Driving down memory lane wasn't one of my favorite activities. The past was a painful reminder of perfect things that had once been and now remained lost. Unfortunately, I needed help with my physics homework, and I wasn't speaking to Juan.

That left one real option since Tasha's mom still wouldn't let her out of quarantine. Kai Young, resident smartie pants and the only person I knew who probably wouldn't care or judge my breakup with the basketball captain. Kai was more obsessed with online gaming and taking marching band instead of PE than the school's social scene.

He said it would be better if we got the physics out of the way before rehearsal, which was the only reason I was awake at eight-thirty in the morning on a Saturday in the first place. I yawned as I pulled onto his street and passed the big house on the corner where Mom, Dad, Parker, and I had all lived happily. The new owners had repainted the cream trim a tan color, and a chalk hopscotch game was drawn on the sidewalk in front of the house.

Driving down the street, I followed the path my bike always took from my house to Kai's home down the cul-de-sac. He still lived in the same neat little house with a treehouse in the front oak that he had when we were eight.

As I parked, I watched Kai's twin sisters run past the open screen door. One screeched about the last one to the top being a rotten banana.

I got out of my car and followed the stepping stones to the porch. Kai sat slightly concealed behind a bush by the door on the green porch swing where we ate popsicles on the Fourth of July when we were eight. We'd watched Parker and a few neighborhood boys shoot off fireworks until the cops showed up since no one was supposed to set off fireworks within the city limits. They only got a warning since they didn't hurt anything, but Mom wasn't happy.

"Morning," he got up to greet me. "You're just in time for breakfast."

Following Kai in the house, we passed his father and little brother in a fierce video game duel. Parker loved playing those two-player fight games when he had buddies over. Kai settled in the breakfast nook in the back of the kitchen and patted the empty seat beside him.

His mother, Mrs. Young, set waffles down and left us alone at the worn little table that barely fit a page of physics, two plates, and a tub of syrup. It wasn't quiet, but it was better than being alone.

"I kinda figured you wanted a low profile," he blushed. "And no one ever comes here except my family."

"It's fine," I said, sitting beside him. "Let's get this physics homework done."

Kai made it all look easy. Somehow, he was able to teach me how to do all the math for the problems better than the teacher in a quarter of the time. We'd finished the homework within an hour and had three hours before rehearsal.

We ended up watching a movie in his room. I wasn't paying all that much attention. There was some plot about neighborhood kids who found a robot to foil some government plot.

We'd run wild around the neighborhood like the kids in the movie, minus the robot back in the day. Then we'd all drifted apart. Kady lived right next door before her family moved to Kentucky when we were nine. Hudson and Novah played with us, running their bikes up and down the streets. My friendship with Novah dissolved naturally in middle school, and Hudson moved away right before high school.

Mrs. Young always ensured we had apples and slices of celery when we came. Then we'd run down the street to my house for Twinkies and Oreos.

It was a simpler time. A time when my father would help me clean my scraped knees from my bike accidents and play hoops with Parker. Before, my mother devoted all of her time to the hospital, and we moved into an apartment on the other side of town.

My phone buzzed and interrupted my nostalgia.

I'd forgotten I'd promised to do that. Rita had said something about having too much chemistry homework and a big project, and I said in passing that I'd make sure the costumes got out of the shipping boxes and onto the racks. My thumbs raced to send a response.

We had over an hour before rehearsal was going to start. The credits were already rolling on Kai's movie, and he was examining a long cabinet to select a second film.

"We should go to the theater early," I blurted. "I promised Rita I'd get the costumes ready."

Kai nodded and told his mother he was hitching a ride to the theater with me. She promised to pick him up later, and we headed to my car.

Riding with Kai was different from riding with Juan. Instead of basketball stats, Kai kept up a non-stop conversation about the movie. I vaguely nodded here and there, but there wasn't much for me to say about it.

I pulled into the theater's parking lot fifteen minutes later, and Kai was still talking about the movie's climactic ending.

"And the part where the robot talked was so cool," Kai said as we got out of my Prius.

"Yes," I said.

Kai didn't seem to notice. "And he saved that little boy."

"Yes," I walked towards the theater.

"But I can't believe the robot had to sacrifice himself," Kai opened the door for me, reminding me of Juan when he was trying to be a gentleman. "He died. I mean, what was up with that?"

Sighing, I walked into the theater. "Kai, I watched the movie with you. I don't need the play-by-play. It was cute."

"It's a classic," Kai said. "I can't believe you'd never seen it before."

I spotted Anton standing in the theater in the middle of the audience, facing the lighting booth. If he glanced up, he'd see us in an instant.

"I don't make it a habit to watch children's movies," I said and was thankful when Anton spotted us.

"You two are early," he said, setting aside the script he looked at me.

"I came to check on the costumes," I said. "Didn't they come in yesterday?"

Anton nodded. "I signed for them. For once, something is on time in this production."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Rita had been half-convinced that the costumes were going to be late. Now I could tell her that they were here.

Kai grinned. "Finally, some luck."

The door to the theater burst open, and Lilly walked inside carrying a large bag in her good arm. Grease was already overtaking the logo for Sully's, the diner down the street.

"I got them!" Lilly said. "I got the sandwiches, Uncle Anton!"

I couldn't help but smile. Lilly's bright blonde hair was done up in mini buns, and she wore a cute little sundress. Her energy was somehow infectious, making even her uncle smile.

"That's great, Lilly," he said. "Why don't you head to the booth? Kai can work on sound for the show with you."

Kai nodded. "Sure thing, Anton."

Kai and Lilly headed to the booth, and I walked through the rows in the theater to speak to Anton farther from prying ears. If Lilly was here, her brother could be lurking around the corner.

"I saw you cheer at the football game last night," Anton said.

I gave him a knowing look. Anton wasn't a sports fan on the best of days. "You went to watch Jack play, didn't you?"

"It is good to be supportive of the family," Anton said. "You cheered great. So, I couldn't help overhearing. You and Kai?"

I rolled my eyes. "He was helping me with homework. He's an old friend."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "I'd prefer if you didn't break more hearts in my cast, Shayna."

"I won't," Surely, Kai hadn't thought that doing homework was a date. It wasn't a date at all. "Shouldn't you mind your own business anyhow?"

"And you're fine after everything that went down here yesterday?" Anton asked.

It was easy to be an actress this close to the stage and shrug it off like Rosalind. "After Juan made out with another girl? Sure, I'm fine."

Anton crossed his arms like he could see right through me. "My dear, clearly, you aren't all right."

I didn't want to think about it. "Yesterday was a bad day."

Abandonment day always was, even without dumping a cheating boyfriend. After the football game, I'd bought a half-gallon of malted milk ball swirl ice cream and drowned my sorrows in tears and dairy.

Anton nodded. "The anniversary of your father leaving."

Panic flooded through my veins. People had begun to forget about that big scandal. Parker and I didn't discuss it, and no one who remembered it was tactless enough to bring it up.

"How did you know that?" I demanded.

"I called your mother after rehearsal and told her about the breakup," Anton said. "You took it hard, and she needed to be aware of that. She told me about your father. Your mother and I were friends in high school ages ago before I went off to Broadway, and she went to med school."

It was weird imagining Anton ever being friends with my mother. She was a straight-laced, by-the-books surgeon, and Anton was a flamboyant stage performer. Then, what my mother had done slapped me in the face as I realized who might return to the scene of his crime. Anton was Jack's uncle.

"Did you tell Jack?" I asked.

"No," Anton said. "He was in school with you when it happened. I'm sure he remembers."

Except he didn't. Jack acted all innocent when he was the reason the news leaked in the first place. It was something that I could never look him in the eye and discuss with him.

"I'll go get those costumes," I said.

Anton gestured backstage. "They are hanging on the rack. Lilly helped me yesterday unbox them all. You can wheel it in here so everyone can find their costume."

Following directions, I headed backstage. Instead of running into Juan and Samantha, making out this time, I opened the door and collided with a wall of solid muscle.

A small gasp escaped my lips as I stepped back. Jack stood in the doorway, his blonde hair glistening with wet droplets. He wore a football camp shirt and worn basketball shorts. He looked just as surprised to see me as I did.

"Sorry," he said.

"I didn't know you were back there," I said.

"I was in the prop room," he said casually, but between the wet hair and the towel thrown over his shoulder, I wasn't about to buy this new line of crap.

"Liar," I said.

"Oh, are we name-calling already?" Jack said with mock politeness. "I don't have time for this, Shayna."

Curling my fingers in my pockets into fists, I stared back into his blue eyes. I refused to get lost in the sea of cerulean with that little streak of green, and I wouldn't play his little games today. I tried for equal politeness. Maybe then I could knock this idiotic jock off his horse.

"You were showering backstage," I said because it was obvious. "That's not a crime, so why lie?"

"You caught me," Jack held up his hands in mock arrest. "Call the police. Take me in for questioning Shayna Christian-Porter."

That's when I lost my cool. "You're a jerk."

He gave me a genuine smile. I hated how he could do that and make every girl melt. I refused to be one of those fangirls.

"You're getting the costumes," he said. "Want help?"

"No," I said.

"Not from me, huh," his grin faltered.

"Go memorize some lines or something," I said.

"I don't know what I ever did to you, Shayna," his voice dropped to a whisper, "but whatever it is, I'm sorry."

"It's too late," I pushed past him backstage.

Tears were welling up in the corners of my eyes. Would there ever be a guy in my life who wouldn't waltz in and blow up the place? First, Dad, then Jack and Juan.

I focused on the rack of costumes, and the tears began to fall. Fumbling for my phone, I moved to dial Parker's number but stopped at the last minute.

My brother wasn't a life preserver. He deserved to live his own life without me dragging him down. I could handle this. I was an actress. Taking a few deep breaths, I calmed myself enough to return to reality to focus on the show.