AMARA

I keep staring at Tyler as the memories rush back to me.

I've honestly never stopped feeling guilty over how our short friendship tragically ended. Sure, I'm not the one who punched him, but still, perhaps there was more I could have done to ensure that Jacob wouldn't have completely gone off.

"Hey, don't look so horrified. I know you feel bad about how things ended, but that was a long time ago. I'm over it, really." He smiles at me carefully, understanding my guilt.

I nod gratefully then look back at the long line for a second before deciding on something. "Hey, do you really want the hotdog or could we maybe catch up a bit before the game begins?"

He seems to like my idea, so we leave the line and head to a side of the quad where there's a free cornhole, so we decide to play the game as we chat.

"So," I start, grabbing a green fabric bean bag. "Please tell me you're still not obsessed with that old airplane movie?" I tease him, throwing the bag underhand and scoring right into the hole.

Tyler throws me an impressed look at my cornhole skills and I shrug innocently, not revealing that I practically spent the whole summer at Camp Uphill mastering the best techniques for the game.

"Actually, I am. Plane Rides will forever be a classic, despite what some people may say." He throws me a meaningful look, holding back a smile.

Passing him a blue bean bag, I point toward the wooden cornhole positioned several feet from us. "Ah well, even though your movie preferences may still suck, I hope that your cornhole skills aren't as bad. Let's see what you got."

He smirks smugly, accepting the bag from me and swiftly throwing it in the hole without much deliberation.

Impressed yet annoyed at the fact that he's also good at the game, I narrow my eyes at him. "Who are you and what have you done with the awkward, sweet, and totally non-sporty Tyler I once knew?"

He opens his arms widely, a stupid smirk still intact. "He's still here, baby. Just bigger and better."

I roll my eyes at him, intent on not losing, even though it is just a friendly game. "Well, he better watch out. 'Cause he isn't the only one that has changed."

His eyes roam all over my body and face, taking me in with a heated stare that successfully renders me flustered. "Yeah, I can see that. You look even more beautiful, Mar."

"Oh, thanks," I mutter, totally blushing underneath my dark skin.

He only laughs at my awkwardness, deciding to spare me by grabbing another bag and easily throwing it in the hole.

"So, what's up with Amara Weston these days? I see you go to Hilltop Prep, congrats on that. I wasn't so lucky as to get in freshman year."

I wave him off, making my own throw and scoring once again. "Oh, please. It's not all that. Sure, it's a good school, but Castlehill is great too. And honestly, y'all got better people than us."

He stares at me before making another successful throw. "Nah, I don't know about that. I mean, you're there, right? And you're definitely good people."

I smile at him, happy that he really doesn't seem mad at me anymore. "I'm so glad you can still say that after everything that happened. And by the way, I'm still so sorry about that. I shouldn't ha-"

His hand lands on my arm, stopping my rant. "Hey, Mar, we're good. Really. That's in the past, no need to apologize again, okay?"

I sigh and nod. "Okay."

"Good. Besides, it wasn't your fault. If I remember correctly, you didn't direct Withers' hand to collide against my cheek. He did that himself."

I nod, wincing a bit at that awful day.

Causally, he asks, "How is that fucker, anyways? I know he plays lacrosse for Hilltop. Pretty sure I saw him on the field the last time I came here to watch my friends play."

I look down, hoping he doesn't see the varying emotions in my eyes. "Uh, he's good, I think. You know, playing lacrosse, spending his parents' money, and breaking the hearts of girls at Hilltop left and right. The usual."

Tyler's gaze returns to the wooden cornhole as he throws another bag back at it, still making it in. "Ah, is he breaking your heart, too?"

I scoff, completely insulted. "Breaking my heart with how insufferable he is, you mean? Then yes, all the damn time." I throw my own bag and also land it in.

"Wow, so he's still infatuated with you, huh?"

"I-I don't know if that would be the right way to describe it." I chuckle a bit, totally hoping he'll change the topic.

Thinking about Jacob makes me realize how much it would infuriate him to see me catching up with Tyler. Especially with the way Tyler is currently looking at me.

Not convinced, my old friend pushes, "So he doesn't claim you're his anymore?"

I shrug. I mean, not really. At least he hasn't said those very words to my face in a while now.

"And he doesn't touch you without your permission anymore?"

I scratch my neck. "Well, it's not really...the same." It's totally still the same.

Tyler blinks at me. "Are you guys now together? Or should I say still together?"

"No," I respond quickly, maybe too quickly. "Seriously, we aren't. We never were. But Jacob, he just still...hovers, you know?"

His laugh doesn't sound very amused as he picks up another bag and easily scores it in.

"Ah, so you never gave the poor guy a chance then. Why's that, again?"

I stall before answering, taking my sweet time to throw my bag perfectly into the waiting hole. The answer is easy enough yet altogether complicated.

"Our families are practically enemies. His father did some awful things to mine."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," he states, sounding sincere and somber at my revelation. "I remember you talking about your dad a lot, you were a total daddy's girl."

I grin widely. "Yep, still am. Proudly so."

He grins too. "What else is the same about you? Do you still like fantasy books and sci-fi movies? Or is grown-up Amara Weston not a dork anymore?"

I giggle, his sparkling eyes reminding me so much of the nerdy boy who befriended me. "Oh, I'm definitely still a huge dork."

"I'm very happy to hear that."

I roll my eyes. "Though, I'm sorry to say that my heart has been stolen by romance novels and literature from the Harlem Renaissance. Oh, and I'm more of a comedy, horror, and K-drama girl now."

He feigns disappointment. "Damn, no more sci-fi and fantasy, huh? Now I'm not so sure we can rekindle our friendship, Mar."

I push his shoulder jokingly and grab another bag. "Well, maybe the fact that my anime tastes have evolved will change your mind?"

He looks elated at my words. "Really? Please tell me you've finally realized the power that shounen anime has?"

I nod and throw my bag. "Yep, I definitely prefer shounen now. I mean, Attack on Titan? Fucking incredible. One Piece? Fantastic. And Naruto?! Simply a classic. Sasuke can seriously get it!"

A booming laugh follows after my little spiel and I scrunch up my face before amending, "Older Sasuke could get it, of course. Not kid Sasuke."

"Man, you don't know how happy I am that I got in that hotdog line and instantly recognized you. Now I can sleep easier knowing that you've come to the other side. It's an awesome feeling."

I smile, the guilty fifth grader in me feeling a weight lifting off her shoulders. After Jacob punched him, Tyler transferred to the other elementary school in our town and I'm assuming he ended up going to the other middle school as well.

I'd wondered if I'd meet him again one day, but as the years passed, I slowly gave up on that ever happening.

"I'm also happy to see you again, seriously. Our friendship might have been short but you were one of my first friends, one that I actually felt comfortable around."

His stare is heavy on me when he answers, "That was the same for me. Our personalities merged so well on a different level. It seems like they still might."

"Yeah, it seems like it. What can I say? Dorks for life."

He snickers. "Dorks or die."

"The dorkiest to ever do it."

"Dork and dorkier."

I point at him with a chuckle. "Good one." I think about another one but come up short.

"2 Broke Dorks?" he supplies, and I cackle.

"Not bad, Tyler. Not bad at all. I see you can think quick on your feet, huh?"

He winks at me. "Among other things."

A text chimes from my phone before I can comment any further, so I grab my device from my skirt pocket and explain, "Hold that thought. I'm pretty sure it's one of my dumbass friends texting me. They go crazy if I don't answer quickly."

He smirks at my description of Jaya and Rochelle and nods in understanding before picking up several bean bags and focusing on landing them successfully as I check my phone.

It is indeed Jaya and Ro, both of them texting me through our group chat.

Jaya: Girl, you alive??
Ro: Lines are long or should we call the cops? Text me your birthday if you're being held, hostage!
Me: 07/30! HELP! I've been kidnapped but for some reason they allowed me to keep my phone on me!
Jaya: HAHA, funny. So I'm assuming the lines are just long? The game's about to start by the way.
Ro: And Jacob looks seconds away from coming to collect your ass so you might want to hurry on back before he actually comes to you...
Me: Okay, okay, I'm on my way!

I look up at Tyler, smiling warmly. "My friends tell me that the game's about to start, so I should probably be on my way."

He drops a few bags on the floor and rubs his hands on his jeans. "Oh, yeah. The game. Almost forgot."

"I know, right? Me too."

His stare turns intense once again. "I had a great time catching up, Amara. Really. Awesome seeing you again after all this time."

I nod, agreeing with him. "I'm glad we got to chat for a bit. I forgot how fun you are, and it's good to know you're still so easy to be around."

His hand goes to scratch the back of his neck, causing his biceps to strain underneath the black T-shirt he wears.

Woah, the dude seriously packed on some muscle. He'd always been cute in an awkward and sweet way, but now he's attractive in a sexy way.

He still doesn't get you going like a simple stare from Jacob does, though, does he?

I quickly look away from his arm and quiet down my traitorous brain, focusing on his face, instead.

"Would you mind if we sat together on the bleachers? Only if it's cool with your friends, of course."

My eyes widen at his question, my mind going straight to the unreasonable man getting ready to play on the field right now and his potential reaction to seeing me with Tyler.

Oh, fuck no.

"Damn, that bad, huh?" He chuckles a bit at the look on my face.

I give him an apologetic smile, trying not to grimace. "It's not you, really. You're great. And my friends would think the same...but..."

I knead at my hands nervously, kind of embarrassed that I even have to say this, and I internally curse Jacob Withers out for that.

Damn you, you controlling devil!

"It's about Withers, isn't it? He wouldn't like me seating next to you?" Tyler is visibly annoyed that Jacob gets to affect who I interact with, and I can't even fault him for it.

"I just don't wanna cause a scene. And Jacob..."

"Would definitely cause a scene?" he supplies, still angry with the whole ordeal.

I simply nod, hoping he understands even though the whole thing is just a fucking mess that I should try to rectify somehow. Though the more I've tried to get rid of Jacob over the years, the more he's shown me that he won't be going anywhere.

"Fine. I get it. I mean, I don't really get it, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable so I'll let you go."

I beam up at him, thankful he's not making a huge deal out of it. "Thanks for being awesome, Ty." I give him a quick side hug just as my phone chimes once again.

"That must be my friends again. I'll go now before they send a search squad to look for me."

He nods, still looking a bit peeved but smiling nonetheless. "Great seeing you, Mar."

Walking backward, I wave at him. "You too, Tyler."

Then I turn around and hurry on back to the stands. When the field comes back in view, I quickly glance to my left and my eyes connect with Jacob's as he puts his black headgear on while his teammates do the same.

Great, looks like the game's just about to begin.

My eyes shift to Daniel, and I see him doing the same thing as Jacob. His eyes catch mine and I send him two thumbs up, which he responds to by smirking smugly while nodding confidently.

It sucks that our parents can't make it to his first game of the season, but he understands that they have to be at the shop, so all he requires is for me to be here to cheer him on.

The stands look visibly fuller, with just as many Hilltop fans as Castlehill's, everyone chattering in excitement waiting for the game to finally begin.

For whatever reason, lacrosse is big in our town. Even more so than football or basketball. And we have some of the best players who end up receiving full rides to D1 lacrosse colleges. Daniel is hoping to be amongst those players this year.

I'm just about to climb the steps to sit back next to Ro and Jaya, who give me goofy smiles when they see I'm finally back, but Tyler's voice stops me before I can even take the first step up.

"Hey, Mar!"

Fuck. I turn around almost robotically, moving away from the steps so that the people behind me can go up. I purposely ignore Jacob's burning eyes on my back and move closer to Tyler who stands by the side of the bleachers.

"Could I have your number? I forgot to ask while we were talking. I'd really like it if we could talk more. Maybe even hang out?"

A multitude of people walk past us to head up the stands and claim a seat, but I know that Jacob's stare is fixated on me. I can legit feel him accessing the situation and coming to a conclusion.

Stiffly, I recite my phone number to Tyler, and if he can sense how rigid I am, he doesn't comment on it. He only quickly taps my number on his phone, then calls me so I have his contact as well.

"Awesome, now I can reach you."

I smile weakly. "Yes, you can." My chuckle sounds strained even to my ear. "I should go now. Text me?"

He smirks and passes a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "Yes, I definitely will. Bye, Amara."

I wave at him then turn back around to finally go take my seat just as Hilltop's coach starts ushering the boys in the field.

My eyes go to Jacob once again almost on their own accord, and though I can't see his eyes clearly due to the helmet, I can certainly sense his dark mood.

Our moment is cut short when Evan throws me a glare, puts on his helmet and nudges his friend on the back to get him to head toward the field.

He tells him something I can't hear, and Jacob nods at his words, grabs his stick from the floor, then jogs briskly to the middle of the field.

My shoulders slump as I head on up to my friends, who I can already tell saw everything that happened and are awaiting the juicy details. Not that there's any. But still, they're the epitome of drama queens, especially Rochelle.

I don't even get the chance to get comfortable on the hard bleachers before they are both bombarding me with questions.

"Miss ma'am! Who is that strapping hunk of a man?!"

"Girl, where have you been hiding that big boy?! And sis! Does he have an equally attractive brother that'll eat me up the way he was eating you up?!"

I shake my head at the two nosey bitches I call my friends. "Y'all know what? Let's pay attention to the game, instead." I watch Jacob on the field, who is number fourteen, and I grimace at how tense his shoulders look.

Damn it. I really didn't want him to see me talking to Tyler. Especially not now that he has a game to focus on.

"Fuck the game. Tell us who was the mountain man down there and what did he want with you!" Jaya demands, crossing her arms stubbornly and glaring at me.

Rochelle looks to be practically bouncing in her seat. "Yes, you gotta tell us, Mar! I mean, did you see how Jacob reacted to y'all just talking?!"

Jaya loses the glare and looks down at the field with a satisfied smirk on her lips. "I know, right? That Stick devil looks seconds away from throwing up on the field."

Ro nods in agreement, now observing Jacob too. "Damn, he's going beast mode out there, though!" She looks to her left at me and pats my leg. "At least one good thing came from that big boy eyeing you down as if you're his next meal. With the way Jacob seems to be going crazy down there, we're definitely winning this match."

I hug myself and lean forward in my seat, watching as Jacob catches a pass from Kelvin, runs past Castehill's defense like it's nothing, and easily scores in the net.

The crowd goes crazy at the seamlessness of the gameplay, and even his teammates clap his back and helmet-protected head, but Jacob still remains tense and focused.

I suddenly have a strong urge to get on the field and hug him tightly to me. Maybe he would relax a bit, or maybe he'd slap my hands off of him and glower at me. But still, at least I wouldn't feel so guilty and useless.

I may try to ignore it for both our sakes, but in the back of my mind, I know that Jacob wants me. And I suspect that he feels some things more deeply, meaning that he'll overreact even when I was just talking to Tyler.

Maybe I should talk to him after the game? Just to placate him a bit by letting him know that I randomly ran into Tyler while trying to get food.

For some reason, after how sweet he was at his party-sweet in his own way, that is-I've been feeling like perhaps I should be a little less hostile to him.

In all fairness, I realize that he's never truly set out to hurt me, so maybe we don't have to be enemies just because our fathers hate each other and my brother thoroughly dislikes him. Right?

"So," Jaya starts impatiently. "Tell us who that guy was, Amara!"

The crowds roar once again as Jacob catches a pass from Fin and scores another goal.

I sigh and finally spill the beans, "His name is Tyler. He was a friend of mine in the fifth grade. Our friendship of a few days ended after Jacob punched him. He now attends Castlehill High and-"

They once again talk simultaneously as they interrupt me.

"What the fuck?! Jacob did what?!"

"Withers punched the guy?! Why?!"

I shrug, my eyes still on the game. "I don't know. Why does Jacob do anything that he does?"

I feel their stares on me, both of them knowing that there's something I'm not saying.

I roll my eyes. "Fine. Tyler called me beautiful and flicked the beads on my hair. So Jacob punched him. Y'all satisfied now?"

I know they are smirking smugly without even looking at them, and good thing I'm not 'cause I might just go violent if I were to see their faces at the moment.

"Damn, why the hell was I still in New York at that time?" Ro asks, undoubtedly pouting.

I see Jaya nod in agreement from my periphery. "And why the heck did I have to be at the other elementary school? I knew Hilltop Elementary had all the drama and cute boys but my parents wouldn't fucking listen!"

I try not to laugh at how ridiculous both of them are, because really, this is my life they're joking about, but fuck, their dramatic asses are hilarious.

"Fuck you, both. That day was not fun at all! I even cried after Jacob punched him!"

Not caring about my distress, they fall into a fit of laughter while I slap them both on the arm, still resisting the grin that wants to take over my lips.

What great fucking friends I have.