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Her eyes meet mine as she says those last two words, and even though I know she’s not, it almost feels like she’s saying them to me. I find myself wishing she was. “Thanks. So, are…?” I clear my throat. Where was I going with that? “So, are you having fun?”

“Definitely. This is great, and your friends are awesome. Thanks for inviting me.”

“I hope Eli doesn’t mind being the only guy.”

Payton waves her hand. “Nah. He’s used to it.”

“He’s really cool. I’m glad the three of us started to hang out.”

“Me too. It’s been fun.”

More staring. Why is there always so much staring with us? “Should we go back down?” Secretly, I kind of wish Payton would say no, but she nods in response.

When we get back downstairs, Genesis and Samara appear to be having a heated discussion. “I’m just saying, I think it would be a really nice way for the basketball team to give back to the community,” Genesis says. “Plus, this way, we could get money for new warm-ups. We’ll split the profits 50/50 between charity and money for the team.”

“And I’m just saying, that sounds like a lot of work to do in addition to practice and games,” Samara argues.

“What’s up?” I ask as I walk over to them, hoping I can keep a fight from breaking out.

Genesis puts an arm over my shoulder. “I suggested we should do some type of fundraiser or volunteering as a team, but Samara thinks it’s a dumb idea.”

I put my arm around Genesis as well. “I think it’s a great idea. We could all spend a day at a soup kitchen or nursing home or something. I read about getting a group to make a meal at the Ronald McDonald House. That could be fun.”

Samara scoffs. “Those ideas are even worse than Genesis’s. At least with her ideas, we also get something out of it.”

“Why do we need to get something out of it? The whole point of volunteering is to help someone else without expecting something in return.”

Samara rolls her eyes at me. “And that’s exactly why I have never volunteered.”

“So, what you’re saying is you’re selfish?” So much for me stopping the fight.

“I helped at the Ronald McDonald House once. It was a really cool experience.”

All three of us turn at the exact same time to stare at Payton, who now seems embarrassed that she even said anything. “Sorry to intrude on your conversation. Just thought I would let you know.”

“No need to apologize,” I reassure her. “I’d love to hear more about that sometime.”

I’m pretty sure she said something to try to stop the fight that was about to break out, and luckily, it seemed to work. As I talk to Payton, Samara gets distracted by one of the performers on TV, and soon it’s like it never even happened.

The rest of the night goes by without issues and, when midnight hits, we all hoot and holler until my parents nicely tell us to shut the hell up. Soon, everyone finds spots to curl up around the family room and it’s not long before I’m the only one left awake.

I head upstairs because I want to make sure Lydia is okay and I also prefer to sleep in my own bed. She’s still snoring when I get into my room, so I quietly get changed then crawl into bed beside her. Within just a few seconds of lying down, Lydia’s arms wrap around me from behind. I’m only surprised because I thought she was completely passed out. Lydia has been a snuggler since we were little.

“I love you, Mar,” Lydia whispers into my ear.

“Love you too, Lyd.”

I’ve never been much for praying, but before I drift off to sleep, I say a quick prayer that whatever caused her to reach this point tonight works itself out. No one in this world deserves to be happy more than my best friend, and I’ll always do whatever I can to make sure she is.

Chapter 19

*Love Interest*

“Big game tomorrow,” Marjorie says as we stand in front of our lockers.

“And you’re going to kill it. I’m going to be cheering so loud for you.”

“Promise?” She looks at me with wide eyes, and it’s so cute, I can’t help but think about what it would be like if things were different. If this wasn’t a secret crush. If Marjorie felt the same way. If I could simply lean in and place a kiss on her lips to reassure her.