The first week without Diego passes by slowly. It drags as I sit in my room, hoping that he'll come and knock on my door to distract me from my homework for an hour or two. On a brighter note, I took the time alone to catch up with my homework and even made time to hang out with Diana on Thursday. It also became common for me to skip my study hall to hang out with Sage, Webster, Quincy, and Diego. Whenever we do that, Sage drives me home so I won't have to rush back in time to catch a ride with my brothers.

I'm sitting in a pile of books I bought myself with my paycheck, trying to decide which one I should read first, when a notification sounds from my phone. I shuffle the books around in search of the device. I find it and look at the message. There is a party tonight. Do you want to go?

I look at Diego's message and contemplate my answer. I mean, I could go out and hang with him, Sage, Quincy and Webster...or I could stay inside and read my book. Before I can text back a response, he calls me. I let it ring for a second before I pick up.

"Hey," I greet him.

"Hi," he replies. "I don't mean to blow up your phone. It's just, I'm on break and can't exactly have a conversation over text for long so I figured calling would be more efficient. So...did you see my text?"

"Yeah..." I trail.

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to. If you want, we can just hang out or something. Unless you don't; I don't want to be monopolizing your time," he rushes and I smile into the phone.

"No, I want to go," I confirm.

"Okay, Sage said she'll pick you up. I'm going to get there late because I work until ten tonight but I'll see you there," he explains.

"Alright," I reply.

"Alright," he responds. "I'll see you then."

I hang up and stare at my phone. Sage texts me very soon after and tells me when she'll come by to pick me up and that I can spend the night at her house tonight if I want. I suddenly realize I have to ask my parents for permission. I drag myself out of bed and head downstairs where my parents are jointly making dinner.

"Hey," my mom greets me with a smile on her face. My dad nods in my direction as he licks the spoon of the cake my mom is putting into the oven.

"Can I go out tonight?" I ask, trying to be as vague as possible. I don't want to mention Sage if I don't have to. They've come to recognize her car because my mom has seen it multiple times this week when I was being dropped off. My nosy parents will definitely peek out of the window when I get in the car tonight.

"Where to?" my mom asks.

"With who? When will you be back?" my dad finishes.

"A movie with Webster, Sage, Quincy, and Diego," I explain and my parents glance at each other. "Sage asked me to spend the night."

"When are we going to meet this Sage girl?" my mom blurts and I shrug. "Well is she going to pick you up tonight?" I nod and my mom smiles. "Can she join us for dinner?"

I open and close my mouth a few times and my dad picks up on my hesitation. "Do you want to go out tonight or not?" I suddenly realize I don't have a choice. It's either have Sage join us for dinner or I can't go out at all.

"I'll ask," I tell my parents in defeat. I text Sage as I head upstairs.

O: My parents want to meet you before I spend the night at your house.

S: Okay, that sounds cool.

O: They want you to stay for dinner.

S: Okay. What time should I come over?

After calling down to my mother and asking how long dinner will be, I text Sage and tell her what time to show up. I begin packing my bag and changing into one of the few dresses I have. I figure my parents won't question it and it's party apparel enough. When Sage arrives, I meet her outside and shove my bag into the backseat. I begin to prompt her before she even gets out of the car.

"They're going to ask some weird questions. Just be cool and be as vague as possible without coming off as disrespectful. They think we're dating. Again, no big deal-," I try to breeze past it but she catches on.

"What?" she asks, holding back a laugh.

"My parents kind of think we're dating," I tell her. "I don't know. Come on- the sooner we eat, the faster we leave."

I open the door to the house and she steps in, contemplating whether or not she should kick her ankle boots off. I wave my hand and she follows behind me, clacking along into the kitchen. My mom and dad immediately assess her as she comes into their view. She's dressed well enough- a large tan sweater with a white scarf and black leggings; a typical fall outfit.

"You must be Sage," my mom greets her with a handshake.

"No, mom, she's some random girl I found outside," I mutter, earning a short glare from my mother.

"It's nice to finally meet you," my dad says as he nods at her. "I'll go get the boys."

"Sit, sit," my mom insists as she ushers Sage over to the table. She takes a seat, as do I. "I hope you like baked ziti."

"It's my favorite," Sage's eyes light up like a Christmas tree and I want to gag. Is she serious? I listen as she entertains my parents and soon enough, my brothers. Eventually, we're all sitting around the table and my mom starts asking questions.

"How did you meet my daughter? The bookstore?" she asks and Sage shakes her head.

"No, I'm friends with Diego and through him, I met Orion," Sage explains and my mom nods. Sage looks at me and I can tell she's cautious about what she's saying.

"How long have you known Diego?" my dad asks.

"Um...a couple years," Sage answers. "We knew each other in middle school but we didn't get close until freshman year."

"You two are close?" my mom asks. Sage nods in response. "That's good."

My parents continue to questions Sage but tone down the interrogation as the meal comes to a close. My brothers excuse themselves one by one and eventually it's just me, my dinner guest, and my parents. My father and mother begin clearing the table and I nudge Sage to get her attention.

"Thank them and let's get out of here," I hiss as I rise and prepare to join my parents in the other room.

"Won't that be abrupt?" Sage asks but I'm already in the kitchen.

"Okay, mom and dad, you've finally met Sage. Can I go now?" I ask with a smile on my face.

My mom purses her lips at me before turning to Sage, completing flipping her facial expression into a happy smile. "It was so nice to meet you, dear," my mom coos and she turns to look at me. "I'm glad our daughter has another great friend."

"It was nice meeting you, Sage," my father adds in. "I hope to see you around the house more often. Perhaps at one point, you can spend the night here and see if you really want to be friends with my daughter. You should hear one of her yelling fits with her brothers."

"Okay, dad," I press as I shoot a glare at him. 

"What? Am I embarrassing you?" he asks. "I mean, she's friends with you so she must know how weird you-."

"And we're leaving now," I say as I cut off my father, who laughs maniacally.

"It was nice meeting you all!" Sage yells over her shoulder as I practically drag her out of the house.

"Thank goodness that's over," I mumble as I rush to the passenger side of her car.

"What do you mean? That was fun!" she expresses as she gets into the car.

"Fun? How?" I ask.

"Your parents are so nice! And whoever made that meal, Gordon Ramsey would be proud," she replies. "Your brother is kind of cute."

I wrinkle my nose as I look at her. "Which one?" I ask.

"The one that was sitting across from me," she says.

"Nate?" I retort in disgust. "Ew. Just drive, please."

A few moments pass and we're driving by Diego's house when she pops the question I was waiting for. "Why do your parents think we're dating?" she asks.

"It's a long story that goes back many, many years," I explain. "My mom for some reason thinks I like girls because I never talked about guys. And there was a weird slight obsession with an older female neighbor and then there were the hand-me-down clothes. Basically, they just assumed I liked girls and it stuck. And then when I was hanging out with you so much, they made more assumptions."

"I see...you've not told them about Diego, I'm assuming?" she asks and I scoff loud enough that it causes her to jump.

"'Have I told them about Diego?' First of all, I've barely told myself about Diego," I retort. "They would never let me hang out with him if they knew anything that's happened."

"Makes sense," she replies. "I also hear that Diego accidentally outted me to you," she says and I nod.

"Yeah, are you upset with him?" I reply.

"No... I mean, I was angry that he woke me up at four in the morning calling me over and over to say sorry and explain himself. He was apologizing for ten minutes before he even told me what it was for," she says as she turns down a dark street.

"Yeah, he felt bad," I mumble.

"I was going to tell you. I just didn't know when to say it," she replies. "I kind of assumed you had an idea because I call girls hot a lot but I wasn't sure."

"I considered it but I never really put much thought into it," I admit.

"Yeah, well, it's just an aspect of my personality. Making out with girls, making out with guys- that's me," she furthers with a laugh. I roll my eyes jokingly. "Speaking of making out..."

"He told you?" I ask her and she laughs loudly.

"What has he not told me? Seriously, he tells me, like, everything," she replies.

"Everything?" I ask with wide eyes and she nods.

"Pretty much," she relays as we pull into the driveway of her house.

"So, uh, what does he say about-?" I start as she turns off the car and she scoffs before shaking her head.

"Nope, not happening," she retorts and I sigh as I roll my eyes, mumbling quiet complaints as I follow her inside.

+++

Getting ready for the party doesn't take long and soon enough, Quincy and Webster are pulling up out front of Sage's house and we're on the way. For the most part, I helped Sage get ready and put some light makeup on myself. 

"Hopefully it doesn't get shut down," Webster notes as he sits with his face between the two front seats. I look at him with a raised brow and he further explains himself. "Most of the parties have been getting shut down by the cops recently."

I look to Sage who makes it a point to not glance at me. "Did you forget to mention that to me? My dad's a cop, remember?"

"Really?" Quincy pipes from the backseat, blocked out by Webster.

"Yes," I reply with a pointed look to Sage.

"I figured we'd get out in time if things get to that point," she explains while I shake my head and sigh heavily.

The rest of the ride is silent as we reach the area where the party is taking place. There aren't many cars around but we can hear the music as we pull onto the street. Sage manages to get a spot close enough so that we don't have to walk too far. We all get out of the car and the guys run towards the house. Sage looks at me and offers me a small frown. "I'm sorry about not telling you," she says.

"It's okay," I say with a shrug. I doubt I'll even be here for long. When Diego comes, I'll probably try to get him to leave with me.

Immediately upon entering the party, we're hit with a series of foul scents. I look at Sage, whose nose is just as wrinkled as mine, and feel the urge to sigh. Only an hour until Diego gets here. I contemplate asking for her keys so I can sit in the car but decide against it when I see an empty hammock through the back doors. I shuffle my way through the house; it's not crazy crowded but it's more than comfortable. I jog over and sit down on it, sighing in relief as I inhale the fresh air.

"Thanks for stealing my seat," a shadowed figure says as they approach me from the back porch that I just ran from. I furrow my eyebrows as I squint to see them. It's a boy about my age with an unopened bag of chips in his hand and a soda.

"You're talking to me?" I ask as I look around. It's a pretty dumb question; obviously he's talking to me.

"Yes," he replies as he stands a few feet away from me. In the dim moonlight I can see his features. Sharp jaw, pale skin, pouted lips. "I was sitting there all of five minutes ago."

"Sorry," I mumble as I go to get up. I really want to tell him that if you move your feet, you lose your seat, but I decide against it.

"No, no, no, you can sit. I'll just..." he hesitates before lowering himself into a cross-legged position on the floor.

"Are you sure?" I ask and he shrugs as he opens his bag of chips.

"Yeah," he replies. "So why are you out here and not in there illegally consuming the illegally obtained alcohol?"

Do I really want to have a conversation with a strange boy in the backyard of a party I don't want to be at to begin with? "I'm not a party person, what about you?" I reply.

"Well...I'm just here to make sure none of my belongings get stolen or broken," he answers and I quirk an eyebrow. He may or may not see it because he replies shortly after. "I live here."

"Ah...party host?" I ask.

"Co-party host," he corrects me. "My brother organized it but I paid for half of everything."

"Yet you're not in there enjoying it?" I reply as I look into the bustling house.

"I don't feel like hooking up with girls or entertaining drunk people so here I am," he responds.

"I guess that makes sense," I mumble back.

 "Question: if you don't want to be here, then why are you here?" he asks.

"Well..." I start, "my friends kind of insisted I come."

"Makes sense," he nods as he shoves a couple chips into his mouth. He holds the bag out for me and I shake my head with a small smile. He shrugs and tosses a few more chips back.

"What's your name?" I blurt, not sure why I care.

"Roman," he answers. "And yours?"

"Orion," I reply.

"You go to the high school?" he asks with furrowed brows.

"Yeah," I reply as I swing lightly on the hammock to hide my nerves.

"I think we have a class or two together," he replies.

"What makes you say that?" I ask.

"I recognize your name. You have brothers, right?" he inquires. "Calum is one of them?"

"Yeah..." I trail.

"I'm not stalking you, I swear. Our brothers are friends," he replies with a laugh when he notes the hesitation in my face. "Besides, I'm very attentive to my peers, especially when they're pretty girls."

I laugh loudly at this offhand compliment. "Thanks," I respond, unsure of what else to say. I can't possibly compliment him back. Then he'd think I'm interested and the only person I want is Diego. "You seem to know a lot about me but I don't know much about you."

"My name is Roman Rogers," he introduces and his name doesn't ring a single bell. "I'm a junior. My brother is Edward Rogers- senior, basketball player- you probably know him. I'm the less obnoxious, funnier version of him."

"I bet you are..." I trail. I vaguely know his brother.

For the next half hour we make small talk about school and mutual people we know. Throughout the conversation, I keep checking my phone for notifications from Diego. He eventually mentions it when the discussion dies down. "Are you waiting for your boyfriend's text?" he inquires. When he notes my hesitation, he corrects himself. "Or a special someone?"

"Yeah," I answer.

"Not a boyfriend?" he inquires.

"Not officially," I respond.

"That explains a lot," he nods, which gains my attention. I acknowledge the faint smirk on his lips. "Normally, girls are all over me. But you have a boyfriend so that explains why you aren't."

I laugh yet again. "Yeah, that's why," I respond with an entertained head shake.

"You don't think I'm cute?" he teases. I take this as my cue to leave before things get flirtatious.

"On that note, I'm going to go find my friend. I'll be back...maybe," I say as I stand up. He stares up at me from his position on the floor and offers me a small wave as I go. I turn my attention to my phone in slight confusion as I walk back to the house. It's 11:30 and Diego still isn't here, nor has he texted me that he's on his way. I texted him twice but received no response so I'm going to go see if Sage has any idea what's going on. I enter the house and immediately begin looking around for her. I travel from the basement to the first floor and gradually making my way to the second.

A few doors are closed and I don't bother opening them. As I'm about to turn back and head down and out to the car, a door opens and I hear Diego's voice. "Elena!" he calls. I furrow my eyebrows as I see Diego's coworker stumbling out of the bathroom with what appears to be beer on her shirt. She sees me and smiles.

"Heeeey," she drags her words and I can't help but glare at her in disgust. Diego comes out of the room behind her but stops short. "I see why you're just friends with him. He's a really bad kisser." She says it as if she's doing me a favor by letting me know.

"Orion," he says and I notice the same faded lipstick smeared across her face, staining his shirt and neck. My eyebrows rise as he shakes his head. I can only bring myself to nod as I assess the situation.

"Nice," I manage to mutter as I give him a thumbs up. I quickly turn and head back downstairs. "Orion!"

I open up the map app on my phone to try to find out how far I am from home. Perfect, a half hour walk. I check my messages again only to find no replies from Sage. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Everything is just perfect. I head back outside and try to shake the image out of my mind.

You don't even know if they were doing anything.

They left a room together and her lipstick was on his neck. What else could have happened?

I swallow hard as I slip back into the yard. "Idiot, idiot, idiot," I mumble to myself, not even sure if I'm talking about me or Diego.

"Why thank you," Roman says from his spot on the hammock. "Sorry, you were gone for a while so I assumed you weren't coming back so I kind of just..."

He goes to get up from his spot but I shake my head. "No you're fine, stay seated," I reply as I pace back and forth in front of him.

"Are you okay?" he asks as his eyes follow me.

"Yes," I reply. "No? I don't know. It wasn't official so I don't even know why I'm upset. I'm lying. I do. It's because I like him."

"You lost me, Orion," Roman responds and I stop walking and exhale with closed eyes.

"Boys are stupid," I inform him as I massage the bridge of my nose.

"You're right. Good thing I like girls," he agrees with a nod.

"I'm sitting down," I warn him as I drop beside him on the hammock. Because of gravity and also the fact that it's a small hammock, we end up side by side. It isn't until now that I realize he turned on the lights lining the backyard. I turn my head to face him and find that he's just as cute as I thought he was. He stares back at me and I watch as the corners of his lips turn upward into a smirk.

"I know that look," he teases. "You think I'm cute."

I stare at him and think to myself. What have I got to lose? Clearly, I overvalued whatever it was Diego and I had going on. But I don't think it'd make me feel better to flirt with Roman. I barely know him and though he may be cute, it wouldn't do me much good. "I never said that," I respond, which gets a laugh from him.

"You don't have to," he replies. "I can tell you think I'm cute."

I stare at him for a few more seconds. His pale skin and blonde hair are not features that I'm typically attracted to but I'd be lying if I called him ugly. He licks his lips, which are nowhere near as nice as Diego's (maybe Elena would oppose that claim). "How so?" I ask curiously.

"Just the way you're looking at me," he says back confidently. "Am I wrong?"

I swallow nervously. Not many guys have shown interest in me, especially not in such a short period of time or in such a blunt manner. I decide that maybe flirting a bit won't hurt. Diego isn't the only one that is capable of gaining the interest of other prospective partners. "No," I answer. "You're cute."

"So are you," he replies with a grin before a thought occurs to him. "But I'm sure your boyfriend tells you that."

"He's not my boyfriend," I scoff. "I don't really want to talk about him right now. Or think about him, for that matter." Whenever I think of Diego, I think of different scenarios that could've taken place in the bathroom with Elena and obviously none of them give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't want to be sad or angry right now. I'm supposed to be having a good time sneaking out of the house and rebelling against my parents.

"I can take your mind off of him," he proposes, which surprises me a little. If he means what I think he means, then what? Diego kissed Elena so why shouldn't I kiss Roman? It's just a kiss. And it's not like Diego's my boyfriend. If he really wanted to, he could've chased after me and tried to make amends. But where is he? Probably still with Elena. The thought angers me so I clench my fists at my sides and make my decision.

"Yeah," I agree. "That sounds good."

I've had less than a handful of kisses in my life, all of which happened within the last couple weeks. So when Roman leans in, I feel my stomach growing tighter at the chance of being judged as a bad kisser. His hand holds my waist lightly as he presses his lips to mine in a slow but hard rhythm. It's not bad. It's just...different. I'm used to Diego's urgent but gentle style. Stop comparing him to Diego. I squeeze my eyes shut as I leave my hands on his shoulders as we continue to kiss.

"Are you okay?" he asks as he breaks away from me. I stare at him with slightly fuzzy vision so I blink hard to adjust it.

"Yeah, why?" I lie.

"Well, for one, you're crying," he replies. I reach a hand up to my face and find that he's right. I wipe the dampness from my face quietly. I hadn't even realized I was crying. 

"Sorry," I mutter awkwardly. How embarrassing.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks me as I stand up.

"Yeah...I should probably go," I say as I feel embarrassment and slight shame wash over me. How stupid am I? I don't even need anyone to answer that.

"Okay..." he trails awkwardly. "I'll see you around Orion."

I don't bother saying anything in return and instead, rush to the front year. Now I can feel my tears. Idiot, idiot, idiot. This time I'm talking about me.