I don't sleep that night. I can't because I just keep on replaying what happened in my head.

When Dante dropped me off, he walked me to the door and we stood around just staring at each other under the pretence of having a conversation. I thought he was going to kiss me at one point – and he did – but it was on the cheek. And then he gave me a hug, asked me if I wanted to come to his game again tomorrow, to which I said yes, and left.

Tyler was waiting on the inside of the door in his bathrobe eating cereal. Apparently he was disappointed because nobody kissed and I nearly dunked his head into his cereal.

Then I stayed up in my bed wondering what a kiss on the cheek was supposed to mean. Sure, he wanted to see me again because he invited me to his game. But then what does it mean?

Now it's ten am and I'm sitting in the kitchen yet again watching my step dad cook some food. Everyone's chilling on the island counter and I'm trying not to fall asleep because I have to get ready and meet Stacy and Nicole before the game today.

"Kenny, why are you so tired?" Jackie asks me, spinning in his chair. It's giving me second hand dizziness.

"She was out late suck-" Tyler starts, still in his bathrobe, still eating cereal.

"I went on a date and got in late," I interrupt before him before chaos ensues. My mom looks up from her newspaper.

"You went on a date?" She lowers her glasses a fair amount. When I nod, she closes the paper and leans over the counter. "And you didn't tell anyone?"

"She told me," David says over the stove.

"Me too," Tyler vouches.

"With Tay, right?" Jackie adds. "I knew too!"

My mom's mouth opens wide. "So I'm the only one who didn't know?"

I shrug. "I'm pretty sure I told you. Hell, I even told McKinley on speakerphone on Thursday because she wanted me to come over,"

"I remember that conversation taking place," David comes over with a stack of pancakes. Tyler and Jackie follow suit, agreeing with him wholeheartedly.

Mom covers her mouth and then puts her hand to the side of her face in one fluid movement. "Who was it with? Did you tell me that?"

I shake my head. "No, but it was with Dante,"

She squints at me. "The short one with the high top that's McKinley's friend's brother?"

I refrain from rolling my eyes as David starts handing out the pancakes. "Okay, mom first of all, he's not even that short any more, he's like six foot eight,"

"Impossible," Tyler comments, stealing the newspaper from her. "Tina, don't mind Kennedy's sarcasm, he's like six foot one,"

"But he was short in middle school," She pushes, "Right?"

"So right." He chuckles. "We used to tell him that if he wasn't so good at baseball he would've been the team mascot."

I resist the very strong urge to throw something at Tyler. Mostly because the two closest things to me are my pancakes and Jackie. Mom would never forgive me for throwing her only son and David would never forgive me for throwing his china.

"Wow! Weren't you talking to him on the phone a few days ago?" Mom says, folding her arms on the table. I nod and Jackie passes me the maple syrup so I can draw a face for him on his pancakes. "I just assumed the two of you were doing a project together or something,"

"Nah, we were talking about his head," I say lightly, "Is there any strawberries?"

"I love strawberries!" Jackie yells and then claps his hands. "Kenny took me to see him play baseball last week,"

"You've been to see him play baseball?" My mom gasps but it's really not this deep.

"Yeah, I'm going again today," I put the strawberries in the place of the maple syrup eyes and push the plate to a delighted Jackie.

"Wow." She says.

David finally joins us his pancakes looking like they've been sent by God himself. Which makes me feel slightly bitter because all the rest of ours look like a mess compared but he made them so I must digress. "They even wore matching outfits last night," he adds on. "Their relationship is pretty advanced."

"Matching outfits?" My mom is going to have a stroke what with all this sudden information. "Kennedy is this true?"

"Not really," I roll my eyes. "We just both wore all black,"

"I can vouch for this, they were all matchy match and sappy. Hey, dad, Ronnie called; she said that you can pick up the petunias today," Tyler says, cutting his pancakes up into triangles.

"Great,"

"How did you know that we were both wearing black?" I ask David, who glances up from his cup of coffee innocently.

"I saw you leave through the kitchen window while I was washing dishes." Then to my mom, "I think you'd approve of him, he opened the car door for her and everything."

Why was he washing dishes? We have a dishwasher and he hates washing dishes. He even sat us all down one day and told us that he would do all things except wash the dishes.

My mom looks like she's going to cry. "Was he still short?"

David shakes his head. "Nah, he's easily taller than Ty and I,"

Jackie, who is suddenly very sticky, looks up with bright eyes. "That rhymed," Then he starts giggling until he realises that nobody is joining him and resolves to sticking his tongue out at all of us. "Anyway, Tay's very tall, and he's so nice. He gave me piggy back ride and sang the Arthur theme song with me."

"Jackie calls him Tay?" Mom asks.

"A nickname because he can't say Dante," I explain.

"I so can say it. Dawn – Tay. See?"

"Yeah... stick with Tay kiddo," Tyler says and puts the newspaper down. "Is there any Nutella here?"

Stacy decided to tag along with Nicole and me today. Because she was taking a while to get ready and a certain someone (me) fell asleep in her big princess bed, we got here late and the only seats left were at the very front. I see everything in high definition, even the colour of the other team's main pitchers eyes.

"Wow, my man is about to bat," Nicole says, her binoculars glued to her eyes. Stacy looks to me for explanation.

"She's short sighted," I say, sighing and watching the game. It's almost over but I can't tell who's going to win because it's so close. "Want a twizzler?"

"Do you know how fattening those are?"

"The offer is almost expired,"

"I'll take three,"

I hand her three and she chews on them gleefully, her ponytail swishing with every bite. Nicole opens her mouth and I deposit one there too.

"Ooh, Kenny," She says when Dante gets up to bat. "It's your starry eyed boyfriend."

"Could you not?" I sigh loudly and rest my head against my palm.

"Kennedy and – what's his name again?" Stacy starts and leans over to see Nicole's response.

"Dante,"

"Cool, thanks," She clears her throat. "Kennedy and Dante, sitting in a tree – oh wait, Kennedy and Dante sitting under a starlit sky –"

Nicole raises a palm above my head and Stacy reaches over to high five it. I push my hair back behind my ears feeling the regret for my decisions. I should stop telling them things because when I do, they butcher kindergarten playground songs.

Dante hits the ball and then he and Max begins running around the bases like he's running for his life. I don't blame him, they're down by two rounds and the last batter is coming up. If the both of them make it then it'll be a draw but I'm kind of hoping they win.

I'm supposed to be good luck after all. Maybe it's because I was late that they're losing.

Is that conceited?

"Ken, why you scrunching your face up for?" Stacy asks.

"Well," I turn to her, ready to spill all. There goes my internal vow to never tell them things again. "Dante told me I'm his good luck charm and I'm kind of worried he's gonna be annoyed because they might not win,"

Someone slaps me on the back of the head and I think I'm about to pass out. The worst part is that I can't tell which one of them did it and there's a chance they both did because they both suddenly remove their hands from behind me.

"Don't be silly Kennedy," Nicole says, not tearing her eyes from the game. "He's not gonna be annoyed, not with you of all people – hey, look, he got a triple!"

I turn back to the game and see Dante standing at the third base, breathing heavily. He's watching the last batter with utter concentration on his face which has freckles across his nose in a cute pattern.

"If this guy gets a home run, they can win," Stacy says, also concentrating. The three of us quit the softball team back at the end of junior year but it's nice to see that neither of them have lost the game mentality. "Wait, is he dancing?"

I focus again and it's Sawyer. He's swaying back and forth like he's Funky Kong in the Mario Kart Wii loading screen.

"We're fucked," Nicole says, removing her binoculars and rubbing her temple.

I shrug, trying to hope for the best. "You never know, he might hit a home run,"

"He looks like a Weasley," Stacy comments passively.

"Ron Weasley was a good Quidditch player,"

"I didn't say he was a Weasley, just that he looked like one," She purses her lips as he gets a strike. "He's actually stressing me out – he's on the varsity team?"

"Have the faith of a mustard seed and you will move mountains," I say, rubbing my temple as he gets yet another strike. I'm pretty sure I see someone begin to do the Macarena on the opposing team's side of the bleachers.

"Leave the Bible out of this," Nicole says, looking at her nails. "Guys, you think I should get green nail polish? I-"

A loud crack reverberates through the air and the three of us look back at the field where Sawyer is sprinting from base to base to base. Dante's already back with his team members which mean the game's been tied at least and the man doing the Macarena has to sit down and hide his head in shame. Stacy goes forward and leans over the wall.

"Oh my God! Did he get a home run?!"

Nicole quickly puts her binoculars to her face. "He's at second base... third... holy shit!"

A cheer goes up on our side and Stacy pulls me up in an attempt to finish off the Mexican wave. It doesn't go well; she instead almost dislocates my shoulder.

Sawyer stands proudly in the middle of the field and the rest of his team come running and cheering towards him. They form a circle and suddenly they're all singing and yet again doing the stanky leg to celebrate their victory. I think that must be their 'thing'.

"Wow, the faith of a mustard seed thing really does work," Stacy rubs at her chin. "I think I'm gonna have to go to church tomorrow,"

"You know. I need my blessings." Nicole starts applying and reapplying lipstick to her lips.

Rolling my eyes, I glance at where the team is celebrating. There's a ginger woman standing with a huge ass cake and she's handing everyone a huge ass slice each. She gives Sawyer an even bigger one and I'm guessing that they're somehow related.

Dante looks towards where we're standing and waves. He goes to Max who is eating his cake with what seems to be a brooding expression and then the two of them make their way over to where we're standing.

"Are they coming here?" Nicole actually looks panicked. "Oh shit, I wanted you to do my hair before we saw them Kenny, I look like a mess."

She really doesn't.

Stacy waves her hand dismissively. "Oh get over yourself, you look fine,"

Even though they're basically a metre away from the two of us, Nicole still manages to duck out of here by running away. It's so lame and I just stare after her. Stacy blinks before bolting too, leaving me with the now advancing boys.

"Where did Nicole go?" Max asks me. It's the first time we've spoken to each other like... ever. I just shrug and he releases the longest sigh before telling Dante he's going to take a shower.

"I thought I saw her... Never mind, hey Kennedy," Dante says to me, holding a slice of cake wrapped up in a napkin. I have to tear my eyes away from its soft creamy goodness to send him a smile.

"Hey yourself," I say and then internally cringe. Who says 'hey yourself' other than Stacy's snake of an ex-boyfriend? What is it even supposed to mean? "Good game out there, you really picked up during the second half!"

He releases a staggered breath. "Ugh, don't even get me started on that." Dante puts the cake down on the wall and rest his chin on his palms. "The first few innings were so damn stressful I almost blew my gasket."

"You did?" Well shit, you miss a lot when you accidentally fall asleep.

"Yup," he pops the p. "I'm just glad we won though, I hate being angry,"

I nod and guide my eyes away from the cake, trying to focus. In reality, I am just really hungry and the strawberry on top of the cream frosting sugar topped off with chocolate sprinkles? It's calling to me. "You don't seem like the angry type,"

He averts his eyes away from me and smiles at nothing in particular. "Oh yeah? What type do I seem like?"

I shrug and lean over the edge of the wall. "I don't know. Understanding? The type that would, I don't know..." He looks at me as I think up an answer and my eyes end up wandering to his cake. "Offer a girl something she really wanted."

It's as if he gets it immediately. "Oh hell no, this shit's mine,"

I gasp, feigning shock. "What are you even talking about?"

"Oh cut the bullshit, Kennedy, I know you want my cake," He stands up straight and snatches the slice from the wall, taking a quick step back as he does so. "I can't share this."

I pout. "Not even with me?"

"Uhm... who are you again?"

When I gasp this time, I'm not pretending to be shocked. "Wow, okay. Stingy,"

Unaffected, Dante takes a bite of the cake. "This is really good," he says after swallowing and ignoring my bitterness. My stomach goes off all of a sudden and he has to hide his laughter because I am all but ready to fight him. "Don't you just wish you had some?"

"Hey, Dante?"

"Hmm?"

"Fuck you,"

He full on laughs at this and then comes back over. By now, I'm taking me, my gurgling stomach and my handbag away to find my friends who have run away from me.

"Aww, Kennedy, I'm just joking."

I look at my watch, wondering if it's not too late to get home and watch the reruns of America's Next Top Model. From the corner of my eye, I see Dante jog up the stairs and come towards where I'm standing on the bleachers, humming gently.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" He asks, but he doesn't really sound worried. I pull my phone out, wondering how much of a bitch I can be before he starts getting anxious but then I feel bad about the concept of ignoring him.

"No, I'm not mad," I say, sounding so pissed. I turn to face him and he's not even paying attention, instead looking at the field and is sending smoke signals to someone. Huh, maybe I should've ignored him.

"I'm sorry, what'd you say?" He asks, turning back to me.

Feeling like a petulant child, I fold my arms and look away. "I'm going home,"

"You are? Want me to drive you home?"

"No, Stacy's driving,"

Dante's eyebrows raise. "Stacy?"

I realise that he doesn't know who she is and then release a sigh. "A friend of Nicole and I, she came to the game today and the two of them ran away together when they saw you and Max coming,"

The look on his face when I say this tells me that he doesn't believe me at all. "Okay, I'll drive you home,"

"You don't need to,"

Dante's already started going back down the steps but then turns around to look up at me. "Wait for me, okay?"

"But I just – Oh whatever," Waving my hand in his direction, I follow the signs leading to the exit.

My stomach growls in several different languages when I pass the hot dog stand and even though the person manning the stand gives me a sly look, I walk past him. David was planning on cooking pie tonight and I'm just trying to focus on the end goal here. Even then, I can't help but buy a packet of twizzlers on my way out of the small stadium.

When I get outside, it turns out my friends are nowhere to be found. And at the car park, Stacy's car has just... disappeared. So, I call them to find out why they've deserted me.

"Hey Kenny!" Nicole says, her voice an octave higher than usual. I wonder what's gotten her so happy.

"Where are you two?"

"We are... Stace, where are we?" There's a muffled voice which I assume to be Stacy's. "We have just passed our high school."

"What?! That's miles away! What about me?"

She snorts. "What about you?"

I kick a rock in the dirt and pout at it, hoping it feels the same pain I do. "Were you not gonna take me home?"

"You and Danny – "

"Dante,"

"What the fuck ever. You and Dante looked pretty comfortable so we thought he was gonna take you home like he always does."

"Okay, first of all," I say, running a hand through my hair. It's surely askew at this point. "He ate a cake in my face and didn't offer me some and second of all – don't assume he's going to take me home because he has before! What if it was supposed to be different now –"

"Kenny, I can't hear you, we're on the highway," She yawns.

I pause. "There aren't any highways near our school,"

"Yeah, I just don't want to hear you complain," Nicole starts whistling before delivering the final blow. "Goodbye!"

Then she hangs up on me.

I stand there in the car park and stare at my phone screen. Up until this moment, I've never questioned the loyalty of my friends but right now I think it's safe to say that I should really fight them. Soon too, because they're taking me for granted and everything we have will be destroyed.

Twenty minutes later, Dante emerges with the biggest, cheesiest smile on his face. I roll my eyes when I see it but keep up the pretence of not seeing him, even though I'm leaning against the hood of his car and we had eye contact for more than three seconds.

"You waited," He says when I'm in earshot.

"I didn't want to walk,"

He unlocks the car and I get into the passenger side door while he throws his gym bag in the back. "What happened to Stacy?"

"She and Nicole bailed on me because they wanted Chipotle."

Dante continues smiling. He hasn't actually got into the car yet, instead he's just looking through his bag for something. My curiosity peaks and then lowers when I realise that it's probably just his car keys or something.

"I used to work at chipotle," He says in passing. "Now I work at the movie theatre."

I turn in my seat and gape at him, mouth open wide. "You have a job?"

"Yep." He catches sight of my expression. "Why are you so surprised?"

Why am I so surprised? "I don't know, I just... never realised you had a job,"

Finally, he retrieves whatever he needed out of his bag and gets in the driver seat. "Well, I do."

"How is it?"

He shrugs and puts his keys in the ignition. "The pay's good and we get free popcorn, so I don't mind it. And it's only sixteen hours a week because I do part time,"

Huh.

"Oh, by the way I got you this,"

Dante hands me a package wrapped in tissue. Confused, I look to him for any clues as to what the hell it might be but he just winks at me.

"What is it?" I ask, unwrapping it. "Is it – you got me cake?"

There sitting in front of me is a perfectly cut slice of cake with a strawberry on top of it. It's kind of squished a little but not so much that it hinders it's beauty.

"You seemed mad so yep," He smiles and puts his seatbelt on.

"I wasn't mad!" I was just hungry.

"Sure you weren't," He starts the car and the radio turns on.

"I wasn't, I was just feeling hungry!" My stomach goes off and I sit up and point at it to prove my point. "See? Hunger!"

Instead of accepting my point and moving on, he laughs. "Sure, sweetheart,"

I can't even act annoyed at him because he got me a cake. And then called me sweetheart. It's like we're already in a relationship without being a relationship and I'm honestly one hundred percent here for it. But I'm not going to lie, being in a relationship with him would be even better but for now I'll digress.

"I'm so happy," I say after a while of just staring at the cake sitting in my lap.

"I couldn't tell. Cake's all it takes to make you happy, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Especially when I haven't eaten since ten this morning."

We stop at a red light and he turns to me with concern etched on his face. "You haven't eaten in nine hours?" I shake my head, wondering what the big deal is. I do this on a regular. A healthy diet? I don't know her. "You free tonight?"

I think of all the America's Next Top Model episodes I'll be missing if I tell him I am free. "Yeah, I'm free,"

"Wanna go grab dinner? I know this place that does great spaghetti."

"... Let's do it." I say, wondering how my friends ditching me has somehow turned into us making dinner plans. But it's whatever because I think I'd go for spaghetti with a cute guy who seems to be into me over chipotle. Even if it's with them.

"Yeah?"

"Sure. I mean, I'm a sucker for spaghetti, it's like my favourite... carbohydrate."

He smiles. "You have a favourite carb?"

"Don't you?"

"Well, I do now,"

I poke my little finger into the frosting and lick it off slowly. "Oh yeah? What is it?" Dante doesn't answer straight away and when I look at him, he looks very uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"

"Er, nothing," He glances at me and blinks a few time before his face fully relaxes into a familiar smile again. "Nothing at all."

word count: somewhere around 25k I presume lol