"Charlie, do you know how important this is?" Lauren asked.

"Yes, they put on the shorts and score the baskets then we do the clapping." I rolled my eyes.

Today was Liam and Jack's first basketball game of the season. I had never been in sports before, or dated a guy in sports, or even dated a guy, so I wasn't sure what to expect or why she was making a big deal.

"Yes, and if they make those baskets Charlie." She paused for dramatization. "They get big scholarships for college, and they make baskets at college!"

"Right!" I forced a smiled, but I still wasn't as excited as she was.

We had driven back to her house after school to get ready for the game. Whatever that meant. Lauren had started to become my best friend. She wasn't so stuck up and basic like all the other girls in our school. Plus, she was dating my boyfriend's best friend, so it really worked out.

I finally went back to my apartment on Sunday night. Although I slept there, I avoided it as much as possible. Usually, after my mom was horrible, she was really nice to me. She even bought me a dress and made a cheesecake for my birthday. The dress was green with crisscross back straps, but I knew I would probably never wear it. It was cute, but I was too insecure for clothes like that.

"Charlie, I don't think you get it. I know Liam told you it wasn't a big deal, and you didn't have to go if you don't want to, but the head coach and assistant coach from U of M will be there." Lauren reiterated for the millionth time. University of Minnesota was in the cities, about an hour and a half away. I had thought about going there for college many times and planned on sending in my application in the next few weeks. They were great for healthcare. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet. I just knew I wanted to get out of St. Cloud and do something with biology. I had originally planned on waiting a year, so I could take Owen, but now that his dad was in the picture, I will probably go right away.

"Lauren, I said I'd go. I don't know what else you want from me." I shrugged, sitting up from her bed.

"To understand that we are dating the most wanted people in the entire school." She said.

"Why are you like this?" I laughed. She always sounded so shallow, but I knew those weren't her intentions. After our conversation on Saturday, it was clear she was really into Jack. She just didn't want to get hurt by him. Which seeing the way he looked at her, I couldn't see that happening. I wondered if it was the same way Liam looked at me.

"Because basketball boys make me crazy." She tossed me Liam's jersey which I was suppose to wear tonight. It was the white "away" Jersey. Apparently, a band T-shirt wasn't gonna do it for tonight.

I don't think I had ever gone to a single sporting event before. The fact that I was a loser who just started dating the star of the basketball team was a lot of extra pressure. Liam was really humble about how good he was, but even before I started talking to him, it was all the rest of the school could talk about. Since I started hanging out with Liam, our relationship was very private, but people quickly caught on to us. He had driven me to school many times despite his house being all the way across town, and he met up with me in between classes as much as he could. However, we didn't have lunch together. I did have lunch with Lauren and Jack, who I started sitting with instead of taking naps in my car. It seemed like who I was now versus my previous time in high school was a totally different girl.

I put jeans on, a black under armour shirt, and Liam's white number 17 jersey, which of course I drown in. Lauren forced me to let her do my hair and made me match with her double braids. I didn't like that you could see my whole face, but according to Lauren they were cute.

"Do we have to sit in the student section?" I asked when we walked into the gym. There was a home and an away side. In the middle, bottom six rows of the home section, there were a ton of students packed in.

"Uhm. Duh?" She said and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the bleachers. We skipped up a few bleachers and sat next to a group of people. Lauren said hi to everyone, but these were not my people. They were all popular, and I had never spoken a word to any of them. Many of them said "hi" to me just to be polite, but that was about it.

When we got there, the JV team was still playing. I didn't understand why we had to be there an hour before the varsity game. Liam and Jack were both sitting with the JV team on the sidelines, but the rest of the team was gone. Apparently, because they were captains, they had to sit with JV for their game. Liam did look really good in his uniform, and I was proud to be wearing his jersey. Even if it was five sizes to big for me.

Lauren tried to explain the last 15 minutes of the game to me. She pointed to one kid who was called "point guard."

"That's the leader of the team. He's the point guard. That's what Liam is. He basically controls offense." She said. Makes sense. Liam really was a leader. His persona was so positive. It was hard not to listen to him. "And that guy he just passed to, that's the shooting guard. That's what Jack is."

"Cool." I said. I tried to keep track, but the more players she explained, the more confused I got.

Apparently, the shooting guard was the best shooter on the team and made most of the shots.  All I knew, was boys ran back and forth and and threw a ball around. The JV team won 67 to 60. "A close game" is what Lauren said.

The team huddled at the end and Liam and Jack both said a few things. Liam's eyes connected with mine, and he smiled. When the huddle ended, they all ran back to the locker room, and I was disappointed he couldn't say hi, but I understood.

Within twenty minutes, the home side was mostly filled with parents and students. Lauren explained to me that last year, Tech went to state and lost by a few points. She predicted with Jack and Liam in their senior year, they had to win this time. She was really into basketball I guess.

The lights went out other than a few spot lights which danced around the gym and an announcer came on, along with the song Eye of the Tiger. "Welcome to the 2017 season of Tech Tigers boys basketball!"

Liam and Jack were the first people to run out. I hated myself for being as excited as I was, but Lauren and I, along with the whole student section cheered and jumped. They announced the names of the team then introduced the competitors. They did a warm up for about twenty minutes, shooting baskets and showing off in a way which would normally make me puke, but as Lauren once said "have you seen Liam in basketball shorts."

I loved watching him show off for everyone even though I was the one wearing his jersey. I was his, and everyone knew it. It was a type of attention I had never experienced before, and the compliments I got from the others surrounding us made me feel like I was in another world. "Liam is so good." "He's definitely gonna get a scholarship." "You guys are so cute together." I heard.

"And you said I was shallow." Lauren whispered to me and nudged me a little.

"Shut up." I laughed. It was shallow, but I didn't care. I was dating the hottest guy in the school.

"That's the coach from U of M." Lauren pointed to a guy in dress pants and a dress shirt who was walking up to the Tech sidelines. He shook hands with our coach, and they had a short conversation. He then walked backed to the bleachers and sat next to another guy who was dressed nicely with a clipboard. Suddenly, I felt nervous for Liam. What if he didn't get in? I had never seen him play before, so I had no idea how good he was.

Shortly, the game started with what Lauren described as "tip off." I smiled when I saw Liam walk to the center of the court, facing his opponent. I quickly realized that Tech was a much better team. Within the first eight minutes, the score was 20 to 8. Lauren explained to me it was the first quarter. Liam and Jack had a great connection on the court and dominated the ball on offense. Peter was also on the team, and he seemed to be their main defensive player. I found myself cheering for him as well. Liam had told me he broke up with Maggie, and since then, he has been so much more tolerable. Him helping me sneak in to Liam's room was something I could never thank him enough for. It was small, but if Maggie was in the picture, I'm not sure he would have helped. I wasn't sure if I was actually enjoying the game, or if I was just enjoying watching Liam.

"That's not a foul what are you talking about!" Lauren screamed after Jack got another foul. He was aggressive, but he made the majority of his shots because of it.

By the end of the game, Lauren and I were somehow in the front row cheering for our men. Not that it was a close game. Tech had won 83 to 50. This was mostly because of Liam and Jack.

After they had their huddle at the end of the game, Liam ran up to me and hugged me. He was sticky with sweat and smelt, but I didn't mind. He picked me up and spun me around, making me screech.

"You played so well!" I smiled at him.

"Thank you. I'm glad you came." He squeezed me one more time before separating.

"Of course." I said and suddenly felt everyone staring at us.

"I gotta change, but I'll be back here shortly okay?" He said. I nodded, and he was gone.

"Liam! Jack!" I heard his coach yell, and the two of them ran up to him.

Lauren and I both tried to listen, but neither of us could hear what they said. After a few minutes, they ran out of the gym. It was already 9:45, and I was tired. I was surprised at how much fun I had at the game.

By the time Liam and Jack came back into the gym, it was almost empty.

"What did the coach say?" Lauren asked the second they were close enough.

"Well, they said Liam sucks, and he should just drop out right now." Jack laughed.

"Shut up, Jack." Liam pushed him. I couldn't help but stare at him in his black joggers and Tech sweatshirt which he looked so good in. "He said we can count on a spot on the team. His point guard and shooting guard are juniors this year, and he would like us to come to a training session next month."

"Oh my god! That's amazing!" Lauren jumped on to Jack and wrapped her legs around him. I wish I was as confident as Lauren. She was gorgeous and knew she deserved nothing other than the best.

I smiled at Liam. I was proud of him but didn't know how to show him.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

I nodded and bit my bottom lip.

"You look good in my jersey ."  He smiled.

"I wouldn't wanna wear anyone else's." I smiled back at him and hugged his waist. I was falling so hard for this boy, and I didn't care about the consequences.

"I have to go." Liam said an hour later in his car outside of Tech.

"No." I begged. I was sitting on his lap in the drivers side seat. I did want to spend more time with Liam, but I also really didn't want to go home even though it was almost 11.

"How has your mom been?" His fingers found one of my stray hairs and tucked it behind my ear. I had tried to convince him I wasn't staying there, but he knew I was.

I crawled off him and back into the passenger seat. I took a deep breathe. Why did he have to bring it up?

"Have you talked to your dad?" He asked.

I shook my head no.

"Charlie, you have to. You can't stay at your mom's. I don't want her to hurt you again." He leant over the center console, trying to reach my gaze again.

"Maybe you should just stay out of it." I mumbled. I was tempted to leave, but I just wanted to go back to making out and talking about how great he did during his game.

"It's a little late for that." He sighed, leaning back into his own chair.

"I'm sorry that you just see me as a fucking charity case, but you were the one who pursued me. I never wanted to let you in my life, but you wanted to see it. Sorry it's not as many rainbows and butterflies as you thought!" I opened the car door and got out, slamming it behind me. Why couldn't he just leave it alone?

"Charlotte!" He ran after me as I walked down the street. My car was still at Lauren's house, and she was long gone, but my apartment wasn't too far of a walk from here.

He caught up to me and grabbed my arm. "Stop." He said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I didn't mean to fight. Just let me bring you back to your car." He said.

I nodded, and we walked back the few feet to his truck.

The ride home was silent. I felt bad for lashing out at him when he was just trying to help, but I hated the way he always tried to fix me. He couldn't. This is how I was. My mom was an abusive monster, and my dad abandoned me after I was born. There wasn't anything he could do to change that.

"I just don't wanna see you get hurt." He said when we pulled into his driveway.

"Liam. It's fine. I'm moving out in less than a year anyway. I can stay at Jo's if I need to, okay?"

He hesitated but eventually nodded. "Do you even wanna be with me?"

"What do you mean?" I was taken back by his question. I felt hurt that he even had to ask. Liam was perfect in every way, and I was so sorry if I didn't show that.

"You said I pursued you, and that you didn't want me in your life."

"Liam." I could feel tears in my eyes. "I didn't mean it like that. You have done so much for me, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like this is a one sided relationship. This is just different for me. I'm not use to attention, or basketball games, or popularity. Or even having a boyfriend, but I really like you."

I leant over the center console and lightly grazed my lips on his cheek. I didn't like talking about my home life. At school, I could pretend to be Liam's groupie whose only problem was if Tech was gonna win the basketball game or not. I wasn't use to having someone to lean on if I needed support which was why I was rude to Liam, and I regretted it, especially if it hurt him. That was never my intention.

He walked me across the street to my car and gave me one last kiss goodbye. I wasn't ready to go home, so instead I decided to stay at Jo's.

When I got there, there were a few extra cars at her house. I didn't want to socialize, but I guess I couldn't be picky. It seemed Jo always had people over. Apparently, all colleges kids do is party and go to like four classes a week.

"Well don't you look cute in your man's jersey!" Jo said when I walked into the living room. There were about five people sitting on the couches, including Ryan. I looked at the tv to see they were watching "Skooks." It was a weird YouTube series that was based off Scooby Doo.

"Thank you. They won." I said even though I knew none of them cared about the local high schools basketball team.

"Catch up?" Jo asked and handed me a bowl.

I sat down on the floor next to her and hit the bowl. It was a bad idea because I was tired and had school tomorrow, but I was full of bad decisions.