"Xander!" I scream, as my best friend is crushed beneath a pile of soccer players. There's mud in the air, cries of pain, cleats flying, and no visible sign of the boy I love.

It's the biggest game of the season and everyone is here to witness Everwood and Crestwood, the two rival prep schools, compete for the tournament trophy.

Right know, the score is tied with thirty seconds left, and the Crestwood Ravens, specifically Xander, have the ball. At least he did. It now rolls across the field as the refs blow their whistles and start to pull the boys apart.

Xander's adoptive mother is standing now, clutching her husband arm with a look of horror. His teenage sister, sits next to me, muttering for her brother to show up again. I tug Xander's black practice jersey tighter around my body as the refs start pulling boys off one another. Xander, was at the bottom - under nine other players.

Everything happens in a blur.

First, Xander stands, linking when he starts to walk, his finger dangling at an awkward angle, Mrs. James gasps, I run, and the captain of the other team throws the first punch.

By the time I make it down from the crowded bleachers, Xander his disappeared off the field, so I run, as fast as I can, to the school nurse.

"Xander," I breath, and our eyes meet across the nurse's office just before he winces in pain when she tries to bend his finger. "You're hurting him!" I rush to the chair he's sitting in, his middle finger, ring finger, and pinky are purple and mangled. He chuckles when I gasp. Blood slowly starts to trickle down his cheek causing me to look at the cut on his left cheek bone.

"What do you think, Doc?" He asks, holding his hand up for me to see. "You think it's broken?"

"It's broken." The school nurse, Mrs.Prattik, confirms in her usual no-nonsense voice. "I'll stitch that cut on your cheek, and put your arm in a sling but you'll have to go to Mercy," She refers to the big hospital in the center of the city, the one his father owns shares of. "To get x-rayed and casted. I'll be back with supplies in a minute." She looks at me then back to Xander with a raised brow. "No funny business."

We're able to keep our faces straight until she leaves before bursting out in laughter.

"What kind of funny business does she think is gonna happen?" I laugh, grabbing a cotton ball from the counter and wiping the blood from Xander's cheek. I apologize when Xander winces. "Hopefully the numbing medication she gives you to do the stitches will help it feel better. As for you hand.." The purple fingers are now swelling.

"Maybe you should kiss it better." He suggests with a daring twinkle in his eyes and tingles work their way down my back. Everyday, it becomes more and more difficult to take the flirtatious joking. It's gotten so much worse since the dance a few months ago, and I don't know how much more I'll be able to take. Being as I never like to step down from a dare, I feel my cheeks start to warm as I gently bring his hand to my lips.

"What about here?" He points to the cut on his cheek and I lean to allow my lips to gently, and ever so briefly, brush underneath the red line.

"Here?" He questions huskily, hooded desire in his blue eyes, as he pulls the collar of his jersey down, just enough for me to see the perfect cleat mark bruised on his neck and upper chest.

My heart literally stops them and there. This is too much. My head starts to spin as my heart speeds up. I can't.. that's too intimate, it crosses the best friend line. My blush has probably already given away my behemoth sized secret and yet, when he whispers those three words.

"I dare you."

I realize I don't have a choice. If I don't go along with the dare, he'll ask why and I'll have to tell him.. I've fallen in love with him.

My lips carefully press against the warm purple marks, and despite his calm exterior, his heart is racing, maybe even quicker than my own. When I lift my head up, just barely to see his face, his dips his own head down toward me. Everything slows as his lips meet my own. Shock freezes me as his lips cautiously move against mine. His uninsured hand suddenly rest against his practice jersey, snapping me from my trance, as sirens ring in my head.

Xander is kissing me. Me!

The giddy teenage girl that I keep at bay start to giggle in happiness.

"I love you." He mumbles against my lips, kissing me again before pulling away, with a horrified look on his face. "Shit, Audrey, I'm sorry, that wasn't supposed to happen that way, I-"

"I love you too, Xander." I tell him, my grin stretching across my face.

He flounders for words for a few moments before giving up and kissing me again.

"You should go out with me?" He pulls back suddenly before our lips can meet, then he brushes his lips against mine. "I dare you."
-

"Where are we going?" My curiosity finally gets the best of me. I'm meet with silence, so I so ra again. "You bringing me out here to kill me?"

"That's the exact opposite of my job description, so no." Is all Xander says, continuing to walk down the dirt pathway. "I have to meet Lana everyday for updates, and since you're lonely" his tone is mocking, proving yet again that we're not actually moving past high school. "I figured you could come."

"Oh," I mutter, remembering his super model partner. "She seems-" my words about how nice the young detective was when I met her die on my lips.

The dirt trail has ended, as the start of a cement pad with a basketball hoop takes it place.

There on the pavement, throwing an old beat up basketball into the rusted hoop that's missing it's net, is the six foot blonde model looking like she's posing for the cover of Sports Illustrated.

I can't help but look down at my jeans and simple yellow t-shirt and back up to Lana's res sports bra with matching yoga pants.

Against my own better judgment, my eyes drift to Xander, who's smiling at the girl as she

He didn't bring me so I wouldn't be alone. He brought me to be a third wheel.

He did it to hurt me.

***
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