At the end of the day, I paced by my locker, waiting anxiously for Valentino. We had the same lunch period, but I usually spent my time at the library studying while he hung out with his friends at the cafeteria. The school lunches weren't halal to eat either, other than tuna sandwich Tuesdays.

A shadow turned the corner, and I heard people talking in the hall. I recognized Valentino's voice and crept close to the door to listen to him tell his The Fanclub that he couldn't hang out because he was going to study at the public library nearby. My face flushed at the lie. Why did he want to keep our meeting a secret from them?

"With Inaya?" Jamie prompted. Her wavy brown hair, styled with pink highlights to contrast against her pale skin, bobbed with every movement of her head. "You guys have been close all year."

"Yeah, if you say so."

"Ooh, is something going on between you two?" Elsa asked, raising a suggestive, dark eyebrow and edging closer.

It wasn't possible, but my heart held its breath, and I peeked through the door's window.

You could just tell Elsa Osborn was the leader of the three. She stood about two inches taller than Jamie Allan and Clara Gonzales and had a full head of dyed platinum-blonde hair. Elsa and Jamie wore tracksuits and duffel bags over their shoulders with Maxwell High Cheer Squad written over them. Clara didn't—she wore a crop top and scuffed skinny jeans that made her look like she'd walked out of a summer photoshoot.

Valentino wrinkled his nose at the unanticipated question. "She's going to be valedictorian," was all he said.

I gripped the strap of my school bag, feeling the weight of my books and the butterflies return at his confident words.

Only Clara smiled at him. On her own, sweet was the only way to describe Clara. She had rosy cheeks and a smile that made her look syrupy-sweet. She could probably rob a bank with that sort of charm.

"We'll see you tomorrow then," she said. "Bye, Valentino."

He nodded. "Later."

I waited a few seconds for The Fanclub to disappear before pretending to leave the room like I hadn't been eavesdropping on them. Valentino noticed my approach and smiled in greeting.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go," he said, quickly closing the gap between us.

Almost every student we passed stared as we walked down the hall and out of the building. I wondered if Valentino noticed it. The girls loved him, and the guys wanted to be him. That was what happened when you were the captain of the boys' soccer team, towering nearly at six feet, with a head of dark blond hair and a face sculpted by fierce brows and poise. Despite his lighter skin tone, Valentino could tan with a soft tan under glow that shimmered when the sun hit him just right. I assumed it was because of his Salvadoran genes.

Our arms brushed up as we waited for the street light to change, prompting my heart to jump. I tapped my foot to a rhythm, and my heart returned to its normal pace. I absently adjusted my hijab.

I would've been just another fangirl admiring Valentino if not for my religion's decree for chastity and my vow to abide by it. And maybe that was why Valentino chose to spend time with me. He saw me as a girl with a deep personal conviction based on my faith and thought that my perceptions towards him wouldn't be muddled by shallow things like the looks and reputation that preceded his character. In other words, he trusted my judgment to be his friend over any other girl's.

My heart wrenched. I loved and hated that. Because what was I supposed to do when I was in love, too?

"I was thinking I could make an account for you," Valentino said as we crossed the street to the nearby public library. "So we could play together."

I looked up at him, fixating my attention on his short lashes. Did I hear him right? He wanted to spend money on me. My mind went into overdrive. God, what would my parents say if they ever found out?

"Really, you don't have to." The words came out rushed.

Valentino shrugged. "Why not?"

"Um." I paused to think up some excuse. In a sense, I'd be compromising my faith because I'd be spending so much time with him. But was he going to understand that? "What kind of pictures would work?" I tried. "I mean, I wear a hijab, so does the game accommodate that when they make the character?" I didn't want to add my mom was also strict about posting pictures online. I didn't have any social media for that reason.

"Hmm, I never thought about that. Why not upload pictures without it?"

I stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, prompting Valentino to stop walking. I threw my fists to my hips.

"Did I...say something?" he asked, although the hesitance in his voice meant he knew the answer to his question.

"Valentino Rosas, what's the point of my hijab if everyone in the game knows what's under it? It's a matter of sticking to principles."

"You're right. My bad."

My strong demeanor fizzled at his defeated voice and puppy-dog eyes, and I brushed my elbow against his arm as I kept walking.

"Apology accepted," I said over her shoulder, though my heart fluttered at the brief physical contact. That was so haram of me.

Valentino caught up and walked first to open the library door for me. I thanked him, and we went to the check-in desk to reserve a computer, with me standing behind him. The place wasn't all that big, with bookshelves lining its walls, but it had a nice computer lab that allowed ten people to use their desktops at once.

"Maybe they'll let you submit ones with it on," he added over his shoulder.

I shrugged, saying, "I'd rather not risk it," but I was so freaking out at the thought that Valentino really wanted to play this video game with me. It definitely meant something. It had to.

Valentino's name popped up on the reservation screen on the wall, and he motioned for me to follow him to his designated computer. On our way there, he grabbed a chair from a nearby table and placed it beside his. I whispered another thank-you, biting my bottom lip at the thoughtful act, and settled onto the chair.

I watched him type in the link for CrusadEon Online and hit enter. As a cloud-based game, you could play it anywhere, so long as the computer's processor was advanced enough to handle the program. Let's not forget: the best thing about CrusadEon was that it was throwing me and Valentino together—something I hadn't had the guts to do since we'd met. Helping him with schoolwork was all that really came out of my mouth when we talked.

I couldn't hold back a smile at his username. Valentino caught sight of it.

"What?"

"025Tino."

Valentino glanced at it and, after a pause, hit enter. "That's what my sister used to call me when she was little. She couldn't pronounce my full name."

His sharing that tidbit with me made my smile wider. "That's cute!" I beamed.

"Yeah." Valentino leaned back, slightly turning his head away, and the loading screen revealed his character. It looked exactly like him—almost scarily so—but the Valentino on the screen was carrying a big silver axe and wearing golden armor. Quite a change from his usual t-shirts and jeans. His name in-game remained the same as his real name, as well.

Valentino then began explaining the basics to me: how to move the character with the arrow or the WASD keys, how to change the camera angle by right-clicking and dragging, and how basic attacks were automated. He took a break after, looking my way.

I smiled to show I understood everything. The edge of his lips flickered to do the same before he turned to the screen to continue his tutorial.

He told me that using the space bar during a fight would open up a selection of class-specific skills that depended on your experience level, how to accept quests, the tracker on your map that helped you get there, and lastly, how to add, chat with, and help friends. Throughout his little speech, I saw several people messaging Valentino's character.

Girls, I couldn't help but note since the chat feature showed the player's avatar headshot along with the message they sent. I almost scoffed to myself. How am I jealous? I'm right next to him, and they're just pixels!

Thankfully for the jealous bone in my body, Valentino showed no interest beyond answering their basic questions. He spent his focus on making sure I understood the game's storyline.

"So, there are two sides to choose from, Crusader or Ottoman, and three classes of warriors on each side. As a Crusader, you have the option to be a Templar Knight—my character—a Templar Medic or a Templar Battle Mage. As an Ottoman, you have the option to be an Exemplar Valiant, Exemplar Defender, or Exemplar Mystic. Templar Knights and Exemplar Valiants have the best offensive skills; Templar Medics and Exemplar Defenders have the best defensive skills; Templar Battle-Mage and Exemplar Mystics are a balance of both. If you're a Crusader, all enemies would be Ottomans, including live players, and vice versa.

"Okay, here's where it might get complicated. But you're smart," Valentino continued. "In addition to different character options between the two sides, your starting point was also different. As a Crusader, the first part of the game was getting to the Sacred Land from Europa. Once reached, you could change your class or swearing dis-allegiance. As an Ottoman, the first part of the game was training in different cities across Asiana. Once you reached the Sacred Land, you were also given the option to change your class or swear dis-allegiance. The map of the two regions displayed two halves of the same crescent."

"This is really cool," I said. Valentino glanced at me as his character ran around a marketplace. "They made everyone's clothes historically accurate. Look! A hijabi!" My excitement got the better of me. I tapped his arm and pointed at the screen. One of the women behind the market stall wore a purple hijab. "I'd be on the Ottoman side for sure. They're Muslims like me."

"Exemplars have some really cool 'fits." He opened a new tab to show me some images.

I leaned a little closer. No, it wasn't because I wanted to smell him again. I did smell him again, though.

"Can you be friends with an Ottoman live player?" I asked, leaning back.

"Hm? I think with the update, it tells you how on the loading screen—but this is how it works." Valentino opened the map by pressing the 'm' key. "You usually don't meet opposing players unless you reach—see these places with an Ottoman banner?—a Battle Zone. Here, if you come across a live player, you or they can choose to battle. If you lose, you lose all your gold and get sent back to the beginner's town, which really sucks if you haven't built a reputation with a closer town. If you win, though, you take all of their stuff. If there's a draw, you can add them as a friend."

"Gotcha."

Hearing a book drop somewhere in the library, I remembered the time and pulled out my phone. I'd been out for fifteen minutes. Staying any longer would mean missing midday zuhr prayer and messing up my study schedule.

Valentino noticed and asked, "Hey, when do you have to go by?"

"Now?" I said, offering an apologetic smile.

"No problem. I have soccer practice, anyway."

We got up from our seats, and before I could grab mine, Valentino whisked my chair away to return it to its original place. I thanked him again, to which he responded with a nod.

"Did you like the game so far?" Valentino asked, holding the library door open for me.

"Of course!" I didn't want to tell him outright that I really liked that most of the female characters' outfits were modest. I'd be comfortable having a character who looked and dressed like me doing cool stuff like going on quests and sailing ships. It probably didn't mean anything to him.

Valentino smiled and stepped forward to rejoin my side. "If you ever get the chance, you really should play."

"Yeah, I wish I could."

At the end of the block, we split ways: I was taking the bus home, and Valentino was going to walk a quarter-mile to the train station to get to the field.

"See ya!" I gave him a small wave. He lifted a hand in return.

After turning my back to him, my shoulders slumped. I did want to play CrusadEon Online. But how would I play without raising my parents' concerns about the photographic avatar-making process? Playing a video game as expansive as this could also harm my chances of reaching the valedictorian spot. It would take hours to level up—hours I needed to study. My grades could drop. I'd lose my chance of being valedictorian.

I leaned against the bus stop glass. But it would be the only thing Valentino and I would have in common...so I had to find out how to keep it.