"You've been extra quiet." Mom sat across from me at the kitchen table, Taylor hanging off her boob. "After coming in late from studying."

"I was back before curfew." Though missing it to stay snuggled up with Nolan would've been worth it. "And you can stop smirking. It wasn't a date."

She didn't believe me. Even Taylor paused her breakfast to give side eye me. Was I really so easy to read that a baby could do it?

"Mrs. Coleman said she saw you with him before. Exactly how many group projects do you have together?"

I kept my mouth shut and focused on my pancakes. Because for the rest of Thanksgiving break we had to work late to finish this project. When school started back up and I had to go back to working at the market, Nolan and I worked on our project on the weekends.

After that first night we didn't need alcohol to loosen us up. It was just us with some junk food in the trunk of the minivan looking out over the dried up creek. Most nights we kept to the plan. We shared facts and stories. Stuff we thought we should know about each other.

Gia was being tight lipped about the questions, so we didn't have anything to go off of. We worked on getting our stories straight about how we met, who asked who out, our first date. Our stories didn't stray too far from the truth. We had to make sure they were believable.

One night we didn't talk. He didn't want to. Instead we sat in a comfortable silence on the rickety old swing set. After a while he told me his mom got really sick and needed to be taken to the hospital. She was fine to go home, but he seemed really shaken up about it.

That wasn't going to be on any pop quiz, yet he told me about it. I didn't know how to respond, so I held his hand as we stared out over creek.

Something shifted that night. Our talks weren't all about showing off scars and ranking ice cream flavors anymore. They become more personal. More about fears and dreams and goals.

That's when we learned just how much we had in common. He wanted to travel Europe because it was his mom's dream since she was his age. I wanted to go to UCLA because it's where my mom studied before my dad talked her into dropping out.

That was another thing we shared. We both felt like our dads failed our moms. My dad practically forced my mom to become reliant on him and him alone. Nolan thought his dad could've fought his mom harder about treatments when she was first diagnosed.

He knew things about me that Bee didn't even know. Like the real story behind the paint stain on my rug. I didn't just drop it, I threw it. My dad's lucky the bottle missed him. He's lucky I didn't try again after he tried to talk me into abandoning my mom to live with him in Ohio.

And I could tell it had been a while since Nolan was that open with another person. His hands were constantly in his hair as he told things from the deepest part of him. I was filled with a special kind of warmth knowing he trusted me enough to tell me those things.

Our talks brought us closer, made us friends at the very least. That was something our fake relationship was missing and adding that element didn't go unnoticed by our peers. We were stopped in the hall more than once by people asking if we signed up to run for king and queen, promising us their vote. Maybe this wouldn't be a lost cause.

* * *

Nolan's minivan came in handy on Friday. The basketball team had an away game and we carpooled with Bee, Gia, Hannah, Candi and her boyfriend Justin. Thankfully Justin was a forgiving person, otherwise the ride would've been a long one.

As much as I enjoyed a mini road trip with my friends, I hated that we all had to be in Nolan's car. The van was like our secret spot. Just for us. They were trespassing. Hannah was wrapped in one of the blankets that was still spread out in the trunk, Gia and Bee played with the deck of cards that Nolan brought to prove he knew card tricks (which still hasn't been proven.), Candi and Justin were cuddled together in a way I've imagined being with Nolan more than once.

They didn't know what they were intruding on.

We found spots on the bleachers. The rival team was warming up on the court, their shoes squeaking against the gym floor. Voices echoed as people called out to their friends and tried to find their own seats.

I was sandwiched between Nolan and Hannah, who pouted and complained about being the only single one among us. When she said she hadn't been kissed all school year I almost let it slip that I hadn't either.

Nolan and I faked our way through the game the same way did at football games. Basketball fans didn't generate half the energy as the football fans, but it was still fun.

During half time, as people were going on bathroom breaks and grabbing snacks, Nolan and I were left alone to make sure no one stole our friends seats.

The cheerleaders did a routine to entertain the crowd while we waited for the game to resume and the Grizzly's mascot, Cedric, took photos with horrified children. Nolan leaned over, whispering in my ear so I'd hear him over the music, "I miss football season."

"Me too," I agreed, motioning to the players on the bench. "Their pants aren't even tight, how am I supposed to rank their butts?"

Our laughing was interrupted by Zane Banks, who was basically paparazzi for our school's yearbook, as he came down the aisle to us. "Isn't it one of Bellcreek's top six"

"Top six?" I questioned, looking up at him.

"Yeah, rumor is they're cutting the king and queen nominations down to six lucky couples," he explained, fidgeting with the camera that hung from his neck. "A lot of people think you'll make the roster."

Nolan turned to me, grinning like he just like a kid in a candy shop. God, I loved his smile. Hopefully, Zane's information was right. I didn't know what would happen if we didn't get a chance at the crown.

"What do you two say to doing a kiss cam?"

If Zane noticed how stiff I got at the mention of a kiss cam he didn't let on. He was too busy wiping down the lens of his camera, to care apparently. I looked up at Nolan. My mouth was dry because all I could think about was his.

"Don't you need a jumbotron for that?" Nolan asked. He didn't seemed fazed by the question. Maybe he was just a better actor than me.

"It's for the year book," Zane told us. "It'll make sense once you see it. Come on. Just a quick one."

When Nolan looked over at me I noticed he wasn't as calm and collected as I thought. His brown eyes frantically searched mine as if asking what do.

Zane was persistent, his camera was set up to capture the moment. "Don't be shy. Do it for the yearbook."

Nolan gaze locked on mine. "Do you..."

YES! I wanted to scream. Instead I pointed to an impatient Zane. "I don't think he's leaving until we do."

"I'm not," he said from behind his camera.

That was enough for Nolan to press his lips to mine. However, that kiss definitely wasn't enough for me. It left me wanting more, just like that accidental kiss in the photo booth. It was quick, over in nanosecond, but I thought about it long after the game ended.

Thankfully everyone was too drained from the game talk on the ride home, so my silence wasn't out of the ordinary. I was the last to be dropped off by Nolan. As he drove from Bee's house to mine my mind kept replaying the kiss.

"That was one hell of a game," Nolan said once he parked in my driveway. "Coach was a dumbass for not putting Carlson in that last quarter. Everyone knows he got the best defense."

My brow raised. "Who did you steal that line from?"

"Justin," he announced proudly.

I laughed. "Of course."

It got quiet. I should've gotten out of the car by now, but I didn't want to. What I wanted was to the creek. Maybe get a proper kiss.

"I hope my nacho breath wasn't too bad," he said, more to his hands than me.

He was still thinking about it, too? I bit back a smile. "It was a sacrifice I had to make for the sake of the yearbook."

Another silence fell over us as we awkwardly grinned at each other. My phone broke the moment. Bee's name flashed across the screen as it rang. Now I had no choice but to leave. Once I was in my room I scolded Bee for your bad timing.

* * *

I stayed up replaying the kiss in my head. I wondered how the picture looked, if you could tell it was our first kiss.

Kissing Nolan, however brief, jolted something awake in me. My fingers itched for a paint brush and canvas. I needed to release whatever was happening in my chest. My mind flashed with different colors as I drag myself out of bed at four in the morning.

I dug the supplies I finally got around to buying from my closet. The paint still had their protective seals, the brushes were soft and new, the canvas a bright white. The supplies weren't as high quality as I was used to, but they'd do for now.

I set up in the garage. Shades of blue, orange and yellow covered the canvas as I let whatever pooled inside me to spill out. Each line of Nolan Chamber's face made it onto my canvas along with all the bits and pieces that pushed me to fall helplessly in love with him.