ask, "They just broke up?"

"Yup."

"Do you know why?" I say it like I'm a disinterested third party asking out of mild curiosity, and Kino shrugs.

"She wouldn't say, but there are rumors all over school that it's because she's interested in some guy from Burbank." He suddenly can't keep the smile off his face. "Do you think it's me?"

I clear my throat. "Kino–"

"Don't start," he warns. "Alyssa could be interested in someone like me, all right? It's not that far out of the realm of possibility. I can tell she likes me."

"What makes you think she likes you?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "Well, she's nice to me."

"I'm nice to you," I say. "That doesn't mean I like you."

His eyes narrow. "There are other signs."

"Like?"

He folds his arms and says, "Like she smiles a lot at me."

I sigh. Sometimes it's like he has the emotional maturity of a carrot. "Just because a girl is nice to you doesn't mean she likes you."

"It's true," Mom says, shooting Kino a motherly look. "I can't tell you how many times men would tell me I lead them on because I was nice to them, or I smiled at them. The best way to find out if a girl is interested in you is to ask her."

Kino frowns. "I guess, but who else could she like from Burbank?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. Sooner or later, he's going to find out about Alyssa and me, and if it's not from me, it's going to be a shit show. "You finished?" I ask, looking at the mess he has made. "I've got to get to work. If you want a ride, we need to leave now."

Kino nods and wipes milk off the table with the sleeve of his sweater. Mom sighs at the mess and gives us both a kiss on the cheek before telling us to be good.

It takes longer than usual to get Kino to school. There's a line of traffic that goes all the way down the block, and I beep several times in frustration.

"You should work on managing your anger," Kino says.

I finish beeping my horn and say, "I manage my anger just fine."

"Right," he says, and he slumps in his seat as the car beside us flips me off.

When I pull up to school, Kino scoops his bag off the floor, wiggles his eyebrows with a mischievous grin, and opens the door.

I glance in the rearview mirror just as Alyssa pulls up. I'd skipped the gym last night on account of working late, so I haven't seen her since our meal. She straightens up, her eyes honing in on my truck like she's about to come over. Kino spots her when I do and quickly walks over. She smiles at him, and I watch as the pair of them head toward the school arm in arm.

I spend the rest of the day delivering packages, wondering if this is my future–if wanting to box is just another dead dream. My dad would think so at this point. He'd tell us there is nothing more destructive to a man than his dreams–dreams stop you from living in reality.

I'm antsy when I make it to the gym, partly from spending the day delivering to assholes and partly because I'm still feeling guilty about this thing with my brother.

Maddie and Alyssa are over by the mats, talking. I nod at them and head over to the weight machines, where I get started on a set. I'm still pissed at Alyssa for not telling me about Justin, especially when there were plenty of opportunities. What else has she lied about?

Alyssa says something to Maddie, who whispers something back before waving at me and heading out. Alyssa takes a sip of her water bottle then puts it down before walking toward me.

"Hey," she says. She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me, but I turn my head.

"Hey. You're here early." My attention is back on my reps like she's not even here. She lets me get a good three in before she stands in front of me and folds her arms, forcing me to stop.

"Maddie was showing me some footwork," she says. "Is something wrong?"

I let go of the machine and look at her. "I saw Justin leaving your house the night I dropped you home." I pause before adding, "Did you only just break up?"

She suddenly looks uncomfortable. "How do you know we broke up?"

"Is that the point?"

"No, I guess not." There's a second of silence as she looks at her sneakers, and I start to grow impatient. Finally, she says, "Look, technically, Justin and I were still together, but it wasn't because I wanted us to be. That's why I didn't tell you–I didn't want you to think that I liked him."

I furrow my eyebrows and take a step closer, which forces her to look at me. Every time I talk to this girl, I end up more confused than when we started. "Maybe I'm stupid, but that doesn't make any sense."

"You're not stupid," she says back. Her hand goes up to the bridge of her nose like she's getting a migraine. "Okay, look. My dad made some bad business deals and is on the verge of going bankrupt. He and Justin's dad were supposed to be entering into some kind of business deal that would supposedly fix everything." She pauses to take a deep breath. "My parents thought if I broke up with Justin, it might jeopardize the deal, but I couldn't stay with him any longer."

All I can do is stare at her. I don't know what I'd been expecting her to say, but it wasn't that. "Your parents made you do that?"

She nods and bites the side of her thumb. "I know what you're thinking. What kind of person could use someone like that? Believe me, I know how it looks but–"

"Actually," I say, "I'm thinking what kind of parents could put that on their kid."

Her head snaps up. "You don't think I have questionable morals?"

I smile a little and grab her hand, pulling her closer. "I do, just not as questionable as I thought." She frowns and playfully pushes my chest, causing me to grin. It drops just as quickly when she doesn't smile back.

"I don't know what's going to happen now," she says. "My mom said if this deal doesn't go through, we'll be bankrupt. I won't be able to afford to go to the college I want and we'll have to move."

Her eyes tear up, and I reach down and brush the side of her cheek. I've never been good at knowing what to say so I don't say anything, but she doesn't seem to mind. She leans into my hand and closes her eyes like she's going to kiss me.

I clench my jaw and say, "Alyssa, I can't."

"Because of Kino?" she asks. When I nod, she says, "You know I don't like him like that, right?"

"Maybe you should." I look away, because the longer I look at her, the harder it is not to kiss her. "He's the better choice. He'd worship you."

"I don't want to be worshipped." She pulls me in closer. I snake an arm around her waist without even thinking, and she smiles. She's got me wrapped around her finger and what's worse is she knows it.

She lowers my face before kissing me again. I kiss her back, enjoying the taste of her strawberry lip balm. It's not long before her hand dips beneath my t-shirt. I smile against her lips, and she does this little thing with her tongue that drives me insane.

My hand disappears beneath her tank top and slides across her skin. It's warm and smooth, but the coolness of my palm makes her let out a tiny gasp. My fingers go further, reaching the lining of her sports bra before gently brushing her breast. She pulls away slightly to run her hand over the front of my sweatpants. This girl is driving me insane.

I wrap my hand around hers. I'm about to guide it under my waistband when her phone starts to ring. She looks up for a second, then over to the bench, and I take a step back. She sighs and hurries over.

The second she answers the call, her face drops. I don't get much from the conversation, but I can tell from her clipped tone that she isn't happy. She finally hangs up and puts it into her bag before turning to face me.

"My parents want me home," she says. "I need to go."

I nod and say, "Do you want me to drop you?"

"No, it's okay. I drove today."

I lock up and walk her to her car, where I pull her into a hug. "Everything okay?"

"I'm not sure," she says, pulling back. "I guess I'll find out when I get home. See you tomorrow?"

I smile a little. "See you tomorrow."

She unlocks her car, and I wait until she gets halfway down the road before heading home, too.

❤️🎄