You good at geometry?

BIG HEAD: 4:32PM

shapes are my shit

YOU: 4:39PM

Busy tonight?

BIG HEAD: 4:44PM

I'm free

YOU: 4:46PM

Cool, could you come to the movie theatre at like, 6?

I'm working tonight but I got a test tomorrow and I can't fail it so we can study here

BIG HEAD: 4:47PM

Is your boss okay with that?

YOU: 4:50PM

He better fucking be

BIG HEAD: 4:51PM

Lol okay I'll see you there

YOU: 4:55PM

"Hey mom, I'm going to study with Dante tonight," I lock my phone up and face my mom who is drinking coffee. She peers up over her cup at me and her eyes narrow.

"Studying? Is that code word for something unsafe?"

Slightly weirded out, I straighten up from my position at the counter. "No... he has a math test tomorrow and asked me for some help,"

She puts the coffee cup down and nods understandingly. "When are you going and where are you going?"

"He's working tonight –"

"He has a job? Holy cannoli," She picks up her cup and takes another sip looking quite impressed.

"I know right? Makes me feel lazy and unproductive, especially since he's got such good grades too," I agree, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "Anyway he's working so he said we could study there,"

My mom sighs and picks up her phone. "Okay. I guess you can go,"

I was going to go anyway, but I don't tell her this just in case she tells me I can't go after all.

"Thanks,"

"But – Your sister is coming here tonight and I know she wants to talk to you about something or the other,"

I nod and make my way to the door. "If she asks about me, tell her I'll be home before ten – or she can call me if it's super urgent,"

"Will do!"

The mall is pretty busy for a Thursday. It's always busy during the week but today it feels like there's more people around than usual and it's kind of suffocating, especially when everyone is up in your personal space. It takes me more time than it really should to get to the movie theatre, where Dante and this other guy are sitting by the popcorn stand and throwing popcorn at each other's mouths. He gets distracted when he sees me enter and his friend ends up throwing a bunch of popcorn at his head to no response.

"Hi," I wave and readjust my backpack's strap until it's firmly on my shoulder. He's wearing a black polo shirt with the theatre's logo printed on the front pocket and it really suits him. He looks great in black.

"Kennedy, hey!" He says, smiling largely. "This is Aiden,"

Aiden sends a thumbs up my way and I smile at him. "Nice to meet you," I say and turn back to Dante. "You still wanna study?"

"Sure, come on," He opens the small door that leads into the employee only area in front of all the snacks and waits for me to come through before pulling out a stool from underneath the counter. "You can just set up here I guess."

I nod and hesitantly sit on the stool, aware of the fact Aiden is staring at me. Even so, I pretend not to notice until he clears his throat.

"So you're Kennedy," he says and Dante groans.

More than slightly interested, I nod. "I'm Kennedy."

He grins. "Dante over here won't shut up about you,"

"Aiden, please don't,"

"Oh yeah?" I pull my geometry book out of my backpack and put it on my lap. "What does he say about me?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. How you've got a nice smile, your hair is pretty, you make him laugh... Oh yeah! He said you almost gave him a concussion this one time but it was okay because he didn't die,"

I will never get to live that down.

"... And something about you being absolutely gorgeous or words to that effect."

I smile at my unopened text book, feeling somewhat giddy. From what I can see in the corner of my eye, Dante is covering his face and leaning against the counter, perhaps totally embarrassed. I contemplate on making him hate me for a second before deciding he's already suffered enough.

"You know," Aiden leans forward and bites his lip. I have to lean away a little but not enough to make him offended. Just to you know... get my own breathing space. "I thought he was overreacting when he called you gorgeous but now I can see what he means,"

When I look up again, he winks at me. "Are you serious?" I ask, slightly confused and also a teeny bit flattered.

"Well," He shrugs, a devious smile on his face. It takes me a while but I begin to understand.

"Sorry, I'm seeing someone else right now and he's really cute," I say sharply. He laughs and then goes back to playing with popcorn. "Speaking of that someone, Dante, what do you need help with?"

Suddenly all smiles, Dante leans over towards us. "Circle theorems?"

"Great, I love circle theorems," I find the page number for them on the contents page and pull out a pen. "There's so many but I guess we'll –"

"Hello? Are any of you working here?"

The three of us look up at a middle aged couple who look quite confused and I can't blame them. Aiden stands up and smiles, directing his full attention to them while Dante sits down in the spot he was before I came in.

"You sure it's okay I'm here? You guys won't get into any trouble or anything, right?" I ask, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Especially since one of the guys being served is looking me up and down as though he doesn't know why I'm here.

"Nah, our manager brings his girlfriend around all the time," He dismisses, folding his legs effortlessly. "And so does pretty much everyone who works here,"

"If you're sure," I say and try to expel the doubt from my mind. "So, circles and theorems!"

After about an hour of talking about tangents and angles, I start to get hungrier than usual. Dante's a bit distracted because he doesn't get how an angle in a semicircle is always a right angle but I manage to tell him somehow.

"You're hungry?" He asks, somewhat sceptical. I don't get why it's so hard to believe that I'm always hungry but I nod anyway. "Well, fuck, Aiden what do we have?"

Aiden looks around, clearly uninspired. "We've got pretzels and popcorn, make your choice,"

The two of them look at me, waiting for my choice and I feel pressured to choose. "Can I get a pretzel?" I ask and Dante stands up.

"Yes you can," he says and stretches slightly before jogging over to where the pretzels are. I release a tense sigh and look at my pencil, feeling less stressed already.

"He really likes you," Aiden says, leaning against the counter. The theatre's awfully slow at today, despite the mob right outside. I wasn't really surprised though, not many people go to watch a movie at seven on a Thursday.

"You think?" I close my textbook and sigh, searching for Dante with my eyes. He's talking to a girl at the concession stands, holding one of those oversized pretzels.

"Mhm, he's always smiling and shit and he's been in a good mood lately too,"

Though I am also smiling, I still try to deflect his words. "Nah, that's probably because of baseball season,"

Aiden pats down to the side and faces me with a wry look on his face. "He doesn't get this happy over baseball."

"Well, this –"

"Someone wanted a pretzel?" Dante appears behind me, frightening me so much I almost fall down.

"Kennedy, you okay?" He asks, handing me my pretzel.

"You scared me," I say, laughing nervously. "Thanks,"

"The least I can do. What were the two of you talking about?"

I take a bite out of the pretzel so I don't need to answer while Aiden feeds him something about what the best horror movie of this year so far was. He says Texas Chainsaw Massacre but we all know that's a lie, that creepy movie about the two girls who were yelling for their mother was way scarier. It made me cry for like an hour afterwards and that's not common. Most of the time movies make me cry for like ten minutes.

A movie lets out and their manager, a tall blonde guy named Ricky comes out of his little manager room. Though I'm nervous when he asks who I am, he barely spares me a second glance as he tells Dante to go clear out the screen room.

"Ah, I hate cleaning up," he complains, standing up and going into a door behind the counter, disappearing into a back room for a few moments.

"Cleaning is fun," I say lamely as he comes back, holding a broom. The sceptical look on his face is enough to tell me that my opinion is invalid. "What?"

"You like cleaning?"

"Yeah? There's not much wrong with it," I stretch my arms and begin to feel uncomfortable as the two of them give me bland stares. "What?"

"Yo, she's a keeper," Aiden says before turning back to approaching customers.

I roll my eyes and stand up. "I'll go with you," I tell Dante and he looks surprised.

"If you wanna, I mean, you're just gonna watch me tidy up,"

Shrugging, I begin making my way out of the small cashier area. "You'll be lonely by yourself, I bet you'll need the company,"

"What about me?" Aiden asks, pouting a little. A smiling Dante follows after me and waves him off.

"You have Ricky,"

"He won't talk to me! I'm gonna be lonely too!"

"We'll back in like ten minutes," Dante directs me towards the now empty theatre room, humming a little bit. "Just chill out and, I don't know, work until then, okay?"

He wails a little before a customer comes up to him and he has to put a smile on his face while with them.

We go into the brightly lit theatre room, talking about our favourite pizza toppings.

"Okay, but there's nothing wrong with a classic pineapple pizza, right?" He says. I gag and take a seat on one of the chairs.

"That's the worst type of pizza there is," I lean back and he gasps.

"Kennedy, are you feeling well?" He props his free hand against his side. "Pineapple pizza is the shit,"

I fold my arms in my righteousness. "Actually, pineapple pizza is shit. Whoever thought that putting fruit on pizza was a good idea really needs some help,"

Dante looks offended for a few moments before smiling to himself and starting to sweep some popcorn off the floor. The look on his face makes me feel suspicious and I sit up from my chair, wondering why it's even there.

"Why are you smiling?" I ask, my voice reflecting my inner suspicion. He gives me an innocent expression before the smile returns.

"Is it a crime for me to smile?" He asks and then moves a few rows away from me.

"When you don't tell me why it is," I lean back again and watch him.

"Well then, maybe you have to lock me up, huh?" He stretches his arms and then winks at me. "I don't think you'd really like to know why to be honest. Might make you mad at me and we do not want that,"

"Me? Mad? I never get mad,"

Just as I'm about to fight, he starts laughing. "You remember that summer where I was at your house like every day to hang out with Ty?"

"Yeah..." I nod and lean forward again, not knowing where this is going at all. "I remember, before we started high school, right?"

"Remember that time we got your mom to order –"

"Oh my God, please shut up," I cover my face, realising what he was alluding to. He starts laughing full on like making me relive one of the most embarrassing moments of my life is the best thing that's happened all day.

"I just keep on replaying you rolling down the hill yelling 'save the pizza!' and Nicole and – who was that girl you were friends with before?"

"Tracy," I groan and peek through my fingers just to catch his smile.

"Tracy! God, she was so tall – anyway, the two of them were running after you but then you –"

"Don't say it,"

"Rolled –"

"I said –"

"Right into the lake,"

He said it.

I stand up, waving my hand in his direction as he continues to laugh at me. "I think Aiden needs some company, I'm gonna go hang out with him,"

Dante leans on the broom handle and smiles at me. "You looked cute when you were soaked with water y'know,"

My path changes towards him. "I looked like a wreck and you know it! My hair shrunk and my sneakers were completely ruined."

"But your pizza was okay, right?" The more I look at his smile, the more it resembles a devilish smirk. It's irritating but it's also kind of really cute and I can't deny it any longer.

I stop right in front of him and put my hands on my hips. "Hm, from what I remember, you asked me if it was okay and it was soggy as hell,"

Dante has the audacity – the audacity – to poke my nose, the same smile on his face. "I don't remember that,"

"You don't,"

"Nope,"

"WOW, Okay," I fold my arms and turn away. "I see how it is,"

"Please share how it is, all seeing Kennedy,"

I sit down in the chair in front of him and deliberately avoid his gaze. "You don't get to know,"

With ease, he sits next to me, "That's not fair, I told you what I was thinking about,"

Stubbornly, I continue to look away from him and don't answer him to show it. He pokes my shoulder a few times before he stands up and lets out a loud sigh.

"Okay Kennedy, I guess we aren't friends anymore," He says dramatically. I know he's trying to get me to speak and of course, I must react.

"We haven't been friends since we were fourteen," I mutter and then cover my face when he turns to me with his eyebrows raised. "Oh my God, don't even,"

"We aren't friends?" He sits down and crosses his legs, the drama continuing. Dante leans over the shared arm separating our seats and nudges my shoulder with his hand. "Then, sweetheart, what are we?"

"Can we not do this now?" I ask, removing my hands from my face. "Like, can we never do this? Ever?"

"It's now or never baby girl," He says, resting his chin on his propped up elbow. "Tell me what we are,"

Baby girl? Well shit, if that's what it is, then I'll be anything he wants me to be.

"You know," I say, squirming slightly. He doesn't let up his stare, making me feel slightly uncomfortable. "We're – like – we study together,"

Dante struggles to keep a straight face, but somehow he maintains one. "Oh yeah, we're geometry buddies, huh?"

"Leave me alone,"

"See, here I was thinking that we were something more than study partners, I was well on my way to trying to make you my... never mind," His voice trails off and he picks up the broom again and starts sweeping away from me.

"What were you gonna say?"

"Nothing geometry girl, get back to your circle theorems." He diverts his attention to his sweeping. "Hey didn't you say Aiden might need some company? You wanna go join him?"

I stand up and skip towards him. "Dante,"

"Kennedy, leave me alone," He takes a few steps away from me until his back is against the wall. I continue to advance, smiling now. "No, stay away,"

"You were gonna make me your what?" I do as he says and stop about a metre away from him, still smiling. A large part of me knows what he was going to say but hell, he made me feel as uncomfortable as hell before so now it's his turn.

"I'm working," He says, looking away from me.

"I'll wait. I don't have to be home until ten and it's only –" I look at my wrist where my watch ticks faithfully on. "five to eight, so I got time,"

He shakes his head. "I can't tell you that now, it'll ruin my master plan,"

"You have a plan?" I sit on the arm of an aisle seat and fold my arms for the umpteenth time tonight. "Plan for what?"

"If I tell you, I'd have to –"

"Kill me?"

"No," He turns away from me and goes down the stairs. "I'd do something much more terrifying,"

"Which is?" I call. Dante doesn't turn to me until he's at the very bottom of the stairs.

"I'm done in here," He says, smiling up at me. I tut at him and follow after him.

"You didn't answer my question," I sing.

He pretends not to know what I'm talking about. "You asked me a question? What was it, maybe I'll grace you with an answer,"

"Grace me with an answer?" I stop right in front of him, when I'm so close I could head butt his chin with my forehead. I could also just tiptoe and, y'know, give him a kiss but where's the fun in that? "Okay, I asked what the more terrifying thing you'd have to do was."

He licks his lips. "Hm, I don't know if you're ready to hear that yet,"

Dante's eyes are almost black when they're overshadowed by his eyelashes. It should be scary but I don't see myself reflected in them at all; just a sparkle and all his attention directed at me. They're precious and I suddenly want to keep them all to myself.

"Why don't you try me?" I whisper and bite my lip.

He smiles. "If I tell you my master plan, I'd probably have to kiss you."

"Well, you could just kiss me, skip the master plan bit," I suggest and softly press my hand against his chest. "I mean, I wouldn't protest,"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep."

Dante delicately takes a hold of my chin, lifting it up until our lips are mere inches apart.

"May I?" His breath tickles my nose. I gulp but nod, feeling more ready than I have ever felt before to kiss somebody. It actually must be illegal to be this ready. I'm surely breaking the law right now but it feels great so who cares!

He leans closer and closer until our noses are touching and the only thing that separates us from kissing are our actual lips.

The familiar intro of the most iconic Beyoncé song, Single Ladies, begins playing and my phone begins vibrating in my pocket.

I hate myself!

Dante lets go of my face and takes a step back, scratching the back of his head as he does so. "You should get that."

I hate myself so much!

To my dismay, it's my older sister on the phone. He's turned away from me and is doing something with his broom and doesn't seem to react when I answer.

"McKinley. What do you want?" I sit down in one of the chairs, frustrated as hell. What possessed me to keep my phone on? I could be kissing Dante right now and that would've been the highlight of my year!

"Wow, bitch, nice to hear from you too," I hear my mom's reply in the back telling her not to call me a bitch but it's whatever. "Tina said that you said to call if I wanted to talk to you,"

"Is it important?"

"Very. When can you be home?"

I look at his back and want to throw a tantrum. "Twenty minutes? I gotta take the bus,"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the movie theatre,"

"Tina –"

"Could you call her mom? Not Tina?"

"TINA said you were studying, what are you doing at the movie theatre?"

"I'm studying with someone who works here and he can't get off his shift so we did it while he worked." I look down at the black glittered floor and pull on my hair. "What is it, McKinley?"

"A he? You on a date?"

"McKinley!" I snap.

"Alright! Yeesh, why are you so stressed? Chill the fuck out – that's right Jackie, I said fuck, deal with it,"

My mom yells at McKinley a bunch more before giving up.

"I'm – Dante?"

Dante has disappeared. I didn't notice it during my conversation but he's gone from in front of me and I don't know where to.

"I'm here," His head pops around the door and he's holding some popcorn with a smile on his face. "Miss me?"

"I thought you ditched me for a second there," I say and breathe a sigh of relief before going back to McKinley the cock block. "Yeah, I'm with a guy,"

"Dante? You mean Anaya's brother?" She's going to be the death of me.

"Yes, him."

"Y'all dating?"

"Yes, we are," I pinch my nose. "What is it you wanted again?"

She chuckles. "Will I be your maid of honour at the wedding?"

"Fight Nicole for the spot and we'll see," I say plainly. Dante comes and sits next to me, eating from his tub of popcorn. I try to steal some but I fail and he throws some at me instead. I'm pretty sure it all landed in my bra or my hair but I don't mention that.

"You know I'd whoop Nicole's ass, she ain't got nothing on –"

"McKinley, what the fuck do you want?" I interrupt for the umpteenth time. She groans.

"You gotta get home for me to tell you! It's super important,"

"Oh yeah?" Dante is now trying to feed me popcorn while I talk and it's so annoying but it's so cute too so I don't fight him yet. "What's it about?"

She clears her throat. "I can't say what,"

"Ah, that thing?"

"That thing – are you eating?"

I glare at Dante but he puts more popcorn in my mouth. "I'm eating popcorn," I manage to say and he laughs like me not having a straight conversation is funny. It isn't.

"Oh. Okay, anyway, get home in like half an hour so we can chat," She says. "And say hi to Dante, tell him I'll come see his sister and Shay next week,"

"Er, will do," Dante is looking at his own cell phone now, flicking through his Instagram feed. It's distracting me because there's mostly just people liking his photos and from the small glimpses I'm catching of them, I'd probably like them too.

"I can't believe you're dating him, to be honest. Didn't you have that huge ass crush on him in middle school?"

"Yes, I did," I said. "And why can't you believe it?"

"I don't know, I just thought you'd never get over that bushy haired guy from last year. What was his name, Colton?"

I bite my lip and look down, feeling suddenly contrite. "Chase, his name was Chase,"

Dante stops and glances at me, a slight indent between his brows forming. I give him a wan smile before looking away, feeling suddenly odd. Fuck, I know why I feel odd but I don't really want to go there today. Why did she bring him up?

"Well, Danny boy is a hell of a better choice. He's cute – hey, if I wasn't nine years older than the two of you and in a relationship, I'd so be his sugar mama,"

"McKinley, go home." I say. When she laughs, I hang up on her and turn to a thoughtful looking Dante. "Sorry about that,"

He smiles. "Sounded important, no big deal,"

Speak for yourself.

"If it sounded so important then why were you shoving popcorn in my mouth?" I ask, folding my arms.

His smile swiftly widens until he's showing off most of his teeth. "I wanted to see how much it took to annoy you and apparently it takes an arm and a leg,"

"I just really like popcorn," I say, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Hey, shouldn't you be working?"

He chuckles. "Nah, my shift ended at eight and it's fifteen past."

"Oh." I sigh and snuggle against him slightly, wondering if we'd be properly making out right now if my cock block of a sister didn't call me. "I've gotta get going," I tell him.

He hums. "I figured. You want a ride home?"

"I feel like I've abused your car a lot this past month," I say and he laughs. "But if you would, I'd really appreciate it,"

"I don't mind," he says and lifts his phone up. "Photo Op?"

"I'm already cheesing, look at my smile," I say and then smile largely when he looks at me. He laughs and clicks the shutter button a few times. "I hope I look cute!"

"You always do, Kennedy," He says smoothly. "Mind if I post this online?"

I feel like I really should but I don't. Hey, it'll stop all those girls in his notifications from liking his photos! "Go for it – but hey, what if people start asking you questions about us?"

Dante's face drops for half a second before he begins smiling again. "Easy, I'll just tell them that we're geometry buddies,"

word count: 28996

A/N: LMAO IKR I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER I ACTUALLY KNOW THE WORD COUNT!