"It's going to be so hot today. I'm going to die," Sadaf whined with a pout as the three of us stood in our little corner in the band room.

        As if every practice wasn't hot.

        She was covered from head to toe, and she had on her black Capsters head wrap that she wore for all our marching band events.

        This girl always complained about heat.

        "At least you'll be the hottest girl in the band," Mi Yun said while running her fingers through her hair.

        "True." Sadaf rubbed her lips together to smear her pink lipgloss.

        "You really should start holding your hair up." I motioned to Mi Yun. "Is this worth having to wash your hair after every practice?"

        "Yup." She continued brushing her fingers through her hair.

        Mi Yun never held her hair up for practice because according to her, she looked "funny" with a ponytail. She also thought she looked bad enough in practice clothes, so she didn't want to make it worse with bad hair.

        "I need to go to the bathroom." Mi Yun bypassed us to approach the door. "I need to fix this mess." She pointed at her hair before stepping out, and I turned back to Sadaf.

        "Now, I can talk about Brice," I beamed, and she sighed.

        Ever since the party, Mi Yun hadn't been too fond of me talking about Brice, even though I allowed her to talk about Sabrina all she wanted.

        "What is there to talk about?" Sadaf asked. "He still doesn't talk to you."

        After the party and after we were officially introduced, I thought things were going to be friendlier between us, but we were back to square one. Me sitting in the back of our psych class and the two of us exchanging zero words. It was disappointing, but I wasn't giving up just yet.

        "Come on, Es." Sadaf rubbed my arm. "Don't let it get you down. He isn't all that." I sent her a look. "Okay, he's fine as hell. But what else is there to Brice Abrams? His personality doesn't seem all that great."

        "There has to be more to him," I said. "There's no way he's just some high school douchebag. He's a person, and I'm going to find the real Brice Abrams."

        "Good luck with that," she said. "Out of their whole group, I'll be afraid to approach Brice. He's the most popular, and he seems like the jerkiest."

        I scrunched up my face. "I'll be afraid to approach Oliver."

        She shook her head. "We sit next to each other in U.S. History. He's a pretty cool guy. Easy to talk. Doesn't let anything get to him. Approachable, too."

        "You talk to him?" I crossed my arms with a frown. "I wish I could talk to Brice."

        "You and Jax talk a lot," she pointed out.

        "So? He's Jax."

        Jax and I still messed with each other in French, and we had gotten into more trouble with Madame LeBlanc for talking. I didn't understand why it was happening. I usually never got in trouble in my classes, and I didn't like it. However, our conversations and jovial banter made the class a little more interesting.

        Sadaf rested a finger on her chin. "I change my mind. Jax is the most intimidating out of the boys."

        "What? No."

        "He is," Sadaf said. "He always looks either bored or pissed off."

        Sounded about right.

        Jax did seem intimidating with his reserved nature, inability to show emotions and his smartass remarks, but once you broke through that barrier, he wasn't so bad.

        "He doesn't talk to anyone but Brice, Oliver and the other guy," she went on. "I don't know how you can talk to him so easily."

        "He's just Jax." I shrugged. "What about the other one? What's his name again?"

        Sadaf winced as she scratched her head. "Tyson?" I shook my head. That didn't sound right. "Talon?" Definitely no. "Tyrone?"

        "No." Jax said his name once. What was it? "Tyler!" It came to me, and Sadaf wagged her finger in agreement.

        "Yeah, him." She laughed. "I always forget about him."

        "Everyone does." We giggled.

        Tyler seemed like the outlier of the group. He never talked to anyone, except for Brice, Jax and Oliver. He always wore the same white jacket, and he always had the same facial expression that was a mix between confusion and awareness.

        He was pretty intimidating, too.

        "You know what," I said, "they're all intimidating. Let's keep it at that."

        "Agreed," Sadaf said, "except for Oliver."

        I shoved her arm back. "Shut up."

        We snickered and made our way into the storage room. Sadaf and I continued our ruthless chitchat about all things school, boys, and family. Mi Yun still hadn't returned even when it was ten minutes before we had to be in the parking lot for practice.

        When I couldn't take it anymore, I turned to Sadaf. "Mimi isn't back yet. Should we check up on her?"

        Sadaf was putting her flute together. "I'm sure she's fine."

        "She hasn't changed." I motioned to her full drawstring bag. "Her clarinet is still in its case. At this rate, we're gonna be late."

        Last year, the three of us were usually a couple minutes late for practice, and we got into a lot of trouble for that. This year, we made a vow to be more responsible since we were sophomores, and we'd been doing great so far. I didn't intend on messing it up now.

        "Yeah, you're right." Sadaf placed her flute on the back of the shelf. "Let's go."

        I placed my flute beside hers, and the two of us exited the band room for the bathroom. We engaged in small talk about the grossness of Addison Lee having a crush on Mr. Dwyer, but it all came to a halt when we spotted Mi Yun in the bathroom with her back facing us as she spoke to someone.

        "Mimi?" I spoke up, and Mi Yun and the girl looked our way.

        It was Sabrina Fraser.

        She wiped at her eyes, but it didn't hide the fact that they were puffy and blood-shot. Her hair was even messier than usual as faint streaks of mascara ran down her cheek.

        "I think we're interrupting something." Sadaf tugged on my arm for us to leave.

        "Practice starts soon," I said.

        "I know," Mi Yun replied. "Go on without me. I'll be there."

        "You sure?" Sadaf asked, and she nodded, but my gaze remained on Sabrina.

        She moved to the sink to wash her face, and I narrowed my eyes.

        Since when did Mi Yun and Sabrina talk.

        "You guys go on." Mi Yun turned us around and led us out of the bathroom. "I'll meet you at the parking lot."

        "Mi—"

        "I won't be late," she cut me off.

        I eyed her, but Sadaf grabbed my arm. "Come on. She won't be late."

        I nodded and allowed Sadaf to lead me away while Mi Yun stood back. I caught a last glimpse of her before she retreated back into the restroom.

         Sadaf and I entered the band room and grabbed our instruments and water jugs. I stopped briefly at Mi Yun's stuff, but I decided to let it be and follow Sadaf to the parking lot.

        I hated practicing there, but we only got the fields when the footballers weren't using it, and when there was a game or a marching band competition. The only plus to practicing in the parking lot was walking less, which lowered our chances of being late.

        "What was that about?" I broke the silence as we trekked to the parking lot.

        "I don't know," Sadaf said. "I'm wondering the same thing."

        "I know why Mi Yun would talk to Sabrina," I said, "but why would Sabrina talk to Mi Yun?"

        "Why not?" Sadaf sent me a funny look. "Mi Yun is pretty cool."

        She was, but I still didn't get a good feeling from this. "I don't like Sabrina."

        "Mi Yun doesn't like Brice."

        "At least Brice is upfront," I said. "Sabrina just seems shady. There has to be a reason Brice was such a jerk to her. Maybe she deserved it."

        Sadaf slit her eyes at me with a disapproving look. "No one deserves to be treated that way. Brice seems hella disrespectful towards women. My inner feminist didn't like what she saw at that party. Don't even get me started on the way he referred to you. As if you're only a pretty face."

        She had a point, but I still didn't like Sabrina. I didn't have a legitimate reason to dislike her, but I just did.

        We made it to the sidewalk beside the parking spaces, and we stepped into the shade of the canopy set up. I grabbed a banana to munch on as more people showed up, but I kept an eye out for Mi Yun. Sadaf sat beside me on the sidewalk.

        "She'll be here," she muttered while resting her head on my shoulder. "If there's anyone who moves like a ninja, it's Mimi."

        I chuckled.

        Mi Yun always had a talent for changing and getting ready fast, but she always looked good no matter what. I admired that about her.

        A minute little, those familiar brown highlights came into my line of vision, and Mi Yun made her way over to us.

        A grin was plastered on her face, and she clutched her clarinet and water bottle in both hands. "Sabrina gave me her number," she said with a squeal.

        "What?!" Sadaf and I yelled simultaneously but with varying tones.

        Hers was of excitement, and mine was of surprise—but not in a good way.

        Mi Yun nodded. "Before I left the bathroom, she gave me her number, and I gave her mine."

        "Deets. Now." Sadaf crossed her arms with a smirk, ready to hear the juicy details.

        I was still trying to process this.

        "Well—" Mi Yun was cut off by Greg clapping his hands.

        "Okay, guys. Breathing block." He waved us over as he jogged to the center of the parking lot and others piled in.

        The three of us laid our instruments on the side of the sidewalk before making our way over to the growing block of people.

        "I'll tell you guys later," she whispered, and we picked up our pace.

        Practice went as normal. We did breathing block while running ten laps across the parking lot. Then we stretched before jumping into drill. Even during our water breaks, Mi Yun refused to tell us more until after practice. Anticipation was killing me, so I was more than happy when Mr. Dwyer told us to bring it in because that meant one thing:

        Practice was over.

        I could barely stand still during the playing of the Alma Mater, and when it finally ended and we were dismissed, Sadaf and I rushed over to Mi Yun. We stood on either side of her.

        "Spill," I demanded as we grabbed our stuff and began our walk back to the band room.

        "Okay," she started, and we gave her our undivided attention, "so I was just going to the bathroom to fix my hair, but I walked in on Sabrina crying in the corner of the restroom. It seemed as if she'd been crying for a while, too."

        "She's probably heartbroken over Brice," Sadaf said. "I'll be heartbroken, too, if he talked to me like that."

        "That's not all," Mi Yun said. "I asked her what was wrong."

        "Because you wanted an excuse to talk to her," I jumped in.

        "That, too," she agreed, "but also because she's a person, and I wouldn't want anyone crying like that."

        That was Mimi—always looking out for people.

        "She and Brice's whole breakup was really bad," Mi Yun continued. "She thought things were going great at first, but he started being distant near the end of the summer and before school started, he called her and broke things off. Without so much as an explanation."

        I inhaled slowly. "At least it wasn't over text?"

        Mi Yun pursed her lips. "Breaking up with someone in person is still the best option—the most respectable option. But it's not even that, after they broke up, he's been nothing but an ass to her. Treating her as if they didn't date. Talking shit about her. Making her out to be this crazy ex-girlfriend. He's being a complete douchebag."

        I didn't know how to defend Brice anymore. That was an asshole move.

        But I still liked him.

        It was stupid and wrong, but I couldn't turn off my feelings. He was still Brice.

        "Why would she tell you all of this?" I asked. "You guys aren't close like that."

        "Even I'm confused about that," she said, "but I guess she felt comfortable talking to me. Or maybe I was the only one who would listen."

        "So you were a shoulder to cry on, and you swooped in during her moment of vulnerability," Sadaf said while motioning a takeoff with her hands.

        "I just talked to her," Mi Yun said. "I wasn't trying to seduce her or anything. I was just being a decent human being that she could talk to. Plus, you said it yourself. I'm not even sure if she's into girls." Mi Yun bit her lip and stared down at her clarinet.

        Sadaf grinned. "You said it best. Only one way to find out."

        They snickered and continued talking while I stayed silent.

        I really wanted to hear Brice's side of things because I refused to only listen to Sabrina's. She did seem like the "victim" type, always wanting to make other people look like the bad guy. I wasn't calling Brice a jerk until I knew the complete story.

        Once we reached the band room, we packed our instruments and got our things in order while some people left or were picked up by their parents.

        Jin Wook would be here soon, and I was forever grateful to him for always giving me and Sadaf a ride home after practices.

        However, before he arrived, I needed my apple juice. I got one after every practice, and I smiled as I walked to the vending machine.

        From the corner of my eye, I saw movement and noticed three people coming out of the stairwell that led to the basement. Probably hip-hop company people. I resisted the urge to peek over and see if it was Brice. Instead, I focused on getting my apple juice, and I uncapped it and drank half of it down in one gulp.

        "Would you look at that," a voice said. I looked over to see Jax stopping beside me. "Estella at the vending machine? What a surprise." The sarcasm laced his words.

        It was almost a ritual now for us to see each other at the vending machine after practice.

        Jax's gaze landed on my juice.

        "Oh no, you don't." I turned away from him and clutched my juice to my chest. "You're not swiping my juice again."

        "Calm down. I'm not thirsty like you," he said with a sly smile.

        "Cute." It wasn't.

        "Are you ready for the French test that's coming up?"

        That was something that always surprised me about Jax. He seemed so nonchalant about everything, but he actually cared about school. He always got his work done. He answered correctly when called on. He was cooperative, for the most part.

        "Hey—" I took a step towards him, but he took one back. "What are you doing? Are you afraid of me?" I crossed my arms with a smirk.

        "Please," he scoffed. "As if. You're half my size. I just don't like people being too close."

        "Typical," I said before remembering what I wanted to say. "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to study together some time."

        "Why?" he asked with that same bored expression.

        "Why not?" I replied. "I'm smart. You're smart. Together we'll be at the top of the class."

        "If you're so smart, why do you need my help then?" He fought back a grin, and I breathed in and out to keep my cool.

        Why was he so difficult to talk to?

        "I always try to find study partners, in every class I take, no matter how smart I am. Two minds are always better than one. Plus..." I took another step forward, but he didn't step back this time. "...if we study together, we can help each other out in our weaknesses. I have the most difficulty with the speaking aspect of French."

        "I'm good with that," he said, "but I do struggle with remembering the cultural stuff."

        "Leave that to me." I smiled. "See. We'll be an excellent team."

        "Whatever." He turned away from me, but I followed him to catch his lips curving upwards. "What are you doing?"

        "I'm right," I said. "Even you know it." He rolled his eyes, but he smiled this time. "My place or your place?"

        He stood up straight and refused to look at me. "Yours."

        "Dang it." I pouted. "I was looking forward to seeing your place," I joked, but his expression remained firm. "Okay. Someone needs juice." I pushed it towards him. "Here. Take some. For the first time, I give you permission."

        "For the first time, I don't want it," he mimicked my tone, and I brought my juice back towards me. "But I do want your number."

        "Oh, Iago," I teased with a hand on my chest, "I was waiting for you to ask."

        I giggled, and he stared at me blankly. "How else are we supposed to communicate, smart one?"

        "You don't have to keep making excuses," I continued the façade, and I placed my hand out. "Phone."

        He dug into his pockets and handed me his phone. I put my number in and almost took a selfie, but I decided I would do that later.

        When I looked more presentable.

        I sent myself a text from his phone so I would have his number, too. When my cell beeped, I took it out. "Got it."

        He watched me carefully. "You're really annoying." There was slight laughter in his voice.

        "You're annoying, too."

        "How are two annoying people supposed to study together?"

        I rose a brow as I thought about it. "We'll have to find out." I tapped his shoulder as I walked past him. "See you later, Iago." I peeked back, and he turned to face my retreating form.

        "It's Jax."

        "Whatever, Jax." I waved, and his expression softened.

        "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" He winked, and I sent him a closed lip smile in return.

        I made my way into the fine arts hallway and when I entered the band room, my face was split into a grin.