On my way to the gym from the parking lot, JJ nearly toppled me over when he slung an arm around me and ruffled my hair. "Did you enjoy the show?"

Flashing him a smile, I decided to play dumb. "What show?"

"Ah, now what you're not going to do is pretend you don't know what I'm talking about," he said, dark eyes twinkling as he leaned down to pinch my cheek. "You're welcome, Simmons."

I didn't bother giving a response to that. The heat that rose up to my face said enough. I cleared my throat. "Don't you have—"

"Oh." JJ's arm fell from around me as he stopped short and faced me, holding me firmly by the shoulders with a frown on his face. His eyes looked my outfit up and down. "I didn't notice you were wearing it."

I subconsciously brushed my hands down the cotton material of the jacket. "It's my last gift to Faust."

JJ stepped back and tilted his head. "You didn't have to, Thea, you know this. You being here is already more than enough."

"It's just to show my support to him—"

"As his ex-girlfriend?" the jock asked, eyebrows raised. "Well, it's definitely some gift. Listen, Thea, I'm just saying. You don't owe Faust anything."

I groaned. "I know, okay? I know." I waved my hands around and made a noise of frustration. "I just feel like I need to do this too. Okay? A last thing. For closure. Something like that, just—can we go now, please? You're supposed to be warming up or something."

He sighed and put his arm around me again. His hand brushed the lapel of the letterman jacket. "I'll let it go. I'm just glad you're here."

I beamed at him and wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing myself closer to his side. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world. Are you excited?"

"Hell yeah!" he cheered, raising a fist, "we're winning state champs tonight! Maybe I should tape mistletoe to my ass so Pennbrooke can kiss it in the court."

Throwing my head back, I laughed loudly. "I wouldn't put it past you to do such thing, JJ."

He playfully nudged me and hummed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The gym was roaring with life and excitement. I faced the blonde and tugged on his wrist before he could bid me goodbye. "JJ. About the game yesterday. They shouldn't have done that to you."

He shrugged. "Eh. It is what it is."

"Are you...really not comfortable? Is it why, even in your basketball jersey, you're also wearing a black shirt underneath?"

The curly-haired boy's mouth lifted at the corner. "It's a personal reason, Thea. Don't think about it, okay? You have to have a clear head to cheer us on."

I gave him a warm smile. "Right. I'll be the loudest out there. Just—you know you can talk to me whenever, right?"

With a second of hesitation, JJ moved forward and pulled me into his arms in a tight hug. "Yeah. I know, sweetheart." He pulled back, and in his smile was something I'd never seen before—sadness. "I'll see you after the game, alright? You have a front seat!"

I waved him away with the best grin I could muster. "Yeah, yeah. Go Nighthawks!"

He shot me a wink before disappearing towards the direction of the locker rooms.

By the time I'd weaved my way through thousands of fans to get to the seat presumably saved for me, the game was nearly starting. With a can of soda in my hand, I side-stepped down the front row, where Beau was seated. The older Carter brother jumped up the second he spotted me.

"Hey!" he shouted over the noise, giving me a sideways hug before we took our seats. "It's good to see you, Thea."

"You too. I'm so glad you're here." And I meant it. He was the only one I knew here. Paula was with the squad, and Sutton had better things to do.

He grinned. He looked a lot like Faust when he smiled. "Good choice of outfit."

Damn it. I nearly forgot even Beau didn't know Faust and I were broken up. "Thanks. Maybe it could be a good luck charm. Where are your parents?"

Beau shrugged. "Work, of course. They don't get off 'til weekends. Faust knows that."

Nodding, a whistle saved me from my chance to respond as the announcer called in the visiting team. Lost in the sea of noise, I watched as the purple colors of Pennbrooke erupted from their side of the gym.

And then the banners of blue and yellow were raised followed by an over-enthusiastic cheer crew bursting from the entrance. Faust and Theo were leading their team straight to the court in their jerseys, with Nico and JJ right behind them.

The gymnasium went wild, screaming, cheering, and chanting. Shooting up in his seat, Beau pulled me up with him as he hollered for Northvale, and I joined in.

So much so, my throat was already hoarse when the team took their spot by the sides and huddled together with Coach Greenberg. Beau and I sat down, and as if a magnetic pull captured their attentions, a pair of blues and greens found me from a distance.

Faust's eyes were wide as he took me in, and I noticed that the bruises on his face had faded from the angry red to a bluish color. I sent him a small smile in response and a thumbs-up as a good luck. He blinked and shook his head and returned his attention to his coach.

But Nico's eyes grew hard, and he kept his gaze lingering for a moment longer with a neutral expression before turning back.

I swallowed thickly and took a sip from my soda.

The first fives of each team made their way to the center of the court, earning louder cheers from the crowd as the game began. Faust and Theo were together in the court for the first quarter, alongside Nico, JJ, and Jordan.

"They're letting them play together," I mumbled to no one in particular, amazed and worried at the same time.

For the first time in three years, there was a chance Northvale was going to take home the trophy.

Beau's smile widened. "Northvale's gonna kick some ass."

He was right. The first three quarters had Beau and I jumping and screaming for my school, my drink turning even colder as it sat on the floor beside my chair. During the third quarter, Theo and JJ had been pulled out from the game to be replaced with substitutes, but Coach Greenberg placed them back inside the court as soon as the last quarter started. When there were six minutes left for the last quarter, Northvale was leading with three points more than Pennbrooke's score. Coach Greenberg called a time-out, and Beau took that as his cue to excuse himself and go to the bathroom.

The players were exhausted from playing the best game of their lives. Faust breathed heavily as he chugged down an entire bottle of Gatorade, the ends of his hair dripping with sweat. My brother stood on his other side, and Nico beside him, arms glistening as he took a swig from his water. JJ took a seat to rest and used the sleeves of his black shirt to wipe his face.

With a turn of his head, Faust kept his eyes locked with mine, and I couldn't read what he was trying to say with them. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he panted for air, looking absolutely worn out but high from the adrenaline and the thrill of playing the game.

There was nothing I felt under his stare other than the need to continue cheering him on.

Nico kept his back to me. His fingers crushed the empty water bottle in his hands.

"Hey, Thea!"

I turned around. "Hey! I didn't know you were coming!"

Killian laughed and situated himself on the seat directly behind mine. "Someone needs to write for the paper, remember? I was near the entrance when I saw you, though. The game's super intense!"

I nodded in agreement. "Are the rest with you?"

"Tara and Jameson are around here somewhere," he answered, scrunching his nose. "I'm not sure about the others. Hey, what do you say we grab something to eat after this?"

"Oh, uh." I paused and thought about it. "I'm not sure if N—Faust would want to celebrate with me..."

"Right," he said easily, but there was a tightness to his voice. "Of course, it's no problem! I'll see you on Tuesday, right? The principal cancelled all classes on Monday."

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you then. I'm really sorry, Killian. You understand, don't you?"

He waved his hand dismissively and stood. "Sure. I better get—"

Beau came running towards his seat. "Phew. I thought I was late."

The whistle blew, and the first fives were back in the court. "You almost were."

"Hey, man," Beau said with a tip of his chin, directing his gaze to Killian. "Enjoying so far?"

"Yeah," the blonde answered with a smile. "I just caught up with Thea for a bit. We'll hang out some other time, yeah?" Without waiting for my response, he was already moving towards the stairs. "Later, Thea. Nice meeting you, Beau."

Nico stole the ball from the other team, ducking under the other player's outstretched arms as he ran to the other side where our net was, and passed it to Theo who was in an open position. My brother sent the ball smoothly in the hoop before the other team could block it.

Northvale and Pennbrooke battled back and forth until there was only a minute and a half left, and the score was down to a tie.

I didn't realize I'd been clutching the insides of the pockets of the letterman jacket I wore in nervousness and anticipation. Faust looked back at the scoreboard with frustration evident on his face as he was passed the ball, positioning himself on the free throw line after the player from the other team had been called in on a foul.

He dribbled the ball, shifting his weight from one foot to another as he exhaled deeply. Bending his knees, Faust raised his arms and flicked his wrists before throwing the ball into the air.

It bounced off the rim.

Encouraging hollers came from the crowd as Faust winced and shook his head. Theo stepped forward and slapped him on the back, saying something I couldn't decipher. Faust inhaled deeply, and the ball was given back to him. My fingers flew to my mouth as I watched him. The crowd held in a breath.

Faust sent the ball inside the hoop.

The game was back into play. Thirty, to be precise, left on the clock. The gymnasium was wild, and the noise nearly burst my own eardrums.

Twenty, and the score was tied again. Beau was yelling now, and I was jumping up and down with my heart beating erratically against my chest.

Fifteen. Another player had the ball and was sprinting, the other nine players following closely behind as they reached Northvale's side of the court. Twisting away from the blockers, he passed it to JJ, who then quickly passed it to Faust.

Ten. Faust gripped the ball tightly as he pivoted, searching for an open spot to shoot the ball.

And then to my horror, he swayed on his feet, losing his balance, before he managed to pass the ball to the nearest teammate—Nico.

Three seconds, and Nico jumped, pushing the ball directly into the net with two hands before grabbing the rim, hanging off the edge. The crowd shot off from their seats, cheering and applauding at the winning dunk shot. Northvale had won.

The whole team gathered themselves in the middle of the gym, loudly cheering in victory as they held the trophy up in the air.

"Come on." Beau grabbed my wrist as we pushed our way down the bleachers and into the court.

While Beau went to search for his brother, I looked for Theo first, and when I did, I engulfed him in a big hug, not caring that he was covered in sweat. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you, you were amazing."

"Ah, thank you, Thea," he said with a laugh, spinning me around with the one arm wrapped around my waist. "It feels so good."

"I'm sure it does. Are you heading to the party now?"

My brother jutted his thumb towards the other side of the court. "Think some colleges want to speak with me first. Aren't you coming with me to the party? How are you going home?"

I shook my head and pushed him. "It's your time to celebrate, not mine. You can take the car, I'll find a way. Go, talk to them!"

He raised his palms and began walking backwards. "Alright, alright. I'll text you, sis."

I offered him a wave before turning around, almost crashing into Faust's body had I not grabbed onto his arms for support.

"Oh, s-sorry," I stuttered, immediately letting go and setting myself on my feet. "Didn't know you were standing there. Um, congratulations. You were great."

A small smile found its way onto his lips. "Thanks. For cheering. And for being here."

I rocked back on my heels. "Yeah. Of course. No problem. Yeah."

We stood together in silence for a few beats before he cleared his throat and stated, "You're wearing it."

"Right, ah." With a nervous laugh, I shrugged the material off of my body and outstretched my hand. "It was just...a last thing. For your favor. Here."

The basketball hero stared at me. "I'm really glad you wore it, Thea. It was what mostly kept me going during the game."

I sighed. "Faust, let's not—"

"I don't want to have it back," he said slowly, stepping away. His eyebrows drew together. "I gave it to you, remember? I told you before—it's yours."

And so is my heart, he'd said before. "Are you sure? This is...precious to you, Faust. I don't think you'd want me to keep it. You earned this."

He shook his head. Strands of hair fell across his eyes, and I had a momentary urge to brush them away. There was a stinging pain in my chest—and it was small, barely painful, but still there. "It's yours, Thea," Faust repeated softly. "Keep it safe for me."

I pulled the jacket back in my arms. "I will," I whispered. Promised.

Faust's eyes roamed my face, as if etching every detail onto memory. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"How did you know?" he said, tilting his head to the side with questioning eyes, "about Anya."

I swallowed hard. "Sullivan told me."

Faust stayed silent for a few seconds. "Don't get involved with him anymore, Thea."

"I'll decide if I should do that."

He bit his lip and ran a hand through the wet strands of his hair. "You should come with us to the party."

JJ and Nico both came up from behind me. The golden-haired boy looped an arm around my neck. "Yeah, Thea! Let's go and have some fun!"

Relieved Faust had let it go, I gave JJ a smile and a congratulatory hug. "You guys go ahead. I'll skip out."

"Faust," Nico called, swinging his towel over his shoulder, "Resley wants to talk to you."

The mention of the local college has Faust's ears perking up. He nodded and began to turn away, gaze catching mine once more. "I'll...see you around, Thea."

"Yeah," I said, nodding as well. "Congrats."

And then he left without a look back.

Nico turned to me. The gold of his skin hid the fading bruise over his jaw. "I'm hungry."

I blinked. "Okay. And?"

He pushed his tongue against his cheek. "Let's grab something to eat."

The way he said it made it seem more like a demand than a request. His face was carefully void of expression, but there was a crease between his eyebrows and a harshness to his eyes that told me he was a little beyond irritated. I crossed my arms over my chest. "Are you asking me to come with you or are you ordering me around?" And just to be petty, I added, "Maybe I don't want to grab something to eat."

"Can I come?" JJ interjected with a wide grin.

"No," Nico snapped. "Maybe you don't have a fucking choice. You owe me for my clothes." A pause. "And for not congratulating me."

My mouth dropped open. "But—y-you gave me those clothes! Also, I—"

"I'm going to take a shower," he stated, pulling on my arm to place his car keys on my palm. When he looked up at me again, his eyes had lost the hardness to them, the edges of his features had softened, and there was some sort of...plead in his expression. "Wait for me in the car."

I stared at the keys on my hand before I nodded. "Okay."

"Lock the doors."

JJ whistled under his breath when Nico disappeared inside the locker room. "You know he just—"

"Don't say it, JJ," I warned lowly, narrowing my eyes at him. The jock pursed his lips to keep from laughing. "I refuse to believe the way he did it, if it were his intention, was through a demand. I will hit you if you say anything related to the 'd' word."

"He has that one, too," JJ told me with a scratch to his chin, "a big one. I've seen it, Thea, trust me—ow!"

"I told you not to say anything!"

"You were referring to 'date'! Not to 'dick'!"

*

"Can I...guess what you're mad about this time?"

"I'm not mad," Nico denied immediately, taking a potato wedge into his mouth whilst avoiding my gaze. "Just because I haven't said anything doesn't mean I'm mad."

I sighed and pushed my drink away. "Nico."

"What?"

"You promised you'd try."

The green-eyed boy pressed his lips together in a thin line and slouched against his seat, pushing his hand into his jacket pocket. "How do you feel about Faust?"

Twisting the straw around my fingers, I shrugged and answered, "He did great, as always. It's the first time Northvale won again in so long, so I'm really happy that he's ecstatic—"

"You know that's not what I meant," Nico said lowly, eyebrows drawing together as he stared me down.

I sighed again and picked up my forgotten waffle. "There's nothing I feel for him anymore, if that's what you're asking. Like I said, I was more angry and hurt about the lies than his betrayal."

Nico didn't seem satisfied with my response. He snatched another potato wedge from the plate. "Okay."

"I wore the jacket as a closure thing for his favor," I said through gritted teeth, knowing that this was what he'd really wanted to ask and what he'd been irritated about, "and I'm keeping it because Faust insisted. It's not like I'm going to flaunt it around school or around you, so stop being sulky about it. Happy?"

Nico's face stayed expressionless. "No, not in the slightest. I'll be sulky about it when I want to, because it's your ex-boyfriend and my best friend. You can deal with it—you can deal with me."

I raised an eyebrow. "What if I don't want to?"

Suddenly, he leaned across the table to take a bite from the waffle I'd been holding for the past few minutes, gaze holding mine intensely. I gasped at the sudden proximity, my back pressing onto the chair as I returned his stare. In a heartbeat, he was gone again and back onto his own seat, chewing as if nothing had happened. "That's not a question I want to hear, princess. You don't mean it."

He was right. I didn't.

I took a bite from the waffle myself, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Are you really annoyed about the clothes? Should I give them back?"

"I don't want them back," Nico said immediately, shaking his head. "I needed an excuse."

I finished the last of my waffle. "You don't need an excuse. But...I wanted to ask, is this a d—"

"No," he answered quickly, features hardening, "why the fuck are you asking me that?"

A little hurt and humiliated with my assumption, I recoiled and mumbled, "I-I'm sorry. I just thought—"

"Not yet anyway," Nico murmured, glaring at the almost-empty plate of potato wedges as he crossed his arms defensively. "I haven't asked properly, so I don't want this to be the first. Besides, it's way too unplanned and unprepared—"

Throwing my head back, I laughed. "You're too much of a romantic, Nico Romero."

"Shut up," he snapped, but there was no anger in the way he said it. He seemed more embarrassed than anything. It was way too adorable. "Finish your fucking food, I didn't pay for all that shit for you not to eat them."

I was still grinning and did as told. "There's nothing to gain by fattening me up, you know."

"There is. Means you're actually being taken care of."

"I'm not a baby," I muttered.

He scoffed. "Yeah, okay."

"You should've celebrated instead."

Nico stayed silent for a few moments, all edges on his face gone, before stating quietly, "I'm doing it right now."

"What? Eating? You do that every day."

"No," he said, clearing his throat and keeping his eyes locked with mine, "I'm here. With you. That's enough."

"Oh," I mumbled lamely. "Oh. Yeah. That's. Great."

"Is. It?" he mocked, rolling his eyes. "You haven't even congratulated me yet."

I was still a little speechless. My heartbeat was going into overdrive, and I struggled to say, "You're really pressed about that, aren't you?"

"I do deserve it," he said, eyes glinting. "The winning shot was made by yours truly."

My lips cracked a small smile. "Alright, hotshot. Later."

He scoffed. "That's a guarantee I won't get it just because I want it. You gonna make me work for it, princess?"

I shook my head. Softly, I answered, "No. You don't need to."

The green-eyed boy watched me curiously as I finished the rest of the food, looking lost and confused. It made me nervous. A little excited.

So later, when he pulled up onto my driveway after driving me home, I unbuckled my seatbelt. In an act of bravery and courage and proper guts after I'd tried talking myself out of it the whole ride, I leaned across the console and tucked my hand across the nape of his neck, holding his face in place as I pressed my lips softly onto his cheek.

When I pulled back, his eyes were wide as he held his breath, unmoving and frozen. I grinned and whispered to his ear, "Congratulations."

And then I ran away from the car, took the stairs two steps at a time, and hid myself in the covers in the safety of my bedroom.

And squealed.

Did I really just do that?

A text from Nico two minutes later confirmed that I had. that was some congratulations, princess. thank you.

With shaking fingers, I typed my reply. you're welcome. goodnight.