SAM's POV

~At the bowling alley~

Me and my friends made a date to hang at the bowling alley today. Just another one of our favorite spots to chill. Maybe a few hours of fun can get my mind off of drama at school. I'm willing to not yell at anyone tonight and be more calm and listen for a chance, since Diggy said that I have a big mouth. He ain't lyin' though.

Becca had picked herself out a pink bowling ball that weighed six pounds. I picked out a random ten pound ball and the guys picked up twelve pound bowling balls. We set them down at our area and started bowling.

"Did you see the game the other night?" Khalil asked Diggy.

"Yeah, man, that was crazy! Lebron was killing 'em, yo!" Diggy replied.

"I know. Man, Howard... I don't know what he was on but he needa go!"

"He's nothing compared to the other players on his team. Kobe saved his butt when he missed that pass--"

"I KNOW! They lost anyway, but still! That's crazy, dawg, crazy!" Diggy exclaimed, finishing his turn. Becca stood up to start her turn.

"Will you both just shut up? All you talk about is basketball," she complained, "Why don't you ask us what we want to talk about for once?" She was referring to us girls.

Khalil rolled his eyes and replied, "Um, because you're just gonna talk about boys."

"So? What's wrong with that?" Becca replied.

"It's annoying, that's what's wrong with it," Khalil replied back, fixing his black snapback with the word 'OBEY' on it.

"Whatever. I'm changing the subject anyway. I didn't wanna bring it up, but what do you think Julie has with Chris?" She bowls and knocks down five pins.

"What do you mean?" Diggy asked. He was sitting to my left (with a seat in between us) on his phone.

"You know how she said she was talking to Chris about the rumor and he told her what happened. How does she even know him? She just got here."

"Well, she is a cheerleader... they know everybody," I say, leaning back in the chair.

"I'm a cheerleader too, but I don't know every dude on the basketball team." Becca bowled again and knocked down the remaining  five pins.

"You're not a hoe..." I reply, making Khalil laugh.

"Sam, don't say that about Julie!" Diggy yelled.

"There you go defending her again. Diggy, how many times do I have to tell you -- you don't know her! She's sneaky--"

"No. YOU don't know her, Sam. Stop acting like you know everything because you don't..." He furrowed his brows and returned his attention back to his phone.

Becca rolled her eyes and turned to face us. 

"Forreal, guys, I'm just wondering how she knows Chris already."

"If you need to know, I introduced her to him the other day at school," Diggy confessed while texting.

"Oh... okay." Becca sat down in between Khalil and I. I sat up in the chair and stood up to take my turn.

"Yeah. She seemed really eager to meet him too."

"I saw them the other day..." Becca said softly. Why is she talking all low?

"Okay?" Diggy looked at her.

"They were in the hallway as I was walking to the restroom... Julie leaned her back against the wall and Chris was in front of her, like, with his hand leaning against the wall beside her head. And she was smiling and giggling... and messing with his varsity jacket. Then, I saw Chris kiss her cheek and they departed ways. It was weird..."

I was listening to her talk while I was bowling. I'm sure she's just exaggerating. No way the most popular guy in school is into her... I mean, it's not like I care.

"And then afterwards, they both flew off into the sunset, hand in hand... hahahaha!" Khalil was laughing his little tail off again.

Becca glared at Khalil. "I'm serious! No joke! I don't know what they were talking about, but it must've been very interesting..."

Returning back to my seat, I glimpsed at Diggy and he looked a little sad.

"Oh! Do you think Chris and Julie are going to homecoming?!"

"Of course not," I say.

 "I wouldn't be surprised if it was true..." Becca says, playing with her hair.

"Why do you care so much anyway? Chris ain't want you; nobody wants to go to the dance with you so you in everybody else's business," Khalil told her with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, shut up, Khalil! That's not true. Besides, I don't see any girls coming up to you asking for your number!"

At that exact moment, two girls about our age wearing shorts and see-through tops came up to Khalil looking all googly-eyed.

"Hi," one girl with a basketball cap on said.

"Hello, ladies," Khalil flirted.

"W-We were just wondering... you go to Wesley High, right?" The same girl asked.

"Yep. Why?"

"We're huge fans of your boys basketball team!" The other girl with strawberry blonde hair said.

"Isn't everybody..." I mumbled under my breath.

Diggy gets up and walks in front of the girls. "I'm on the basketball team, too. Nice to meet you. We love our fans." He bites his lip and the girls giggle. Boy, Oh Boy.

Khalil stands up, meeting the same height as Diggy.

"OMG. Daniel Simmons!"

"I can't believe we're meeting Daniel and Khalil from Wesley High!"

"Believe it, sweethearts," Diggy replies. Lame-o.

"C-Can we get your autographs?!"

"Sure," they both replied. They signed their names on the pieces of paper provided by the girls. The girls looked at it and freaked out, then left.

"See? Girls drool over us everyday," Khalil bragged to Becca. She gave him the evil glare.

"Shut up. Go! It's your turn! Sam, you wanna go get some food from the bar?" She got up and pulled me along with her before I could say anything. I guess we're going for a talk.

***

"What is it?!"

"Why are boys so two-faced and arrogant?" Becca complains with a pout.

"Not all of them... but most," I say.

"Ugh, okay. I'm gonna tell you something I don't feel comfortable saying, but I'm thinking of going to the Homecoming dance..." Becca says, with a worried expression on her face.

"Not surprised. So why do you look like you just saw a ghost?" I laugh.

"I might have..." She pauses. "I can't obviously go by myself. I mean the whole school will be there and I can't be the lonely girl at the party. That's terrible. I'm a cheerleader so it should be easy for me to get dates, right?"

"Ohhhhhh, I get it. It looks to me like someone has a crush..." I poke her and smirk.

"That might be true," she says, biting her bottom lip.

"Well, Becca, I'm standing right here. Tell me!" I cross my arms and tap my foot.

"Don't laugh, okay?"

"I won't."

"You promise?"

"Mhmm..."

"You have to say it!"

"What if I don't want to?"

"SAM!"

"FINE! Haha, I promise. Now tell me before I leave you standing here."

Becca lets out a huge sigh. 

"I was th-thinking of asking Khalil out..."

I looked at her and blinked for a second. Then laughed out loud. The guy behind the bar and a few other people around us looked at me.

"You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"KHALIL?! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Whatever, Sam..." Becca storms off. I walk behind her still laughing.

***

DIGGY's POV

"Well, I'll be having more than one date for this weekend," Khalil sat in his chair, raising his arms behind his head.

"What are you talking about, boy?" I sat next to him.

"I gave them my number," he said with a sly smile.

"You didn't?!"

 We looked at each other and laughed.

"Dawg, you are THE player haha."

"See, Dig, that's why you ain't got no honeys! You gotta learn from me, my brotha."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yeah, man. Check it, there's a method to my madness, bro."

"Teach me," I chuckle.

"Alright, so if you wanna pick up a bad chick and make her yours, you gotta do three steps." He held up three fingers. "One: Make her smile or laugh by saying something witty. Two: When she smiles, compliment her smile and say it's really pretty. Three: Ask her if she wants to go out on a date and she'll say yes."

"So that really works?" I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.

"All the time."

"I dare you to use it on Becca..." I tell him while looking at the text from Julie. We've been texting back and forth all night, talking about everything. School, food, clothes, basketball, homecoming... she told me to meet at her house in half an hour. I don't wanna just leave, but I like hanging with Julie. She's cool, smart, fun, and not to mention super gorgeous.

"Nah, man... I can't be nice to her. Then she'll really think I might like her," Khalil refuses.

"But you do! So what's the big deal, 'playa playa'?" I reply back to Julie and slip my phone back in my pocket.

 "I'm not doing it," Khalil said, shaking his head.

"Well, too bad because she's walking back over here."

"Becca, I dare you to right now!" Sam was practically yelling. Becca looked annoyed.

"Shut up..."

"Why did y'all yell my name over there?" Khalil asked them as they approached. Sam busted out laughing for no reason. She must've had too much sugar. Becca rolled her eyes at her and looked at Khalil.

"No reason. So, did you get any numbers?" Becca asked him.

"Of course! They don't call me a playa for nothing'. I'm not gonna call them though..." Khalil replies while dusting off his shoulder.

"Why not? Didn't you need a date to the dance?"

"...I actually already have someone in mind. Plus, I was thinking of asking her this week," my homeboy replied.

"Oh... cool. I was gonna ask this guy at school too..." Becca replies while nodding her head, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I bet he can't play basketball."

"Who said anything about basketball?"

Khalil shrugs. "I'm just saying, whoever the guy is, I bet he doesn't play basketball. Because... y'know, then he'll have to come up against me."

"And why would he need to do that?" Becca asks him.

"You're a cheerleader, Becca, you know the rules. Plus, you're my friend. And if whatever guy you ask to the dance can't beat me in a one-on-one game, then you can't go with him," Khalil says matter-of-factly. I chuckle a little bit, wondering where he's going with this.

Becca laughs. Did he just complete step one?

"So you think you're my daddy now? Ha! Okay, just so you know, this guy is actually a pretty good ball player if I should say so myself. He's on the Varsity team, too."

"That's nice. He'll still needs to face me, but so far your choice is okay with me. I'm sure I'm better looking than him though."

"Eh... don't play yourself, pretty boy."

"OHHHH!!" I laughed at Becca's slight diss.

"So you think I'm pretty?..." Khalil smirks at her and a little blush forms on her cheeks.

"Anyway, I just thought you should know that I don't need any of your ball-playing friends -- including you, Diggy -- to try to call any of their friends to set me up on a date. I can handle myself, dad," Becca smirks.

"Just ask him already," Sam mumbles. I know what she's saying. These two are getting annoying with these back and forth hidden flirty messages. That reminds me...

"And with that, I'm out!" I jump up to my feet and get ready to leave.

"Hold up, playa playa number two," Sam starts, "Where you think YOU going? We still have more games left, plus the pizza hasn't come yet."

"I know, but... it's a school night. And... I have more studying to do for that test tomorrow," I lie.

"What test?" Sam asks, seeing right through me.

"Look, I don't want to leave you guys again, but I was gonna hang with Julie tonight--"

"Not that hoe..."

"Sam, stop! You know, you guys aren't the only friends I have. And Sam, you're not my mother so I don't have to listen to you. I'll check y'all tomorrow at school, alright?"

"Mhmm. I may not be your mother but I sure can call her!" Sam gets out her phone and dials a number. I know she's not seriously calling my mom. "Hello? Mrs. Simmons, this is Sam. Yeah, I know it's late. Me and Dig and my other amigos are at the bowling alley and--" I snatch the phone from her and disconnect the call.

"You're really losing it, Sam."

I hand her back her phone and leave my friends behind without looking back.

***

I'm sitting on the couch with Julie in her big mansion of a house. Her parents aren't home, so it's just us. Alone. It feels a little awkward. I've never been alone at night with a girl. We are watching 'Mean Girls' on television which is one of Julie's favorite movies. She hasn't said anything to me since I came; she's paying full attention to her movie.

 "I love this part," she says, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I can tell," I laugh. I had to admit, she looked cute; wearing some black leggings with an oversized white t-shirt that said 'I Love L.A.' and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Shhh!"

I looked at her and laughed. Hmm... maybe I can make a move. I slowly scooted closer to her trying not too bring attention to myself. She was still totally focused on the movie. I pretended to yawn and slowly raised my arm up and over her shoulders, but before anything else could happen, the phone rang. She jumped up and answered it.

"Hello? Hi, mom. Yes, we're fine, just studying. I promise... yeah, the pizza's in the oven... okay, we will. I gotta go, mom, we're almost done studying. Have fun, bye!"

"So we're studying?" I laugh after she hangs up the phone.

"Shush. I just told her that so she'll get off my back. Besides, did you actually want to study?" She asked.

"Nope, I'm chillin' with this movie... and my growling stomach. Is the pizza done yet?" I ask, raising up from the couch. At that moment, the oven beeps.

"Now it is," Julie says, walking to the kitchen.

"Did I mention that you have a huge house? How many stories is it?"

"Just six... if you include the attic space and basement."

"Just six?"

"Yeah. Our old house in California had eight stories; three floors underground and five above. It was a castle made fit for a princess," Julie says, reliving her 'fairytale' experience in her head.

"I'm sure..." I smirked at her and walked over to the kitchen, watching her take the pizza out, "A princess deserves everything." 

She sets the pizza tray on the top stove and smiles back at me. I walk closer to her, and closer, until our faces practically touched. Our lips touched and became in sync with one another. We stopped for a second, looked at each other without saying a word, and started passionately kissing once again.

SAM's POV

 ~At the house~

After Diggy left, we had eaten some pizza and soda and decided to leave. I also had to take Khalil and Becca home in my car. I finally pulled up in our garage and parked the car. I got out of the car and walked to the front door to unlock it... I noticed it was open. That's strange. I wonder if mom is home.

"Mom? MA!..." I yelled.

I slowly crept into the house and closed and locked the door behind me. I balled up my fists in case I had to punch someone in the eye. Halfway in the foyer, I heard voices laughing in the kitchen/dining room. I unballed my fists and walked into the kitchen; sitting at the table was my mom and Diggy's mom, Justine.

"Mom."

"Oh. Hey, Sam. Justine came over so we could talk a while," my mother told me with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, Mrs. Justine," I said.

"Hey, Samantha. You've gotten taller since the last time I seen you. Come here, girl. You know we're like family," Justine said, with a smile. I walked over and gave her a hug. She always gives the best hugs.

"How was bowling?" The moms asked me.

"It was great." I paused. "Except Diggy ditched us again."

"Oh, why?" They asked at the same time.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "He wanted to hang out with Julie again."

"Oh, sweetie, you still hating on this girl?" My mom asked.

"Mom, I'm not hating! She just started coming to this school and she's already stealing my best friend, starting drama, and spreading rumors about me!" My voice got a little louder this time.

My mom sighed and Justine looked at us confused.

"Wait, wait, wait. Who's Julie? Daniel never told me about anyone by that name," Justine said.

"She's a new student from California. She moved here because of her parents' job or some boojie stuff. She's in our Spanish class and ever since she came, she been making googly eyes at Diggy. It's disgusting."

"So she's a girl?"

"Yes," I reply with irritation.

"Is that all she's doing?" Justine asks.

"I told you -- she's flirting with Diggy and a whole bunch of guys. Plus she's a cheerleader. I just wish she would go back to where she came from--"

"Samantha! Now stop being dramatic," my mom intervenes, "This girl may seem rude or annoying, but she is a new student who deserves to be given a chance. Stop being so judgmental and accept it, okay?"

"Samantha, you're mother is right. Give the girl a chance. I still don't know why Daniel hasn't told me about her," Justine says.

This conversation is irritating. I'm about to go to my room and go to sleep.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to bed. I don't care about Diggy or his many broads."

"Samantha!"

Upstairs in my room, I lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Why is my life so annoying? This school year has been pretty smooth, then this chick comes walking up in here like she owns things. Ugh, and my best friend is falling into her trap. How did this happen within three days? This is almost as worse as my dad leaving us three years ago for a white woman in Vegas. I can still picture my mom's face when my dad told her that he wanted a divorce. She looked confused, shocked, angry, and sad all at the same time. She didn't say anything either... she just... cried. I won't ever forget the last time I saw my daddy; his handsome face, with smooth chocolate skin, hazel eyes, a short afro, and swag for days! My dad was the best! But he left me. He left US.

That was before I came to Wesley High. I met Khalil and Becca, and Diggy was already by my side since pre-school. I wouldn't let anyone else get close to me, because I was afraid that they'd leave me like my father. I started hating school and being more mouthy and having attitudes. I think basketball helped me with my anger, but only for a little while.

I just want everything to be back to normal, was my last thought before I drifted off to sleep.