"So." The sounds of the utensils clicking against the glass plates were heard throughout dinner. The tv turned on to a low volume for us to be heard when talking. "How was your first day Eliza?" My dad asked, taking a napkin and wiping his mouth.

I looked up from my seat, mid-bite while one of my hands fiddled with my napkin sitting across my lap. "It was good, no homework luckily, it was just introductions and passing out the syllabus for all my classes." I said swallowing the food in my mouth.

My dad nodded his head, while I turned to Katie who smiled at me. "How was your day dad?"

That's when the tension rose from the dinner table as my dad started on his one of many stories from work. Well the stories he's allowed to tell us. He works for the government, not exactly sure as what, but his job seems interesting considering he has a new story every time I ask.

"Sounds great dad." Dyl replies to him as soon as he finished his story. His routinely answer. "Hey Liza Mae, are you going on the basketball game on friday?"

I looked at him weirdly as I took a sip of my drink, "How do you know there's a basketball game? You don't even go to Franklin no more."

He kicked my leg under the table as I kicked him back immediately. "Hey hey it was only months ago that I left the infamous halls of Franklin High. Plus hello? I'm Dylan Dawson. Of course I'd know." He rolled his eyes sassingly as me which I returned back.

Dylan James Dawson, my older brother, is a basketball legend at Franklin High School. Having an average of 40 points per game and leading our school to State every year he was on team, won 2 while he was at it. He was quite famous I guess you can say. He got a scholarship to UVA which is only 15 minutes away. Fortunately that means he gets a dorm for free as well, which means I get the house to myself from now once my brothers go back to school.

"So are ya? Maybe I could drop by. It'll be good to visit again." He said sweetly as he looked up like he was reminiscing his memories as if most of them didn't happen a year ago.

I shook my head, "Eh I don't know, I need to study."

"Ugh come on Liza Mae. First game of the year, you can't miss it." He pouted at me.

"Yeah Eliza, you should go. You can study another night." Mom gave me her sweet eyes, the ones she'd give me whenever she means something.

I frowned as I looked around the table, "But I have my SAT's this year, I need to make sure I get a good score."

I heard my dad sigh beside me, "Honey, I agree with Kate and Dyl. You should go. You can study the next day, I mean you've been taking a practice class for your SAT's for the past two summer, I think you can miss a study night for a little school spirit."

I looked at him some more before falling back into my chair, defeated. "Fine I'll go."

"Yes yes yes!" Dyl pumped his hand in the air before Alex quickly pulled it down, his eyes glued on the tv in front of him.

"Since that's settled. How's Opal and them? Is Taylor okay? He knows he can always sleep over if anything happens at home right? May as well, she's so sweet." Mom asked, taking a bite of her food.

Nodding my head, I replied, "They're good. Opal said she's gonna give us rides to school every morning, like simon and his friends in Love, Simon. I think Taylor's doing okay, and May is May."

"How about Sam?" She questioned. I felt all eyes go on me, especially my dads.

"Miss your lover boy?" Alexander asked from his seat diagonal from me. I snapped my head in his direction.

"Shut it Zander." I said through my teeth.

He threw his hands up in surrender, a grin on his face, "Not my fault you haven't spilled your undying love for him."

"Hah! That's true. How long have you been in love Liza Mae?" Dyl rested his elbows onto the table, his chin up in the air as if he was thinking. "Was is when you guys played basketball out in the rain or when Zander and I caught you both in his bed all snuggled up?"

I gasped as I hit his leg hard under the table, Dyl grabbing it in pain. My dad choking on the water he was trying to down, while Katie started to hit his back. Zander just sat in the middle of it all, his eyes glued on the tv, obnoxiously chewing on his food.

"You and that Vater kid slept together? Already! You're only 16!" My dad stated as he finally stopped choking.

I snapped my head to him, my eyes guilty. "I was ten!" If only he knew how many times I was under his sheets throughout our friendship, he'd have a heart attack.

"I'm done with dinner. Can I grab your plate Liza Mae?" Zander's eyes finally left the tv, his face pointing towards the empty plate in front of me.

I nodded my head, "Yeah thanks. I'm going upstairs." I got up from my seat. "Gotta study."

I started to run up the stairs. "I'm sorry Liza Mae!" I heard Dyl's voice cry out as I closed my bedroom door behind me.

Closing my blinds, I laid sprawled across my bed. My face towards the ceiling and my thoughts elsewhere. The echoes of the conversation between Sammy and I were heard through my head.

*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*
Flashback : Age 14

The sound of the basketball dribbling on the concrete filled my ears as Sammy and I played our classic game of 1 on 1.

My back was against Sammy's chest as he tried to block me from making a shot, my insides going crazy at his touch.

It was a hot summer day, a couple days before we start our freshmen year at Franklin High. Big school, new people, but almost everyone at our middle school was going there anyways.

I walked a bit forward to let go of Sammy's touch I wish I still felt, for me to go and make a shot, which I obviously made. His shoulders slumped with defeat, his forehead slightly shimmery with sweat.

He sat down on the bench in front of his garage, gulping down the fresh lemonade his mom had made us an hour or so before. "17-15 Sammy, you gonna admit I'm better than you now or should I go get my camera to record this?"

"Ha-Ha Eli Bear, you knew I just came back from practice so of course you're gonna play me when I'm all worn out." I shrugged my shoulders as I took a seat right next to him.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." I took a sip of the lemonade as I examine his features. I had known him for almost 8 years, but I never noticed how much and how fast he had changed. His voice had gotten a bit deeper since middle school. Somehow he got a growth spurt, already a head taller than me.

I admired him as he dribbled a basketball between his legs. "So there's a formal coming up." He said.

My heart raced. He was right. Oh crap was he going to ask me to the formal? After practice? All sweaty? Not how I imagined being asked to the first dance of my high school career by the boy I have grown to like for the past 3 years, but I can't be too picky.

"Yup." I replied popping the "p" as I sipped on the lemonade. "There is."

My leg was bouncing up and down in nervousness. My heart was racing as the boy in front of my continued to impress me.

"So I was thinking." Oh my god he's going to take his sweet time isn't he? Just ask me already Vater. Please just ask me.

"Mhmm. What were you thinking about?" My palms gripping the edge of the bench, all sweaty, wasn't sure from the work out I just did, or because Sammy was taking forever to ask me.

"I was thinking of asking Kaylin Adams to formal."

And then that's when my heart dropped. I felt the tingles in my body stop as my leg slowly stop bouncing. My heart rate dropping along with the ball dribbling between Sam's feet.

"Eli bear? You okay?"

I shook my head, my brain becoming dizzy. "Yeah yeah Im fine." I assured him, taking a sip out of the cup, covering my face to block my eyes that were welling up with tears. "Wow um. Kaylin Adams, she's pretty."

I looked up at Sam. He was blocking the sun from my vision, making the sun rays shine behind him, making his face dark yet I can still see the happiness in them.

"Yeah I was gonna ask her to be my girlfriend, but I think I'm going to wait till next year. Basketball is my main focus right now you know, gotta make varsity." He told me as he made a layup, of course the ball making the hoop.

I nodded my head even though he couldn't see me. "Yeah she's pretty." The feeling in my stomach sickening me like I have to throw up.

"Yeah she's hot right. Anyways what we're you saying?" He finally looked at me, his face full of gleam and sweat.

What was I going to say? I didn't think he was going to ask Kaylin Adams to formal. I thought he was going to ask me. His best friend since 3rd grade. But then I realized if you put me and Kaylin in a room, people wouldn't even glance at me. She was prettier and I simply wasn't anything.

"Oh nothing nothing...so how are you going to ask her?" I said gulping down some more lemonade. My leg bounced up and down with nerves again as he began to tell me his plan and ideas. How much I wished it was me he was planning this for was so sad and pathetic. But he was so happy and excited, I didn't want my embarrassment to ruin it. So of course, I helped him plan everything out. The sparkle in his eyes as he talked couldn't leave my head for days following.

*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*
Present Time :
(after dinner)

I looked up at my ceiling, my eyes bouncing from one glowing star hanging to another, the memories of my mom holding me up to push them on were running through my mind.

"Hey Liza Mae. I'm sorry for bringing up Sam, I didn't mean to upset you. Are you mad?"

I sat up at the edge of my bed, my eyes meeting Dyl's who was standing in my doorframe. "I'm not, it's okay." I turned towards my desk which had a bullentin board along with my favorite snacks resting on top of it. "Thanks for that by the way."

He started walking into my room leaning against my dresser. "No problem, can I help you set it up?"

I smiled at him as I nodded, both of us walking towards the board.

*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*

Third Person's POV :

While Eliza Mae Dawson along with her brother Dylan started setting up the board in the girl's room. The rest of the house fell into their normal routine. The two's oldest brother, Alex closed the door of his room before turning on his monitor, setting up his chair for what hours to come of video games. The kids dad and stepmom were downstairs, cleaning after dinnertime and soon rested on their couch in front of the living room tv. All was good.

But the next door neighbor's son was troubled. He laid in the darkness of his room, the only light seeping through from under his door with the lights from the room facing his in the other house. His blinds were slightly opened, but open enough to see a girl and her brother laughing to some music, bonding as they hung the board on the wall in front of a desk, soon starting to redo her room for the second time that week.

"No Dyl, push the bed against that wall!" He heard the girl say. She stood next to her desk overlooking her room as the brother single handedly pushed the bed against the wall like the girl wished. The brother was tired, but he would never say no to his little sister.

"Did you want to move your dresser and bookshelf over there Liza Mae?" He asked her, they began to talk some more, but the boy watching blocked out their voices as his eyes paid more attention to Eliza Mae. His best friend.

Or is he even allowed to call her his best friend anymore? They drifted apart, the only time they talked was when the boy got into a fight with his girlfriend and he ranted to her about it through their notes. He wanted to talk to her, but what would he even say? Sorry for basically dumping you after I got with Kaylin? Sorry that we split apart, sleepover?

No, he thought to himself, things weren't the same anymore, but he wished so badly that it was.

༄ hey y'all 😁😁 how y'all doing ?
i hope this chapter was good lol i typed it on my computer instead of my phone so yay me

anyways idk what to talk about, but don't forget to eat and drink water! ily <33

- jules