Things are weird between Bryant and I after the camping trip for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is he finally bent where I'm concerned. He's never been willing to be friendly with me, and that camping trip felt a lot like progress.

I still think it's progress. He's not volatile to be around after the camping trip. He stops snickering every time I open my mouth, which I'd be lying if I said I'm not enjoying, but there's a flip side to every coin.

Now, instead of having resentful tension between the two of us, there's awkward tension there. We're still avoiding each other as we always have, but now we're doing it politely if that's possible.

When I walk into a room, he doesn't automatically walk out anymore. Last night, the two of us were home alone as usual, and I made the mistake of going into the living room while he was in there. We sat in tense silence watching the game on tv until it ended. I don't think either one of us wants to go backwards, but I'm fairly certain the guy is as clueless as I am about how to move forward.

We know more about each other now, and I don't think Bryant likes the vulnerability. He watches me now. When I'm watching tv or when I'm driving us to and from school, he's watching me. I think he's waiting for me to turn on him. I have no intentions of doing that, but our minor progress doesn't mean he's suddenly a trusting guy.

Right now, I'm waiting for him in my car. We just got out of practice, and I opted out of the shower after practice in order to get away from him. I wouldn't go backwards to our hatred of one another if given the option, but it's been awkward as hell. The only upside is we're more in sync on the field than we've ever been.

Coach is pumped, and if I'm judging from the smile I kept seeing on his face when he caught one of my passes, I'd guess Bryant's pretty pumped too. I'd be lying if I said I don't feel a tiny burst of pride every time he catches a pass I throw.

I'm replaying the events from our practice in my head when I see him approaching the car in the rear-view mirror. I buckle my seatbelt in order to have something to do with my hands. His watching me has me on edge around him lately. There's something about his eyes being on me that affects me in a way I never would have guessed it could.

He's always avoided looking at me in the past. He always made it seem like the mere sight of me repulsed him. Apparently, something shifted while we were camping, and that translates into him watching me. It also translates into me feeling more self-conscious than I've ever felt in my life.

When he climbs into my car, I'm overly aware of every move I make. Any movement I make, I'm over analyzing. I start the car, and it purrs to life. I back out of the school parking lot, predictably feeling his gaze on my face.

"That went pretty well," I try for small talk.

He gives me a noncommittal grunt, and I start to worry the awkwardness is causing us to regress, but then he surprises me, and he bends again. Every time he gives me even an inch, it shocks me.

"It was an improvement for sure," he says, shifting awkwardly in his seat, telling me he's not immune to this weird vibe between us.

"Think Coach will let Jasper play on Friday?" I ask him, pulling out of the school parking lot.

Yeah, I'm trying to force small talk, but it's better than the alternative, right? It's been a week since the camping trip now, and we've spent every ride to and from school with this charged silence between us. He laughs in response to my question.

"I doubt it, but serves him right," Bryant says.

I smile. I never in a million years would have guessed he'd show the amount of loyalty it took him to punch Jasper in the face on my behalf. I've been replaying it on a loop in my mind ever since it happened.

"True," I say, and the conversation dies a painful death.

We spend nearly the rest of the ride home in silence. When we get home, we're both quick to climb out of the car. He rushes inside, so I hang back a bit in order to give him his space. I pretend to be checking my phone, but I'm not even seeing it.

Instead, I watch him walk inside the house. Something about his shift in behavior since the camping trip is causing me to think of him differently. He's always been a good-looking guy, but he's also always been an asshole. Taking away half of that equation is doing fucked up things to my body. I've had four dreams about him in the past week. To say I have Bryant on the brain would be an understatement.

"Excuse me," someone walks over to the house from the road, and startles me from my thoughts.

"Hey," I respond, a little weirded out there's someone in our driveway.

"I broke down a little way up the road. Mind if I use your phone," the guy asks me.

I shake off the weird vibe I was getting when I realize he just wants to use my phone, and I pull it out of my pocket.

"Yeah, sure thing," I tell him, handing it over to him.

Then he surprises me by tucking it into his back pocket.

"What the hell?" I ask him, at almost the same time something hits me in the back of the head, causing a blinding pain and causing me to collapse in my place.