** Cole (Drew Van Acker), Wynn (Shay Mitchell), Wyatt (Steven R. McQueen) and Colby (Gabriella Wilde)**

11 years earlier

"Come on," Colby whined from the edge of the riverbank, where she idly tossed pebbles into the stream. "We always do what you want to do first, and it's always football. It's like you're...recessed with it."

Her older brother Alex laughed. "I think you mean obsessed sis, and so what? Would you rather we play hockey?"

"Or baseball?" Wyatt added, snickering. "Oh, it's so hard hitting this ball with this stick," he mocked, impersonating a ball player. "And running all that distance between the bases, whew!"

She made a face, sticking her tongue out.

"Careful B, or your face might stay that way!" Alex teased.

"You're already ugly enough," Wyatt added, smirking.

"I'm gonna tell your mama you said that," she threatened gamely. "And that you said the 'D' word to Luke."

"What's the 'D' word?" Luke, the littlest Byers child, questioned. He was digging in the wet soil on the river's edge, his overalls muddy up to his knees.

"Doggy, Luke," Alex said, raising his eyebrows at Colby. "Right, B?"

"Fine," she huffed. "Sure." She stood, turning to face the two older boys. "Can I at least play?"

"No," Wyatt said firmly. "You can be our cheerleader. That's what girls are supposed to do."

"I would never be a cheerleader," she spit, as though it were the most revolting thing in the world. "Never."

"Not like she'd have the choice," Alex said, elbowing Wyatt in the ribs. "You have to be pretty to be a cheerleader."

Wyatt shrugged. "She might get prettier someday." He glanced at Colby, a hint of a grin on his face.

Colby blushed when her eyes met his, a reluctant smile playing on her lips.

Colby

"The party has arrived!" Wynn hollers enthusiastically. She raises our joined hands into the air and pirouettes beneath mine. Our classmates dutifully whoop and clap, and I know I'm gonna miss this. I'm not the party girl I once was, but these are my people! It's at least one place I know I belong.

Wynn pulls a flask from the waistband of her skirt, having resolved to never let an incident like last time happen again. We'll roll with our own beverages now. Wynona raises her flask to the sky, and various cups of beer and other unidentified beverages shoot up along with hers, rivers of flowing liquid spilling over the edges of the red plastic.

Wynn takes a sip of the coconut rum she filched from her parents' liquor cabinet when we dropped by her place after the game. She winces as she swallows, tucking the flask away with a quick shake of her head and a forceful exhale.

"Whew! That's the good stuff," she sighs, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

"I wish we'd changed," I groan, tugging at the neck of my cheer uniform. You'd think it'd be more comfortable.

"And disappoint the football team?" Wynona says, clucking her tongue and flipping her long dark ponytail over her shoulder. "We can't do that B. You know we're their motivation. Really, we're providing a public service by looking this good."

I shake my head indulgently at my dearest friend.

"Hey!" Wynn shouts over my shoulder. I turn to find Cole approaching, all deadly good looks.

Why am I holding out on this hottie again?

"Congrats on tonight's win," Wynona says.

Cole wraps an arm around my waist. "Thanks. We got kinda lucky."

"That was no luck," Wynona replies slyly. "Just quite the finish by Wyatt, don't you think?" She winks one perfectly lined cat eye, stepping closer and extending her fingertips just shy of Cole's face, nearly touching his darkly circled eye. She pinches his cheek and then smacks it lightly like an annoying relative. "Catch you guys later," she adds, strolling away.

Cole's lips quirk as he watches her disappear into the crowd. They have a long, tumultuous family history, each from a family of dueling oil magnates. Their parents are bitter enemies, but Cole and Wynn have always managed to be cordial.

"Hey, beautiful," Cole says, returning his attention to me, and smoothing the lemony sour expression from his face. He pulls me into him and kisses me gently on the forehead, tucking a fallen piece of my hair behind my ear. "Miss me?"

My cheeks flair, a smile forming on my lips. Did I?

I realized after our dinner the other night that I haven't been fair to him. I know he's a good guy, the anger and concern I saw when I told him what I thought Greg had done solidifying that for me.

I nod. "You clean up nicely," I reply, moving my hands up over his broad shoulders to his neck. I push my fingers through is short hair, and pull his face to mine, kissing him on the cheek. He pulls away smiling.

"I told the school about Greg," he says, glancing around the room. "I just couldn't stop playing through all of the scenarios that could've occurred. Not to you, or even Wynona, if he'd gotten his way."

"I guess that explains why he didn't play tonight," I say, surprised. I suppose I never considered he might do anything about the situation. "Thank you, Cole."

"I'm not telling you to earn points or anything. Not that I'd mind," he adds, smiling like a fiend. "I just left our dinner the other night so pissed, and Colby," he pauses, eyes dropping to the ground. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything that night. I thought you'd had too much to drink. I know you've said that you don't drink, but I don't know... I guess I was thinking about... other things."

I chuckle a bit at that, and he looks embarrassed when his eyes lift to mine.

"What happened wasn't your fault, but thank you for your apology," I say, taking a step closer to him. His hold grows tighter around me, and I realize I like the way this feels. I've missed this closeness.

"Thank you for what you did," I continue. "I should have done it myself. I'm sorry if it put you in a bad situation with your teammates."

"They're fine," he says, trailing his fingers lightly up my arms. "Coach Castillo already knew about it anyway and said he won't be playing again. Not sure how he knew. I guess word gets around when you're an asshat." He laughs, his eyes dropping briefly to my lips.

I feel suddenly warm, but it's not because of Cole. I know how coach knew...

Wyatt.

"Hey," Cole says, recapturing my attention. "I'm gonna grab a drink. Want me to grab you a Coke or something?"

"No, thanks though," I reply, my hands falling away from his neck.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," he says grinning, backing toward the kitchen.

I wander a bit further into the house, which is actually a bit more like a palace. I've seen some big homes here in Tyler, but this has got to be near the top when it comes to its cavernous size. Vaulted ceilings, expansive rooms filled with modern furnishings— I find myself wanting to see more of it.

I take a step toward the entrance of the family room, and I can just barely make out Wyatt on the opposite end, a barrier of drunken classmates separating us. His back is pressed against the wall, and he's looking cool and casual as usual. Nash and Ari must not be here yet, as he appears to be alone.

He glances in my direction, and we lock eyes briefly. My heart speeds up, and I wonder how long he's been there. Was he watching Cole and me?

He looks away, grinning.

That smile. I'm about to go talk to him, when a couple moves to the side, giving me a better view.

He's not alone, after all.

Liv Matthews is there, whispering something in his ear. Whatever she's saying, he likes it. Jealousy surges through me. I exhale slowly, reminding myself that he's not mine, and I have to admit that it stings a bit.

I should have stopped watching as soon as I saw that skank with him. Instead, like a masochist, I continue watching, abusing my already fragile emotions.

He tips her chin toward his face, and she rises on tiptoe, her dirty, slutty lips meeting his.

I feel like I'm on fire, burning with envy. I want to go over there and slap her stupid face.

"Sis!" shouts a familiar voice.

Alex? Here?

"There you are, sis!"

I turn to find Alex, who pulls me into a tight hug. He reeks of alcohol and pot.

"Alex, hi!" I chirp, hugging him back. I had no idea he was coming home this weekend. I wish I could say I'm pleasantly surprised to see him, but nothing good ever comes from his visits.

Ever since Mom's been sick, it seems he just gets worse. More drugs, more alcohol. Who knows, maybe I'm even an aunt. We all choose how we cope with our circumstances, and I've been dealing with the same things he has, so I simply can't wrap my head around the mess he's become.

"I'm shocked these bastards can pull a win out of their asses," he slurs. "I was certain they'd be total shit without me and Trey."

My body immediately stiffens at the mention of Trey. I close my eyes, praying he won't be here with Alex.

"Where'd that dickhead go anyway?" Alex continues, and I shudder. Of course, he's here. They always come home together.

"I was actually just about to head home," I lie, grabbing his shoulders to regain his attention. "I'm not feeling well." It's only a partial lie, seeing as my stomach dropped through the floor the moment I realized Trey was here.

"You suck at lying, B," Alex says, shoving me toward the nearest chair. "Sit your chicken ass down, Trey's just grabbing us all some drinks." He pushes my shoulders down until I'm sitting, and I immediately spring back up.

"B, chill out," Alex drawls. "Trey really wants to see you. He said he needed to apologize."

I seriously doubt that, and he's had plenty of opportunities. I shake my head. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course I know," Alex says lazily, sliding into the chair I declined to sit in. "He told me what happened. I always knew you had a crush on him. I'm sure it was embarrassing when he turned you down."

"Okay, you have no idea what you're saying," I reply, growing more frustrated by the second.

Alex pops something into his mouth and grabs a drink out of the hand of the guy standing nearest to him, taking a sip and swallowing with a loud gulp. "I do," he slurs confidently. "You don't need to feel like an idiot. He told me that you tried to make a move on him a while back and that he told you he wasn't interested, but spoiler alert! He is!"

"I've been looking everywhere for you guys," Trey says, sidling right up and wrapping his arms tightly around me. "Been a while, gorgeous," he adds, and I pull myself away immediately, folding my arms across my chest.

"Whatever," I say, massaging my temple with one hand.

"I think you make her nervous," Alex laughs. He sounds like a complete douche. I roll my eyes, and I know Trey sees it.

"Nah, she ain't nervous," Trey says coolly. "We know each other too well."

I'd love to knee him in his junk.

"Hey, boys!" Cole hollers from a few feet away. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Cole throws an arm around my shoulders, and I exhale. I'm so relieved he's returned, I could cry.

Still, I'm counting down the seconds 'til I can get outta here.